Thomas Gaspey
Thomas Gaspey was an English writer and journalist born in 1788 in Hoxton, England. Little information is available about his early life, but he began writing poetry in his teens and pursued a journalism career in his twenties. He married Ann Camp in 1811. Gaspey is best known for his novels, particularly "The Mystery: Or, Forty Years Ago" published in 1820, which explores the historical context of the 1780 anti-Catholic Gordon Riots and includes a notable depiction of London’s Newgate prison, later echoed by Charles Dickens. The plot follows protagonists Charles Harley and Amelia Henderson, whose love is thwarted by familial opposition, leading to Harley's enslavement in Africa before their eventual reunion. His subsequent novel, "Calthorpe: Or, Fallen Fortunes" (1821), received positive reviews and showcased his narrative skills and historical engagement. Despite his literary contributions, critics argue that his handling of history sometimes undermined his reputation. Gaspey’s work places him in conversation with notable figures in British literature, yet his legacy is marked by a complex relationship with historical accuracy.
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Thomas Gaspey
Fiction Writer
- Born: March 31, 1788
- Birthplace: Hoxton, England
- Died: December 8, 1871
Biography
Little is known about Thomas Gaspey’s early life. He was born to William Gaspey, a navy lieutenant, in Hoxton, England, in 1788. He began to write poetry in his teens, started a career in journalism in his twenties, and married Ann Camp in 1811.
Gaspey’s first novel, The Mystery: Or, Forty Years Ago (1820), centers on the 1780 anti-Catholic Gordon Riots. Of particular note is his description of the infamous London Newgate prison, which inspired the famous British novelist Charles Dickens’s account of the same prison in his 1841 novel Barnaby Rudge. Protagonists Charles Harley and Amelia Henderson wish to marry but her father refuses. The disgruntled Harley leaves for Africa where he is captured and enslaved by Moors. In time, he returns to England where, after a family mystery is exposed, he weds Amelia. The novel’s plot is considered weak but it remains historically significant for its prolonged editorializing of Britain’s colonial policy.
Gaspey’s next novel Calthorpe: Or, Fallen Fortunes (1821), was well received, with Gaspey described by critics as a descendent of the fathers of the British novel, Henry Fielding and Tobias Smollett. The protagonists, siblings Henry and Harriet Burleigh, are distraught when their prominent father, a London judge, apparently commits suicide. It soon becomes apparent that he was murdered. Gaspey subsequently wrote historical romances and gained stature as a journalist, historian, and philanthropist. He utilized a great deal of history in his fiction and remains compared to Sir Walter Scott in this regard; however, critics maintain his misuse of history damaged his reputation as a writer.