Joseph Drew
Encyclopedia
Joseph Drew was an English newspaper editor, steamboat proprietor, author and lecturer.
Drew was born in Deptford
, son of Joseph Drew of the Royal Navy dockyard service. Following the shutting down of Deptford Dockyard in 1830, his family moved to Melcombe Regis
where he worked in his father's confectionery business. He later started his own grocery business (with a partner Joseph Maunders) which went bankrupt. In about 1838 he moved to Guernsey
with his wife and their four young children and set up his own confectioners in St. Peter Port, but returned to Weymouth a few years later. He became proprietor of the Victoria Hotel on Weymouth Esplanade. He was active in local affairs, becoming a JP
and town councillor.
Drew founded the newspaper The Southern Times, published in Weymouth
in 1850, which he edited until 1862.
In 1850 Drew became a partner, with Capt. William Cosens, in the company Cosens and Co. which operated paddle steamer
s from Weymouth, and was its chairman in 1874.
He wrote and lectured on a large number of subjects, scientific, historical and religious. Between 1866 and 1872 he delivered a series of free lectures which he describes in his book A Synopsis of Fourteen Popular Lectures.
He ventured into historical fiction with his book The Poisoned Cup published in many editions from 1876 until 1962.
He died at Weymouth in 1883.
Of Drew's descendants: Fanny Eliza Drew married organist William Rooke, and was grandmother of Agnès Humbert
; while Harry Drew married missionary teacher Georgiana Down, and was grandfather of architect Jane Drew
.
Patents
Drew was born in Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, son of Joseph Drew of the Royal Navy dockyard service. Following the shutting down of Deptford Dockyard in 1830, his family moved to Melcombe Regis
Melcombe Regis
Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England.Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole, it seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th century...
where he worked in his father's confectionery business. He later started his own grocery business (with a partner Joseph Maunders) which went bankrupt. In about 1838 he moved to Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
with his wife and their four young children and set up his own confectioners in St. Peter Port, but returned to Weymouth a few years later. He became proprietor of the Victoria Hotel on Weymouth Esplanade. He was active in local affairs, becoming a JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and town councillor.
Drew founded the newspaper The Southern Times, published in Weymouth
Weymouth
Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The town is south of Dorchester and north of the Isle of Portland. The town's population is 52,950 ....
in 1850, which he edited until 1862.
In 1850 Drew became a partner, with Capt. William Cosens, in the company Cosens and Co. which operated paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
s from Weymouth, and was its chairman in 1874.
He wrote and lectured on a large number of subjects, scientific, historical and religious. Between 1866 and 1872 he delivered a series of free lectures which he describes in his book A Synopsis of Fourteen Popular Lectures.
He ventured into historical fiction with his book The Poisoned Cup published in many editions from 1876 until 1962.
He died at Weymouth in 1883.
Family
At the age of 18 Joseph Drew married Eliza Monday, six years his senior. They had four children: Mary Jessie Drew (born 1833), Joseph William Drew (1834), Alice Martha Drew (1836) and Fanny Eliza Drew (1839). His wife Eliza died in 1846, and two years later he married her younger sister Caroline Agnes Monday, a school teacher, by whom he had two children Caroline Agnes Drew (1850) and Harry Drew (1851).Of Drew's descendants: Fanny Eliza Drew married organist William Rooke, and was grandmother of Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert was an art historian, ethnographer and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Early life :...
; while Harry Drew married missionary teacher Georgiana Down, and was grandfather of architect Jane Drew
Jane Drew
Dame Jane Drew, DBE, FRIBA was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the AA School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Modern Movement in London....
.
Honours
Among his honours were- Fellow of the Geological Society of London, 1870
- Fellow of the Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
, 1871 - Fellow of the Royal Historical SocietyRoyal Historical SocietyThe Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
, 1872 - Hon. LL.D. University of RichmondUniversity of RichmondThe University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, USA, 1874 - Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
- Fellow of the Royal Society of ArtsRoyal Society of ArtsThe Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
- Fellow of the Literary and Scientific Society
Publications
Books and poems- The Vision of the Pope; or A Snooze in the Vatican, in (satirical) verse. 1851, Weymouth: Benson and Barling, London: Simpkin & Marshall.
- Popery against the Pope, an Appeal to Protestants, an essay. 1851, London: Benjamin L. Green, 62 Paternoster Row.
- A Biographical Sketch of the Military and Political Career of the late Duke of WellingtonDuke of WellingtonThe Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
, including the most Interesting Particulars of his Death, Lying in State and public funeral (Compiled from the most Authentic Sources), illustrated with engravings. 1851, Weymouth, "printed for the booksellers". - The World and how it was made: from the Mosaical text, in verse. 1862, London: Houlston & Wright, and Weymouth: Sherren.
- England’s Glory. Mention in title pages of In the Beginning and A Synopsis of Fourteen Popular Lectures. Before 1873, printer and publisher unknown.
- Our Home in the Stars, illustrated with engravings. 1872, London: Elliot Stock, Weymouth: T. W. & W. Tarver.
- In the Beginning, or Man's First Paradise, in verse. 1872, Weymouth : T. W. & W. Tarver.
- A Synopsis of Fourteen Popular Lectures by Dr. J. Drew, with Press Criticisms. 1873, Weymouth: T.W. & W. Tarver.
- 1. “Fire, the Baptismal Rite and the funeral shroud of the World”
- 2. “Trees, Plants and Flowers – their habits and instincts”
- 3. “The Earthquake and Volcano – their cause and effect”
- 4. “Man – pre-historic and modern”
- 5. “Labour, the poor man’s Capital”
- 6. “Lady Jane GreyLady Jane GreyLady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
– her life and what it teaches” - 7. “Creation and its Mysteries”
- 8. “Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Anne BoleynAnne BoleynAnne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
; or the first dawn of the Reformation” - 9. “The Philosophy of Death”
- 10. “Our Home in the Stars”
- 11. “The theory of Ghosts”
- 12. “Our Earth from its Cradle to its Grave”
- 13. “Mary Queen of Scots – her Private History and Public Career”
- 14. “Let there be Light”
- followed by Art Treasures and their Preservation. An address delivered before the British Archaeological AssociationBritish Archaeological AssociationThe British Archaeological Association was founded in 1843; it was established by Charles Roach Smith. It is aimed at the promotion of the studies of archaeology, art and architecture and the preservation of antiquities. After disagreements arose, it was split into two organizations, the newer one...
, at a meeting of their Congress at Weymouth, August 23, 1871.
- The Poisoned Cup: a quaint tale of old Weymouth and Sandsfoot CastleSandsfoot CastleSandsfoot Castle is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, built in the 1530s to the west of Weymouth, Dorset, England, opposite its contemporary Portland Castle...
in the days of Queen BessElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, including photographs of Sandsfoot Castle. 1876, Weymouth: Sherren & Son. - The Mystery of Creation: a lay sermon 1879, Weymouth: Sherren & Son. Dedicated to "Harry Drew, Mus.Doc., L.Mus.,Trin.Col.,Lond., by his affectionate Father, Joseph Drew, to keep alive in his remembrance the many pleasant evenings spent in discussing these, and kindred subjects, during his visit home from India."
- The Rival Queens. A sketch, historical and biographical. Compiled from state papers, public records, historical works, and other reliable sources of information by Joseph Drew. With special reference to Elizabeth IElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and Mary Queen of Scots. 1880, Weymouth: Sherren & Son. Dedicated to "Henry EdwardsHenry Edwards (1820-1897)Sir Henry Edwards was a British Liberal Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis from 1867 until 1885, when Weymouth and Melcombe Regis ceased to be a parliamentary borough....
, Esq., M.P. for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis".
Patents
- British Patent 9069 of 1841: An improved method of rolling and cutting lozenges, and also of cutting gun wads, wafers, and all other similar substances, by means of a certain machine designed by me, and constructed of divers metals and woods. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 8 pages with a large insert sheet of technical drawings Figs 1 – 8.
- British Patent 1508 of 1861: Improvements in the adaptation of plates or shields to fixed and floating batteries, and also ships, for the purpose of more effectually resisting shot or other projectiles. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 2 pages.