Thomas Moore Musgrave
Encyclopedia
Thomas Moore Musgrave was an English
postmaster
and translator.
and Portuguese
.
In 1802, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Home Secretary
, Lord Pelham
. In 1804, he took the post of Secretary and Confidential Superintendent of the Aliens Office. Lord Minto gave him the position of Secretary to the Government of Ireland, in which he served one term, afterwards returning to the Aliens Office post, which Earl Spencer
had kept open for him. He was released from this post in 1816 as part of a government shake-up, and was endowed with a pension.
Lord Pelham, who was now Postmaster General, appointed Musgrave to become the Mail Agent for Lisbon
, in which post he was able to communicate valuable political information back to England during the Peninsular War
. In 1821, Francis Freeling
, Secretary of the Post Office, appointed him as Postmaster and Mail Agent for Falmouth
, which was a leading hub of the Post Office Packet Service
. This was handed over to the Admiralty
in 1824, with Musgrave managing the transfer, whereupon his post as Postmaster was passed to William Gay, who served until 1843.
Musgrave was then Comptroller
of the London Twopenny Post until 1833, when it was taken over by the General Post Office
. He was then offered the post of Postmaster General of Jamaica, which he declined, fearing for his health in Jamaica's hot climate.
He was Postmaster of Bath from 1833 until his death in 1854. In this role, he was influential in the introduction of the Penny Black
, the first postage stamp, and Mulready stationery
. The first posting of a stamp in the world was from Bath post office on the 2nd May, four days prior to the official issue date. Only three blue (twopenny) Mulready envelopes marked 6 May 1840 are known to exist, one of which was from Musgrave and address to Isabella Tudor of Bath, and now resides in the Bath Postal Museum
, which also has an exhibition about Musgrave.
Musgrave died on the 4th September. He left behind one daughter, Ann, aged 32 at the time of his death, to whom he left everything in his will. Ann married her father's Chief Clerk, Jabez Rich, who later became Postmaster of Liverpool.
(The Lusiads) into English blank verse
, which was published in 1826 by John Murray
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
and translator.
Personal life
Musgave was born in London to Thomas Musgrave and Elizabeth Musgrave (née Hide) on the 28th December, 1774. His mother died two year later, and his father's will made him his chief beneficiary upon his death when Musgrave was fourteen. He lived abroad for some time, and became fluent in GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
In 1802, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Lord Pelham
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester PC, PC , FRS , styled The Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1768 until 1783, The Right Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1783 to 1801, and then known as Lord Pelham until 1805, was a British Whig politician...
. In 1804, he took the post of Secretary and Confidential Superintendent of the Aliens Office. Lord Minto gave him the position of Secretary to the Government of Ireland, in which he served one term, afterwards returning to the Aliens Office post, which Earl Spencer
George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG PC FRS FSA , styled Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician...
had kept open for him. He was released from this post in 1816 as part of a government shake-up, and was endowed with a pension.
Lord Pelham, who was now Postmaster General, appointed Musgrave to become the Mail Agent for Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, in which post he was able to communicate valuable political information back to England during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. In 1821, Francis Freeling
Francis Freeling
Sir Francis Freeling, 1st Baronet FSA , was Secretary of HM General Post Office .He was born in Bristol, on 25 August 1764.-Career:...
, Secretary of the Post Office, appointed him as Postmaster and Mail Agent for Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
, which was a leading hub of the Post Office Packet Service
Post Office Packet Service
The Post Office Packet Service dates to Tudor times and ran until 1823, when the Admiralty assumed control of the service. Originally, the Post Office used packet ships to carry mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. The vessels generally also carried bullion, private...
. This was handed over to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
in 1824, with Musgrave managing the transfer, whereupon his post as Postmaster was passed to William Gay, who served until 1843.
Musgrave was then Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
of the London Twopenny Post until 1833, when it was taken over by the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
. He was then offered the post of Postmaster General of Jamaica, which he declined, fearing for his health in Jamaica's hot climate.
He was Postmaster of Bath from 1833 until his death in 1854. In this role, he was influential in the introduction of the Penny Black
Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
, the first postage stamp, and Mulready stationery
Mulready stationery
Mulready stationery describes the postal stationery lettersheets and pre-gummed envelopes that were introduced as part of the British Post Office postal reforms of 1840. They went on sale on 1 May, 1840, and were valid for use from 6 May...
. The first posting of a stamp in the world was from Bath post office on the 2nd May, four days prior to the official issue date. Only three blue (twopenny) Mulready envelopes marked 6 May 1840 are known to exist, one of which was from Musgrave and address to Isabella Tudor of Bath, and now resides in the Bath Postal Museum
Bath Postal Museum
The Bath Postal Museum is in Bath, Somerset, England.The museum was founded in 1979 by Audrey and Harold Swindells in the basement of their house. In 1984, it moved to a home in Broad Street. This was the site of Bath's main Post Office from 1822 to 1854 and the building in which the first recorded...
, which also has an exhibition about Musgrave.
Musgrave died on the 4th September. He left behind one daughter, Ann, aged 32 at the time of his death, to whom he left everything in his will. Ann married her father's Chief Clerk, Jabez Rich, who later became Postmaster of Liverpool.
Writings
As an author, Musgrave published several books and pamphlets, such as Considerations on the re-establishment of an effective Balance of Power (1813). As a translator, he is best known for his translation of the Portuguese epic poem Os LusíadasOs Lusíadas
Os Lusíadas , usually translated as The Lusiads, is a Portuguese epic poem by Luís Vaz de Camões ....
(The Lusiads) into English blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
, which was published in 1826 by John Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
.