William Hamilton Maxwell
Encyclopedia
William Hamilton Maxwell (June 30, 1792 in Newry, County Down, Ireland - Dec. 29, 1850 in Musselburgh, Scotland) was a Scots-Irish novel
ist.
He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
. He claimed to have entered the British Army
and seen service in the Peninsular War
and the Battle of Waterloo
, but this is generally believed to be untrue. Afterwards he took orders, but was deprived of his living for non-residence.
His novels, O'Hara
(1825), and Stories from Waterloo (1834) started the school of rollicking military fiction, which culminated in the novels of Charles Lever
. Maxwell also wrote a Life of the Duke of Wellington
(1839–1841), and a History of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 (1845)
Maxwell married Mary Dobbin, daughter of Leonard Dobbin
, MP for Armagh.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist.
He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. He claimed to have entered the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and seen service in 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...
and the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, but this is generally believed to be untrue. Afterwards he took orders, but was deprived of his living for non-residence.
His novels, O'Hara
O'Hara
O'Hara is an Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó hEaghra. The death of the eponyum is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters - 926. Eaghra Poprigh mac Saorghus, lord of Luighne, in Connaught .....
(1825), and Stories from Waterloo (1834) started the school of rollicking military fiction, which culminated in the novels of Charles Lever
Charles Lever
Charles James Lever was an Irish novelist.-Biography:Lever was born in Dublin, the second son of James Lever, an architect and builder, and was educated in private schools. His escapades at Trinity College, Dublin , where he took the degree in medicine in 1831, are drawn on for the plots of some...
. Maxwell also wrote a Life of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(1839–1841), and a History of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 (1845)
Maxwell married Mary Dobbin, daughter of Leonard Dobbin
Leonard Dobbin
Leonard Dobbin was an Irish Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1837.Dobbin was a clerk of the peace in Armagh. In the 1832 general election Dobbin was elected as Member of Parliament for Armagh. He held the seat until 1837. Dobbin then became High Sheriff of Armagh...
, MP for Armagh.