William Mudford
Encyclopedia
William Mudford was a British
writer, essayist, translator of literary works and journalist. He also wrote critical and philosophical essays and reviews. His 1829 novel The Five Nights of St. Albans: A Romance of the Sixteenth Century received a good review from John Gibson Lockhart
, an achievement which was considered a rare distinction. Mudford also published short fictional stories which were featured in periodicals such as Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Fraser's Magazine
, and Bentley's Miscellany
. His short story The Iron Shroud
, about an iron torture chamber
which shrinks through mechanical action and eventually crushes the victim inside, was first published in August 1830 by Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, and later republished separately in 1839 and 1840 with the subtitle "Italian Revenge". Edgar Allan Poe
is considered to have been influenced by The Iron Shroud when he wrote The Pit and the Pendulum
having got his idea for the shrinking chamber from Mudford's story. Mudford was born in London
, where his father made a living as a shopkeeper in Piccadilly
. He was influenced by John Milton
, Joseph Addison
, Samuel Johnson
, William Cowper
, William Collins
, Mark Akenside
, Thomas Gray
, and Oliver Goldsmith
.
where he befriended John Black
who, at the time, was also a student at the university. Later, Mudford published a series of letters exchanged with Black in William Cobbett
's Political Register
. The letters centered around a debate about classical education
. In the exchanges, Mudford had argued against the merits of classical education, while Black supported the opposite side. In 1810 Mudford published a series of essays under the title The Contemplatist, which were originally published in installments in a weekly periodical under the same title. He later joined the Morning Chronicle
as a parliamentary reporter. Departing from the Chronicle he was employed first as assistant editor, and then as the editor of the Courier which at the time was an influential evening journal on par with the Times
. After he came to a disagreement with the owners of the Courier over policy matters, Mudform resigned from the journal and issued a letter justifying his actions. His letter drew a lot of attention at the time. In the aftermath of his departure the Courier lost readership and eventually closed while attempts at inviting Mudford back at the journal proved unsuccessful.
Mudford has been described by Sir Walter Scott
as an author who "loves to play at cherry-pit with Satan."; a Shakespearean expression used to indicate familiarity with the Devil. John H. Collins
, analysing the influence of Mudford's work, comments that "the Shroud story is a first rate piece of writing comparable to the best half-dozen works by Poe" and that "it should not just be dismissed as a mere potboiler which the genius of Poe transformed." He goes on to mention that he thinks many readers mistakenly think that the "Iron Shroud" is one of Poe's works thus further strengthening Poe's reputation by attributing to him a story that he actually plagiarised. In the Dictionary of Literary Biography Mudford's writing is described as vigorous while as a writer he is called a master at creating atmosphere. In the same source, his stories are analysed as lacking the subtlety and psychological depth found in the writings of Edgar Allan Poe but they are described as amusing and entertaining.
In 1803 Mudford published his first novel, Augustus and Mary also known as The Maid of Buttermere: A Domestic Tale. Following that, Mudford made a living occupied by more mundane work such as translating foreign works and editing essays and other literary works. He also wrote his second novel Nubilia in Search of a Husband which was his response to the popular Coelebs in Search of a Wife
by Hannah More
and was clearly aimed at capitalising on the market success of the novel by More.
As a young man Mudford showed his ambition by contacting influential and powerful men. When only seventeen, Mudford approached the producer of the Covent Garden Theatre John Philip Kemble
, with the suggestion of issuing a pamphlet in his honour. Years later this was followed by a proposal for a theatrical play which was rejected by Kemble. The play itself was subsequently lost. Mudford, at 18, followed the Duke of Kent
to Gibraltar
as his assistant secretary. Mudford was a Tory and a supporter of the foreign minister of the era George Canning
. Mudford was also a close friend and supporter of Samuel Taylor.
At the age of forty he lost a lot of money in speculative ventures in the stock market and had to start again financially. He worked very hard and accepted an offer from the conservative party in East Kent to become the editor of the Kentish Observer. He finally settled in Canterbury
and eventually became the owner of the Kentish Observer. He contributed regularly to Blackwood's Magazine and sometimes he wrote a story, a review, and a political paper in the same issue. His series of First and Last stories were very popular as were his contributions under the nickname of The Silent Member. In 1841 Mudford moved back to London where he succeeded Theodore Hook as editor of the John Bull magazine
all the while maintaining his connection with the Kentish Observer. During this period his health started declining but he still kept a busy work schedule. In 1848 he wrote his last article on the topic of the French revolution
which appeared in the John Bull on 5 March of the same year.
Mudford while employed at the Morning Chronicle met William Hazlitt
who was also working as a journalist there. A rivalry developed between the two and Hazlitt became one of Mudford's detractors. In Hazlitt's essay in Table-Talk published in 1821 under the title Coffee-House Politicians, Roger Kirkpatrick, one of Hazlitt's friends, is described as a Mudford impersonator. In the essay Mudford was described by Hazlitt as a Contemplative Man who wrote an answer to Coelebs. Hazlitt then goes on to describe him as a man made of fleecy hosiery and fat, pert, and dull as it was possible to be. Hazlitt thought that Mudford was a political hack
-type journalist and a government tool and he often criticised and ridiculed him.
Charles Dickens
used a parody of Mudford's name when he wrote the Mudfog Sketches, creating the town of Mudfog as a parody of Chatham.
Mudford died at 5 Harrington Square, Hampstead Road, on 10 March 1848, leaving a widow and eight
children. His second son, William Heseltine Mudford, became the editor of the Standard in 1894. In Mudford's obituary, appearing in the June 1848 issue of Gentleman's Magazine, his abilities as the editor of the Courier were praised. In 2004 David Finkelstein
published a biography of Mudford.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
writer, essayist, translator of literary works and journalist. He also wrote critical and philosophical essays and reviews. His 1829 novel The Five Nights of St. Albans: A Romance of the Sixteenth Century received a good review from John Gibson Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart , was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the definitive "Life" of Sir Walter Scott...
, an achievement which was considered a rare distinction. Mudford also published short fictional stories which were featured in periodicals such as Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Fraser's Magazine
Fraser's Magazine
Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country was a general and literary journal published in London from 1830 to 1882, which initially took a strong Tory line in politics. It was founded by Hugh Fraser and William Maginn in 1830 and loosely directed by Maginn under the name Oliver Yorke until about 1840...
, and Bentley's Miscellany
Bentley's Miscellany
Bentley's Miscellany was an English literary magazine started by Richard Bentley. It was published between 1836 and 1868.-Contributors:Already a successful publisher of novels, Bentley began the journal in 1836 and invited Charles Dickens to be its first editor...
. His short story The Iron Shroud
The Iron Shroud
"The Iron Shroud" or less commonly known as the "Italian Revenge" is a short story of Gothic fiction written by William Mudford in 1830 and published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and also as a twenty four page chapbook....
, about an iron torture chamber
Torture chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.- Methods of coercion :According to Frederick Howard Wines in his book Punishment and Reformation: A Study Of The Penitentiary System there were three main types of coercion employed in the torture chamber: Coercion by the cord, by water and...
which shrinks through mechanical action and eventually crushes the victim inside, was first published in August 1830 by Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, and later republished separately in 1839 and 1840 with the subtitle "Italian Revenge". Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
is considered to have been influenced by The Iron Shroud when he wrote The Pit and the Pendulum
The Pit and the Pendulum
"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The...
having got his idea for the shrinking chamber from Mudford's story. Mudford was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where his father made a living as a shopkeeper in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
. He was influenced by John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
, Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
, William Collins
William Collins (poet)
William Collins was an English poet. Second in influence only to Thomas Gray, he was an important poet of the middle decades of the 18th century...
, Mark Akenside
Mark Akenside
Mark Akenside was an English poet and physician.Akenside was born at Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the son of a butcher. He was slightly lame all his life from a wound he received as a child from his father's cleaver...
, Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray was a poet, letter-writer, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University.-Early life and education:...
, and Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
.
Life and work
Mudford was born in Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, London, on 8 January 1782. He exhibited an interest in political philosophy and attended lectures at the university of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
where he befriended John Black
John Black (journalist)
John Black was a British journalist and newspaper editor.-Early years:Born in Berwickshire, Black's father was Ebenezer Black, a farm worker and former peddler who had married a co-worker on the farm, Janet Gray. Ebenezer Black died four years after they were married, leaving Janet to raise both a...
who, at the time, was also a student at the university. Later, Mudford published a series of letters exchanged with Black in William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
's Political Register
Political Register
The Political Register was a weekly newspaper founded by William Cobbett in 1802 and ceased publication in 1835, the year of his death.Originally propounding Tory views, and costing a shilling, Cobbett changed his editorial line to embrace radicalism, such as advocating widening the suffrage...
. The letters centered around a debate about classical education
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
. In the exchanges, Mudford had argued against the merits of classical education, while Black supported the opposite side. In 1810 Mudford published a series of essays under the title The Contemplatist, which were originally published in installments in a weekly periodical under the same title. He later joined the Morning Chronicle
Morning Chronicle
The Morning Chronicle was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London, England, and published under various owners until 1862. It was most notable for having been the first employer of Charles Dickens, and for publishing the articles by Henry Mayhew which were collected and published in book format in...
as a parliamentary reporter. Departing from the Chronicle he was employed first as assistant editor, and then as the editor of the Courier which at the time was an influential evening journal on par with the Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
. After he came to a disagreement with the owners of the Courier over policy matters, Mudform resigned from the journal and issued a letter justifying his actions. His letter drew a lot of attention at the time. In the aftermath of his departure the Courier lost readership and eventually closed while attempts at inviting Mudford back at the journal proved unsuccessful.
Mudford has been described by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
as an author who "loves to play at cherry-pit with Satan."; a Shakespearean expression used to indicate familiarity with the Devil. John H. Collins
John H. Collins
John H. Collins was an American classical scholar.Born in Anaconda, Montana, he attended the University of Illinois and Cornell University, and in 1952 received his doctorate in classical history from Goethe University in Frankfurt-am-Main where he studied under Professor Matthias Gelzer, then a...
, analysing the influence of Mudford's work, comments that "the Shroud story is a first rate piece of writing comparable to the best half-dozen works by Poe" and that "it should not just be dismissed as a mere potboiler which the genius of Poe transformed." He goes on to mention that he thinks many readers mistakenly think that the "Iron Shroud" is one of Poe's works thus further strengthening Poe's reputation by attributing to him a story that he actually plagiarised. In the Dictionary of Literary Biography Mudford's writing is described as vigorous while as a writer he is called a master at creating atmosphere. In the same source, his stories are analysed as lacking the subtlety and psychological depth found in the writings of Edgar Allan Poe but they are described as amusing and entertaining.
In 1803 Mudford published his first novel, Augustus and Mary also known as The Maid of Buttermere: A Domestic Tale. Following that, Mudford made a living occupied by more mundane work such as translating foreign works and editing essays and other literary works. He also wrote his second novel Nubilia in Search of a Husband which was his response to the popular Coelebs in Search of a Wife
Coelebs in Search of a Wife
Coelebs in Search of a Wife is a novel by the British Christian moralist Hannah More. It was followed by Coelebs Married in 1814....
by Hannah More
Hannah More
Hannah More was an English religious writer, and philanthropist. She can be said to have made three reputations in the course of her long life: as a poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, as a writer on moral and religious subjects, and as a practical...
and was clearly aimed at capitalising on the market success of the novel by More.
As a young man Mudford showed his ambition by contacting influential and powerful men. When only seventeen, Mudford approached the producer of the Covent Garden Theatre John Philip Kemble
John Philip Kemble
John Philip Kemble was an English actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on the stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane...
, with the suggestion of issuing a pamphlet in his honour. Years later this was followed by a proposal for a theatrical play which was rejected by Kemble. The play itself was subsequently lost. Mudford, at 18, followed the Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of George V.-Pre-history:...
to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
as his assistant secretary. Mudford was a Tory and a supporter of the foreign minister of the era George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
. Mudford was also a close friend and supporter of Samuel Taylor.
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and eventually became the owner of the Kentish Observer. He contributed regularly to Blackwood's Magazine and sometimes he wrote a story, a review, and a political paper in the same issue. His series of First and Last stories were very popular as were his contributions under the nickname of The Silent Member. In 1841 Mudford moved back to London where he succeeded Theodore Hook as editor of the John Bull magazine
John Bull (magazine)
John Bull Magazine was a weekly periodical established in the City, London EC4, by Theodore Hook in 1820.-Publication dates:It was a popular periodical that continued in production through 1824 and at least until 1957...
all the while maintaining his connection with the Kentish Observer. During this period his health started declining but he still kept a busy work schedule. In 1848 he wrote his last article on the topic of the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
which appeared in the John Bull on 5 March of the same year.
Mudford while employed at the Morning Chronicle met William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. Yet his work is...
who was also working as a journalist there. A rivalry developed between the two and Hazlitt became one of Mudford's detractors. In Hazlitt's essay in Table-Talk published in 1821 under the title Coffee-House Politicians, Roger Kirkpatrick, one of Hazlitt's friends, is described as a Mudford impersonator. In the essay Mudford was described by Hazlitt as a Contemplative Man who wrote an answer to Coelebs. Hazlitt then goes on to describe him as a man made of fleecy hosiery and fat, pert, and dull as it was possible to be. Hazlitt thought that Mudford was a political hack
Political hack
A political hack is a negative term ascribed to a person who is part of the political party apparatus, but whose intentions are more aligned with victory than personal conviction...
-type journalist and a government tool and he often criticised and ridiculed him.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
used a parody of Mudford's name when he wrote the Mudfog Sketches, creating the town of Mudfog as a parody of Chatham.
Mudford died at 5 Harrington Square, Hampstead Road, on 10 March 1848, leaving a widow and eight
children. His second son, William Heseltine Mudford, became the editor of the Standard in 1894. In Mudford's obituary, appearing in the June 1848 issue of Gentleman's Magazine, his abilities as the editor of the Courier were praised. In 2004 David Finkelstein
David Finkelstein
David Ritz Finkelstein is currently an emeritus professor of physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Finkelstein obtained his Ph.D. in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953. From 1964 to 1976, he was professor of physics at Yeshiva University.In 1958 Charles W...
published a biography of Mudford.
Selected works
- A Critical Examination of the Writings of Richard Cumberland, Sherwood Pub., Neely, and Jones, 1812
- A critical enquiry (1802), Garland Pub., 1974
- The life of Richard Cumberland, esq., Sherwood, Neely and Jones Pub., 1812
- A critical enquiry into the writings of Samuel Johnson in which it is shewn that the pictures of life contained in the Rambler, and other publications of that celebrated writer have a dangerous tendency. M. Jones, 1803
- Sudario de Hierro y Otros Cuentos Goticos by James Hogg, John Howison, William Mudford, Celeste Pub., July 1999 Paperback
- The Iron Shroud, Viking Press, June 1973 Hardcover
- The Five Nights of St. Albans, James Blackwood & Co Pub., June 1929 Textbook Binding
- Nubilia in search of a husband, printed for J. Ridgeway, Piccadilly; and Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1809
- Nubilia in search of a husband, Bradford & Inskeep, T. & G. Palmer Pub., 1809 [microform]
- An historical account of the campaign in the Netherlands in 1815, under His Grace the Duke of Wellington, and Marshal Prince Blücher, printed for Henry Colburn, 1817
- The Contemplatist: a series of essays upon morals and literature Sherwood Pub., 1810, 336 p.
External links
- The Iron Shroud from Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
. - Works by William Mudford from the Open Library
- Mudfog and Other Sketches by Charles Dickens from Project Gutenberg.
- The Contemplatist Free download from the Internet archive