Bonnell Thornton (1725–1768) was an English poet, essayist, and critic. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1747. In 1752 Thornton founded the ''Drury Lane Journal'', a satirical periodical which, among other things, lampooned other journals such as

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

's ''Rambler'', ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

'' and ''The London Magazine''. Twelve issues were published between January and April 1752. From 1754 to 1756 he published, with George Colman, a six-page weekly serial, ''The Connoisseur'', which, although criticised by Dr. Johnson for lack of substance, ran to 140 issues. He was a frequent contributor to ''The Gentleman's Magazine''. Thornton was also a member of the Nonsense Club of Old Westminster men with George Colman,

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...

, Charles Churchill and Robert Lloyd. He married Sylvia Braithwaite, younger and posthumous daughter of Colonel John Braithwaite by his wife Silvia Cole, and sister of Major-General

Sir John Braithwaite, 1st Baronet Major-General Sir John Braithwaite, 1st Baronet (3 February 1739 – 16 August 1803) was Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army. Background He was born in South Carolina, the only son of Colonel John Braithwaite (1696–1740), author, soldier an ...

. She was noted for her outstanding piety. They had three children.

Notes

External links

Bonnell Thornton
at the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
Bonnell Thornton
at James Boswell – a Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Bonnell Thorton, Bonnell 1725 births 1768 deaths English male poets