Charles_Molloy_Westmacott_-_THE_EDITOR_OF_THE_AGE

Charles Molloy Westmacott (c. 1788 - 1868) was a British journalist and author, editor of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', the leading Sunday newspaper of the early 1830s. He sometimes wrote under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Bernard Blackmantle.

Life

Born in 1787 or 1788, Westmacott claimed to be the illegitimate son of the sculptor

Richard Westmacott (the elder) Richard Westmacott (the elder) (1747–1808) was an 18th-century monumental sculptor and the beginning of a dynasty of one of Britain's most important sculpting families. He also specialised in fireplace design for many of England's grand count ...

, although his political enemies claimed he was the son of a

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

from Drury Lane. His mother was Susan Molloy, a husbandless widow, who ran a tavern "The Bull and Horns" in Fulham,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660-1851, Rupert Gunnis He was educated at St Paul's School and

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

then went to study sculpture at the Royal Academy. In 1827 he became editor of ''The Age'', a Sunday newspaper which had started in 1825 and which specialized in scurrilous and satirical gossip about celebrities of the day.David E. Latané, 'Charles Molloy Westmacott and the Spirit of the ''Age'', ''Victorian Periodicals Review'', 40: 1 (2007), pp. 44-71 Westmacott was savagely portrayed as the unprincipled gossip-monger 'Sneak' in Edward Bulwer's ''England and the English'', and has been dubbed "the principal blackmailing editor of his day". While he did accept money to suppress publication of stories, this was legal until the 1843 Libel Act, and a recent treatment has argued that these practices were "incidental rather than central to the ''Age''." His best known book was "The English Spy". Because of his connections to the art world the book was illustrated by top artists of the day: Robert Cruikshank and

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

. He was also the editor of the journal "Records of the Fine Arts". He exhibited at least one work at the Royal Academy, London: a bust of

John Philip Kemble John Philip Kemble (1 February 1757 – 26 February 1823) was a British 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 o ...

(1822). In the 1840s Westmacott moved to Paris, where he died in 1868. A portrait of Westmacott by Daniel Maclise is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Works

*(as Bernard Blackmantle) ''Fitzalleyne of Berkeley a romance of the present times'', 1825 *(as Bernard Blackmantle) ''The English spy, an original work, characteristic, satirical, and humorous, comprising scenes and sketches in every rank of society... drawn from the life by Bernard Blackmantle'', 1825/26. Illustrated by Robert Cruickshank. Republished in 2 vols., 1907. *''The stamp duties: serious considerations on the proposed alteration of the stamp duty on newspapers'', 1836

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Westmacott, Charles Molloy 1788 births Year of birth uncertain 1868 deaths British male journalists British editors