John Dean Blythe (1842–1869), was an English writer.

Biography

He was born at

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

on 12 April 1842, the son of Peter Dean Blythe and his wife Elizabeth. His grandfather, James Blythe, was a notable Scotch schoolmaster at the village of

Limekilns Limekilns is a village in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth, around south of Dunfermline. History and economy Unlike the neighbouring village of Charlestown, Limekilns is an old settlement dating back to the 14th cen ...

, about fifteen miles from Edinburgh. After a brief stay at the Ryecroft British school, Blythe worked in a factory; then obtained a post on a local paper as reporter, and afterwards entered a firm in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, in whose employment he remained until his death. He attended night classes and studied by himself. He learned

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, and read

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. A retentive memory enabled him to recall an immense number of passages, especially from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. On one occasion, Blythe supplied the references to fifty-seven out of sixty passages selected to try him. Amongst his manuscripts was one containing over five hundred entries, alphabetically arranged, of the contents of "

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

". In politics he was a philosophical radical. He attended, as a teacher, the Sunday school of the

Methodist New Connexion The Methodist New Connexion, also known as Kilhamite Methodism, was a Protestant nonconformist church. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist F ...

, in Stamford Street,

, during the greater portion of his life. On 5th Feb. 1869, he was killed by the accidental discharge of a revolver in the hands of a friend.

Literary work

Blythe's literary efforts were encouraged by the Rev.

Joseph Rayner Stephens Joseph Rayner Stephens (8 March 1805 – 18 February 1879) was a Methodist minister who offended the Wesleyan Conference by his support for separating the Church of England from the State. Resigning from the Wesleyan Connection, he became free t ...

and

John Critchley Prince John Critchley Prince (1808–1866) was an English labouring-class poet. His ''Hours of the Muses'' went through six editions. Life Born at Wigan, Lancashire, on 21 June 1808, Prince was the son of a poor reed-maker for weavers. He learned to read ...

. A contribution to ''Punch'' and some verses in the Ashton newspapers are the only pieces known to have been printed during Blythe's lifetime. He edited a manuscript magazine which circulated amongst the members of a self-improvement society. He left behind him a considerable amount of manuscript, and a small memorial volume was issued, entitled ''A Sketch of the Life (by Joseph Williamson) and a Selection from the Writings of John Dean Blythe'', Manchester, 1870.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blythe, John Dean 1842 births 1869 deaths 19th-century English writers People from Ashton-under-Lyne 19th-century English male writers