Octavius Graham Gilchrist (; 1779–1823) was an English man of letters and antiquary.

Life

He was born at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

; his father, Stirling Gilchrist, lieutenant and surgeon in the

3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) ...

, had retired there. Octavius was one of a family of sixteen. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, but left the university early without a degree, in order to assist a relative, Alderman Joseph Robinson, grocer, in business at

Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...

. In 1803 he was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

; and in the following year he married Elizabeth, daughter of James Nowlan, a merchant, of the Hermitage,

Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...

. On 30 June 1823 Gilchrist died at his house in the High Street, Stamford; he had long been tubercular. His library, which contained Elizabethan and early printed books, was sold by auction 5–11 January 1824.

Works

He printed in 1805, for private circulation, a short volume of ''Rhymes''; and in 1807 he published an edition of the ''Poems'' of

Richard Corbet Bishop Richard Corbet (or Corbett) (158228 July 1635) was an English clergyman who rose to be a bishop in the Church of England. He is also remembered as a humorist and as a poet, although his work was not published until after his death. Life ...

. To his friend

William Gifford William Gifford (April 1756 – 31 December 1826) was an English critic, editor and poet, famous as a satirist and controversialist. Life Gifford was born in Ashburton, Devon, to Edward Gifford and Elizabeth Cain. His father, a glazier and ...

he addressed in 1808 ''An Examination of the Charges maintained by Messrs. Malone, Chalmers, and others of Ben Jonson's enmity towards Shakespeare''; and in 1811 ''A Letter on the late edition of Ford's Plays'' directed at

Henry William Weber Henry William Weber (1783–1818) was an English editor of plays and romances and literary assistant of Sir Walter Scott. Life Weber was born in 1783, allegedly in St. Petersburg, and is said to have been the son of a Westphalian who married an ...

. Early in 1814 Gilchrist printed, but never circulated, proposals for publishing a large play collection; the scheme was abandoned after the appearance of

Charles Wentworth Dilke Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789–1864) was an English liberal critic and writer on literature. Professional life He served for many years in the Navy Pay-Office, on retiring from which in 1830 he devoted himself to literary pursuits. Lit ...

's ''Old English Plays''. Notes of Gilchrist are incorporated in the third edition, by

John Payne Collier John Payne Collier (11 January 1789, London – 17 September 1883, Maidenhead) was an English Shakespearean critic and forger. Reporter and solicitor His father, John Dyer Collier (1762–1825), was a successful journalist, and his connection ...

) of

Robert Dodsley Robert Dodsley (13 February 1703 – 23 September 1764) was an English bookseller, publisher, poet, playwright, and miscellaneous writer. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. H ...

's ''Old Plays'', 1825–7. Gifford, in his editions of

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

and

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, acknowledged the help that he received from Gilchrist's investigations. Gilchrist also probably supplied much of the material for

John Drakard John Drakard (1775?–1854) was an English newspaper proprietor, publisher, and political radical, imprisoned for his journalism. Life He went into business at Stamford, Lincolnshire as a printer and book-seller at the beginning of the 19th centu ...

's ''History of Stamford'' (1822).

Controversy

The ''

Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...

'' for June 1812 contains a severe article by Gilchrist on Stephen Jones's edition of David Erskine Baker's ''Biographia Dramatica''. Jones published a reply entitled ''Hypercriticism Exposed'', 1812. The ''Quarterly Review'' for October 1820 had some uncomplimentary remarks on

William Lisle Bowles William Lisle Bowles (24 September 17627 April 1850) was an English priest, poet and critic. Life and career Bowles was born at King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, where his father was vicar. At the age of 14 he entered Winchester College, where ...

, in a review of ''Spence's Anecdotes''. Bowles replied in ''

The Pamphleteer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', vol. xvii., ascribing the ''Quarterly'' article to Gilchrist, who (while disclaiming the authorship) published a ''Letter to the Rev. William Lisle Bowles'', Stamford, 1820. An acrimonious controversy ensued.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilchrist, Octavius Graham 1779 births 1823 deaths British literary editors English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London