Richard Brinsley Knowles (17 January 1820 – 28 January 1882) was a British journalist.

Life

Knowles, son of James Sheridan Knowles, a dramatist, was born at Glasgow and about 1838 held an appointment in the registrar-general's office,

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, London. He was admitted a student of the Middle Temple on 14 November 1839, and

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

26 May 1843. His tastes, however, inclined towards literature, and on 19 November 1845 he produced at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

a comedy, ''The Maiden Aunt'', which, aided by the acting of William Farren and Mrs. Glover (née Julia Betterton), had a run of thirty nights. In 1849 he joined the church of Rome, and became editor of the ''Catholic Standard'', a publication which was subsequently purchased by Henry Wilberforce, and renamed the ''Weekly Register''. From 1853 to 1855 he edited the ''Illustrated London Magazine'', a series of five volumes. He was one of the chief writers on ''

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

'' from 1857 to 1860, but some display of religious intolerance on the part of the proprietors led to an abrupt termination of his engagement. Professor

John Sherren Brewer John Sherren Brewer, Jr. (March 1809 – February 1879) was an English clergyman, historian and scholar. He was a brother of E. Cobham Brewer, compiler of ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable''. Birth and education Brewer was born in Norwi ...

, who was then conducting the paper, indignant at the treatment of his colleague, at once relinquished his editorship. Knowles was afterwards editor of the '' London Review,'' but in later years his chief engagement was on the '' Morning Post,'' until ill-health obliged him to resign his connection with that paper. He edited the ''Chronicles of John of Oxenedes'' ('' Chronica Johannis de Oxenedes''), a manuscript copy of which was found in the Duke of Newcastle's collection; and his edition was published in 1859 in the Rolls Series. In 1871, he was engaged under the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, and described many valuable collections of family muniments, chiefly belonging to Roman Catholic families. Among these were the collections of the

Marquess of Bute Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute. Family history John Stuart ...

, the Earl of Denbigh, the Earl of Ashburnham, and Colonel Towneley. He was the author in 1872 of ''The Life of James Sheridan Knowles'', an edition of twenty-five copies for private circulation. He died suddenly at 29 North Bank, Regent's Park, London, 28 January 1882, having married on 25 October 1845 Eliza Mary, youngest child of Peter and Elizabeth Crowley of Dublin, and sister of

Nicholas Joseph Crowley Nicholas Joseph Crowley (6 December 1819–4 November 1857) was an Irish genre and portrait painter. He was highly esteemed as a portrait painter, and was especially good in painting portrait groups. Early life and education Crowley was born ...

(1819–1857), painter. His son, R.B. Sheridan Knowles, was also a writer whose contributions to literature consisted mainly of essays, sketches and reviews, which appeared in various journals and periodicals. He wrote the novel ''Glencoonoge'' (1891), a story of Irish life, which first ran serially in '' The Month'' and was then published in three volumes.R. B. Sheridan Knowles (1891) ''Glencoonoge'', Vol. 3 William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London
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References

;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Richard Brinsley 1820 births 1882 deaths Members of the Middle Temple British male journalists British newspaper editors Journalists from Glasgow 19th-century British journalists 19th-century British male writers