Samuel Timmins (27 February 1826 – 12 November 1902
) was a British Shakespearean scholar and
antiquarian. He was invariably known as Sam Timmins, and signed himself "Sam: Timmins", using a
colon for abbreviation in
early modern style.
He inherited a family business, founded in 1790 by his grandfather Richard Timmins, and based in
Hurst Street
Hurst Street is the main street of the Birmingham Gay Village and is located along the edge of the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England.BBCDavid Parker, "Chinese People in Birmingham: A Brief History by Dr. David Parker," January 2003 access ...
, as a manufacturer of steel "
toys
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pe ...
" (i.e. small items such as hinges, buckles and hooks).
[Roberts 2013.] His true passion, however, was literature; and towards the end of his life he depended for his income as much on his literary output as on his business.
In about 1858, Timmins, the nonconformist preacher
George Dawson,
J. T. Bunce,
J. H. Chamberlain,
William Harris William or Will or Willie Harris may refer to:
Politicians and political activists
*William Harris (born 1504) (1504–?), MP for Newport, Cornwall
*William Harris (died 1556), MP for Maldon (UK Parliament constituency), Maldon
*William Harris (MP ...
, and others in their circle, began to meet for literary and cultural discussions. By 1860, these meetings had been regularised into a more formal club, which in 1862 was named "Our Shakespeare Club". H. R. G. Whates calls Our Shakespeare Club "the intellectual centre of the community,
ndthe nineteenth century equivalent of the famous
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a British dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 ...
". One of the principal achievements of the club, and of Timmins in particular, was the establishment of the Shakespeare Memorial Library within the
Central Library in 1864 (the tercentenary year of
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 natio ...
's birth). The library included a portrait bust of Timmins by
F. J. Williamson.
The original contents of this library were lost in a fire during 1879, when Timmins was seen sobbing at the destruction.
A new Shakespeare Library was created within the new Reference Library built in 1881, and a copy of the bust restored there.
Timmins died on 12 November 1902, aged 76, and was buried in
Key Hill Cemetery
Key Hill Cemetery, ( OS grid reference SP059882), originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, is a cemetery in Hockley (the Jewellery Quarter), Birmingham, England. It opened in 1836 as a nondenominational cemetery (in practice nonconfor ...
,
Hockley
Hockley is a large village and civil parish in Essex in the East of England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, or, more specifically, between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 189 ...
, Birmingham.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110716184036/http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/BM/WMbiBIxx250.htm
1902 deaths
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Shakespearean scholars
1826 births
Burials at Key Hill Cemetery
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