Thomas Macknight (15 February 1829 – 19 November 1899) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

newspaper editor,

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

and publisher. He was the originator of the Two Nations Theory in 1896, which argues that the Ulster Protestants are a distinct Irish nation.

Life

Born in Gainford in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, the son of Thomas Macknight, and his wife, Elizabeth, Macknight was privately educated at Dr Bowman's school in Gainford. He enrolled in the Medical Faculty at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

in 1849 where he met and was influenced by

Frederick Denison Maurice John Frederick Denison Maurice (29 August 1805 – 1 April 1872), known as F. D. Maurice, was an English Anglican theologian, a prolific author, and one of the founders of Christian socialism. Since World War II, interest in Maurice has exp ...

. Macknight left the college in 1851 without taking his degree, having discovered an interest in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

, and began his career by writing leaders for a number of London daily papers. He married the actress

Sarah Thorne Sarah Thorne (10 May 1836 – 27 February 1899) was a British actress and actor-manager, actress-manager of the 19th century who managed the Theatre Royal at Margate for many years. She ran a school for acting there which is widely regarded as ...

sometime between 1856 and 1859. They had two children during their three years together, Edmund (b. 1860) and Elizabeth (b. 1862), but due to incompatibility the couple separated soon after the birth of their daughter. In January 1866 Macknight succeeded

Frank Harrison Hill Frank Harrison Hill (1830–1910) was an English journalist. Life Baptised on 4 March 1830 at Boston, Lincolnshire, he was younger son of George Hill, merchant there, by his wife Betsy, sister of Pishey Thompson. Educated at Boston grammar school ...

as editor of ''

The Northern Whig The Northern Whig is a bar housed in a historical building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in the Cathedral Quarter, just to the north of the Belfast City Centre. At various times during its history it has been a gentleman's club and a new ...

'' in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, where he remained for thirty-three years. Macknight was a Liberal and supported Gladstone's Irish land legislation; he admired Gladstone (who had helped him to publish his biography of

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS">New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS/nowiki>_1729_–_9_July_1797)_was_an_ NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style"> ...

and there are several letters from him to Gladstone discussing Belfast politics in the Gladstone Papers at the British Library.Patrick Maume "Burke in Belfast: Thomas MacKnight, Gladstone and Liberal Unionism" in D.G. Boyce & Alan O’Day Gladstone and Ireland: Politics, Religion and Nationality in the Victorian Age (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) pp162–185 MacKnight, however, opposed

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

's proposals for

Home Rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

, believing that Ireland's problems could only be resolved through legislation from

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. A Unionist, Thomas Macknight's publications included ''A Literary and Political Biography of the Right Honorable Benjamin Disraeli, MP'' Richard Bentley, London (1854); ''The History of the Life and Times of Edmund Burke'' in three volumes, Chapman and Hall, London (1856 to 1860); ''Life of Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke'' (1863), and ''Ulster As It Is or Thirty Years Experience as an Irish Editor'' (1896). Following his death on 19 November 1899 Macknight was buried in

Belfast City Cemetery Belfast City Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Chathair Bhéal Feirste) is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and Springfield Road, near Milltown Cemetery. It is maintained by ...

Life

References

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External links

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On-line books by Macknight
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macknight, Thomas 1829 births 1899 deaths Alumni of King's College London 19th-century Anglo-Irish people Irish unionists Irish newspaper editors Irish biographers Irish male non-fiction writers Irish male writers Male biographers 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century male writers Burials at Belfast City Cemetery People from Gainford, County Durham 19th-century Irish businesspeople