William Maltby (1763–1854) was an English solicitor, librarian and bibliographer, known also as a close friend of the poet

Samuel Rogers Samuel Rogers (30 July 1763 – 18 December 1855) was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron. ...

Early life

Born in London on 17 January 1763, he was youngest of the ten children of Brough Maltby, a wholesale draper, of Mansion House Street, and his wife Ann Dyer;

Edward Maltby Edward Maltby (6 April 1770 – 3 July 1859) was an English clergyman of the Church of England. He became Bishop of Durham, controversial for his liberal politics, for his ecumenism, and for the great personal wealth that he amassed. Early ...

the bishop was a first cousin, as was the journalist John Dyer Collier, father of

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 ...

. He was educated at the school of the Rev. James Pickbourne in Hackney, where he formed his life-long acquaintance with Samuel Rogers, a fellow-pupil.

Legal career

Maltby went on to study at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...

, but as a

Dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...

, did not take a degree. He practised law as a solicitor for at time with his elder brother, Rowland Maltby, who had been clerk to the

Fishmongers' Company The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the order of precede ...

. On 23 June 1787 he was called to the bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

. Rowland Maltby was a witness in 1809 for the parliamentary investigation into the affair of

Mary Anne Clarke Mary Anne Clarke (born Mary Anne Thompson; 3 April 1776 – 21 June 1852) was the mistress of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany., retrieved 24 November 2018 Their relationship began in 1803, while he was Commander-in-Chief of the arm ...

, supposed as a royal mistress to have sold army commissions. On 13 February he revealed the involvement of Russell Manners, a former Member of Parliament: he and Manners had married sisters.

Librarian

After the death of Richard Porson in 1808, William Maltby succeeded him as principal librarian of the

London Institution The London Institution was an educational institution founded in London in 1806 (not to be confused with the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom founded the previous year, with which it shared some founders). It ...

on 1 February 1809; its library had been founded in 1806, and Maltby had

William Upcott William Upcott (1779–1845) was an English librarian and antiquary. Life Born in Oxfordshire, he was the illegitimate son of Ozias Humphry by Delly Wickens, daughter of an Oxford shopkeeper, called Upcott from the maiden name of Humphry's mothe ...

as assistant. He started a programme of expansion, and by 1811 there were 12,000 books. He twice moved the books within London—in 1811 from Sir Robert Clayton's house in the

Old Jewry Old Jewry is a one-way street in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It is located within Coleman Street ward and links Poultry to Gresham Street. The street now contains mainly offices for financial companies. The ...

to King's Arms Yard,

Coleman Street Coleman Street is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London and lies on the City's northern boundary with the London Borough of Islington. The ward, which includes land lying on either side of the former city wall, takes its name from ...

, and in 1818 to 11

Finsbury Circus Finsbury Circus is a park in the Coleman Street Ward of the City of London, England. The 2 acre park is the largest public open space within the City's boundaries. It is not to be confused with Finsbury Square, just north of the City, or Fi ...

. In 1834 Maltby was superannuated from active duty, when Upcott was asked to resign, but kept the use of his apartments. In 1841 he was left money in trust by Louisa Maltby, Rowland's widow. Maltby died at the London Institution on 5 January 1854, and was buried at

Norwood cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...

, where a tablet was erected to his memory by his old friend Rogers.

Works

Maltby took part in the compilation of the 1813 and 1835 London Institution library catalogues. He also contributed to ''Recollections of the Table Talk of Samuel Rogers'' (1866), by

Alexander Dyce Alexander Dyce (30 June 1798 – 15 May 1869) was a Scottish dramatic editor and literary historian. He was born in Edinburgh and received his early education at the high school there, before becoming a student at Exeter College, Oxford, where ...

, an appendix ''Porsoniana''.

Notes

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Maltby, William 1763 births 1854 deaths English solicitors English librarians English bibliographers