Thomas Leland (1722–1785) was an Irish Anglican priest, a historian, translator and academic and the author of the early

gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean ...

'' Longsword, Earl of Salisbury: An Historical Romance'', published in 1762. ''Longsword'' is set in Gascony and in England, during the reign of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

Life

He was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and educated at Thomas Sheridan's school A life – Thomas Leland(1722-1785)
/ref> and in 1737 went to Trinity College, where he graduated with a BA in 1742. Leland was made a fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 1746. He was ordained a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

priest in 1748, and received his

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

in 1757. Leland translated the Orations of

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

in three volumes (1756) and wrote a life of

Philip of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ancient kingdom, and the fat ...

(1758). In 1761 he became professor of History and of Oratory, concentrating on Oratory as of 1762. In 1768 he became chaplain to

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

Viscount Townsend. He wrote an influential ''History of Ireland from the Invasion of

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

'' in 1773. His portrait, by John Dean, is held by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

. He served as vicar in Bray, County Wicklow, in 1773 he was appointed Vicar of

St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street St. Ann's Church on Dawson Street in Dublin, Ireland is a Church of Ireland church, constructed originally around 1720 following the establishment of the local Anglican parish in 1707. In the early 21st century the church presents itself as ...

, in Dublin.''Church of Ireland Notes'', Irish Times, 4 August 2012. His son John was a barrister in Dublin.

Notes

References

* * Norton, Rictor. ''Gothic Readings : the first wave, 1764-1840''. London. Leicester University Press, 2000.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leland, Thomas 18th-century Irish historians Irish Anglicans Irish historical novelists Christian clergy from Dublin (city) 1722 births 1785 deaths Writers of Gothic fiction Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers from Dublin (city) 18th-century Irish novelists Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Doctors of Divinity Fellows of Trinity College Dublin 18th-century Irish translators 18th-century Irish educators