Thomas Atkinson (poet) explained

Thomas Atkinson (1801 - 1833) was a Scottish poet and miscellaneous writer.

Life

Atkinson was a native of Glasgow, where he carried on business as a bookseller. He followed in the shoes of his father, also Thomas Atkinson.[1] He was apprenticed to Brash & Reid, booksellers, and continued for a time there.[2]

From 1823 to 1830 Atkinson was in partnership with David Robertson, having taken over the business of William Turnbull on his death.[3] [4] Later he ran a bookshop at 80 Trongate under the name of Atkinson & Co.[5]

After the passing of the Reform Bill, Atkins became a candidate in the liberal interest for the representation of the in parliament, but was unsuccessful, losing to Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny.[6] He then fell ill with consumption, and died at sea on a passage to Barbados, 10 October 1833.[1]

Works

In 1821 appeared the pseudonymous work Three Nights in Perthshire by Percy Yorke Jr., written by Thomas Atkinson.[7] With his older friend David Robertson, he had made a visit to Perthshire, the historical county: they went to the Trossachs, now in the Stirling council area, as is Kippen, Robertson's native town.[2] [4] The book is a fictionalised account of their visit to Loch Ard and the farm Ledard there, run by the Macfarlane family.[8] [9] It was privately printed, and given a later edition.

Atkinson published the Sextuple Alliance (poems on Napoleon Bonaparte), dedicated to James Ewing of Levenside, a friend.[3] [10] A fortnightly, then weekly literary periodical, The Ant, appeared end 1826–end 1827. It had a supposed co-editor "Solomon Saveal" (see). A Scottish-themed annual, The Chameleon, appeared three times from 1831.[3]

Legacy

Monies left in Atkinson's will created the Atkinson Institution in Glasgow.[11] It was a trust for technical education, functioning in 1861.[12] It was in existence until the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College was founded in 1887 when its funds were used for student bursaries.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Atkinson, Thomas (1801?-1833). 2.
  2. Book: Atkinson . Thomas . Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn" . 1887 . reprinted . vi . en.
  3. 857. Rosemary T.. Van Arsdel. Atkinson, Thomas (1799–1833).
  4. 23789. Clare L.. Taylor. Robertson, David (1795–1854).
  5. Glasgow Post Office Directory 1832
  6. Book: Fittis . Robert Scott . Sketches of the Olden Times in Perthshire . 1878 . Printed at the Constitutional office . 547 . en.
  7. Book: Initials and Pseudonyms: A Dictionary of Literary Disguises . 1888 . T. Y. Crowell & Co. . 157 . English.
  8. Book: Atkinson . Thomas . Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn" . 1887 . reprinted . v . en.
  9. Book: Atkinson . Thomas . Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn" . 1887 . reprinted . 22 note . en.
  10. Book: Mackenzie . Peter . Reminiscences of Glasgow and the West of Scotland . 1866 . J. Tweed . 307 . en.
  11. Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings
  12. Book: Miyoshi . Nobuhiro . Henry Dyer: Pioneer of Engineering Education in Japan . 13 September 2021 . Brill . 978-90-04-21389-0 . en.
  13. Web site: Atkinson's Institution, Glasgow - University of Strathclyde Archives and Special Collections . atom.lib.strath.ac.uk.