Jerningham, Edward

(1727-1812)

   The son of Sir George Jerningham of Costessey, Norfolk, he was educated at the English College at Douay in France, and in Paris, and became proficient in Greek, Latin, French and Italian. Although brought up as Catholic and with the influence at Douay, he turned Protestant. The Prince Regent (later George IV) invited him to arrange his library at the Brighton Pavilion. Jerningham died in London. He wrote two dramas, The Welch Heiress (1795) and The Peckham Frolic (1799). Some of his poetry publications: Amabella, 1768. Andromache to Pyrrhus, 1761. An Eleg y Written Among the Tombs in Westminster Abbey, 1762. An Eleg y Written Among the Ruins of an Abbey, 1765. Faldoni and Teresa, 1773. The Rise and Progress of the Scandinavian Poetry, 1784. The African Boy, 1788 (an anti-slavery poem). Lines on a Late Resignation, 1790. Stone Henge, 1792. The Old Bard's Farewell, 1812. Poems, 1806 (9th ed.). Some of his poems: "The Deserter," "The Fall of Mexico," "The Nunnery," "The Old Bard's Farewell," "The Rookery," "The Shakespeare Gallery," "Tintern Abbey."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). English Prose Drama: Bibliography (http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/EPD/EPD.bib.html). Gentleman's Magazine (http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/journals/srchgm.htm). Great Books Online (www.bartleby.com). Jerningham, "The African Boy." (http://www2.bc.edu/Jerningham, Edwardricharad/asp/ejab.html). Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (http://library.stanford.edu).