Noel, Leland (1797–1870)

Leland Noel (1797–1870): Youngest son of the Leicestershire landowner Gerard Noel Edwards (afterwards Noel; 1759–1838; Hist P), MP for Maidstone 1784–1788 and Rutland 1788–1808, 1814–1838. Leland Noel took holy orders and became Vicar of Chipping Campden 1824–1832 and then Rector of Exton 1832–1870, a living held by his family. With Charles Edward Kennaway, he visited Southey in Keswick in October 1820, dining at Greta Hall and going on mountain walks with the Poet Laureate.

Nichols, James (1785–1861)

James Nichols (1785–1861): Master printer and theological writer. Born in County Durham and brought up in Yorkshire, his early career was as a provincial printer. He moved to London in 1820. A keen promoter of Methodism, he published the proceedings of the first Methodist missionary meeting in Leeds (1813), printed the Arminian or Methodist Magazine (1831–1861), and edited Samuel Wesley’s Poems (1842, 1862).

Neale, Cornelius (1789–1823)

Cornelius Neale (1789–1823): Clergyman and writer. He was the son of James Neale (c. 1760–1814), a china manufacturer and member of the London Missionary Society. Educated at St John’s, Cambridge, Cornelius was appointed to a curacy in Leicestershire after his ordination. His Mustapha: A Tragedy (1814) was dedicated to Southey.

Nash, Edward (1778–1821)

Edward Nash (1778–1821): A painter who travelled in the Netherlands with Southey and his family in 1815 and who illustrated The Poet’s Pilgrimage to Waterloo (1816). Best known for his miniatures, Nash painted Southey, and a double portrait of Edith May Southey and Sara Coleridge, in 1820.

Nares, Robert (1753–1829)

Robert Nares (1753–1829): Philologist, clergyman and reviewer. From 1779–1783 Nares was tutor to Charles Watkin Williams Wynn and his older brother, Watkin. He was Usher at Westminster School from 1786–1788, where he continued his tutoring of the Wynn boys and where he undoubtedly met Charles Wynn’s friend Southey. In 1793 Nares was the founder-editor of the pro-government review the British Critic.

Murray, John Samuel (1778–1843)

John Samuel Murray (1778–1843): Publisher, who inherited his business from his father, John (1737–1793; DNB). After Murray took sole control of the firm in 1803, he proved a shrewd businessman. He published everything from cookery books and cheap reprints to the works of Byron, Scott, Crabbe and Jane Austen. After he purchased the business and premises at 50 Albemarle Street of William Miller (1769–1844; DNB) in 1812, he was at the centre of London literary life.

Mudford, William (1782–1848)

William Mudford (1782–1848): Writer, translator and journalist. Born in London, the son of a shopkeeper in Piccadilly. His first novel, Augustus and Mary, was published in 1803. Thereafter Mudford moved between translation, editing and writing biographies, fiction and journalism. His best-known writings were short stories for Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, especially ‘The Iron Shroud’ (1830), which may have inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s (1809–1849) ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ (1842).