Modern English biography

LANDOR, WALTER SAVAGE (eld. child of Walter Landor, physician, _d._ 1805). _b._ Ipsley court, Warwick 30 Jany. 1775; ed. at Rugby 1785–91; commoner of Trin. coll. Oxf. 1793, rusticated for a year in 1794 but never returned to Oxf.; raised some volunteers with whom he joined Blake’s army in Gallicia Aug. 1808, returned to England Nov. 1808; bought estate of Llanthony abbey, Monmouthshire 1809; lived at Florence 1821–35 and 1859 to death, at Bath 1838–58; is drawn by Dickens in Bleak House as Lawrence Boythorn; author of Poems 1795; Gebir: a poem in seven books 1798, anon., 2 ed. Oxford 1803; Count Julian, a tragedy 1812, anon.; Imaginary Conversations, vols. 1 and 2, 1824, 2 ed. 1826, vols. 3 and 4, 1828, vol. 5, 1829; Pericles and Aspasia 1836, anon.; The Pentameron and Pentalogia 1837; Collected works 2 vols. 1846 and 8 vols. 1876; The last fruit off an old tree 1853, includes 18 new imaginary conversations, and other books. _d._ Via Nunziatina, Florence 17 Sep. 1864, portrait by Wm. Fisher exhibited at the R.A. 1840, bequeathed by H. C. Robinson to National portrait gallery March 1867; mural monument with bust, unveiled in St. Mary’s church, Warwick 30 Jany. 1888. _J. Forster’s Life of W. S. Landor 2 vols._ (1869), _portrait_; _J. Devey’s A comparative estimate of modern English poets_ (1873) 166–83; _R. H. Horne’s A new spirit of the age_, _i_ 151–76 (1844); _H. Martineau’s Biographical sketches 4 ed._ (1876) 437–45; _Madden’s Literary life of Countess of Blessington_, _ii_ 336–95 (1855); _De Quincey’s Works_, _viii_ 284–332 (1862), _xi_ 176–98 (1862); _H. D. Traill’s New Lucian_ (1884) 59–84; _I.L.N. xlv_ 385, 386 (1864), _portrait_. NOTE.--In 1857 he published a book entitled Dry Sticks fagoted by W. S. Landor, in which he grossly insulted the wife of the Rev. Morris Yescombe of Bath; they brought an action for libel against him, tried at Bristol assizes 23 Aug. 1858, the jury gave them £1000 damages, Landor had transferred all his English estates to his son and left England for France 14 July 1858, he was eventually obliged to pay the £1000 with £362 for costs under order of the court of chancery, which left him completely destitute. _C. Beavan’s Reports xxviii_ 80–7 (1861); _Bristol Mercury 28 Aug. 1858 Suppl. p._ 1. LANDSBOROUGH, DAVID. _b._ Dalry, Glen Kens, Galloway 11 Aug. 1779; ed. at Dumfries and univ. of Edinb.; minister of Stevenston, Ayrshire 1811–43; minister of the free church at Saltcoats 1843; A.L.S. 1849; chief founder of Ayrshire Naturalists’ club 1850; discovered nearly 70 species of plants and animals new to Scotland, earned title of ‘the Gilbert White of Ardrossan’; received degree of D.D. from an American college 1849; author of Arran, a poem 1828; Ayrshire sketches 1839; Arran, a poem and excursions to Arran 1847; A popular history of British seaweeds 1849; A popular history of British zoophytes