John Thomas Blight

"For other persons named John Blight, see John Blight (disambiguation)."

John Thomas Blight FSA (October 7,1835 - January 23,1911) was an archaeological artist born near Redruth in Cornwall. [Maurice Smelt "101 Cornish Lives", Penzance, Cornwall, Alison Hodge (2006) ISBN 0-906720-50-8, pages 30-23.]

He was born in Redruth. His father, Robert, a teacher, moved the family to Penzance and introduced his sons to the study of nature, antiquities and folk lore. John Blight was a natural draughtsman. By the age of 20, Blight had published a book [Ancient Crosses : And Other Antiquities In the West of Cornwall (1856).] on the antiquities of Penwith and a large collection of drawings.

His expansion of this work, in two volumes, was at first encouraged by Rev. Robert Hawker and then the cause of a great quarrel. John Blight's second patron, James Halliwell, was similarly unhelpful, never paying him for his vast labour in illustrating Halliwell's projected edition of William Shakespeare's "Works".

In the mid-1860s, Blight had a mental breakdown and was incarcerated for the remainder of his life in Bodmin Lunatic Asylum.

Blight's recording of Cornish antiquities include many that no longer exist. His descriptions and illustrations of them provide a most valuable source for archaeologists and local historians.

Major Works

* "Ancient crosses and other antiquities of Cornwall" (1856), 2nd edition 1858. ["Ancient crosses and other antiquities of Cornwall": a reprint is offered online at [http://www.menantolstudio.freeserve.co.uk/blightcrosses.htm Men-an-Tol Studios] ]
* "Crosses of West Cornwall"
* "A week at the Land's End" (1861)

References

Further reading

*"Dust of heroes: the life of Cornish artist, archaeologist and writer John Thomas Blight 1836-1911" by Selina Bates and Keith Spurgin; Truro, Windowbox Books (2006) Hardback ISBN 978-0-955304-07 Paperback ISBN 978-0-955304-14