George Stovin Venables

George Stovin Venables (1810-1888), born in Wales, was a journalist and a barrister at the English bar.

His father was Richard Venables, vicar of Nantmel and then archdeacon of Carmarthen [ [http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-DILL-DIL-1650.html The National Library of Wales :: Dictionary of Welsh Biography ] ] . He was educated at Eton College, Charterhouse School, and Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he won the Chancellor's Gold Medal for poetry in 1831 [cite book|title=A Complete Collection of the English Poems which Have Obtained the Chancellor's Gold Medal in the University of Cambridge|publisher=W. Metcalfe|location=Cambridge|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books/pdf/A_Complete_Collection_of_the_English_Poe.pdf?id=Gw6GyHofIIAC&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U0C1ql6Dwby1ZNXGr1xK8t55UU3YQ|author=University of Cambridge|format=PDF|year=1859|accessdate=2008-10-01] and was a member of The Apostles society from 1832 [ [http://www.modern-humanities.info/groups/apostles.htm The Apostles ] ] . He became a Fellow of Jesus College.

He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1836, and was in practice for over 40 years. He also wrote much journalism from the mid-1850s, as a leader writer for the London "Times" and the "Saturday Review". David Carroll, "George Eliot: The Critical Heritage" (1995), p. 224.]

His literary connections included time at Charterhouse with William Makepeace Thackeray (they fought); the character George Warrington in "Pendennis" is said to be based on Venables [ [http://www.online-literature.com/anthony-trollope/thackeray/1/ In Anthony Trollope's biography (online)] .] . A friendship with Alfred, Lord Tennyson arose from Cambridge days [ [http://carlyleletters.dukejournals.org/cgi/content/full/12/1/lt-18401209-TC-WDC-01 The Carlyle Letters Online ] ] . He wrote an anonymous book of verse "Joint Compositions" (1848) with Henry Lushington. He was an early and favourable reviewer of Thomas Carlyle, another friend [Jules Paul Seigel, "Thomas Carlyle: The Critical Heritage" (1995), p. 467.] .

References

*"Concise Dictionary of National Biography"

Notes