Life

The second son of the Rev. Edward Smedley by his wife Hannah, fourth daughter of George Bellas of Willey, Surrey, was born in the Sanctuary, Westminster, on 12 September 1788. His father held the post of usher of Westminster School

Westminster School

The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...

 from 1774 to 1820, and was a reader of the Rolls Chapel. In 1816 he was made rector of North Bovey and of Powderham in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

. He died on 8 August 1825.

Edward was sent to Westminster School as a home boarder in 1795, before he had completed his seventh year. He became a king's scholar in 1800, and was elected head to Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

, in 1805. He obtained the wooden spoon

Wooden spoon

A wooden spoon is a spoon made from wood, commonly used in food preparation.- History :The word spoon derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of wood or horn carved from a larger piece. Wooden spoons were easy to carve and thus inexpensive, making them common throughout history.The Iron Age...

 in 1809, graduating B.A. in the same year, and M.A. in 1812. As a middle bachelor he gained one of the members' prizes for Latin prose in 1810, and in the following year he gained a similar distinction as a senior bachelor. He was elected to a fellowship of Sidney Sussex College in 1812, and won the Seatonian prize for English verse in 1813, 1814, 1827, and 1828.

Smedley was ordained deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 in September 1811, and took priest's orders in the following year. Through his father's old friend, Gerrard Andrewes

Gerrard Andrewes

Gerrard Andrewes was an English churchman, Dean of Canterbury from 1809.-Life:He was the son of Gerrard Andrewes, vicar of Syston and St. Nicholas, Leicester, and master of the Leicester Grammar School. The younger Gerrard was born at Leicester 3 April 1750, and educated at Westminster School...

, Smedley became preacher at St James's Chapel, Tottenham Court Road, and in July 1815 was appointed clerk in orders of St. James's parish, Westminster. Smedley vacated his fellowship on his marriage, on 8 January 1816. Shortly afterwards he became evening lecturer at St Giles's, Camberwell, a post which he held for a few years only. In 1819 he resigned his appointment of clerk in orders of St. James's parish, and took to teaching in addition to his literary and clerical work.

In 1822 he accepted the editorship of the Encyclopædia Metropolitana. He began his duties with the seventh part, and continued to hold the post of editor until his death. Owing to his increasing deafness, he was compelled in 1827 to give up taking pupils, and in the following year he became totally deaf.

In 1829 he was collated by the bishop of Lincoln

Bishop of Lincoln

The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...

 to the prebend of Sleaford, and in 1831 he resigned his preachership at St James's Chapel. In spite of poor health he continued to write until within a few months of his death. He died, after a lingering illness, on 29 June 1836, aged 47, and was buried at Dulwich

Dulwich

Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...

. By his wife Mary, youngest daughter of James Hume of Wandsworth Common

Wandsworth Common

Wandsworth common is a public common in Wandsworth, south London. It is close to Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common railway station. It is wholly in the London borough of Wandsworth...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, secretary of the customs, he had several children.

Works

Smedley was a frequent contributor to the British Critic

British Critic

The British Critic: A New Review was a quarterly publication, established in 1793 as a conservative and high church review journal riding the tide of British reaction against the French Revolution.-High church review:...

and to the Penny Cyclopædia as well as to the ‘Encyclopædia Metropolitana.’ His ‘Poems … with a Selection from his Correspondence and a Memoir of his Life,’ London, 8vo, were published by his widow in 1837. ‘The Tribute: a Collection of Miscellaneous unpublished Poems by various Authors,’ London, 1837, was edited by the Marquess of Northampton

Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton

Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton , known as Lord Compton from 1796 to 1812 and as Earl Compton from 1812 to 1828, was a British nobleman and patron of science and the arts....

for the benefit of Smedley's family.

Smedley also wrote:

• ‘A Few Verses, English and Latin,’ 1812, anon.
• ‘The Death of Saul and Jonathan, a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1814; 2nd ed. London, 1814.
• ‘Jephthah, a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1814.
• ‘Jonah: a Poem,’ London, 1815.
• ‘Prescience, or the Secrets of Divination: a Poem in two parts,’ London, 1816.
• ‘Religio Clerici: a Churchman's Epistle [in verse],’ London, 1818, anon.
• ‘A Churchman's second Epistle [in verse],’ London, 1819, anon.
• ‘The Parson's Choice of Town or Country: an Epistle to a Young Divine [in verse],’ London, 1821.

These last three poems were republished under the title of ‘Religio Clerici: two Epistles by a Churchman, with Notes; a new edition,’ &c., London, 1821.

• ‘Fables of my Garden.’ These were written by Smedley in verse for his children, and were privately printed (see Memoir, p. 346).
• ‘Lux Renata: a Protestant's Epistle [in verse], with Notes,’ London, 1827, anon. This poem had been previously printed privately.
• ‘The Marriage in Cana: a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1828.
• ‘Saul at Endor: a Dramatic Sketch [a Seatonian Prize Poem],’ London, 1829.
• ‘A very short Letter from one old Westminster to another, touching some Matters connected with their School,’ London, 182 anon.
• ‘Sketches from Venetian History,’ London, 1831–2,; 2 vols. anon. These formed vols. xx. and xxxii. of Murray's ‘Family Library,’ and were reprinted in Harper's ‘Family Library,’ New York, 1844, 2 vols.
• ‘History of the Reformed Religion in France,’ London, 1832–4, 3 vols. These formed vols. iii. vi. and viii. of Rivington's ‘Theological Library,’ and were reprinted in New York, 1834, 3 vols.
• ‘History of France: Part I., from the Final Partition of the Empire of Charlemagne, A.D. 843, to the Peace of Cambray, A.D. 1529,’ London, 1836. This formed vol. x. of the ‘Library of Useful Knowledge.’