Nicholas Michell
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Michell was a Cornish
writer
, best known for his poetry.
, near Truro
, Cornwall
, a son of John Michell (1774–1868), who was known as the "father of the tin trade", a tin smelter and chemist
, and one of the discoverers of tantalite
. Nicholas, after attending Truro grammar school, was employed in the office of his father's smelting works at Calenick, and afterwards in London. He was married, on 3 August 1836, to Maria, second daughter of John Waterhouse of Halifax, Yorkshire; she died in Penzance on 9 June 1887, aged 74. Michell himself died in Tehidy Terrace, Falmouth, 6 April 1880, and was buried in St. Kea churchyard on 12 April.
The Poetry of Creation followed in 1856, and Pleasure, a poem in the heroic measure, appeared in 1859, with sketches and tales introduced. The Immortals, or Glimpses of Paradise, was composed in 1870 in Cornwall, and is the most imaginative of the author's productions. Sibyl of Cornwall, a story in verse, deals with love and adventure, the scene being laid on the north coast of his native county. He also wrote several novels, but these did not obtain so large a circulation as his poems.
A collected edition of his Poems appeared in 1871.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, best known for his poetry.
Personal life
Michell, born at CalenickCalenick
Calenick is a hamlet about a mile south of Truro in Cornwall, England, UK....
, near Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, a son of John Michell (1774–1868), who was known as the "father of the tin trade", a tin smelter and chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, and one of the discoverers of tantalite
Tantalite
Tantalite, [2O6], is a mineral group that is close to columbite. The two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called coltan or "columbite-tantalite" in many mineral guides. However, tantalite has a much greater specific gravity than columbite...
. Nicholas, after attending Truro grammar school, was employed in the office of his father's smelting works at Calenick, and afterwards in London. He was married, on 3 August 1836, to Maria, second daughter of John Waterhouse of Halifax, Yorkshire; she died in Penzance on 9 June 1887, aged 74. Michell himself died in Tehidy Terrace, Falmouth, 6 April 1880, and was buried in St. Kea churchyard on 12 April.
Career
He wrote poems from an early age; was encouraged by Thomas Campbell and other literary men, and contributed to the Forget-me-not, the Keepsake, and other annuals. But it was not till after the publication of his Ruins of Many Lands in 1849 that Michell succeeded in attracting much public attention. This work supplies poetical descriptions of nearly all the existing remains of ancient people and kingdoms in the old and new world. His next work, produced in 1853, was the Spirits of the Past, a title altered in a subsequent edition to Famous Women and Heroes.The Poetry of Creation followed in 1856, and Pleasure, a poem in the heroic measure, appeared in 1859, with sketches and tales introduced. The Immortals, or Glimpses of Paradise, was composed in 1870 in Cornwall, and is the most imaginative of the author's productions. Sibyl of Cornwall, a story in verse, deals with love and adventure, the scene being laid on the north coast of his native county. He also wrote several novels, but these did not obtain so large a circulation as his poems.
Other works
Besides the works already mentioned, Michell was the author of:- The Siege of Constantinople, with other Poems, 1831
- Living Poets and Poetesses, a Biographical and Critical Poem, 1832
- An Essay on Woman, 1833
- The Saxon's Daughter, a Tale of the Crusades, 1835
- The Fatalist, or the Fortunes of Godolphin, 3 vols. 1840
- The Traduced, an Historical Romance, 3 vols. 1842
- The Eventful Epoch, or the Fortunes of Arthur Clive, 3 vols. 1846
- London in Light and Darkness, with all the Author's Minor Poems, now first collected, 1871
- The Heart's Great Ruler, a Poem, and Wanderings from the Rhine to the South Sea Islands, 1874
- Nature and Life, including all the Miscellaneous Poems with many Original Pieces, 1878.
A collected edition of his Poems appeared in 1871.