Thomas Atkinson, portrait by Andrew A. Henderson

Thomas Atkinson (1801–1833) was a Scottish poet and miscellaneous writer.

Life

Atkinson was a native of Glasgow, where he carried on business as a bookseller. He followed in the shoes of his father, also Thomas Atkinson.[1] He was apprenticed to Brash & Reid, booksellers, and continued for a time there.[2]

From 1823 to 1830 Atkinson was in partnership with David Robertson, having taken over the business of William Turnbull on his death.[3][4] Later he ran a bookshop at 80 Trongate under the name of Atkinson & Co.[5]

After the passing of the Reform Bill, Atkins became a candidate in the liberal interest for the representation of the Stirling Burghs in parliament, but was unsuccessful, losing to Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny.[6] He then fell ill with consumption, and died at sea on a passage to Barbados, 10 October 1833.[1]

Works

In 1821 appeared the pseudonymous work Three Nights in Perthshire by Percy Yorke Jr., written by Thomas Atkinson.[7] With his older friend David Robertson, he had made a visit to Perthshire, the historical county: they went to the Trossachs, now in the Stirling council area, as is Kippen, Robertson's native town.[2][4] The book is a fictionalised account of their visit to Loch Ard and the farm Ledard there, run by the Macfarlane family.[8][9] It was privately printed, and given a later edition.

Atkinson published the Sextuple Alliance (poems on Napoleon Bonaparte), dedicated to James Ewing of Levenside, a friend.[3][10] A fortnightly, then weekly literary periodical, The Ant, appeared end 1826–end 1827. It had a supposed co-editor "Solomon Saveal" (see wikt:save-all). A Scottish-themed annual, The Chameleon, appeared three times from 1831.[3]

Legacy

Monies left in Atkinson's will created the Atkinson Institution in Glasgow.[11] It was a trust for technical education, functioning in 1861.[12] It was in existence until the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College was founded in 1887 when its funds were used for student bursaries.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Atkinson, Thomas (1801?-1833)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 2. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. 1 2 Atkinson, Thomas (1887). Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn". reprinted. p. vi.
  3. 1 2 3 Van Arsdel, Rosemary T. "Atkinson, Thomas (1799–1833)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/857. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. 1 2 Taylor, Clare L. "Robertson, David (1795–1854)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23789. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ↑ Glasgow Post Office Directory 1832
  6. ↑ Fittis, Robert Scott (1878). Sketches of the Olden Times in Perthshire. Printed at the Constitutional office. p. 547.
  7. ↑ Initials and Pseudonyms: A Dictionary of Literary Disguises. T. Y. Crowell & Co. 1888. p. 157.
  8. ↑ Atkinson, Thomas (1887). Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn". reprinted. p. v.
  9. ↑ Atkinson, Thomas (1887). Three Nights in Perthshire: With a Description of the Festival of a "Scotch Hairst Kirn". reprinted. p. 22 note.
  10. ↑ Mackenzie, Peter (1866). Reminiscences of Glasgow and the West of Scotland. J. Tweed. p. 307.
  11. ↑ Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings
  12. ↑ Miyoshi, Nobuhiro (13 September 2021). Henry Dyer: Pioneer of Engineering Education in Japan. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-21389-0.
  13. ↑ "Atkinson's Institution, Glasgow - University of Strathclyde Archives and Special Collections". atom.lib.strath.ac.uk.


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