George Kingsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Henry Kingsley (1826-02-14)14 February 1826 Barnack, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 5 February 1892(1892-02-05) (aged 65) |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 (includingMary Kingsley) |
| Relatives | Charlotte Chanter (sister) Charles Kingsley (brother) Henry Kingsley (brother) |
George Henry Kingsley (14 February 1826 – 5 February 1892)[1] was a medical doctor, traveller and writer. He was a brother of the clergyman and writerCharles Kingsley.
Kingsley was the fourth of five children of the Reverend Charles Kingsley and his wife Mary; he was born atBarnack, Northamptonshire on 14 February 1826.Charles Kingsley and the novelistHenry Kingsley were his brothers, and the writerCharlotte Chanter was his sister. He was educated atKing's College School, London, at theUniversity of Edinburgh, where he graduated M.D. in 1846, and in Paris, where he was slightly wounded during thebarricades of 1848. Later in 1848 his activity in combating theoutbreak of cholera in England was commemorated by his brother Charles in the portrait of Tom Thurnall inTwo Years Ago.[1][2]
Kingsley completed his medical education inHeidelberg, and returned to England about 1850. He became the private physician to a succession of aristocratic patients; he adopted foreign travel as his method of treatment, and either in the capacity of medical adviser, or merely as travelling companion, he explored many countries of the world.[2]
While acting as medical adviser to theEarl of Ellesmere's family, he had the partial care of the library atBridgewater House, Westminster; he compiled a catalogue of Elizabethan dramas held there, and in 1865 he edited, from a manuscript preserved in the library,Francis Thynne'sAnimadversions uppon the Annotacions and Corrections of some Imperfections of Impressiones of Chaucer's Workes … reprinted in 1598.[1][2]
In 1866 Kingsley accompaniedBaroness Herbert of Lea and her children on a tour of Spain.[1] Between 1867 and 1870 he travelled inPolynesia with Baroness Herbert's son, theEarl of Pembroke, and he recorded his experiences inSouth Sea Bubbles "by the Earl and the Doctor" (1872). This book of travel and adventure won great and instant success, reaching a fifth edition by 1873.[2]
In the 1870s he travelled withLord Dunraven on a tour of the US and Canada. Kingsley did much work as a naturalist, and made many contributions toThe Field as "the Doctor". His later travels included Newfoundland, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.[1][2]
Kingsley married in 1860 Mary Bailey (died 25 April 1892), and they had a son, Charles George R. Kingsley, and a daughter, the writer and explorerMary Kingsley. In 1879 he moved fromHighgate in London to Bexleyheath, Kent, later moving toCambridge. His genial manners and store of picturesque information rendered him popular in society.[1][2]
He died on 5 February 1892, at his home in Cambridge, and was buried on 15 February on the east side ofHighgate Cemetery.[1] His wife Mary, only son Charles and brother-in-law William John Bailey are buried with him.[3]
Other publications are:
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Seccombe, Thomas (1892). "Kingsley, George Henry". InLee, Sidney (ed.).Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 181.
