Pishey Thompson
| Pishey Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Pishey Thompson in 1859 | |
| Born |
18 June 1785 Peachey Hall, Freiston |
| Died |
25 September 1862 (aged 77) London |
| Resting place | Abney Park Cemetery |
| Education | Boston Grammar School (c1791-c1792); Wragby; Freiston; Skirbeck |
| Occupation | Historian; Bank Clerk; Schoolmaster; Bookseller; Publisher; Accountant; Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Advisor to the United States government; Newspaper Correspondent |
| Employer | Freiston school; Sheath's Bank; Garfit and Claypon, United States Senate, National Intelligencer |
| Known for | The History and Antiquities of Boston |
| Spouse | Jane Tonge |
| Children | John Wright (born 1824, by Mary Wright, daughter of Richard Wright) |
| Parents | John Thompson, Mary Evison |
| Relatives | Mary Ann (sister), Betsy (sister), Leonora (sister), Frank Harrison Hill (nephew, son of Betsy) |
| Signature |
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Pishey Thompson (1785–1862) was at various times a teacher, a bank employee, a political advisor, and an antiquary. He was briefly educated at Boston Grammar School (c1791-c1792).
Thompson was born at Peachey Hall, Freiston, near Boston, on the 18th June 1785, the only son of John Thompson, a grazier, and his wife Mary Evison. Pishey's mother died in 1789 shortly after the birth of her third daughter and his father died three years later, leaving Pishey an orphan at the age of seven.
Pishey commenced his education at the age of six at Boston Grammar School. Following the death of his father he was brought up by his grandparents and was sent to school at Wragby for four years after which he was transferred for two years to a school at Freiston and finally to a school in Skirbeck.
In 1801, at the age of sixteen he returned as an assistant teacher to the school at Freiston run by Mr Adams. In June 1804 he became a clerk at Sheath's Bank where he remained until it closed in 1814.
In 1807 Pishey married Jane Tonge and they set up home with her sister and brother-in-law, Mr and Mrs Charles Wright. A year later the Thompsons opened a bookshop and lived on the premises. The business was not a success and two years later it closed. Fortunately Pishey was still employed by the bank. When the bank failed Pishey moved to Garfits Bank as their First Clerk; he remained in employment there until he emigrated to America.
In August 1818 Jane became sailed for America to visit relations and on 11 October 1819 Pishey joined her. He immediately applied for American citizenship which was granted on 27 December 1819. Before leaving Boston he had arranged for his "Collections for a Topographical and Historical Account of Boston, and the Hundred of Skirbeck" to be published.
Pishey Thompson kept a store and bookshop in Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC but this business failed in 1833. He became an accountant to the United States Senate and in 1836 he became cashier with the Patriotic Bank of Washington.
Despite his successes by 1841 after a period of ill health Thompson became bankrupt and returned to England to live again with the Wrights. Presumably in connection with this travel, on 14 October 1841, Thompson applied for a US passport for himself and his wife. The record, apart from confirming his age as 56 years, tells us he was 5' 9½" tall, had a "full, broad" forehead, dark eyes, a "regular" nose and "medium" mouth, "round" chin and grey hair, a fair complexion and an oval face.
He was unable to find work and in 1843 he opened a bookshop in Boston with the help of a loan from his brother-in-law. The bookshop closed after only five weeks.
Later in 1843 an offer of employment from a Dr Bartlett of New York decided Pishey and his wife to return to America. Although Dr Bartlett's offer fell through he was successful in finding employment as a reporter for the United States Senate and in the following year he was writing regularly for the National Intelligencer.
In 1845 Pishey Thompson was appointed European correspondent for the National Intelligencer and he and his wife left America for the last time. They settled in Stoke Newington and remained there for the rest of their lives. On 23rd October 1856 he published an enlarged and revised edition of his history of Boston: The History and Antiquities of Boston.
The Post Office London Directory of 1850 shows his office at number 5 Bank Chambers, 39 Lothbury in the City of London where he is listed as a general agent.
Pishey Thompson celebrated his 72nd birthday as guest speaker at the Boston Grammar School Speech Day in June 1857. He spoke in strong terms against corporal punishment, and attributed his limited literary distinctions to the barbarous treatment he received at the school. George Edwin Pattenden "cordially acquiesced" in Thompson's opinions on corporal punishment, and said he himself felt disgraced when compelled to resort to it. He did so only in extreme cases and after all other means had failed.
Jane died in 1851 and Pishey on 25 September 1862. He died at his home: 44 Church Street, Stoke Newington.
Pishey Thompson Memorial
There is a memorial to Pishey Thompson near the East end of the South Aisle of St Botolph's Church, Boston. The Latin translates as:
Pishey Thompson was born in Freiston on the 18th day of June 1785, a former resident of this town, soon after Washington, a citizen most honored among Americans; having finally found his homeland, he died in London on the 25th day of September 1862. In the faith of Christ, in the hope of immortality.
Lest the name of the deceased perish, which he adorned while alive, and whose annals he also composed with the greatest labour and the greatest prudence, many friends and relatives took care to erect this monument.
Bibliography
- "Pishey Thompson's Boston Diary, 18th October 1842-6th April 1844" - Reprinted in 1994 by Richard Kay - ISBN 0902662112
- "The History and Antiquities of Boston" - Reprinted in 1997 by Heritage Lincolnshire - ISBN 0948639202
- "Collections for a Topographical and Historical Account of Boston, and the Hundred of Skirbeck" - Reprinted in 2012 by Lightning Source UK Ltd - ISBN 1130940969
External links
- Pishey Thompson - Wikipedia