"By separating into one biographicon this peculiar class of lives, a philanthropic emulation would be excited, a debt of social gratitude would be discharged, a trophy to patriotism would be erected, and an instructive knowledge of the present state of nations and the gradual concatenation of intercourse would be diffused. Literature should rear altars to the missionaries of human civilization."
- [William Taylor of Norwich] The Monthly Review: or Literary Journal, 74 (1814).
In this episode Roz Southey talks about Newcastle upon Tyne's Charles Avison the most prolific English concerto composer of the eighteenth century and an outstanding figure in the town's musical history.
16 Mar 2025
Sarah Hodgson, a radical type, with Helen Williams
In this episode I am joined by Helen Williams, a specialist in eighteenth-century book history to find out about the Newcastle-born printer, newspaper editor and radical Sarah Hodgson.Dr Helen Williams is Associate Professor of English Literature at Northumbria University. In collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Stationers, she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship entitled 'Communicating Women's Work in the Historical Archive' (2022-2023), exploring the history of eighteenth-century women in the book trades.
1 Dec 2024
The Cumberland Bard, with Sue Allan
Dr Sue Allan delves into the life and legacy of Robert Anderson, the Cumberland Bard, uncovering the hidden treasures of Cumbria's folk tradition and dialect poetry.
21 Mar 2024
Preach It! Rachel Hammersley on James Murray
A major influence on the radical Thomas Spence, James Murray was a preacher who used the pulpit and print to promote new ideas. As well as publishing works on religious subjects, Murray was also a grammarian whose book The Rudiments of the English Tongue was published in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in about 1771.
In this episode Rachel Hammersley joins me in Newcastle’s Lit and Phil to discuss Murray’s influence in the region at a critical moment in its political and cultural development.
Rachel Hammersley is Professor of Intellectual History at Newcastle University (UK).
12 Feb 2024
William Newton and the North’s Rural Renaissance, with Richard Pears
Richard Pears and I discuss William Newton, arguably northern England's first home-grown architect who was responsible for Newcastle’s Assembly Rooms and Charlotte Square the town’s first fashionable garden square.
Richard’s work examines the emergence of the professional provincial architect and his remarkable local archive work has allowed him to supplant the standard ‘urban renaissance’ understanding of eighteenth-century studies with his own powerful argument for a northern ‘rural renaissance’.
Dr Richard Pears is the Faculty Librarian for Arts and Humanities at Durham University.
10 Sept 2023
William Shield: no Geordie Dick Whittington, with Amélie Addison
William Shield was born in the village of Swalwell near Gateshead in County Durham. Through the help of his friend, the poet and actor John Cunningham, he became the leader of the Durham Theatre Company band in the 1760s providing him with the opportunity to develop his compositional abilities. After moving to London, he pursued a successful career performing and writing stage works at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden where he earned the respect of Haydn. Shield was made Master of the King’s Musick in 1817.
Amélie Addison’s research has uncovered previously unexplored details of William Shield’s social background, his early career in the North, and his compositional influences, offering a new perspective on how these works reflect contemporary perceptions of national identity and culture.
Dr Amélie Addison received her PhD from the University of Leeds’ School of Music in 2023.
28 Jul 2023
The Ephemeral Tate Wilkinson, with Gillian Russell
In All Saints Pavement Church in York City Centre, there is a marble plaque high on the wall, dedicated to one of the most famous provincial theatre managers of the eighteenth century: Tate Wilkinson. It is a material memorial to a brilliant actor whose fame has dimmed to obscurity. Who has heard of him today?
In this episode, I talk with Professor Emerita Gillian Russell about Wilkinson, York and the ephemerality of 18th theatre and performance.
Gillian Russell is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and formerly Professor of Eighteenth-Century English Literature at the University of York where she was Head of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies (CECS). In 2021 Gillian was awarded the prestigious Rose Mary Crawshay Prize for her latest book The Ephemeral Eighteenth Century.
23 May 2023
Mind your grammar! Barbara Crosbie on Anne Fisher
The 18th century Newcastle entrepreneur, Anne Slack, who published under her maiden name Fisher, has been described as the first female grammarian of modern English. However, she has disappeared into the archives and Barbara Crosbie wants to bring her back.
In this episode, Barbara and I talk about why she was such a trailblazer, and the work Barbara has done to revive interest in this significant northern figure. We start with the recently installed black plaque dedicated to Anne Fisher at the Church of St John the Baptist in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Barbara Crosbie is Associate Professor of Early Modern British History at the Durham University.
5 Feb 2023
Joseph Ritson's Revolution, with Jon Mee
Professor Jon Mee from the University of York joins me in this episode to talk about the cantankerous northern antiquarian Joseph Ritson, the man who is responsible for making Robin Hood a champion of the poor. Ritson was from Stockton-on-Tees and his research into northern verse and song make him an example of early English ethnographer. A vegetarian and radical who adopted the French Revolutionary Calendar, this prickly individual acts as a springboard for Jon to plunge into the world of 1790s English radicalism.
Jon Mee is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies in the English Department at the University of York.
5 Jan 2023
Psychogeography & Thomas Spence, with Alastair Bonnett
Be warned – you may risk arrest if you listen to this podcast!
In this first episode of Biographicon, Professor Alastair Bonnet and I explore the mind of Thomas Spence – a thinker so dangerous he was made illegal. As Alastair argues Spence was “the poorest and most determined militant in English history” and Spenceanism is the only political ideology outlawed by the British parliament. We take you on a psychogeographic tour of Newcastle upon Tyne in which Alastair presents Spence’s place within the Northumbrian Enlightenment.
Alastair Bonnett is Professor of Social Geography in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne.
22 Nov 2022
What is Biographicon?
"By separating into one biographicon this peculiar class of lives, a philanthropic emulation would be excited, a debt of social gratitude would be discharged, a trophy to patriotism would be erected, and an instructive knowledge of the present state of nations and the gradual concatenation of intercourse would be diffused. Literature should rear altars to the missionaries of human civilization."
- [William Taylor of Norwich] The Monthly Review: or Literary Journal, 74 (1814).
Welcome to Biographicon. In this trailer, I introduce myself and the cast of characters that will appear in the upcoming Biographicon podcasts, which will feature a host of people who went from 18th century fame to 21st century obscurity. Hopefully this will return them to their rightful place in memory.
But what is a biographicon anyway?
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