Author: William Edmund Spencer
Author: William Edmund Spencer (1799–1877)
Alternate Name(s): Capt. Edmund Spencer (familiar name)
Biography: William Edmund Spencer was born on 25 December 1799 in Carlisle, the son of attorney James Spencer. His education cannot be traced, but he was fluent in French and German at an early age. For a brief time he served in the army and he was called "Captain Edmund Spencer" throughout his life. In 1827, he married Mary Rennie and the couple would have three children, Almaric Edmund, Emily Wilhelmina, and Mary Jane. Spencer was an avid traveller and based on his travels became a prolific travel writer writing books on France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Turkey. In addition, he wrote three novels: The Prophet of the Caucasus (1840), The Fall of the Crimea (1854) (illustrated by his son), and Constantine (1855). His daughter Emily also later wrote a novel. Throughout his life, he frequently contributed to periodicals including a stint as correspondent for the Morning Herald. Though he made money with his pen, he lost most of it through bad investments which led to a successfull application to the Royal Literary Fund. After that, he was accepted as a "poor brother of the Charterhouse" charity. He died on 17 April 1877 in London.
Author Tags:
References: Allibone; A. Kumykov, "The Baron von Munchhausen of British Travel Writers," Caucasus Survey (2024); RLF (case number 1938)
Fiction Titles:
- The Prophet of the Caucasus: An Historical Romance of Krim-Tatary. 3 vol. London: Whittaker, 1840.
- The Fall of the Crimea. 1 vol. London: Routledge, 1854.
- Constantine: or, The Last Days of an Empire. An Historical Romance. 2 vol. London: Sampson Low, 1855.