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Henry Fielding

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Henry Fielding

Birth
Sharpham, Mendip District, Somerset, England
Death
8 Oct 1754 (aged 47)
Lisbon, Lisboa Municipality, Lisboa, Portugal
Burial
Lisbon, Lisboa Municipality, Lisboa, Portugal
Memorial ID
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Novelist, satirist, playwright, magistrate. Born to an aristocratic family, Fielding was educated at Eton and studied law for a time at Leiden University in southern Holland before beginning his career in London writing for the theatre. His political satires were scathing, and are thought to be the reason behind the Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737, which made putting a political satire on the stage virtually impossible, and made those who wrote them suspect. Fielding then retired from the theatre and became a justice of the peace, though he never stopped writing. In 1749, he published his most famous novel, "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling". In the same year, with the help of his half-brother (also a magistrate) John, Fielding founded what many call London's first police force, the famous Bow Street Runners. He and John were known as two of the best magistrates of 18th century London, and they worked tirelessly toward judicial reforms and to improve prison conditions. But always a writer, Fielding once issued a warrant for the arrest of playwright Colley Cibber for "the murder of the English language". His commitment to justice and humanitarianism caused a deterioration in his health, and he moved to Lisbon in 1754 to seek a cure. He died two months later. In addition to Tom Jones, Fielding also authored the novels "Amelia", "Joseph Andrews", and "The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great", as well as nine plays. His work was a major departure from the fiction of the day, and he was the first major novelist to openly admit that his fiction was pure artefact.
Novelist, satirist, playwright, magistrate. Born to an aristocratic family, Fielding was educated at Eton and studied law for a time at Leiden University in southern Holland before beginning his career in London writing for the theatre. His political satires were scathing, and are thought to be the reason behind the Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737, which made putting a political satire on the stage virtually impossible, and made those who wrote them suspect. Fielding then retired from the theatre and became a justice of the peace, though he never stopped writing. In 1749, he published his most famous novel, "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling". In the same year, with the help of his half-brother (also a magistrate) John, Fielding founded what many call London's first police force, the famous Bow Street Runners. He and John were known as two of the best magistrates of 18th century London, and they worked tirelessly toward judicial reforms and to improve prison conditions. But always a writer, Fielding once issued a warrant for the arrest of playwright Colley Cibber for "the murder of the English language". His commitment to justice and humanitarianism caused a deterioration in his health, and he moved to Lisbon in 1754 to seek a cure. He died two months later. In addition to Tom Jones, Fielding also authored the novels "Amelia", "Joseph Andrews", and "The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great", as well as nine plays. His work was a major departure from the fiction of the day, and he was the first major novelist to openly admit that his fiction was pure artefact.

Bio by: Kristen Conrad

Inscription

Translation of the Latin inscription on the North side:
Born near Glastonbury in Somersetshire. A man of lofty
parts whose matchless pen depicted the inmost conflict
of human hearts, he sought to instruct and refine the manners
of men, extolling the fine grace of virtue, condemning the
foulness of vice, assigning merit and demerit to each (not
without having entangled himself at times in the mesh of
life's frailties). Ardent in friendship, helper in misfortune,
bounteous, jocund, loving as husband and father, he lived
striving for others, not for himself alone. He lived but
he conquered death, while nature lasts, while the ages roll,
bearing the written scroll to nature's offspring, for his own
fame and the glory of his race.

Gravesite Details

Erected 1830 by public subscription, organized by the acting chaplain, Rev. Christopher Nevil. No monument was erected at the time of his death so his precise burial location was unknown in 1830. The Cemetery Authorities relied on oral tradition.

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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Apr 25, 1998
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1236/henry-fielding: accessed ), memorial page for Henry Fielding (22 Apr 1707–8 Oct 1754), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1236, citing British Cemetery, Lisbon, Lisboa Municipality, Lisboa, Portugal; Maintained by Find a Grave.