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Monday, 5 May 2025

Index

Henry Fielding
Fibonacci
Enzo Ferrari


Roger Federer
Guy Fawkes
Gabriel Fauré
William Faulkner
Michael Faraday
Douglas Fairbanks
Max Factor
Peter Carl Fabergé
Leonhard Euler
Ethelred the Unready
Pablo Escobar
Erasmus
Eminem
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Duke Ellington
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth I


Jim Elliot
T. S. Eliot
John Eliot
George Eliot
Elijah (Biblical character)
Edward Elgar
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Albert Einstein
Billie Eilish
Paul Ehrlich
Jonathan Edwards (theologian)
King Edward VIII
King Edward VII
King Edward VI of England
Edward V of England
Edward IV of England
Edward III of England
Edward II of England
Edward I of England


Edward the Confessor
Edward the Black Prince
Saint Edmund
Edmund I
Thomas Edison
Anthony Eden
Mary Baker Eddy
Clint Eastwood
Wyatt Earp
Amelia Earhart
Bob Dylan
Antonín Dvořák
Saint Dunstan
John Boyd Dunlop
Alexandre Dumas
Daphne du Maurier
John Dryden
Alfred Dreyfus
Francis Drake
Drake
Arthur Conan Doyle
Frederick Douglass


Alec Douglas-Home
Fyodor Dostoevsky
John Donne
Domitian
Saint Dominic
Novak Djokovic
Dorothea Dix
Benjamin Disraeli
Walt Disney
Christian Dior
Diocletian
Joe DiMaggio
Marlene Dietrich
Rudolf Diesel
Emily Dickinson
Charles Dickens


Leonardo DiCaprio
Diana, Princess of Wales
Sergei Diaghilev
René Descartes
Johnny Depp
Frederick Delius
Edgar Degas
Daniel Defoe
Claude Debussy
James Dean
Robert De Niro
Catherine de Medici
Charles de Gaulle
Doris Day
Charles G. Dawes
Humphry Davy
Sammy Davis Jr.
Bette Davis


Saint David
King David
Charles Darwin
Dante Alighieri
Daniel (biblical figure)
Matt Damon
Salvador Dalí
Dalai Lama
Gottlieb Daimler
Roald Dahl
Louis Daguerre
Cyrus the Great
Cyril and Methodius
Georges Cuvier
George Armstrong Custer
Marie Curie
Billy Crystal
Johan Cruyff
Tom Cruise
Russell Crowe
Fanny Crosby
Bing Crosby
Thomas Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Davy Crockett
Francis Crick
Michael Crichton
Joan Crawford


Thomas Crapper
Thomas Cranmer
William Cowper
Kevin Costner
Sergio Costa
Bill Cosby
Hernán Cortés
Aaron Copland
Nicolaus Copernicus
Gary Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Calvin Coolidge
Sam Cooke
Thomas Cook
Captain James Cook


Constantine the Great
John Constable
Joseph Conrad
Sean Connery
Confucius
Commodus
Christopher Columbus
Saint Columba
William Colgate
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
William Cobbett
Kurt Cobain
Clovis I
George Clooney
Robert Clive
Hillary Clinton
Bill Clinton
Grover Cleveland
Cleopatra
Claudius


William Clark
Eric Clapton
Tom Clancy
André-Gustave Citroën
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Cicero
Winston Churchill
John Chrysostom
Saint Christopher
Christina, Queen of Sweden
Agatha Christie
Frédéric Chopin
Thomas Chippendale
Julia Child
Louis Chevrolet
Maurice Chevalier
G. K. Chesterton
Anton Chekhov
Geoffrey Chaucer
Ray Charles
Charles VIII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VI of France
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles III


Charles II of England
Charles I of England
Charlemagne
Charlie Chaplin
Coco Chanel
Raymond Chandler
Jackie Chan
Neville Chamberlain
Paul Cézanne
Miguel de Cervantes
Saint Cecilia
William Caxton
Henry Cavendish
Edith Cavell
Catherine the Great
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Aragon
Fidel Castro
Butch Cassidy
Johnny Cash


Giacomo Casanova
George Washington Carver
Caravaggio
Enrico Caruso
Edmund Cartwright
Barbara Cartland
Louis-François Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jimmy Carter
Rachel Carson
Johnny Carson
Lewis Carroll
Willis Carrier
Jim Carrey
Sabrina Carpenter
Andrew Carnegie


Thomas Carlyle
William Carey
Mariah Carey
Marie-Antoine Carême
Federico Caprilli
Truman Capote
Al Capone
King Canute
Albert Camus
Queen Camilla
James Cameron
David Cameron
John Calvin
Maria Callas
James Callaghan
Caligula
Calamity Jane
Michael Caine
Julius Caesar


Caedmon
John Cadbury
Lord Byron
William Byrd
George W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
Richard Burton
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Aaron Burr
Robert Burns
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Edmund Burke
John Bunyan
Warren Buffet
The Buddha
James Buchanan
Kobe Bryant
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Beau Brummell
Robert Browning


Elizabeth Browning
James Brown
Gordon Brown
Capability Brown
Phillips Brooks
Mel Brooks
Louise Brooks
Garth Brooks
Rupert Brooke
Emily Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Benjamin Britten
Leonid Brezhnev
Bertolt Brecht
Eva Braun
Richard Branson
Marlon Brando
Louis Braille
Johannes Brahms
Tycho Brahe
Don Bradman
Ray Bradbury
Robert Boyle
David Bowie
Clara Bow
Boudicca


Sandro Botticelli
Ian Botham
Alexander Borodin
Norman Borlaug
Lucrezia Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Björn Borg
William Booth
John Wilkes Booth
Daniel Boone
Bono
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Saint Boniface
Pope Boniface VIII
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Usain Bolt
Simon Bolivar
Anne Boleyn
Humphrey Bogart
Boethius
Giovanni Boccaccio
Enid Blyton
Amelia Bloomer
Charles Blondin
Mel Blanc
William Blake
Tony Blair
Elizabeth Blackwell
Antoinette Brown Blackwell
Blackbeard
Georges Bizet
Otto Von Bismarck
László Bíró
Clarence Birdseye
Osama bin Laden
Billy the Kid
Simone Biles
Steve Biko
Justin Bieber
Joe Biden


Jeff Bezos
Beyoncé
John Betjeman
George Best
Chuck Berry
Yogi Berra
Leonard Bernstein
Sarah Bernhardt
Tim Berners-Lee
Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernadette
Hector Berlioz
Irving Berlin
Ingrid Bergman
Karl Benz
Jeremy Bentham
E. F. Benson
James Gordon Bennett Sr.
St. Benedict of Nursia
Pope Benedict XVI
Giovanni Belzoni
Saul Bellow
Hilaire Belloc
Alexander Graham Bell
Isabella Beeton
Ludwig van Beethoven
Lyman Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Catherine Beecher
The Venerable Bede
David Beckham
Samuel Beckett
Thomas Becket
Boris Becker
Franz Beckenbauer
Sidney Bechet
William Beaumont
Warren Beatty
John Bartram
Clara Barton
Karl Barth
J. M. Barrie
P. T. Barnum
Thomas John Barnardo
Brigitte Bardot
Samuel Barber
Saint Barbara
Joseph Banks
Lucille Ball
Arthur Balfour
Stanley Baldwin
Josephine Baker
John Logie Baird
Douglas Bader
Robert Baden-Powell
Roger Bacon
Francis Bacon
Johann Sebastian Bach
Lauren Bacall


Charles Babbage
Gladys Aylward
Gene Autry
Jane Austen
Marcus Aurelius
Augustus
St. Augustine of Canterbury
St. Augustine of Hippo
Saint Audrey
W. H. Auden
Clement Attlee
Attila the Hun
Charles Atlas
Rowan Atkinson
Æthelstan
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
John Jacob Astor
Philip Astley
Fred Astaire
H. H. Asquith
Isaac Asimov
Ashoka the Great
Laura Ashley
Francis Asbury
King Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Benedict Arnold
Neil Armstrong


Louis Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Edwin Howard Armstrong
Giorgio Armani
Richard Arkwright
Aristotle
Aristophanes
Elizabeth Arden
Archimedes
Jeffrey Archer
Yasser Arafat
Thomas Aquinas
Johnny Appleseed
Nicolas Appert
Marcus Gavius Apicius
Mark Antony
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony of Padua
Anthony the Great
Anselm of Canterbury
Saint Ansgar
Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Anne, Princess Royal
Anne Of Cleves
Maya Angelou
Saint Andrew
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Monday, 19 May 2014

Henry Fielding

NAME Henry Fielding, occasionally writing under pen names including "Captain Hercules Vinegar" and "H. Scriblerus Secundus," with some work published anonymously.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Novelist, playwright, satirist, and magistrate. He is particularly famous for his novels, especially Tom Jones, and for his role in helping to establish the modern English novel. He also helped to lay the foundations for modern law enforcement in London.

BIRTH Born on April 22, 1707, at Sharpham Park, Somerset, England.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Fielding came from a distinguished lineage. His father, Lieutenant-General Edmund Fielding, was connected to the aristocracy as a nephew of William Fielding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh. The family claimed kinship with the Habsburg dynasty, though this was later proven erroneous. His mother, Sarah Gould, was the daughter of Sir Henry Gould, a prominent judge of the Queen's Bench. 

Henry was the eldest of seven children, including his sister Sarah Fielding, who also became a successful writer. Her book The Governess (first published in 1749) is recognized as the first full-length novel in English aimed specifically at children, and especially girls. Its influence was significant, and it remained relevant in educational circles well into the next century. 

CHILDHOOD When Henry was around three years old, the family moved to East Stour in Dorset, to a substantial farm purchased by his maternal grandfather. 

His early childhood was spent primarily in his mother's care, as his father was often away on military service or pleasure trips. 

Tragedy struck when his mother died just before his 11th birthday. His father subsequently remarried an Italian woman, which led to a custody battle between his father and his grandmother, Lady Gould. The settlement placed Henry in his grandmother's care, though he continued to see his father in London.

EDUCATION Fielding received his early education at the prestigious Eton College, where he developed his love of literature and knowledge of classics. There he formed a lifelong friendship with future statesman George Lyttelton. 

At age 17, after leaving school, he lived briefly as "a young gentleman of leisure". He later attended the University of Leiden in Holland to study classics and law, but financial constraints forced him to leave before completing his degree. Eventually, he studied law at Middle Temple in London and was called to the Bar in 1740. (1)

CAREER RECORD A magistrate at the Bow Street Police Court in London.

He organised what was virtually the first English detective force, a small group of constables known as "Bow Street Runners" or "Robin Redbreasts".  The amount of undetected crime arrested him. A playwright until the 1737-licensing Act restricted his opportunities so switched to novel writing. 

1724-28 A man about town in London.

1728-1737 A playwright during which he wrote around 25 plays.

1736 Took over management of the New Theatre

1737 The  Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 effectively ended his theatrical career, he turned to law and journalism. Fielding entered the Middle Temple and began to read for the bar

1739 Editor of The Champion newspaper

1740 Called to the bar and practised as a barrister

1742 Wrote his first novel Joseph Andrews

1748, Appointed Justice of the Peace for Westminster

1752 Returned to journalism with the Convent Garden Journal 

APPEARANCE Henry Fielding was described in his youth as a "strikingly handsome youth." Portraits and engravings from the 18th century, including those by William Hogarth, depict him with classical features typical of the period: a strong nose, prominent brow, and a composed, dignified expression.  (1)

Henry Fielding, about 1743, etching from Jonathan Wild

FASHION Fielding, as seen in contemporary portraits, dressed in the typical style of an 18th-century English gentleman: wigs, frock coats, waistcoats, and cravats. 

In both his novels and personal commentary, Fielding often satirized the social importance placed on fashion, suggesting that clothing was the primary, if not sole, distinction between the so-called "people of fashion" and everyone else. He argued that fashion was merely "the science of appearance," inspiring people "with the desire to seem rather than to be". In Joseph Andrews, Fielding mocks the idea that fashion confers any real superiority, observing that the only difference between classes is often their dress, not their character or worth. (2)

CHARACTER Despite his aristocratic connections, Fielding is described as having been "extravagant and reckless" in nature, which often kept his family in financial difficulty. As a magistrate, however, he demonstrated honesty and a deep humanitarian concern for justice. He was deeply interested in alleviating the widespread problems of poverty and crime in England. His satirical works reveal his critical stance toward government and society of his time.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Fielding was celebrated for his "rich earthy humour" and satirical prowess. His works are characterized by wit, humor, and satire,. Fielding's novels established the use of a large complicated plot to produce a great number of comic situations. 

His satirical plays were so sharp and effective that they contributed to the government passing the Theatrical Licensing Act to censor such works.

RELATIONSHIPS Henry Fielding and Charlotte Craddock were married on November 28, 1734 at the tiny church of St. Mary, Charlcombe, a secluded parish about one and a half miles north of Bath, Somerset. 

Image by ChatGBT

Henry was madly in love with Charlotte, and they enjoyed ten happy years of marriage before her death in 1744 of a fever. Henry mourned her deeply, and Sophia Western, the heroine of his novel Tom Jones, was modelled on Charlotte.

They had five children together, though only one daughter, Henrietta, survived childhood (and she would die at age 23 shortly after marriage).

Three years later, disregarding public opinion, he married Mary Daniel, who had been Charlotte's maid and was pregnant at the time of their marriage. With Mary, he had five more children, including sons William and Allen, though three daughters died young. 

Before his first marriage, in 1725, Fielding had attempted to abduct his cousin Sarah Andrews, with whom he was infatuated, and fled to avoid prosecution.

WRITING CAREER Henry Fielding, whose name now adorns English lit syllabi everywhere, had the sort of career that would make any modern overachiever look like they’ve been lying down for most of their lives. At various points, he was a playwright, a satirist, a journalist, a novelist, a pamphleteer, a barrister, and, for good measure, the guy who essentially helped invent the English novel. He also managed to get one of his professions effectively outlawed. Not bad for a man whose handwriting probably looked like something a spider left behind after dancing through an inkpot.

Fielding’s literary escapades began on the London stage in the late 1720s, where he quickly earned a reputation for being both funny and politically annoying. His early comedies—Love in Several Masques, The Author’s Farce, Tom Thumb, Pasquin—were full of jokes so pointed and jabs so sharp that they eventually provoked the government into action. In 1737, Parliament passed the Theatrical Licensing Act, a piece of legislation widely understood to have been created for the express purpose of shutting Fielding up. It worked. They made theatre boring again, and Fielding—possibly with a theatrical sigh—moved on.

Undeterred, he turned to journalism, law, and prose, in no particular order. He edited The Champion, a satirical periodical that allowed him to keep skewering politics while wearing a slightly more respectable hat. He also became a barrister, though if we’re being honest, his legal career never quite had the same sparkle as his pen.

But it was with the novel that Fielding found his true stride. His first major prose effort, Shamela (1741), was a wicked parody of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, a book so piously sentimental that you could develop toothache just looking at the cover. Shamela took Richardson’s earnest virtue and turned it upside down, revealing a sharp-tongued author who understood that moralizing is more tolerable with a bit of smirk.

Then came Joseph Andrews (1742), which started as another parody but quickly mutated into something far more ambitious: a rollicking, humane, oddly philosophical comic epic in prose—a genre that didn’t really exist until Fielding decided it should. He explained this bold new direction with breezy authority, calling it a “comic epic poem in prose,” which sounds fancy and possibly a little tipsy but turned out to be a stroke of genius.

Fielding continued to experiment, producing Jonathan Wild (1743), a novel that essentially asked: “What if a politician and a criminal were the same person?”—a question that remains unsettlingly relevant. But his crowning achievement came in Tom Jones (1749), a novel that manages to be funny, bawdy, thoughtful, and wise, all while bouncing through more plot twists than an entire season of Downton Abbey. It set the standard for what a novel could be: sprawling, messy, morally complicated, and deeply entertaining.

He followed it up with Amelia (1751), a more sobering tale about a good woman trying to survive in a society that seems entirely allergic to virtue. Critics today say it’s underrated, which is usually what critics say about books they didn’t finish the first time.

In addition to all this, Fielding found time to write legal treatises, social criticism, and even a satirical travel narrative, A Journey from This World to the Next (1749), which suggested that he might’ve had opinions about the afterlife too. His final work, The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon (published after his death in 1755), is a charming, bedraggled account of his last days—essentially the 18th-century version of live-blogging a very uncomfortable ferry ride.

Fielding is now recognized—alongside his old frenemy Richardson—as one of the founding fathers of the English novel. And while Richardson gave us trembling heroines and moral seriousness, it was Fielding who gave us laughter, looseness, and the novel’s true potential to capture the glorious mess of being human.

MONEY AND FAME Despite his literary success, Fielding struggled financially throughout much of his life. His extravagant and reckless nature kept his family "wavering on the edge of destitution". He often wrote hurriedly to provide for his family, supplementing his income as a barrister with extensive writings for political journals. By the end of his career, he had achieved significant literary recognition, with Amelia (1751) being an immediate commercial success and his personal favorite among his works.

FOOD AND DRINK Henry Fielding frequented the Bedford Coffee House, which was located under the Piazza in Covent Garden, at the north-east corner near the entrance to Covent Garden Theatre. The Bedford Coffee House was a renowned gathering place for leading literary and theatrical figures of the 18th century. Among its regulars were David Garrick, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, William Hogarth, Samuel Foote, and many others, including Fielding himself. The venue was celebrated as “the emporium of wit, the seat of criticism, and the standard of taste,” where jokes, literary criticism, and theatrical gossip were exchanged nightly. (3)

MUSIC AND ARTS Fielding’s relationship with music was complex. In his early ballad operas, he parodied serious music, including works by Handel, sometimes adding comic lyrics to borrowed melodies. However, by the 1740s and 1750s, Fielding’s attitude shifted; he became a great admirer of Handel, especially as Handel moved toward English oratorio, which Fielding preferred over Italian opera. He valued music that was word-centric and performed in English, with minimal ostentation. (4)

Fielding was deeply involved in the theater world, both as a playwright and as manager of the Little Theatre in the Haymarket (1736). 

Fielding was closely connected to the visual arts through his friendship with William Hogarth, who designed frontispieces for his works. Fielding admired Hogarth’s satirical art, and the two shared a mutual respect for each other’s craft.

LITERATURE  George Bernard Shaw claimed Fielding was "the greatest English playwright between the Middle Ages and the 19th century". His works are associated with the Enlightenment and Augustan Age literary movements.

NATURE Fielding grew up in a "rich rural setting" in Dorset that would later be celebrated by novelist Thomas Hardy,.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Fielding was a prolific writer of plays, novels, pamphlets, and journalism. He never stopped writing political satire and satires of current arts and letters, reflecting a lifelong preoccupation with literature, social issues, and the arts.

MAGISTRATE When the government effectively banned his playwriting career in 1737—a rather extreme form of literary criticism—Henry Fielding did what any creatively stifled satirist might do: he became a lawyer. He joined the Middle Temple, which sounds a bit like a secret society for druids but was in fact one of the Inns of Court, and was called to the Bar in 1740. His career in law, however, was not exactly the stuff of legend. He rode the Western Circuit twice a year, as per tradition, delivering justice and occasionally picking up odd cases, but he never quite set the legal world alight. His courtroom fame was minimal, and he seemed to spend rather more time scribbling manuscripts than prepping depositions.

Then, in 1748, something remarkable happened: Fielding was appointed Justice of the Peace for Westminster and Middlesex. It was a job that, at the time, involved equal parts paperwork, public drunkenness, and bribery, and was widely regarded as a convenient parking space for the corrupt and incompetent. Fielding, rather inconveniently for tradition, insisted on doing the job properly. He set up shop at Bow Street—literally, as the courthouse was also his house—and promptly began turning the system on its head.

Together with his astonishingly capable half-brother, John Fielding (who, despite being blind, would later become one of the most effective magistrates in British history), Henry launched what can only be described as an early version of the police force. Called the Bow Street Runners, they were a small but determined group of “thieftakers”—a term that rather charmingly undersells their work—who actually investigated crimes and chased down criminals, instead of just collecting fees and looking stern.

Fielding wasn’t done there. He wrote An Inquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers (1751), a pamphlet that suggested, in the most polite but exasperated tones, that perhaps London might need more constables and fewer gin shops. He offered rewards and pardons to informants, dismantled criminal gangs with something close to enthusiasm, and even tried to foster a bit of trust between the public and the courts—something that at the time was about as ambitious as trying to invent the hot-air balloon.

What made Fielding stand out, however, was not just his efficiency, but his humanity. He believed, quaintly, that crime often had causes—poverty, neglect, a lack of education—and he saw his role not just as a punisher of misdeeds but as a reformer of systems. He tried, as best he could with 18th-century tools and 18th-century headaches, to make life a little less cruel.

By the time of his death, Fielding had effectively redefined what a magistrate could be. In a period where public officials were often less moral than the criminals they prosecuted, Fielding brought dignity, rigor, and a refreshingly uncorrupt air to the proceedings. His Bow Street office would become the foundation for what eventually evolved into London’s Metropolitan Police.

So yes, Fielding gave the world Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews, and Shamela. But he also gave us something even more unexpected: the idea that law enforcement could be both competent and humane. Not bad for a guy who only became a magistrate because the theater wouldn’t have him.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Henry Fielding’s works are deeply rooted in Enlightenment moral philosophy, particularly influenced by thinkers like Shaftesbury. He believed true virtue arises from natural social affections-such as compassion and benevolence-rather than from fear of punishment or hope of reward. Fielding argued that morality should not be motivated by selfishness, religious zealotry, or the expectation of divine recompense, but by genuine love for the public good and for God as a divine example. In his novels, he often satirizes characters who display outward religiosity but act from self-interest, demonstrating that morality is not necessarily a product of theology.

Fielding was critical of religious hypocrisy and the misuse of Christian doctrine for personal gain. In works like Joseph Andrews, he exposes the gap between professed beliefs and actual behavior, using Christian teaching as a lens to examine and often lampoon his characters’ actions. He was especially wary of those who used religion as a mask for vice, emphasizing that true moral character is revealed through good works and consistent ethical behavior.

Fielding took issue with certain theological trends of his time, particularly the Methodist doctrine of assurance-the belief that one could know they had received God’s grace through a personal, internal experience. Fielding, a proponent of orthodox Anglicanism, valued good works as visible evidence of moral character and Christian responsibility. He argued that the Methodist emphasis on internal assurance made it impossible to objectively judge a person’s character, thus opening the door to hypocrisy. For Fielding, good works were essential, not only for social harmony but as proof of genuine faith.

While Fielding respected the Anglican tradition, he also recognized the universal aspects of Christian doctrine, such as the availability of God’s grace to all. However, he maintained that faith without good works was insufficient, and he consistently championed the idea that outward actions-charity, honesty, and social responsibility-were the true markers of Christian virtue.

Fielding’s view of human nature was nuanced. He saw people as a mixture of selfishness, greed, honesty, and charity. His novels explore this complexity, showing that while vice and folly are ever-present, virtue ultimately triumphs. Fielding used irony and context to encourage readers to discern true character and moral worth.

In summary, Fielding’s philosophy and theology centered on the primacy of genuine virtue, the necessity of good works, skepticism toward religious enthusiasm and hypocrisy, and a belief in the complexity of human nature. He argued that true morality is rooted in social affections and public good, not in self-serving piety or theological dogma.

POLITICS Fielding was deeply engaged with the politics of his time. His plays often contained sharp criticisms of the government under Sir Robert Walpole, which ultimately led to the Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 that effectively censored political satire on stage. He wrote for Tory periodicals, often under the pseudonym "Captain Hercules Vinegar". After leaving the theater, he received a position as justice of the peace as a reward for his government journalism. 

SCANDAL Fielding's life included several scandalous episodes. In 1725, at age 18, he attempted to abduct his cousin Sarah Andrews, with whom he was infatuated, as she was on her way to church. He subsequently fled to avoid prosecution. Later in life, he caused public controversy by marrying his deceased wife's maid, Mary Daniel, who was already pregnant at the time of their marriage, just three years after Charlotte's death.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS As Henry Fielding reached his early thirties, his health started to decline, with gout causing him increasing and severe pain. By the time he was 47, Fielding's struggles with gout, asthma, jaundice, and other illnesses had become so debilitating that he needed crutches to move. In a desperate attempt to improve his well-being, he journeyed to Lisbon, Portugal, with his wife and daughter in 1754, hoping the warmer climate would offer some relief. Sadly, the change came too late, and he succumbed to dropsy in Lisbon just two months after his arrival. (5)

HOMES Born at Sharpham Park in Somerset, Fielding spent much of his childhood at his family's estate in East Stour, Dorset. After marrying Charlotte, they initially lived at Fielding's family home in East Stour, but financial needs eventually forced them to return to London, where he spent much of his adult life.

TRAVEL Fielding's documented travels include his studies in Leiden, Holland, and his final journey to Portugal in 1754, where he sought treatment for his deteriorating health. His life was primarily spent in England between Somerset, Dorset, and London.

DEATH Henry Fielding died on October 8, 1754 in Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of 47. His health had severely deteriorated in the early 1750s due to gout, asthma, dropsy, and cirrhosis of the liver. Seeking relief in a warmer climate, Fielding traveled to Lisbon in the summer of 1754, enduring a difficult sea journey described in his posthumously published Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon. Despite hopes for improvement, the Portuguese heat and his advanced illness left him bedridden and in pain, and he died two months after his arrival.

Fielding was buried in Lisbon in the English Cemetery (Cemitério Inglês), the graveyard of St. George's Church. This cemetery was reserved for Protestants and foreigners, as local Catholic cemeteries would not accept non-Catholics. His funeral was a modest affair, as his wife Mary Daniel was left penniless and unable to provide a headstone or monument at the time of his burial.

For many years, Fielding’s grave was unmarked, and its exact location became uncertain. Early visitors noted the absence of a headstone, and the lack of a memorial was considered a national embarrassment by some contemporaries. In 1830, a monument was finally erected over what was believed to be his burial spot, funded by public subscription and organized by the acting chaplain, Rev. Christopher Nevil. The monument bears a lengthy Latin inscription celebrating Fielding’s literary and moral achievements. However, even by the mid-19th century, the precise location of his grave was still debated, as the monument was placed based on oral tradition rather than documented evidence.

The English Cemetery in Lisbon, where Fielding rests among fellow British expatriates and other northern Europeans, is today well maintained. His tomb is now a site of literary pilgrimage, though the original location remains uncertain. The monument, a chest tomb with an urn, stands as a tribute to one of England’s greatest novelists and reformers. (6)

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Henry Fielding, though primarily remembered as an 18th-century novelist and playwright, has appeared in various forms of media—often as a character, a narrator figure, or as inspiration for adaptations. Here are some notable examples:

1. Film and Television Adaptations of His Works

Fielding’s novels, especially Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews, have been frequently adapted:

Tom Jones (1963 film) – A hugely successful adaptation starring Albert Finney, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It used a playful, fourth-wall-breaking style reminiscent of Fielding’s own narrative voice.

Tom Jones (1997 TV miniseries) – A more traditional BBC adaptation with Max Beesley in the title role.

Tom Jones (2023 ITV-PBS series) – A modern adaptation with Solly McLeod as Tom Jones, attempting to contemporize the charm and satire of the novel.

2. Fielding as a Character

Fielding himself appears as a character in dramatizations or historical fiction:

The Life and Times of Henry Fielding (1957 TV play) – A rare BBC production dramatizing his life.

In novels or period dramas about 18th-century England, Fielding sometimes features as a minor character due to his role as a magistrate and founder of the Bow Street Runners.

3. Stage Adaptations

Both Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews have been adapted for the stage, particularly in Britain. These versions often emphasize the humor, wit, and bawdiness of the originals.

4. Documentaries

Fielding is often discussed in documentaries about the novel or about 18th-century English literature. His pioneering blend of satire and realism is usually highlighted, alongside his influence on later novelists like Dickens and Thackeray.

5 Miscellaneous

Fielding's likeness has been preserved in various portraits, most notably by William Hogarth. In modern times, his image appears on merchandise such as t-shirts. 

The Welsh singer Tom Jones took his stage name from Fielding's novel.

ACHIEVEMENTS Significant contributions to the development of the English novel.

Creation of memorable and influential literary works.

Establishment of the Bow Street Runners, a precursor to modern police forces.

Social and legal commentary through his writings and his work as a magistrate.

Sources (1) Encyclopaedia Britannica (2) Hub Pages (3) Grub Street Project (4) Duke University Press (5) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (6) The London Dead

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