Person    | Male  Born 10/2/1775  Died 27/12/1834

Charles Lamb

Categories: Literature

Born at 2 Crown Office Row, Inner Temple. Studied at Christ's Hospital where he became friends with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. "Elia" is the pseudonym Lamb used for a series of essays he wrote for the London Magazine and then published in book form, 1821 - 33.

Charles and his sister Mary both experienced periods of insanity but Mary outclassed him. In 1796, aged 32, Mary stabbed and killed their mother with a table knife. Charles, only aged 21, rescued Mary from a life in prison by taking responsibility for her. They lived together for the rest of his life, leading a rich social life in London, moving to Edmonton in 1828.

Prior to her fit of madness Mary had been the chief bread-winner for her family through her industry as a needlewoman. She was clever, creative, responsible, serene and sensible. However their mother always displayed a distinct preference for Charles, leaving Mary emotionally deprived since childhood. After the murder Charles swiftly had Mary confined in a private madhouse in Islington so that her insanity could be established, as a safeguard against judicial punishment. She apparently made a full recovery, of sorts, since, for the rest of her life, she suffered occasional "distempers" and thenceforth "the Lambs never left home without a straitjacket". They moved from Islington to Enfield in 1827 and to Edmonton in 1833 where Charles died at Walden's/Bay Cottage, Church Street. Mary deteriorated and died 12 years later in 1847. Both were buried in Edmonton Churchyard.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Charles Lamb

Commemorated ati

Charles Lamb - 85 Chase Side

The overflow pipe is not part of the memorial.

Read More

Charles Lamb - 89 Chase Side

Charles Lamb lived here October 1829 until May 1833.

Read More

Charles Lamb - EC4

An information map/board gives us "Charles Lamb was born in 2 Crown Office Ro...

Read More

Charles Lamb - Gentleman's Row

The (wooden) plaque adds two years to his life.

Read More

Charles Lamb - Giltspur Street

Ornamental Passions have a good post on this memorial, saying that Lamb is sh...

Read More

Show all 7

Other Subjects

John Walker

John Walker

Author of the Pronouncing Dictionary.  Actor then teacher. Published "Critical Pronouncing Dictionary, Rules Addressed to Citizens of Scotland, Ireland and London" in 1791. Friends with Dr. Johnson...

Person, Literature

1 memorial
Austin Dobson

Austin Dobson

Poet and essayist. Born Henry Austin Dobson at Plymouth, Devon. He spent his entire working life at the Board of Trade. His first poems were published in 1868. In 1876 he and a group of other poets...

Person, Literature, Poetry

1 memorial
A. A. Milne

A. A. Milne

Author. Born Alan Alexander Milne at Henley House, Mortimer Road, Kilburn. Best known as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin, named after his son.  1925 Milne bought Cotchford Far...

Person, Children, Literature, Seriously Famous

2 memorials
Thomas Carlyle (author)

Thomas Carlyle (author)

Historian, essayist and co-founder of the National Portrait Gallery. Born in Ecclefechan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Portrayed, second from right, in the 1860 Ford Madox Brown painting 'Work'...

Person, History, Literature, Scotland

6 memorials
Scouting for Boys

Scouting for Boys

A book on boy scout training written by Robert Baden-Powell. It was originally published in six fortnightly instalments and contained information on 'self-survival', based on his boyhood experience...

Media, Community / Clubs, Literature

2 memorials