Thomas
Miller
Author
Born:
31st August 1807
Died: 24th October 1874
Thomas
Miller
was born in Gainsborough and brought up by his mother in one of
Gainsborough’s notorious yards.
Figure 1: Illustration from video film - Tales of Tom Miller
At
the age of nine, Thomas Miller worked as a ploughboy on his uncle’s farm.
However, he soon returned to his mother, who had remarried, and learned
the basket making trade from his stepfather.
He left Gainsborough in 1831 and moved to Nottingham to work as a basket maker. Whilst there Miller published his first works, ‘Songs of the Sea Nymphs’.
In 1835 he took his wife and young family and went to London. He made baskets of which some were sent to the Countess of Blessington along with some of his poems. She was so impressed with them Miller soon found himself moving in the literary circle of Victorian England. In 1836 he published ‘A Day in the Woods’, which was very well received. He became one of the most prolific writers of his day. He wrote three novels, more poetry and did reviews. ‘Gideon Giles’ became his most popular novel.
In 1872 Thomas Miller returned to Gainsborough to give readings from his book ‘Our Old Town’. However, interest in his readings failed to capture the imagination and he became very poor. Lord Alfred Tennyson and Disraeli heard of Miller’s plight and granted him £100 a year pension. However, he died still unrecognised for his literary talent and is buried in an unmarked grave in London.
