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Local HeroesYou are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > History > Local Heroes > Doctor Johnson 鈥� of Staffordshire ![]() Doctor Johnson 鈥� of StaffordshireThe great man of letters, Dr Samuel Johnson, best known for his 鈥楧ictionary of the English Language鈥� was born in Lichfield in 1709 If you visit Lichfield, you鈥檒l quickly be made aware of how proud the Staffordshire city is of its favourite son.听 And just recently (in 2007), the city鈥檚 refurbished hospital was named after him. Staffordshire bredSamuel Johnson鈥檚 father was a bookseller whose shop was in the same Market Square where Johnson鈥檚 statue is sited now. But what鈥檚 a little forgotten now about this literary giant is that he had to overcome massive health problems (in fact he wasn鈥檛 even expected to live as a baby).听 All his life he suffered from depressions and mental stress, even experiencing a form of what we would call Tourette Syndrome today.听 What saved him eventually was his obvious conversation, learning, wit and intelligence, all of which endeared him to the literary and intellectual world of his time. Literary lifeBut what saved him at first was his marriage to Elizabeth Porter.听 He met Elizabeth in Birmingham when he was trying his hand as a writer. However, Tetty鈥檚 money couldn鈥檛 guarantee him success. An attempt to run a school failed, taking most of Tetty鈥檚 fortune with it, and eventually, when he was twenty-eight, he left Staffordshire, going to try to make his fortune in London. In London, he tried to make what living he could by journalism, editing and biography.听 (The 鈥楧octor鈥� title by which he is known is not a medical term; it refers to an honorary university doctorate he received later in life).听 Despite the reception and fame his articles and books received, he struggled to make ends meet. Even his great work 鈥楢 Dictionary of the English Language鈥� (1755), although it made him internationally famous and a celebrity, did not make him rich; in fact, he was paid only a flat-rate for the job which had taken him nine years! SecurityPoor Tetty did not live to see Johnson's reputation assured.听 But, in 1762, at the age of 53, and after Tetty had been dead for ten years, Johnson finally gained some financial stability when the King granted him a yearly allowance for his achievements.听 Johnson did not remarry, and in fact, after his wife died (in 1752), he took on Francis Barber, a former black slave from Jamaica, as his main servant. Francis looked after him thereafter, and even became Johnson's heir. In these latter years, Johnson met up with his biographer-to-be, the young James Boswell.听 Johnson was so highly regarded at his death that he was buried in Westminster Abbey. StaffordshireThe county is of course massively proud of Johnson, as one of its favourite sons. last updated: 17/03/2009 at 13:05 SEE ALSOYou are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > History > Local Heroes > Doctor Johnson 鈥� of Staffordshire |
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