author
Atticus
1835–1912
A vivid Victorian local historian and journalist, this prolific writer turned the streets, churches, councils, and scandals of Preston into detailed, lively books. Writing under the pen name “Atticus,” he left behind a rich record of Lancashire life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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About the author
Known to readers as “Atticus,” Anthony Hewitson (1836–1912) was an English provincial journalist, editor, and historian closely associated with Preston in Lancashire. Modern editions of his diaries describe him as a typical Victorian journalist whose writings from 1862 to 1912 reveal not only how local newspapers were made, but also the texture of everyday family and civic life.
Hewitson wrote widely about Preston and the surrounding region. Library and catalog records connect the name Atticus with books such as History of Preston, Our Churches and Chapels, Preston Town Council, and other works on local history, religion, and municipal life. His books are especially valuable for readers who enjoy place-based writing: he had a reporter’s eye for anecdote and a historian’s appetite for detail.
Although he is not a widely known literary figure today, Hewitson remains an important voice in Lancashire history. His work preserves the people, arguments, institutions, and neighborhoods of Victorian Preston with unusual immediacy, making him a rewarding author for anyone interested in local history, journalism, or the everyday world of 19th-century Britain.