James Savage

Born in Howden, Yorkshire, on August 30, 1767, he was the son of a bell and clock maker. As a teenager he was already contributing to local journals, and in 1790 he went into business with his brother William as a printer and bookseller.

After moving to London in 1803, he worked in publishing and later became assistant librarian at the London Institution under the classical scholar Richard Porson. He also wrote for magazines including the Monthly Magazine and the Universal Magazine, before later working in Taunton and then Dorchester, where he edited the Dorset County Chronicle and Somersetshire Gazette for many years.

His books show the breadth of his interests: History of Howden Church (1799), History of the Castle and Parish of Wressle (1805), The Librarian (1808–09), An Account of the London Daily Newspapers (1811), Observations on the Varieties of Architecture (1812), Memorabilia (1820), A History of the Hundred of Carhampton (1830), and Dorchester and its Environs (1832). He died in Taunton on March 19, 1845.