Samuel Ireland

author

Samuel Ireland

1744–1800

Best remembered for his part in one of literature’s strangest scandals, this English engraver and travel writer moved from the print trade into the lively world of books, art, and Shakespearean enthusiasm. His name is now closely tied to the forged “Shakespeare papers” that fooled many people in the 1790s.

1 Audiobook

Picturesque views on the river Wye, from its source at Plinlimmon Hill, to its junction with the Severn below Chepstow : With observations on the public buildings, and other works of art, in its vicinity

Picturesque views on the river Wye, from its source at Plinlimmon Hill, to its junction with the Severn below Chepstow : With observations on the public buildings, and other works of art, in its vicinity

by Samuel Ireland

About the author

Born on 21 May 1744, he was an English author and engraver who began life as a weaver in Spitalfields, London, before turning to prints, drawings, and self-taught artistic work. He earned recognition for his engraving and later built a reputation as a collector, writer, and enthusiastic observer of British scenery and antiquities.

He published popular travel and topographical works, including books on picturesque views along the River Thames and on places connected with William Hogarth. His interests in art, collecting, and literary history helped make him a familiar figure in late 18th-century cultural life.

Today, he is most often remembered for the Shakespeare forgeries promoted by his son, William Henry Ireland. Samuel Ireland accepted the supposed discoveries as genuine and defended them, becoming one of the central figures in a famous literary deception that outlived him after his death in July 1800.