author
T. (Thomas) Kerslake
1812–1891
A Bristol bookseller and antiquarian with a taste for literary mysteries, he wrote lively, argumentative works on local history and Shakespearean questions. His career joined the everyday world of rare books with a lifelong habit of research and debate.
1 Audiobook
Vestiges of the supremacy of Mercia in the south of England during the eighth century
by T. (Thomas) Kerslake
About the author
Born in Exeter in July 1812, Thomas Kerslake moved to Bristol in 1828 and soon entered the second-hand book trade. He became well known there as a bookseller and antiquarian, building a long career among old books, manuscripts, and local historical materials.
Kerslake also wrote on the subjects that fascinated him most. His publications included studies of Bristol history and churches, and he became especially noted for his strong views on Shakespearean authorship, arguing for Francis Bacon's connection to the plays. That mix of practical bookselling and energetic scholarship gave his work a distinctive character.
A fire damaged his business in 1860, but he continued his literary and antiquarian pursuits afterward. He died on January 5, 1891, remembered in Bristol literary circles as one of the city's notable old-school booksellers and a persistent, curious researcher.