author

William Cooper

1810–1877

A 19th-century English barrister who also wrote for the stage, he is remembered today for a vivid biographical work about the Norfolk lawyer Henry Cooper and his father. The surviving record is sparse, which gives his work an added air of discovery for modern readers.

1 Audiobook

A sketch of the life of the late Henry Cooper, barrister-at-Law, of the Norfolk circuit; as also, of his father

A sketch of the life of the late Henry Cooper, barrister-at-Law, of the Norfolk circuit; as also, of his father

by William Cooper

About the author

Born in 1810 and died in 1877, William Cooper was an English writer whose surviving public record identifies him as both a barrister and a playwright.

The work most clearly linked to him today is A Sketch of the Life of the Late Henry Cooper, Barrister-at-Law, of the Norfolk Circuit; as also, of his Father, published in the mid-19th century. The book reflects a strong interest in legal life, character, and local memory, and it remains the easiest way to encounter his voice as an author.

Much about his wider life and career is not easy to confirm from the sources available online, so the picture that remains is necessarily brief. Even so, that blend of law, biography, and theatrical authorship makes him an intriguing figure from Victorian literary culture.