143:
360:
131:
407:
394:, he arranged to be accepted as a lawyer in Bengal, a feat which restored his father's goodwill towards him. He departed for Bengal from Portsmouth on 1 May 1777 and called in, en route, at Cape Town. On 12 November 1777 Hickey, aged 28, was "entered on the Roll" as "Solicitor, Attorney, and Proctor of the Supreme Court" in Bengal. He prospered in those roles. In April 1779 he set out to return to England, charged by the English inhabitants of Calcutta to deliver, at their expense, a petition to Parliament in England that they should be entitled to trial by jury.
207:
32:
387:
indeed, his father would no longer even receive him. Upon his arrival in
Jamaica, Hickey discovered that there were limits imposed on the numbers of attorneys allowed to practice, and he would not be able to make a living as a lawyer there. He returned to England, "with considerable regret", leaving about five months after his arrival, on 17 April 1776, arriving back on 14 June.
403:, Charlotte Barry, who was then aged 18 and with whom he fell in love. He offered to marry her; she refused marriage, but agreed to live with him as his partner. The couple then travelled together to India when Hickey was 32 in 1783. Charlotte did not survive long, dying on Christmas Day 1783, aged 21.
427:
in late 1808, having left India after becoming ill. He brought with him "a pair of elderly unmarried sisters, his favourite Indian servant Munnoo and a large parti-coloured
English dog." The dullness of what he called a "trifling" place "with a very limited society", encouraged him to occupy his mind
386:
to return to
England. The ship travelled first to China, of which he gives an account in his memoirs. His father was less than pleased at his return and, after Hickey reverted to his old ways, sent him to Jamaica to work as a lawyer, with a warning that if he failed he could expect no further help —
414:
Hickey established himself in the legal profession, managing to obtain a series of lucrative posts, including Under-Sheriff and Clerk to the Chief
Justice. Some while after Charlotte's death he took an Indian mistress, Jemdanee, who was locally considered to be his wife. They had a son in 1796, but
338:
In
January 1766, he left school and began his legal training at his father's law firm, but he continued to lead an extremely debauched existence, visiting the prostitutes of Covent Garden and drinking heavily. On more than one occasion, he was caught embezzling funds from the firm; finally, his
431:
The details of his life after 1810 are sketchy, but he seems to have moved to London with his sisters, Sarah and Ann, who died in 1824 and 1826 respectively. He died in 1830.
319:, England, on 30 June 1749, the seventh son of Joseph Hickey, a successful Irish solicitor, and Mary Boulton, from a Yorkshire gentry family. He began his education at
335:, where he was able to study Arithmetic, Writing, French, Drawing and Dancing in addition to the Classical Studies which had failed to engage him at Westminster.
228:
49:
142:
603:
593:
428:
by writing his memoirs, which eventually extended to over 700 pages of handwritten text taking his life up to 1810, at which point he stopped.
359:
279:
96:
382:, but he was put off when he learned that the pay was "too contemptible to afford the common necessaries of life". He got back on the
251:
68:
298:
115:
130:
583:
258:
75:
475:
449:
232:
53:
410:
Tombstone of
Charlotte Barry, here called "Mrs. Hickey", Tombstone 1495, Old English Cemetery, Park Street, Kolkata, India.
265:
82:
406:
598:
247:
64:
161:, composed in 1808–10 and published between 1913 and 1925, which in their manuscript form cover 750 closely-written
375:
20:
588:
339:
father decided to send his son to India to see if he could make good. Accordingly, Hickey embarked on the ship
217:
363:
236:
221:
42:
327:
and leading, in his own words, a life of "idleness and dissipation". He was sent to a private school at
272:
89:
578:
573:
348:
370:, believed to depict William's Bengali partner, Jemdanee, 1787, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
169:
as "One of the most remarkable books of its kind ever published in the
English Language", Hickey's
320:
323:, but was removed "in high disgrace" in December 1763 after neglecting his studies, frequenting
561:
The later editions restore some coarser material that was omitted from the first publication.
312:
166:
154:
567:
399:
379:
344:
190:
424:
391:
324:
316:
206:
31:
135:
328:
415:
Jemdanee died in childbirth. The couple's son died a few months after her.
178:
186:
146:
Portrait of a
Gentleman, Possibly William Hickey, and an Indian Servant
332:
182:
174:
173:
give an extraordinarily vivid picture of life in late 18th-century
504:
Indian
Renaissance: British Romantic Art and the Prospect of India
405:
358:
162:
141:
129:
189:
which stands comparison with the best of his near-contemporary
200:
25:
19:
For the gossip column published in the Daily
Express, see
374:
Upon arriving in India, Hickey was expected to join the
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
397:In October he first met and later took up with a
16:English lawyer and writer of memoirs (1749–1830)
543:(London: Hurst & Blackett) 1913–25, 4 Vols.
423:Hickey retired to the Buckinghamshire town of
8:
524:The Prodigal Rake: Memoirs of William Hickey
390:Through his various connections, including
235:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
299:Learn how and when to remove this message
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
502:Hermione De Almeida, George H. Gilpin,
440:
157:lawyer, but is best known for his vast
311:Hickey was born in St. Albans Street,
518:
516:
514:
512:
498:
496:
368:An Indian Lady (Indian bibi Jemdanee)
7:
233:adding citations to reliable sources
153:(30 June 1749 – 31 May 1830) was an
54:adding citations to reliable sources
526:, Dutton, New York, 1962, pp. 9–18
506:, Ashgate Publishing, 2005, p. 85.
14:
604:British people in colonial India
557:(London: The Folio Society) 1995
205:
30:
594:English people of Irish descent
248:"William Hickey" memoirist
65:"William Hickey" memoirist
41:needs additional citations for
1:
548:The Memoirs of William Hickey
541:The Memoirs of William Hickey
620:
555:Memoirs of a Georgian Rake
376:British East India Company
21:William Hickey (columnist)
18:
550:(London: Hutchinson) 1960
476:"Who Was William Hickey?"
450:"Who Was William Hickey?"
584:English autobiographers
411:
371:
147:
139:
546:Peter Quennell (Ed.)
539:Alfred Spencer (Ed.)
522:Peter Quennell (ed),
409:
362:
145:
133:
229:improve this section
197:Early life 1749–1769
165:pages. Described by
50:improve this article
553:Roger Hudson (Ed.)
351:on 4 January 1769.
599:History of Kolkata
412:
372:
321:Westminster School
148:
140:
355:India and Jamaica
309:
308:
301:
283:
126:
125:
118:
100:
611:
527:
520:
507:
500:
491:
490:
488:
486:
471:
465:
464:
462:
460:
445:
304:
297:
293:
290:
284:
282:
241:
209:
201:
121:
114:
110:
107:
101:
99:
58:
34:
26:
619:
618:
614:
613:
612:
610:
609:
608:
589:English lawyers
564:
563:
536:
531:
530:
521:
510:
501:
494:
484:
482:
480:books.google.ca
474:Farr, James R.
473:
472:
468:
458:
456:
454:books.google.ca
448:Farr, James R.
447:
446:
442:
437:
421:
357:
305:
294:
288:
285:
242:
240:
226:
210:
199:
122:
111:
105:
102:
59:
57:
47:
35:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
617:
615:
607:
606:
601:
596:
591:
586:
581:
576:
566:
565:
559:
558:
551:
544:
535:
532:
529:
528:
508:
492:
466:
439:
438:
436:
433:
420:
417:
356:
353:
307:
306:
213:
211:
204:
198:
195:
167:Peter Quennell
151:William Hickey
124:
123:
38:
36:
29:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
616:
605:
602:
600:
597:
595:
592:
590:
587:
585:
582:
580:
577:
575:
572:
571:
569:
562:
556:
552:
549:
545:
542:
538:
537:
533:
525:
519:
517:
515:
513:
509:
505:
499:
497:
493:
481:
477:
470:
467:
455:
451:
444:
441:
434:
432:
429:
426:
418:
416:
408:
404:
402:
401:
400:demi-mondaine
395:
393:
388:
385:
381:
380:officer cadet
377:
369:
365:
364:Thomas Hickey
361:
354:
352:
350:
346:
345:East Indiaman
342:
336:
334:
330:
326:
325:public houses
322:
318:
314:
303:
300:
292:
289:December 2022
281:
278:
274:
271:
267:
264:
260:
257:
253:
250: –
249:
245:
244:Find sources:
238:
234:
230:
224:
223:
219:
214:This section
212:
208:
203:
202:
196:
194:
192:
191:James Boswell
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
144:
137:
132:
128:
120:
117:
109:
106:December 2022
98:
95:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67: –
66:
62:
61:Find sources:
55:
51:
45:
44:
39:This article
37:
33:
28:
27:
22:
560:
554:
547:
540:
523:
503:
483:. Retrieved
479:
469:
457:. Retrieved
453:
443:
430:
425:Beaconsfield
422:
413:
398:
396:
392:Edmund Burke
389:
383:
373:
367:
366:'s painting
340:
337:
310:
295:
286:
276:
269:
262:
255:
243:
227:Please help
215:
170:
158:
150:
149:
134:Portrait by
127:
112:
103:
93:
86:
79:
72:
60:
48:Please help
43:verification
40:
579:1830 deaths
574:1749 births
378:army as an
317:Westminster
568:Categories
435:References
419:Retirement
259:newspapers
136:John Smart
76:newspapers
349:Dungeness
343:, a fast
329:Streatham
313:Pall Mall
216:does not
534:Editions
179:Calcutta
485:23 July
459:23 July
384:Plassey
341:Plassey
273:scholar
237:removed
222:sources
187:Jamaica
171:Memoirs
159:Memoirs
155:English
90:scholar
333:Surrey
275:
268:
261:
254:
246:
183:Madras
175:London
138:, 1790
92:
85:
78:
71:
63:
347:, at
280:JSTOR
266:books
163:folio
97:JSTOR
83:books
487:2023
461:2023
252:news
220:any
218:cite
185:and
69:news
331:in
231:by
52:by
570::
511:^
495:^
478:.
452:.
315:,
193:.
181:,
177:,
489:.
463:.
302:)
296:(
291:)
287:(
277:·
270:·
263:·
256:·
239:.
225:.
119:)
113:(
108:)
104:(
94:·
87:·
80:·
73:·
46:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.