Anthony Highmore (legal writer) facts for kids

Anthony Highmore (born 1758, died 1829) was an English writer who focused on legal topics. He was also known for his books about London charities and the Honourable Artillery Company, a special military group.

Life: A Busy Life in London

Anthony Highmore was born in London in 1768. His father was also named Anthony Highmore. When he was eight years old, in 1766, he went to school in Greenwich under a teacher named Charles Burney. In 1783, he started working as a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer who helps people with legal advice and paperwork.

Highmore was a strong supporter of the movement to end slavery in the United Kingdom, known as abolitionism. He was good friends with Granville Sharp, another important abolitionist. Highmore also helped to promote a law proposed by Charles James Fox that changed how the law of libel worked. Libel is when someone writes or publishes something untrue that harms another person's reputation.

During the Napoleonic Wars, when there was a fear of invasion, Highmore joined the Honourable Artillery Company. This was a volunteer military group in London. He also worked as the secretary for the London Lying-in Hospital, which was a hospital for pregnant women. Highmore believed that public dispensaries, which offered medical care to many people at a low cost, were a better and cheaper idea than building more large hospitals.

Anthony Highmore passed away in Dulwich on July 19, 1829.

Works: Writing for Change

Anthony Highmore wrote many books and articles. He often wrote about legal matters, but he also focused on important social issues of his time.

In 1808, a new law was suggested in parliament to stop the spread of smallpox. This law wanted to prevent doctors from giving people smallpox through a method called inoculation within three miles of any town. It also suggested isolating people who had smallpox. Highmore believed in vaccination, which was a safer way to prevent smallpox. However, he disagreed with parts of this new law. He wrote a paper called A Statement of some Objections to the Bill... to explain his concerns. Another writer, Charles Murray, wrote a reply to Highmore's objections that same year.

Besides writing for the Gentleman's Magazine, Highmore also wrote several books, including:

• A Digest of the Doctrine of Bail in Civil and Criminal Cases (1783): This book was about the rules for bail, which is money or property given to a court to ensure someone returns for their trial.
• A Succinct View of the History of Mortmain and the Statutes relative to Charitable Uses (1787): This book looked at laws about giving land for charity. He updated it in 1809.
• The History of the Honourable Artillery Company of the City of London (1804): This book told the story of the Honourable Artillery Company from its very beginning up to 1802. He wrote it because the leaders of the company asked him to.
• A Treatise on the Law of Idiotcy and Lunacy (1807): This book discussed laws related to mental health conditions.
• Pietas Londinensis: the History, Design, and Present State of the various Public Charities in and near London (1810): This important work described the history and purpose of many charities in and around London.
• Philanthropia Metropolitana: a View of the Charitable Institutions established in and near London chiefly during the last twelve years (1822): This book continued his work on charities, focusing on new ones created in London.

In 1876, a manuscript written by Highmore called A Ramble on the Coast of Sussex in 1782 was published by Charles Hindley.