William George Meredith facts for kids

William George Meredith (born 1804, died 1831) was an English historian who lived in the 1800s. He was known for his writings and his travels. In 1830, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very old and respected group for scientists.

Who Was William George Meredith?

William George Meredith was the son of George Meredith, who was an architect in London. The Meredith family lived near the family of Isaac D'Israeli in a part of London called Bloomsbury. William became a very close friend of Isaac D'Israeli's son, Benjamin Disraeli, who later became a famous British Prime Minister.

William went to Brasenose College, Oxford University in 1821 when he was 17. He earned his first degree in 1824 and a master's degree in 1829. While at Oxford, he became engaged to Benjamin Disraeli's sister, Sarah. Their engagement became official in 1830, just before William and Benjamin started a big trip to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Sadly, William's death cut their engagement short.

William's Travels and Adventures

William loved to travel and explore.

• In 1828, he went on a journey to Scandinavia, which is a region in Northern Europe.
• In 1830, he went to a science talk at the Royal Institution. He found it interesting but a bit confusing. He then asked Sir Anthony Carlisle to help him get elected to the Royal Society, which he successfully joined later that year.

William's last big adventure began in May 1830 with his friend Benjamin Disraeli.

• They first spent time exploring Spain.
• At the end of August, they arrived in Malta, an island in the Mediterranean. There, they met James Clay, another friend.
• They sailed east on Clay's yacht to Corfu, an island in Greece, in late September.
• They also visited Yanina and sailed around the Ionian Sea, reaching Athens, Greece, on November 24.
• At the end of December, William left his friends in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) to travel in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) by himself.
• They all met up again in Alexandria, Egypt, where Clay and Disraeli arrived on March 12, 1831.

William and his friends planned to return to England at the end of June. However, while they were in Cairo, Egypt, William became very sick with smallpox. He sadly passed away there on July 19, 1831.

What Did William Meredith Write?

William George Meredith was a historian, and he wrote several books and journals.

• In 1829, he published a book called Memorials of Charles John, King of Sweden and Norway.
• He also worked with Benjamin Disraeli to write a version of the famous Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. They turned it into a play with music called Rumpel Stilts Kin.
• William privately published a book called A Tour on the Rhine. This book was about a trip he took in 1824 with Isaac D'Israeli and Benjamin along the River Rhine in Europe.

William also kept two special notebooks called commonplace books, one for 1828 and another for 1829–30. These notebooks were like diaries where he wrote down interesting stories, things he learned, and people he met, like George Cumberland. His notebooks also showed how important his wealthy uncle, W. G. Meredith the elder, was in his life.

He also left behind a handwritten journal about his travels in Spain and the eastern Mediterranean with Disraeli in 1830–1831. This journal, which once belonged to Sir Philip Rose, 1st Baronet, also included copies of letters he had sent to his sister, Georgiana Meredith.