William Linley

William Linley (1771–1835) was one of seven musical siblings born to Thomas Linley the elder and his wife Mary Johnson.

William Linley, by Thomas Lawrence (Dulwich Picture Gallery), aged around 18.

Early life

Born in Bath, Somerset, on 27 January 1771 Linley was the youngest child of Thomas Linley and Mary Johnson (1729–1820[1]).[2] Educated at Harrow and then St Paul's School, additional tutoring in musical disciplines was provided by his father and Carl Friedrich Abel.[3]

He joined the British East India Company and was in India 1790-5 and 1800–5, holding a writership at their College in Madras. He retired from the company in 1810 and devoted himself to singing, composing glees and songs and writing literature. He bequeathed his collection of family portraits to Dulwich Picture Gallery.[4]

The Linley portrait collection: seven musical siblings
Thomas Linley the elder, William's father
  • William Linley's sisters
  • Maria, William's sister
  • Elizabeth (left) and Mary (right), William's elder sisters
  • Elizabeth

References
  1. Cowgill, Rachel (1999), "Linley family", in Iain McCalman; Jon Mee; Gillian Russell; Clara Tuite; Kate Fullagar; Patsy Hardy (eds.), An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199245437, retrieved 24 December 2014
  2. Johnstone, H. Diack (2004), "Linley, William (1771–1835)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online January 2008 ed.), Oxford University Press, retrieved 24 December 2014
  3. Beechey, Gwilym; Troost, Linda, "Linley", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 24 December 2014
  4. "William Linley". Dulwich Picture Gallery. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.


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