JERROLD. jileold. DoroLAs WILLIAm (1803 :57). An English humorist, born in London, Janu ary 3, I803. His father was a theatrical manager for several years at Sheerness. in Kent. Though Douglas was there sent to seheol. lie mostly edu cated himself, reading, as time wont on, Latin, French, Italian, and the English dramatists. In emergencies the boy appeared on the stage. Ile took a child's part in The S 't ran ger, and neted in The Painter of Glom! in 1835, and played Master Stephen in Every ll an in I is II u ',lour in 1845; but he disliked acting. In 1813 he was ap pointed midshipman in the royal navy. After the Napoleonic wars he found employment in Lon don as a printer's apprentice and as compositor. Alter some success at dramatic criticism, he be gan writing for the stage. His first comedy, JI ore Frightened than , rill en in 1818, was well received at Sadler's Wells Theatre, in 1821. Beau A osh, a th•ee•act Colli•ly (healing with the history of the gambler Richard Nash (q.v.), was played at the Haymarket and published in 1825. But
his great success was I! lock- L' yeti ,''rr.sarr, which ran for three hundred nights at the Surrey The atre in 1839. 'Thereafter he wrote many comedies and farces, among which are Time orks n ders and The It ubbl e.s of y. In the meantime he was contributing essays and sketches to the magazines, from which he made a collection, .1/ca of (thrirarter In 1841 he joined the stall' of Panch,•here first appeared the popular Ca utile Lectures. fler several moderately successful periodicals of his (»vn, as the Shil I » g .1I ga (1845-48), he became in 1852 editor of Lloyd's re k I y .N" elespa per , which soon gained public favor. He wrote several novels and Inks, among \\ II kit are The Story of a I•'eat her (1844) and The chronicles of Clorer»ook (1840). Ile died at Kilburn Priory, June 8, 1857. Though not a great writer, Jerrold was one of the most hrilliant wits of his time. Consult Life and Remains of Douglas rerold, by his son, NV. B. Jerrold (Lon don, 1859).