George meredith biography

At his death in 1909 George Meredith was one of the most famous writers of fiction in England. He had been born in Portsmouth on the 12th February 1828, his birthdate falling between those of two other great novelists who were born on Portsea Island, Charles Dickens in 1812 and Walter Besant in 1836.

All three wrote of Portsmouth but unlike the others Meredith gave it a fictional name and generally eschewed all mention of his birthplace. His reticence has been put down to shame of his humble origins but in practice he had little to be ashamed of, as his family were well known and largely well respected.

 
Although rumoured to have originated in Wales the first record of the Meredith family dates from June 1763 when George's grandfather Melchizedek Meredith was listed as baptised in St. Mary's Church, Portsea. His father was recorded as being John Meredith but nothing else is known of him nor of the early life o