Tobias Smollett (1721-1771)

Writer

Tobias Smollett wrote the novels 'Roderick Random' and 'Humphrey Clinker' and was co-author with David Hume of a 'Complete History of England'. After studying medicine in Glasgow he lived in London and Jamaica. He moved to Italy after a period of ill-health and died at Leghorn in 1771. He is commemorated by a statue in his home town and is one of the literary figures featured on the base of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

Birth in 1721

Tobias George Smollett (registered as Smollet) was baptised on 19 March 1721, the son of Archibald Smollet and Barbara Cunningham of Dalquhourn. The entry in the Old Parish Register (OPR) for Cardross in the county of Renfrew has been annotated with ‘Dr Smollett’ in the margin.

Baptism entry for Tobias Smollett (38 KB jpeg)
National Records of Scotland, OPR 494/1