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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2217
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 9:44 am: | 
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William Ralston was a writer who died in 1889. He was well placed socially, being in correspondence with the likes of Darwin and William Morris. He was a regular contributor to the Athanaeum magazine.
A brief outline of his life:
William Shedden Ralston
William Shedden Ralston (1828-1889) was a noted Russian scholar and translator.
Ralston was born in London, and studied at Cambridge. In 1862 he was called to the bar, but he never practised. He worked as an assistant in the British Museum library till 1875. He visited Russia; his works embrace "Songs of the Russian People", "Russian Folk-Tales", etc
Why do I mention him here? Because of this very short piece which I came across today:
Fitchburg Sentinel
28 March 1889
William Ralston, a well known English writer, has become insane from too close a study of the mysterious Whitechapel murders.
I will see if I can find out any more about the circumstances of his death. |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 5105
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 12:27 pm: |
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Chris, it seems as though he didn't die in an asylum, at least :
(Boase, Modern English Biography)
Robert |
Donald Souden
Chief Inspector
Username: Supe
Post Number: 763
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 1:15 pm: |
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Chris,
William Ralston, a well known English writer, has become insane from too close a study of the mysterious Whitechapel murders.
There is a lot of that going around.
Don.
"He was so bad at foreign languages he needed subtitles to watch Marcel Marceau."
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Malta Joe
Detective Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 132
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 1:57 pm: |
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Chris,
The Athenaeum Magazine was published in London from 1828-1921. This magazine employed the best writers of their time. Do you or does anyone know if this magazine was affiliated with the private Athenaeum Club of Pall Mall? I sure hope Ralston wrote the results of his Whitechapel studies in the Athenaeum Magazine or some other periodical. |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 5106
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 2:15 pm: |
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Hi Malta Joe
This looks like all that he did for the mag :
http://web.soi.city.ac.uk/~asp/v2/contributors/contributorfiles/RALSTON,WilliamRalstonShedden.html
Robert |
Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2218
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 5:24 pm: |
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Here is his obit from the Times (8 August 1889)
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Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 2219
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 5:36 pm: |
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Here are the details given in the Cambridge University Alumni list:
Name: William Ralston. Ralston (post Shedden-Ralston) College: TRINITY Entered: Michs. 1846 More Information: Adm. pens. at TRINITY, Feb. 12, 1846. [Only s. of William Patrick, Esq., of Brighton. B. Apr. 4, 1828. School, private.] Matric. Michs. 1846; B.A. 1850; M.A. 1865, as Sheddon-Ralston. Adm. at Lincoln's Inn, Jan. 29, 1850. Called to the Bar, June 27, 1862. As his father had dissipated his fortune in trying to establish a claim to the Ralston estates in Ayrshire, was forced to give up his legal career. Took the additional name of Sheddon, by deed poll, 1860. Assistant (Printed books dept.) at the British Museum, 1853-75. Devoted himself to the study of Russian; frequently visited Russia. Author, Early Russian History; Kiriloff and his Fables; translated Songs of the Russian People; Russian Folk Tales; etc. Died, unmarried, Aug. 6, 1889. (D.N.B.; Inns of Court; Law Lists.)
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Jeffrey Bloomfied
Chief Inspector
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 885
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 03, 2005 - 7:19 pm: |
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Hi all,
Curious that in the Fitchburg SENTINEL of 28 March 1889 Ralston has gone mad from intense study of the Whitechapel Murders, and he is found dead in his bed on 6 August,1889. Does that mean death by natural causes (heart attack or stroke) or death by suicide (carefully non-disclosed) or even death by homicide. Boase usually included graphic details of violent death in his biographic squibs.
I have been reading up on Darwin and evolution this past year (sort of catching up on science). Charles Darwin's autobiography mentions his acquaintance with several people of note, including Thomas Carlyle and Henry Buckle - neither of whom were scientists. But he does not mention one name in his autobiography who was close to him as physician and friend for some time. He was a patient of Dr. James Manby Gully of Malverne, who was later involved in the Balham (or Bravo) poisoning mystery.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
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