a Collection of Miscellaneous unpublished Poems by various Authors,’ London, 1837, 8vo, was edited by the Marquis of Northampton for the benefit of Smedley's family.
Smedley was also author of the following works:
- ‘A Few Verses, English and Latin,’ 1812, anon.
- ‘The Death of Saul and Jonathan, a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1814, 8vo; 2nd ed. London, 1814, 8vo.
- ‘Jephthah, a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1814, 8vo.
- ‘Jonah: a Poem,’ London, 1815, 8vo.
- ‘Prescience, or the Secrets of Divination: a Poem in two parts,’ London, 1816, 12mo.
- ‘Religio Clerici: a Churchman's Epistle [in verse],’ London, 1818, 8vo, anon.
- ‘A Churchman's second Epistle [in verse],’ London, 1819, 8vo, anon.
- ‘The Parson's Choice of Town or Country: an Epistle to a Young Divine [in verse],’ London, 1821, 8vo, anon. These last three poems were republished under the title of ‘Religio Clerici: two Epistles by a Churchman, with Notes; a new edition,’ &c., London, 1821, 8vo.
- ‘Fables of my Garden.’ These were written by Smedley in verse for his children, and were privately printed (see Memoir, p. 346).
- ‘Lux Renata: a Protestant's Epistle [in verse], with Notes,’ London, 1827, 8vo, anon. This poem had been previously printed privately.
- ‘The Marriage in Cana: a [Seatonian Prize] Poem,’ London, 1828, 8vo.
- ‘Saul at Endor: a Dramatic Sketch [a Seatonian Prize Poem],’ London, 1829, 8vo.
- ‘A very short Letter from one old Westminster to another, touching some Matters connected with their School,’ London, 1829, 8vo, anon.
- ‘Sketches from Venetian History,’ London, 1831–2, 12mo; 2 vols. anon. These formed vols. xx. and xxxii. of Murray's ‘Family Library,’ and were reprinted in Harper's ‘Family Library,’ New York, 1844, 12mo, 2 vols.
- ‘History of the Reformed Religion in France,’ London, 1832–4, 8vo, 3 vols. These formed vols. iii. vi. and viii. of Rivington's ‘Theological Library,’ and were reprinted in New York, 1834, 18mo, 3 vols.
- ‘History of France: Part I., from the Final Partition of the Empire of Charlemagne, A.D. 843, to the Peace of Cambray, A.D. 1529,’ London, 1836, 8vo. This formed vol. x. of the ‘Library of Useful Knowledge.’
[Memoir prefixed to Smedley's Poems, 1837; Gent. Mag. 1825 ii. 283–4, 1836 ii. 330; Alumni Westmon. 1852, pp. 380, 389, 390–1, 439, 454, 462–3; Barker and Stenning's Westminster School Register, 1892, p. 199; Grad. Cantabr. 1856, p. 349; Cambridge Univ. Calendar, 1895–6, pp. 150, 519, 525; Foster's Index Ecclesiasticus, 1890, p. 162; Encyclop. Metropolitana, 1845, vol. i. pp. xx–xxi; Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. vii. 448, 486, ix. 353; Allibone's Dict. of English Lit. 1859–71, ii. 2123; Halkett and Laing's Dict. of Anon. and Pseudon. Lit. 1882–1888; Brit. Mus. Cat.]
SMEDLEY, FRANCIS EDWARD (1818–1864), novelist, known as ‘Frank Smedley,’ born at Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, on 4 Oct. 1818, was the only son of Francis Smedley (1792–1859) of Grove Lodge, Regent's Park, high bailiff of Westminster, who married, on 25 Sept. 1817, Frances Sarah, daughter of George Ellison of Alfred House, Great Marlow. His grandfather, James Smedley (1775–1853), of a Flintshire family, a king's scholar at Westminster school, and of Trinity College, Cambridge (1793–7), was usher at Westminster 1797–1804, and master of Wrexham free school 1804–9. Owing to a malformation of his feet, Frank Smedley became a permanent cripple and was debarred from going to Westminster school, where his name had long been held in esteem. He spent some months (1834–5) under the Rev. Charles Millett, a private tutor at Brighton, and was subsequently taught by his uncle, Edward Arthur Smedley (1804–1890), who was usher at Westminster from 1828 to 1836, and was also chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge, and from 1836 vicar of Chesterton, near Cambridge. At Chesterton Smedley acquired his knowledge of university life, and there also his inborn love for open-air life and sports was confirmed; the sedentary existence to which he was condemned gave him a feminine alertness of perception. These characteristics, together with a quick rather than a deep sense of the humorous, are manifested in the ‘Scenes from the Life of a Private Pupil,’ which Smedley was encouraged by two cousins to contribute anonymously to ‘Sharpe's London Magazine’ during 1846–8; the ‘Scenes’ proved so successful that they were subsequently expanded into ‘Frank Fairlegh; or Scenes from the Life of a Private Pupil,’ and published in the form of a moderately long novel in 1850. A second edition was promptly called for and illustrated by George Cruikshank (other editions, New York and Philadelphia, 1850; London, 1854, 1855, 1864, 1866, 1878, and 1892). In 1850 he commenced for the same magazine ‘Lewis Arundel; or the Railroad of Life,’ which was published in 1852, with illustrations by ‘Phiz’ (i.e. Hablot Knight Browne [q. v.]) (London, 1855, 1867 and 1892, and Philadelphia, 1852). In the meantime he became, and continued for about
