Brief description: Newspaper cutting, 'Obituary of Notable Persons' relating to the death of John Dickens, 1851
Label: Dickens's father, John, struggled with money his whole life. His debts landed him in Marshalsea prison in 1824 and forced 12-year old Dickens to work in a boot polish factory rather than attending school. He also took early retirement from job as a clerk for the Navy on medical grounds (he suffered from chronic urinary infections) to draw his pension early. When Dickens became famous, John begged and borrowed from him and his friends, humiliating the status-conscious Dickens and causing a rift between father and son. Despite this, Dickens did hire John as a manager at his newspaper The Daily News in 1846. By 1851 John's urinary problems required a painful and unsuccessful surgery, and he died 31 March with Dickens by his side.
Collection: Object
Object number: [lib]7365
Object type: newspaper cutting
Production date: 1851

Obituary of John Dickens, 1851