Biography

John Boswell. (1743-Ca. 1798)

Son of Alexander Boswell and Euphemia Erskine. James Boswell's brother. In 1762 an army lieutenant. He suffered from a mental disorder, beginning in his teens, which affected him periodically. He retired from active duty in 1764, but received half an officer's salary for the rest of his life. In some periods of his life, he was treated by Dr. John Hall (1733-1793), and it is a fair guess, that he also stayed at Dr. Hall's private asylum, Saint Luke's House, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.¹

Life with James Boswell:

John paid JB a surprise visit on January 1, 1763. JB describes how John had had a terrible time in the preceding months, but seemed to be rather well again. They also had breakfast together on January 6 and 7 (with William Maxwell), 1763 and had tea together on February 5 and 9, 1763. He left London again on Feb. 10, 1763 (CJJ, p. 52).

JB, then in Berlin, received a letter from John on September 2, 1764 informing him of his choice to quit the army. Boswell was "vexed and angry[, b]ut recollecting his hypochondriac disposition, I resolved to make the best of it and be as kind to him as possible."

External links:

• Boswell family tree - from Stirnet

This article was last updated at February 12 2008 23:18:36 CET

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