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John Elwes | |
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| Member of Parliament for Berkshire | |
| In office 1772–1784 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Craven |
| Succeeded by | Henry James Pye |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 April 1714 Southwark, England |
| Died | 25 November 1789 (aged 75) Berkshire, England |
| Occupation | Politician, moneylender |
John Elwes MP (born John Meggot or Meggott; 7 April 1714 – 26 November 1789) was a member of parliament (MP) in Great Britain for Berkshire (1772–1784) and an eccentric miser, suggested to be an inspiration for the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.[1] Dickens made reference to Elwes in Bleak House (1853) – along with another notable 18th century miser, Daniel Dancer – and in his 1865 novel, Our Mutual Friend.[2] Elwes was also believed to inspire William Harrison Ainsworth to create the character of John Scarfe in his 1842 novel The Miser's Daughter.[3][4]
- ^ The Letters of Charles Dickens by Charles Dickens, Madeline House, Graham Storey, Margaret Brown, Kathleen Tillotson, & The British Academy (1999) Oxford University Press [Letter to George Holsworth, 18 January 1865] pp.7
- ^ Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens (1865). Chapter VI, Book the Third
- ^ Harrison Ainsworth's use of John Elwes in The Miser's Daughter by Coleman O. Parsons (1946)
- ^ Dictionary of real people and places in fiction by M. C. Rintoul