Christopher Anstey
Who was he?
Wikipedia:
Christopher Anstey (October 31, 1724 – August 3, 1805) was an English
writer and poet. Various visits to Bath resulted, in 1766, in his
famous rhymed letters,
The New Bath
Guide or Memoirs of the Blunderhead Family, a
satirical poem of considerable sparkle, about the adventures of the
"Blunderhead" family in Bath.
Why was he in Bath?
Anstey's first visit to Bath was sometime around 1760. The combination
of a bilious fever and low spirits, caused by the death of his only
sister, to whom he was greatly attached, resulted in a recommendation
for him to take the waters.
In 1770 Anstey purchased a house in the then recently built Royal
Crescent and moved with his numerous family to Bath
[Turner 1994]. According to
Forsyth, they lived at number 4, not number 5
as suggested by the location of the plaque, before moving to
Marlborough Buildings nearby:
The text reads
"Here lived Christopher Anstey 1770-1805"
Location map of 5, Royal Crescent:
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