Long as is the list of these worthy "Sons of Crispin," it cannot be said to be complete. Only a few examples are taken from Germany, France, and the United States, where, in all probability, as many illustrious Shoemakers might have been met with as in Great Britain itself. And even the British muster-roll is not fully made up. With only a few exceptions, _living men_ are not included in the list. Very gladly would the writer have added to these exceptions so remarkable a man as Thomas Edward, the shoemaker of Banff, one of the best self-taught naturalists of our time, and, for the last sixteen years, an Associate of the Linnæan Society. But for the Life of this eminent Scotchman the reader must be referred to the interesting biography written by his friend Dr. Smiles. In writing the longer sketches, free and ample use has been made of biographies already in existence. But this has not been done without the kind consent of the owners of copyrights. To these the writer tenders his grateful acknowledgments. To the widow of the Rev. T. W. Blanshard he is indebted for permission to draw upon the pages of her late husband's valuable biography of "The Wesleyan Demosthenes," _Samuel Bradburn_; to Jacob Halls Drew, Esq., Bath, for his courtesy in allowing a liberal use to be made of the facts given in his biography of his father, _Samuel Drew_, "The Self-Taught Cornishman;" and to the venerable _Thomas Cooper_, as well as to his publishers, Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton, for their kind favor in regard to the lengthy and detailed sketch of the author of "The Purgatory of Suicides." This sketch, the longest in the book, is inserted by special permission of Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton. The minor sketches have been drawn from a variety of sources. One or two of these require special mention. In preparing the notice of John O'Neill, the Poet of Temperance, the writer has received kind help from _Mr. Richard Gooch_ of Brighton, himself a poet of temperance. Messrs. _J. & J. H. Rutherford_ of Kelso have also been good enough to place at the writer's service--but, unfortunately, too late to be of much use--a copy of their recently published autobiography of John Younger, the Shoemaker of St. Boswells. In the all-too-brief section devoted to American worthies, valuable aid has been given to the author by Henry Phillips, Esq., jun., A.M., Ph.D., Corresponding Member of the Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, U.S.A. In all probability the reader has never been introduced to so large a company of illustrious Sons of Crispin before. It is sincerely hoped that he will derive both pleasure and profit from their society. WILLIAM EDWARD WINKS. CARDIFF, 1882. CONTENTS. PREFACE CHAPTER I. Sir Cloudesley Shovel: The Cobbler's Boy who became an Admiral CHAPTER II. James Lackington: Shoemaker and Bookseller CHAPTER III.