Queer Places:
8 Gray's Inn Square, London WC1R 5AZ, UK
Cannibal Club C/O Bertolini’s, 32 St Martin's Ln, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4ER, UK
Highgate Cemetery West, Swain's Ln, London N6 6PJ, United Kingdom
Richard Stephen Charnock (August 11, 1820 – March 2, 1905) was an English lawyer, philologist, and antiquary. He was a dedicated scholar with interests in anthropology, archaeology, and the study of Celtic and Oriental languages.
Born in London, he was the son of a barrister. He attended King’s College London but left at age sixteen to be articled as a lawyer. As a result, he was largely self-taught in his scholarly pursuits.
Charnock was admitted as an attorney in 1841 and practiced law until 1879. During his career, he famously served as an article master to George Meredith. He was a prolific writer and contributor to various publications, including Notes and Queries, and served as a reader for the Oxford English Dictionary, for which he provided 1,200 quotations.
He was a fellow of several prestigious organizations, including the Society of Antiquaries, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Royal Geographical Society. He also edited the journal Anthropologia (1874–1876) for the London Anthropological Society and authored works such as Ludus Patronymicus and the Illustrated Hand-Book to Spain and Portugal.
He lived for many years at 8 Gray's Inn Square. His later years were marked by poor health, and his obituary described him as living a lonely life in the lodging where he eventually passed away.
Richard Stephen Charnock was a member of the Cannibal Club, an exclusive Victorian dining society founded in 1863 by Sir Richard Francis Burton and Dr. James Hunt.
The club functioned as an inner circle for members of the Anthropological Society of London. It was known for providing a private venue where members could discuss topics considered taboo in mainstream Victorian society, including anthropology, sexuality, and other controversial subjects.
The group included a diverse range of figures, such as writers, politicians, and scientists, who gathered for meetings often characterized as raucous and unconventional. Charnock's association with the club reflects his active involvement in the anthropological circles of his time.
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