John Bransby (1784 – 5 March 1857) was an English educator and minister. He is best remembered as a schoolmaster of Edgar Allan Poe, and the basis for the character of "Reverend Doctor Bransby" in Poe's short story, "William Wilson".
Bransby was born in 1784. He attended St. John's College, receiving a Bachelors degree in 1805 and a Master of Arts degree in 1808.[1] Bransby was a cousin of Astley Cooper.[2]
In the 1810s, Bransby opened a Manor School on Church Street at his residence in Stoke Newington.[5] From 1817 until 1820, Edgar Allan Poe resided in the house and was one of Bransby's pupils.[2] Bransby was a classicist who educated Poe and other students in Latin, Shakespeare, and Horace.[6][7]
Bransby no longer ran the school by 1825, when he moved to Norfolk to become the new headmaster of the King's Lynn Grammar School.[8] In 1845, he became the rector of Testerton parish in Norfolk.[3]
Bransby died in 1857 in Norfolk.[2][9][10] Bransby is the basis for the character of "Reverend Doctor Bransby" in Poe's 1839 short story, "William Wilson".[11][12][13][14] He was irritated by the depiction of the character as "solemn" and "sour."[15]
Bransby has been regarded by historians as an influential figure in Poe's early education in various languages and poetry.[16]
^Baggs, A P, Diane K Bolton, and Patricia E C Croot. "Stoke Newington: Education." A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8, Islington and Stoke Newington Parishes. Eds. T F T Baker, and C R Elrington. London: Victoria County History, 1985. 217-223. British History Online. Web. 27 October 2023. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol8/pp217-223.