Biography of Joseph Charles Mellish (1769-1823)
Joseph was the first son of Charles Mellish of Blyth. He was educated at Eton and entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1786. In 1787 he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn.
He was British Consul at Louisiana in 1809, at Palermo, and at Hamburg from 1814-23. He was an accomplished linguist. He wrote and translated poetry and plays in German, English, and Latin
Joseph was disinherited by his father on account of his extravagance and gambling. In Charles Mellish's will, made in 1794, he was bequeathed £1,000, compared to £9,000 for each of his two sisters, and the Blyth estate was entailed upon his younger brother Henry Francis Mellish and his heirs, with remainder to the two sisters.
Family
He married a German Baroness and had a number of children including:
- Richard Charles Mellish (c.1801-1865). Born at Weimar and educated at Hamburg. Entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1820, graduating B.A. in 1825. Foreign Office clerk
- Captain D.A.G. Mellish, fought in India 1842
Archive Collections
- Papers relating to Joseph Charles Mellish are part of the Mellish Collection held in Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham