Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Corry, John
CORRY, JOHN (fl. 1825), topographer and miscellaneous writer, was a native of the north of Ireland and a self-taught man. On reaching manhood he went to Dublin, where he followed the profession of a journalist. About 1792 he fixed his residence in London, and there found constant employment for his versatile pen. Most of his works were published anonymously. Besides editing a periodical, he furnished the letterpress for the ‘History of Liverpool,’ 4to, Liverpool, 1810, published by Thomas Troughton; wrote vol. i. of the ‘History of Bristol,’ 2 vols. 4to, Bristol, 1816, the second volume being supplied by the Rev. John Evans; and the next year published a ‘History of Macclesfield,’ 8vo, London, Manchester [printed], 1817. A more ambitious undertaking was the ‘History of Lancashire,’ 2 vols. 4to, London, 1825, with a dedication to George IV dated 22 Sept. of that year. After this nothing is known of Corry's personal history. He was also the author of: 1. ‘Poems,’ 12mo [Dublin?], 17—. 2. ‘The Adventures of Felix and Rosarito,’ 12mo, London, 1782. 3. ‘The Life of George Washington,’ 12mo, London, 1800. 4. ‘The Detector of Quackery,’ 12mo, London, 1801 (new edition under the title of ‘Quack Doctors dissected,’ 12mo, London, Gloucester [printed 1810]). 5. ‘A Satirical View of London,’ 8vo, London, 1801, which came to a fourth edition in 1809. 6. ‘Edwy and Bertha,’ 12mo, London, 1802. 7. ‘Memoirs of Alfred Berkeley,’ 12mo, London, 1802. 8. ‘Tales for the Amusement of Young Persons,’ 12mo, London, 1802. 9. ‘The Life of William Cowper,’ 12mo, London, 1803. 10. ‘The Life of Joseph Priestley,’ 12mo, Birmingham, 1804 (another edition appeared in the same year). 11. ‘Sebastian and Zeila,’ 12mo, London [1805?]. 12. ‘The Suicide; or, the Progress of Error,’ 12mo, London [1805?]. 13. ‘The Mysterious Gentleman Farmer,’ 3 vols. 12mo, London, 1808. 14. ‘Strictures on the expedience of the Addingtonian Extinguisher’ [i.e. Lord Sidmouth's Protestant Dissenting Bill], 12mo, Macclesfield, 1811. 15. ‘The Elopement … Third edition (the History of Eliza, &c.),’ 12mo, London [1810?]. 16. ‘The English Metropolis; or, London in the year 1820,’ 8vo, London, 1820. 17. ‘Memoir of John Collier’ (‘Tim Bobbin’), prefixed to an edition of his ‘Works,’ 8vo [Manchester? 1820?], and also to the quarto edition published at Manchester in 1862.
[Dict. of Living Authors (1816), p. 76; Fishwick's Lancashire Library, pp. 53–4; Brit. Mus. Cat.]