Foster, Albert John
People > Foster, Albert John
Albert John Foster was a Bedfordshire man, the third son of John Nathaniel Foster of Biggleswade. He was born about 1843, educated at Rugby and graduated from Pembroke College, Oxford on 1866. He was ordained in 1868 in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
His first curacy was North Petherton 1867-9 and then St. Mary, Magdalene, Taunton 1867-71, St. Gabriel, Pimlico 1872-73, Cholderton, Wilts 1874, Rector of Farndish 1875-80 and he became Vicar of Wootton in 1880.
In 1873 he married Edith Voules , daughter of the Rev T. Voules, Rector of Beer-cro-combe, Somerset. They had four sons and four daughters.
His first book was "A Tourists Guide to Bedfordshire" published in 1889, then followed "The Ouse" in 1891, "The Chiltern Hundreds" in 1897 and "Bunyans Country" in 1890; Foster illustrated all these books.
In his first attempt at fiction was a joint effort with established writer Edith Cuthell "The Robber Baron of Bedford Castle" and was published in 1893. The following year he wrote "Ampthill Towers", an historical romance written for children.
He died at Totland Bay, Isle of Wight on the 26th July 1918; he had gone there with his wife to visit his sister.
The Heritage Library, Bedford Central Library has the following books by Albert John Foster :-
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A Tourists Guide to Bedfordshire. 1889.
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The Ouse. 1891.
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Ampthill Towers. 1896.
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The Robber Baron of Bedford Castle. 1896.
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The Chiltern Hundreds. 1897.
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Bunyans Country. 1901.
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Avalon : a tale of the last days of Glastonbury Abbey. N.d.
Sources:
- The Newspapers Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library
- PHILLIPS, Mary Ampthill Towers Revisited. Beds. Mag. Vol. 7 pp.243-6 1961
Albert John Foster by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2011
Page last updated: 4th February 2014