Thomas Sheridan

Thomas Sheridan (1687 – 10 October 1738) was an Anglican divine, essayist, playwright, poet, schoolmaster and translator. He is chiefly remembered for his friendship with Jonathan Swift.

Family and early career He was born in Cavan, Ireland, the son of James Sheridan, and grandson of The Reverend Dennis Sheridan. On the much debated question of whether Swift was secretly married to Esther Johnson ("Stella"), Sheridan was a strong if not conclusive witness that the marriage did take place; according to his friends his source for the story was Stella herself.

Like so many of Swift's friends, he was ultimately fated to quarrel with him irrevocably: in 1738, following Sheridan's recovery from an illness, Swift told him that he was no longer welcome at the Deanery. Apart from Swift's increasing eccentricity, the cause of the quarrel is obscure: by one account Sheridan rebuked Swift for his growing avarice, a claim which Swift thought unforgivable.

Death and reputation Sheridan collapsed and died suddenly while having dinner at a friend's house in Rathfarnham, County Dublin.

Swift before their final quarrel called him the best scholar in Ireland; Sir Walter Scott in his Life of Swift calls him "good-natured and light-hearted". Why he came to dislike his wife so much is unknown; Swift and others suspected that he sought consolation with other women.