The Emily Chesley Reading Circle

Though known primarily for his prowess as a Victorian inventor, Michael Flannigan had the heart of an adventurer — both qualities influenced his niece, Emily Chesley, in her writing. Flannigan was the only stable adult during Emily’s upbringing and until his untimely and horrific death (testing the prototype of a nostril-stretching and hair-clipping invention) he continued to play a guiding role in her life, often directly inspiring her speculations.

Flannigan was very much a man of his times, though it should be noted they those times spanned an unusually long period. He was born in 1783, the dawn of the Age of Invention. He died, tragically, in 1901. By all accounts, he was still healthy and hale, up until the point he inserted the device that killed him into his nose.

In addition to a breathtaking number of mechanical devices, Flannigan was known for inventing sloe gin, croquet, and the art of “locationism” — a kind of Victorian Feng Shui. While he was not inventing, Flannigan’s life was filled with adventure. He served under Nelson at Trafalgar (though not literally), was an adviser to presidents and princes, became a master spy, and spent some time in the entertainment industry (first the circus, then the theatre, and finally, in politics.)

You can learn more about Flannigan’s life in The Meanderings of the Emily Chesley Reading Circle, and more about his inventions on this site.