Sydney Smith was an English wit, writer and Anglican cleric. Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801), who suffered from epilepsy. His father, described as "a man of restless ingenuity and activity",[citation needed] "very clever, odd by nature, but still more odd by design",[citation needed] owned, at various times, 19 different estates in England.
