Lewis Page Mercier

Lewis Page Mercier
Born	9 January 1820
Died	2 November 1875
Nationality	British
Education	BA (Oxon) 1841, M.A. 1855
Occupation	Chaplain of the Foundling Hospital, 1861-73
Known for	Translator of Jules Verne's novels
Spouse(s)	Anna Marie Hovell
Children	11

Reverend Lewis Page Mercier (9 January 1820 – 2 November 1875) is known today as the translator, along with Eleanor Elizabeth King, of two of the best known novels of Jules Verne: Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas and From the Earth to the Moon, and a Trip Around It. To avoid a conflict of interest with his position as chaplain, Mercier wrote under the pen names of Louis Mercier, MA (Oxon) and Mercier Lewis.

In 1871, the publishers Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington acquired the English rights to several of Jules Verne's books. For their first work Sampson Low & Co. chose Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas published in November, 1872, with the translator Rev. Lewis Page Mercier (1820–1875), B.A. Oxon., 1841, M.A. 1855. Born on 9 January 1820 (christened 7 February 1820, Old Church, Saint Pancras, London,) the only son of Francis Michael Jacob Mercier, Lewis Mercier came of French Huguenot stock; his grandfather was pastor of the French Protestant church in Threadneedle Street, London. He almost certainly spoke French at home as a child, and may have been one of the few native French speakers to translate Verne. The family was located in the London Borough of Hackney, home of the original silk industry of French mercers (French: mercier).

In 1837 Mercier entered Trinity College, Oxford, where he was the College Latin Essayist. In 1839 he received an open scholarship from the University. He received a Third in “Greats” (Greek and Latin) receiving his B.A. on 25 June 1841, and obtained a post-graduate bursary at University College, Oxford, the “Browne Exhibition”, established by one Browne in 1587. Forgoing an academic but at the time necessarily celibate career, he gave up his exhibition to marry Anna Marie Hovell in 1842. He became a deacon in 1843 and a presbyter in 1845. In 1855 he was awarded his M.A. degree from University College.

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