The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is an 18th-century epistolary picaresque novel written by the Scottish novelist Tobias Smollett and published in 1771. The novel is Smollett’s final work, as he died a few months after it was published. The novel draws on Smollett’s experiences growing up in Scotland and traveling widely through Great Britain and Europe, and it includes detailed descriptions of various locations in Great Britain. Smollett uses the novel to satirize vanity, superficiality, and snobbery, and to elaborate on themes such as social class, family, and the contrast between urban and rural space.

This guide references the 1984 Oxford World’s Classic edition.

Content Warning: The novel uses outdated terms to refer to Indigenous people.

Plot Summary

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is an epistolary novel, composed of a series of letters written primarily by the five major characters: Matthew Bramble, his sister Tabitha Bramble, their niece Lydia Melford, their nephew Jeremy Melford, and Tabitha’s maid, Winifred Jenkins. While the Bramble-Melford family resides in Wales at an estate called Brambleton Hall, the letters describe their extended journey through England and Scotland; the journey lasts from April to November.

The impetus for the journey is Matthew’s desire to find relief from the pain he suffers due to gout (an inflammatory disease) and rheumatism. Their first stops are the cities of Bristol and Bath, where natural hot springs offer supposed health benefits. However, Matthew is dissatisfied with his experiences in both towns. The family is also displeased to learn that Lydia, who had been attending boarding school in the town of Gloucester, has fallen in love with a travelling actor named Wilson. Jeremy, in particular, is outraged because of Wilson’s low social status and lack of wealth; he challenges Wilson to a duel, but the conflict is averted when Lydia promises to have no further contact with Wilson.

The family decides to move on from Bath to London; along the way, they encounter an impoverished young man named Humphry who comes to their aid after their carriage breaks down. Matthew is impressed with Humphry and hires the young man to work as a footman; Humphry accompanies the family for the rest of their journey. During their time in London, Matthew is generally uncomfortable with the hustle and bustle of the city. Humphry is also briefly imprisoned when he is mistaken for a highwayman (a thief who robs travelers along roads), but he is ultimately acquitted and released. Both in London and on the subsequent journeys, it is clear that Humphry is extremely pious, modest, and well-behaved, making his arrest as a highwayman especially ironic.

After departing London, the travelers make their way through Harrogate, York, and Scarborough, having various adventures along the way. Throughout the journey, Tabitha has been obsessed with the idea of finding a husband, and her schemes cause embarrassment as she latches onto any available man. The travelers eventually encounter a Scottish soldier named Obadiah Lismahago; he travels with them for some time, attracting Tabitha’s attention. Jeremy and Matthew admire Lismahago’s intellect and courage, but they find his argumentative personality somewhat tiresome. Meanwhile, a romantic relationship is also developing between Humphry and Winifred.

When the travelers cross the Scottish border and arrive in Edinburgh, both Jeremy and Matthew are very impressed and praise the city highly. After an encounter with Wilson (who seems to be following the family and turning up at random intervals) leaves Lydia in ill health, the family moves on to the Highlands and stays in a beautiful country estate. Lydia recovers, and Matthew also finds that his health is much better. The family travels back into northern England, beginning to make their way toward home. They reunite with Lismahago, who begins traveling with them again and seems very likely to marry Tabitha.

After another accident, in which Matthew nearly drowns, the group stops to stay with a wealthy man named Mr. Dennison, who turns out to have known Matthew many years earlier. The interaction between Mr. Dennison and Matthew Bramble reveals that the latter’s name was formerly Matthew Lloyd; this information astonishes Humphry, who reveals that he is the illegitimate son of a man named Matthew Lloyd. They are able to confirm that Humphry is Matthew’s biological son, initially christened Matthew Lloyd Junior. While this discovery changes Humphry’s social status significantly, he remains loyal to Winifred and promises to marry her.

A second discovery follows almost immediately: Mr. Dennison and his wife have a son named George, who is a handsome and intelligent young man. George, however, became estranged from his parents after refusing a marriage they had arranged for him, and spent time traveling under an alias; George Dennison is actually Wilson, the man Lydia fell in love with. The two of them happily reunite and begin planning their wedding. On the same day, three marriages take place at the Dennison estate: Lydia marries George/Wilson, Humphry Clinker marries Winifred, and Tabitha marries Lismahago. After the weddings, everyone except Lydia (who will be staying with her husband’s family) finally set off for their final journey home to Brambleton Hall. Since Humphry is now a member of the family, he and Winifred will no longer work as servants and will assume more elevated social positions.