Thomas Purnell (1834–1889) was a British author, best known as a London drama critic writing under the pseudonym "Q".
Life
The son of Robert Purnell, he was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1834. He matriculated at Trinity College, Dublin in 1852, but then went to London and became a journalist.[1]
In 1862 Purnell was recommended by Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy for the post of assistant secretary and librarian of the Archæological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, which he retained until 1866. In 1870–1871 he contributed to the Athenæum, under the signature "Q.", a series of drama criticisms that attracted notice for their style and for their censures. Charles Reade and Tom Taylor published replies to his remarks on their works.