Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (d. 1754)

Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel Tom Jones is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders of the traditional English novel. He also holds a place in the history of law enforcement, having used his authority as a magistrate to found the Bow Street Runners, London's first intermittently funded, full-time police force.