Christopher Hibbert
Encyclopedia
Christopher Hibbert, MC
, FRSL, FRGS (born Arthur Raymond Hibbert; 5 March 1924 – 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian
and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (New Statesman
) and "probably the most widely-read popular historian of our time and undoubtedly one of the most prolific" (The Times
). Hibbert was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
, the son of Canon
H. V. Hibbert (d. 1980) and his wife Maude, and was educated at Radley College
, before he went up to Oriel College at the University of Oxford
. He was awarded the degrees of B.A. and later MA. He left Oriel College to join the Army, where a sergeant major referred to Hibbert as Christopher Robin
based upon his youthful looks. The name "Christopher" subsequently stuck. Hibbert served as an infantry officer in the London Irish Rifles
regiment in Italy during World War II, reaching the rank of captain. He was wounded twice and awarded the Military Cross
in 1945. Hibbert became the personal assistant to General Alan Duff. From 1945 to 1959 he was a partner in a firm of land agents and auctioneers, and began his writing career in 1957.
Hibbert was awarded the Heinemann Award for Literature in 1962 for The Destruction of Lord Raglan, and the McColvin Medal of the Library Association in 1989. Christopher Hibbert was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
and the Royal Geographical Society
, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate
in Literature by the University of Leicester
.
Hibbert was a member of the Army and Navy Club
and the Garrick Club
. He lived at Henley-on-Thames
, Oxfordshire
. He was married to Susan Piggford with three children, his daughter and literary executor Kate Hibbert, television writer James Hibbert
and music journalist Tom Hibbert.
He died on 21 December 2008 in Henley-on-Thames from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 84.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, FRSL, FRGS (born Arthur Raymond Hibbert; 5 March 1924 – 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
) and "probably the most widely-read popular historian of our time and undoubtedly one of the most prolific" (The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
). Hibbert was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
Life and career
In 1924 Arthur Raymond Hibbert was born in Enderby, LeicestershireEnderby, Leicestershire
Enderby is a civil parish in the district of Blaby , in Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the south western outskirts of the city of Leicester and has a population of 5,648 at the time of the 2001 census....
, the son of Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
H. V. Hibbert (d. 1980) and his wife Maude, and was educated at Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
, before he went up to Oriel College at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He was awarded the degrees of B.A. and later MA. He left Oriel College to join the Army, where a sergeant major referred to Hibbert as Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....
based upon his youthful looks. The name "Christopher" subsequently stuck. Hibbert served as an infantry officer in the London Irish Rifles
London Irish Rifles
The London Irish Rifles is now known more formally known as "D Company, London Regiment" and is a volunteer Rifle Regiment with a distinguished history...
regiment in Italy during World War II, reaching the rank of captain. He was wounded twice and awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1945. Hibbert became the personal assistant to General Alan Duff. From 1945 to 1959 he was a partner in a firm of land agents and auctioneers, and began his writing career in 1957.
Hibbert was awarded the Heinemann Award for Literature in 1962 for The Destruction of Lord Raglan, and the McColvin Medal of the Library Association in 1989. Christopher Hibbert was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
and the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Literature by the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
.
Hibbert was a member of the Army and Navy Club
Army and Navy Club
The Army and Navy Club in London is a gentlemen's club founded in 1837, also known informally as The Rag.-Foundation and membership:...
and the Garrick Club
Garrick Club
The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:The Garrick Club was founded at a meeting in the Committee Room at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on Wednesday 17 August 1831...
. He lived at Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. He was married to Susan Piggford with three children, his daughter and literary executor Kate Hibbert, television writer James Hibbert
Jimmy Hibbert
James "Jimmy" Hibbert is an English television writer and voice actor best known for his work for Cosgrove Hall.He was brought up and educated at Leighton Park School and in Henley-on-Thames and later studied at the University of Manchester achieving a BA in drama...
and music journalist Tom Hibbert.
He died on 21 December 2008 in Henley-on-Thames from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 84.
Publications
include:- The Road to Tyburn (New World, 1957)
- King MobKing MobKing Mob was a radical group endeavouring to contribute to worldwide proletarian social revolution, based in London during the 1970s.It was a cultural mutation of the Situationists and the anarchist group Motherfuckers. They sought to emphasize the cultural anarchy and disorder being ignored in...
(Longmans, 1958) - Wolfe at Quebec (Longmans, 1959)
- The Destruction of Lord RaglanThe Destruction of Lord RaglanThe Destruction of Lord Raglan: A tragedy of the Crimean War, 1854–55 is a non-fiction historical work by Christopher Hibbert, originally published by Longman in 1961. The work is a portrait of Lord Raglan, commander-in-chief of British forces during the Crimean War...
(Longmans, 1961) - Benito Mussolini (Longmans, 1962)
- The Roots of EvilThe Roots of EvilThe Roots of Evil: A Social History of Crime and Punishment is a book written by Christopher Hibbert in 1963 which traces the development of the social justice system, mostly from an English perspective, though information about the continent and the United States is also included.-Overview:With...
: A Social History of Crime and Punishment (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1963) - Agincourt (Batsford, 1964)
- The Court at Windsor (Longmans, 1964)
- Garibaldi and his enemies (Longmans, 1965)
- The Making of Charles Dickens (Harper & Row, 1967)
- Waterloo (New English library Ltd, 1967)
- London, the biography of a city (Longmans, Green & Co, Ltd, 1969)
- Charles I (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1968)
- The Search for King Arthur (American Heritage, 1969)
- The Dragon Wakes (Harper & Row, 1970)
- The Personal History of Samuel Johnson (Longmans, 1971)
- George IV (Vol 1 Longman, 1972, Vol 2 Allen Lane
- The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall (Morrow, 1975)
- Edward VII: A Portrait (Allen Lane, 1976)
- The Great Mutiny: India, 1857 (Allen Lane, 1978)
- The Days of the French Revolution (Allen Lane, 1980)
- Africa Explored (Allen Lane, 1982)
- The London EncyclopaediaThe London EncyclopaediaThe London Encyclopaedia, first published in 1983 and revised in 1993, 1995 and 2008, is a 1101 page historical reference work on the United Kingdom's capital city, London, with some 5,000 articles supported by two indices - one general and one listing people, each of about 10,000 entries...
with Ben Weinreb (Macmillan, 1983) - Rome, the Biography of a City (Norton, 1985)
- The English: A Social History (Grafton, 1987)
- Encyclopaedia of Oxford (Macmillan, 1988)
- Redcoats and RebelsRedcoats and RebelsRedcoats and Rebels is a history of the American Revolutionary War from the British perspective by historian Christopher Hibbert first published in 1990.- Chapter Summary :Chapter 1: Sons of Liberty...
(Grafton, 1990) - The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age (Addison-Wesley, 1991)
- Florence: Biography of a City (Norton, 1993)
- Cavaliers & Roundheads: The English Civil War, 1642-1649 (HarperCollins, 1993)
- Wellington: A Personal History (Da Capo, 1997)
- George III: A Personal History (Basic Books,2000)
- Queen Victoria: A Personal History (HarperCollins, 2000)
- The Marlboroughs (Viking, 2001)
- Napoleon: His Wives and Women (HarperCollins, 2002)
- Disraeli: A Personal History (HarperCollins, 2004)