Richard Henry Horne
Encyclopedia
Richard Hengist Horne (31 December 1802 – 13 March 1884) was and English
poet
and critic
most famous for his poem Orion.
, son of James Horne (died 1810), a quarter-master in the 61st Regiment. Horne was raised at the home of his rich paternal grandmother and sent to a school at Edmonton and then to Sandhurst
, as he was designed for the army. Horne appears to have had as little sense of discipline as Adam Lindsay Gordon
showed at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and like him was asked to leave. It appears that he caricatured the headmaster, and took part in a rebellion. He began writing while still in his teens, but he was intended for the army, and entered at Sandhurst
, but receiving no commission, he left his country and in 1825 went as a midshipman
to the Mexican expedition, was taken prisoner and joined the Mexican
navy. He served in the war against Spain
, traveled in the United States and Canada, returned to England in 1827, and took up literature as a profession.
. In 1837 he published two tragedies, Cosmo de' Medici and The Death of Marlowe
. Another drama in blank verse, Gregory VII, appeared in 1840, and in 1841 a History of Napoleon in prose.
About the end of 1840 Horne was given employment as a sub-commissioner in connexion with the royal commission on the employment of children in mines and manufactures. This commission finished its labours at the beginning of 1843, and in the same year Horne published his epic poem, Orion, which appeared in 1843. It was published originally at the price of one farthing, was widely read; three editions were published at that price, and three more at increased prices before the end of the year. In the next year he set forth a volume of critical essays called A New Spirit of life Age, in which he was assisted by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
, with whom, from 1839 to her marriage in 1845, he conducted a voluminous correspondence.
In June 1852 Horne migrated to Australia
, traveling as a passenger on the same ship as William Howitt
and arriving in Melbourne
in September. Almost at once he was given a position as commander of a gold escort. In 1854 he was a Goldfields Commissioner at the Waranga goldrush and named the township of Rushworth
. During his time there he also reached a peaceful settlement with over 4,000 gold miners who had rioted over the payment of their mining license fee and, in his memoirs, stated that he believed this action, in light of the events at the Eureka Stockade
a few months later, was never adequately recognised.
In 1856, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Victorian Electoral district of Rodney
. In his platform of policies was an ambitious proposal for an irrigation system which was realised with the construction of the Waranga Basin
in the 1900s. It is usually stated that he became a commissioner of the Yan Yean
water-supply either in 1858 or 1859, but as he responded for the commissioners at the dinner held on the opening day 31 December 1857, it is clear that he was given the position in that year or earlier. It is unfortunate that his lively Australian Autobiography, prefixed to his Australian Facts and Prospects published in 1859, abruptly breaks off about 1854-5.
While in Australia Horne brought out an Australian edition of Orion (1854), and in 1864 published his lyrical drama Prometheus the Fire-bringer. Another edition, printed in Australia, came out in 1866. In this year was also published The South Sea Sisters, a Lyric Masque, for which Charles Edward Horsley
, then living in Melbourne, wrote the music. It was sung at the opening of the intercolonial exhibition held in 1866. Along with such literary figures as Henry Kendall
, Adam Lindsay Gordon
, George Gordon McCrae
and Marcus Clarke
he was a member of the Yorick Club where members met and discussed literature.
In 1860 Horne was again unemployed. In 1869, "dissatisfied with the failure of the Victorian government to fulfil what he conceived to be its obligations to him", he returned to England.
Horne received a Civil List
pension of £50 a year in 1874, which was increased to £100 in 1880, and died at Margate
on 13 March 1884, leaving behind him much unpublished work. Of his published volumes only the more important have been mentioned here. A more complete list will be found in the British museum catalogue. Horne married a Miss Foggo in 1847, but husband and wife soon parted.
During the 15 years after his return to England Horne published several books, but the only one which aroused much interest he did not write, the Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Richard Hengist Horne.
Horne possessed extraordinary versatility, but, except in the case of Orion, he never attained to a very high degree of distinction. That poem, indeed, has much of the quality of fine poetry; it is earnest, vivid and alive with spirit. But Horne early drove his talent too hard, and continued to write when he had little left to say. In criticism
he had insight and quickness. He was one of the first to appreciate Keats
and Tennyson, and he gave valuable encouragement to Mrs. Browning when she was still Miss Elizabeth Barrett.
His epic poem, Orion was reprinted by the Scholartis Press
in 1928. Eighty years later, in 2008, Bottletree Books LLC republished the poem under ISBN: 978-1-933747-09-5 and it remains in print today.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
most famous for his poem Orion.
Early life
Horne was born at Edmonton, LondonEdmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
, son of James Horne (died 1810), a quarter-master in the 61st Regiment. Horne was raised at the home of his rich paternal grandmother and sent to a school at Edmonton and then to Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, as he was designed for the army. Horne appears to have had as little sense of discipline as Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician.- Early life :Gordon was born at Fayal in the Azores, son of Captain Adam Durnford Gordon who had married his first cousin, Harriet Gordon, both of whom were descended from Adam of Gordon of the ballad...
showed at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and like him was asked to leave. It appears that he caricatured the headmaster, and took part in a rebellion. He began writing while still in his teens, but he was intended for the army, and entered at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, but receiving no commission, he left his country and in 1825 went as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
to the Mexican expedition, was taken prisoner and joined the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
navy. He served in the war against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, traveled in the United States and Canada, returned to England in 1827, and took up literature as a profession.
Literary career
Horne became a journalist, and in 1836-1837 edited the Monthly RepositoryMonthly Repository
The Monthly Repository was a British monthly Unitarian periodical which ran between 1806 and 1838.The Monthly Repository was established when Robert Aspland bought William Vidler's Universal Theological Magazine and changed the name to the Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature...
. In 1837 he published two tragedies, Cosmo de' Medici and The Death of Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
. Another drama in blank verse, Gregory VII, appeared in 1840, and in 1841 a History of Napoleon in prose.
About the end of 1840 Horne was given employment as a sub-commissioner in connexion with the royal commission on the employment of children in mines and manufactures. This commission finished its labours at the beginning of 1843, and in the same year Horne published his epic poem, Orion, which appeared in 1843. It was published originally at the price of one farthing, was widely read; three editions were published at that price, and three more at increased prices before the end of the year. In the next year he set forth a volume of critical essays called A New Spirit of life Age, in which he was assisted by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
, with whom, from 1839 to her marriage in 1845, he conducted a voluminous correspondence.
In June 1852 Horne migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, traveling as a passenger on the same ship as William Howitt
William Howitt
William Howitt , was an English author.He was born at Heanor, Derbyshire. His parents were Quakers, and he was educated at the Friends public school at Ackworth, Yorkshire. His younger brothers were Richard and Godrey whom he helped tutor. In 1814 he published a poem on the Influence of Nature and...
and arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in September. Almost at once he was given a position as commander of a gold escort. In 1854 he was a Goldfields Commissioner at the Waranga goldrush and named the township of Rushworth
Rushworth, Victoria
Rushworth is a township in Victoria, Australia. It is located north of Melbourne and, at the 2006 census, had a population of 2066.-History:...
. During his time there he also reached a peaceful settlement with over 4,000 gold miners who had rioted over the payment of their mining license fee and, in his memoirs, stated that he believed this action, in light of the events at the Eureka Stockade
Eureka Stockade
The Eureka Rebellion of 1854 was an organised rebellion by gold miners which occurred at Eureka Lead in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The Battle of Eureka Stockade was fought on 3 December 1854 and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict...
a few months later, was never adequately recognised.
In 1856, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Victorian Electoral district of Rodney
Electoral district of Rodney
The Electoral district of Rodney is a Victorian Legislative Assembly electorate in Northern Victoria.The Rodney District covers an area of 7,808 square kilometres, including the towns of Echuca, Rochester, Nathalia, Cohuna, Heathcote, Gunbower, Kyabram, Rushworth and Stanhope.The district...
. In his platform of policies was an ambitious proposal for an irrigation system which was realised with the construction of the Waranga Basin
Waranga Basin
Waranga Basin is a reservoir forming part of the Goulburn River irrigation system in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Shire of Campaspe near the City of Greater Shepparton and is located near the townships of Tatura, Rushworth and Murchison...
in the 1900s. It is usually stated that he became a commissioner of the Yan Yean
Yan Yean, Victoria
Yan Yean is a locality in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 38 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea and Shire of Nillumbik.Yan Yean is home to Yan Yean Reservoir...
water-supply either in 1858 or 1859, but as he responded for the commissioners at the dinner held on the opening day 31 December 1857, it is clear that he was given the position in that year or earlier. It is unfortunate that his lively Australian Autobiography, prefixed to his Australian Facts and Prospects published in 1859, abruptly breaks off about 1854-5.
While in Australia Horne brought out an Australian edition of Orion (1854), and in 1864 published his lyrical drama Prometheus the Fire-bringer. Another edition, printed in Australia, came out in 1866. In this year was also published The South Sea Sisters, a Lyric Masque, for which Charles Edward Horsley
Charles Edward Horsley
Charles Edward Horsley , English musician, was the son of William Horsley.He studied in Germany under Hauptmann and Mendelssohn, and on his return to England composed several oratorios and other pieces, none of which had permanent success. In 1860 he was appointed to arrange the music for the...
, then living in Melbourne, wrote the music. It was sung at the opening of the intercolonial exhibition held in 1866. Along with such literary figures as Henry Kendall
Henry Kendall (poet)
Thomas Henry Kendall was a nineteenth century Australian poet.-Biography:Kendall was born near Ulladulla, New South Wales. He was registered as Thomas Henry Kendall, but never appears to have used his first name. His three volumes of verse were all published under the name of "Henry Kendall". His...
, Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon
Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician.- Early life :Gordon was born at Fayal in the Azores, son of Captain Adam Durnford Gordon who had married his first cousin, Harriet Gordon, both of whom were descended from Adam of Gordon of the ballad...
, George Gordon McCrae
George Gordon McCrae
-Early life:McCrae was born in Leith, Scotland; his father was Andrew Murison McCrae, a writer; his mother was Georgiana McCrae, a painter. George attended a preparatory school in London, and later received lessons from his mother...
and Marcus Clarke
Marcus Clarke
Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke was an Australian novelist and poet, best known for his novel For the Term of his Natural Life.- Biography :...
he was a member of the Yorick Club where members met and discussed literature.
In 1860 Horne was again unemployed. In 1869, "dissatisfied with the failure of the Victorian government to fulfil what he conceived to be its obligations to him", he returned to England.
Horne received a Civil List
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
pension of £50 a year in 1874, which was increased to £100 in 1880, and died at Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
on 13 March 1884, leaving behind him much unpublished work. Of his published volumes only the more important have been mentioned here. A more complete list will be found in the British museum catalogue. Horne married a Miss Foggo in 1847, but husband and wife soon parted.
During the 15 years after his return to England Horne published several books, but the only one which aroused much interest he did not write, the Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Richard Hengist Horne.
Horne possessed extraordinary versatility, but, except in the case of Orion, he never attained to a very high degree of distinction. That poem, indeed, has much of the quality of fine poetry; it is earnest, vivid and alive with spirit. But Horne early drove his talent too hard, and continued to write when he had little left to say. In criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
he had insight and quickness. He was one of the first to appreciate Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
and Tennyson, and he gave valuable encouragement to Mrs. Browning when she was still Miss Elizabeth Barrett.
His epic poem, Orion was reprinted by the Scholartis Press
Scholartis Press
Scholartis Press is a small, private press in London, England, founded by Eric Partridge in 1927. The press closed in 1931, when the Great Depression began in Britain.-Writers published:...
in 1928. Eighty years later, in 2008, Bottletree Books LLC republished the poem under ISBN: 978-1-933747-09-5 and it remains in print today.