Thomas Hobson
Encyclopedia
Hobson's choice
A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one option is offered. As a person may refuse to take that option, the choice is therefore between taking the option or not; "take it or leave it". The phrase is said to originate with Thomas Hobson , a livery stable owner in Cambridge, England...
.
A mail carrier from Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England, Hobson delivered mail between London and Cambridge, operating a livery stable outside the gates of St Catharine's College
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
. When they were not needed to deliver mail, Hobson's horses were rented to students and academic staff of the university
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Hobson soon discovered that his best (and fastest) horses were the most popular, and overworked. To prevent further exhaustion of his best horses, Hobson devised a strict rotation system, only allowing customers to rent the next horse in line. His policy, "this one or none", has come to be known as "Hobson's choice", when an apparent choice is in fact no choice at all. The term originated in the mid-seventeenth century.
The poet John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
popularised both Hobson and the phrase, twice commemorating him in epitaphs, and in issue 509 of Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
and Richard Steele The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
from 1712.
In addition to his contribution to English vernacular, Hobson is also remembered for his involvement in the construction of Hobson's Conduit, a man-made watercourse built in 1614 to provide clean drinking water to the city of Cambridge. Hobson was one of the primary benefactors of the new stream. Hobson's Conduit is alternatively known as Hobson's Brook. Hobson bought Anglesey Priory
Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey is a country house, formerly a priory, in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles northeast of Cambridge, England. The house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public as part of the Anglesey Abbey, Garden & Lode Mill property, although some parts remain...
in 1625 and converted it into a country house, which, under the name Anglesey Abbey, now belongs to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Subsequently, Hobson lived at Chesterton Hall
Chesterton Hall
Chesterton Hall is a house in Chesterton, Cambridge. It lies in the city of Cambridge in the county of Cambridgeshire approximately 50 miles north-northeast of London. Most of the grounds have long since been sold off and the house is now located on one of the major roundabouts of the city. The...
in 1627, four years prior to his death in 1631.
The author Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
has also used Hobson as model for a character in the novel Going Postal
Going Postal
Going Postal is Terry Pratchett's 33rd Discworld novel, released in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, Going Postal is divided into chapters, a feature previously seen only in Pratchett's children's books and the Science of Discworld series...
from 2004.