Richard Henry Hengist Horne
Richard Henry Hengist Horne was a versatile English writer known for his contributions across various literary forms, including poetry, journalism, drama, and criticism. Born to James Horne and Maria Partridge, he began his education at a local school before attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, from which he left after a year. Horne's diverse experiences included serving in the Mexican Navy and engaging in the Spanish-Mexican War. He eventually settled in London, where he faced challenges in publishing his works, particularly with his early piece titled *The Exposition of the False Medium*, which did not gain traction.
Despite these setbacks, Horne found considerable success with his epic poem *Orion*, which resonated with readers and enhanced his reputation. Throughout the 1830s, he contributed to journalism, including work for the *True Sun* newspaper, and later helped establish the *Daily News*. Horne's personal life was tumultuous, marked by his marriage to Catherine St. George Foggo and a subsequent lengthy stay in Australia in pursuit of fortune. He returned to England only to find that his literary contributions had been largely forgotten. Horne's legacy remains significant due to his literary endeavors, particularly *Orion*, and his determination to adapt to the evolving demands of popular literature.
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Subject Terms
Richard Henry Hengist Horne
Poet
- Born: December 31, 1802
- Birthplace: Edmonton, Middlesex, England
- Died: March 13, 1884
- Place of death: Margate, Kent, England
Biography
Richard Henry Hengist Horne was a talented writer in a wide range of areas including journalism, editing, poetry, drama, and criticism. He struggled with finding his best subject and, as a result, wrote a large number of works. Horne’s popularity, though, grew from Orion: An Epic Poem in Three Books, which was originally sold for a farthing but turned out to be a great success.
Horne was the first of three sons born to James Horne and Maria Partridge. He started his schooling at the Reverend John Clarke’s school at Enfield. In 1819, he left for the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Horne moved back home after failing his first year at the academy; he began teaching himself and reading about arts and philosophy. In 1825, Horne sailed to Cuba after joining the Mexican Navy and fought in the Spanish-Mexican war. He moved to London in 1829, and remained there for many years.
Horne realized the difficulty in finding a publisher when his first publication—about this very topic—was introduced to the literary world. The Exposition of the False Medium and Barriers Excluding Men of Genius from the Public was not a great success, so Horne had to find other sources of income; he wrote for the True Sun newspaper during the 1830’s. Horne started his drama phase in 1834 by writing Spirits of Peers and People: A National Tragi-Comedy. He took on journalism in 1845 when he helped establish the Daily News and later edited the Dramatic Magazine and Leigh Hunt’s Journal in 1850.
Catherine St. George Foggo married Horne in 1847. Several years later, Horne left his wife behind to find inspiration and success with gold in Australia. Horne stayed in Australia for seventeen years before returning to England to find that everyone had forgotten about him.
A man of versatility, Horne was only successful with his book of poems, Orion. He worked hard to keep up with the demands of popular literature, but his attempt failed when the people were not as accepting as he had hoped. Horne still had many accomplishments, which he will be remembered for.