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Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Caine's popularity during his lifetime was unprecedented. He wrote fifteen novels on subjects of
adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
, divorce,
domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
,
illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
,
infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...
, religious bigotry and
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
, became an international literary celebrity, and sold a total of ten million books. Caine was the most highly paid novelist of his day. ''The Eternal City'' is the first novel to have sold over a million copies worldwide. In addition to his books, Caine is the author of more than a dozen plays and was one of the most commercially successful dramatists of his time; many were West End and
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions. Caine adapted seven of his novels for the stage. He collaborated with leading actors and managers, including
Wilson Barrett Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his suc ...
,
Viola Allen Viola Emily Allen (October 27, 1867 – May 9, 1948) was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespeare and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916. B ...
,
Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...
,
Louis Napoleon Parker Louis Napoleon Parker (21 October 1852 – 21 September 1944) was an English dramatist, composer and translator. Parker wrote many plays, developing a reputation for historical works. His 1911 play ''Disraeli'' is one of his best known, written a ...
,
Mrs Patrick Campbell Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner (9 February 1865 – 9 April 1940), better known by her stage name Mrs Patrick Campbell or Mrs Pat, was an English stage actress, best known for appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw and Barrie. She also toured th ...
, George Alexander, and Arthur Collins. Most of Caine's novels were adapted into silent
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
films. A. E. Coleby's 1923 18,454 feet, nineteen-reel film '' The Prodigal Son'' became the longest commercially made
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
film.
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's 1929 film ''
The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...
'', is Hitchcock's last silent film. Born in
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
to a Manx father and
Cumbrian The Cumberland dialect is a local Northern English dialect in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, not to be confused with the area's extinct Celtic language, Cumbric. Some parts of Cumbria have a mo ...
mother, Caine was raised in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. After spending four years in school, Caine was trained as an architectural draughtsman. While growing up he spent childhood holidays with relatives in the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
. At seventeen he spent a year there as schoolmaster in
Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...
. Afterwards he returned to Liverpool and began a career in journalism, becoming a leader-writer on the ''Liverpool Mercury''. As a lecturer and theatre critic he developed a circle of eminent literary friends by whom he was influenced. Caine moved to London at
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
's suggestion and lived with the poet, acting as secretary and companion during the last years of Rossetti's life. Following the publication of his ''Recollections of Rossetti'' in 1882 Caine began his career as a writer spanning four decades. Caine established his
residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...
in the Isle of Man in 1895, where he sat from 1901 to 1908 in the Manx
House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...
, the lower house of its legislature. Caine was elected President of the Manx National Reform League in 1903 and chair of the Keys' Committee that prepared the 1907 petition for constitutional reform. In 1929 Caine was granted the Freedom of the Borough of
Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...
. Caine visited Russia in 1892 on behalf of the persecuted
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. In 1895 Caine travelled in the United States and Canada, where he represented the
Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...
conducting successful negotiations and obtaining important international copyright concessions from the Dominion Parliament. During the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–1918) Caine wrote many patriotic articles and edited ''King Albert's Book'', the proceeds of which went to help Belgian refugees. In 1917, Caine was created an Officer of the Order of Leopold by
King Albert I Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
of Belgium. Caine cancelled many literary contracts in America to devote all his time and energy to the British war effort. On the recommendation of the Prime Minister
Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...
for services as an Allied propagandist in the United States,
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
made him a
Knight of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1918 and a
Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...
in 1922. Aged 78 Caine died in his home at
Greeba Castle Greeba Castle is a castle on the Isle of Man. Etymology The name is derived from Scandinavian: Gnipa, ''a peak''. Location The castle is situated in the parish of German (but close to the boundary with Marown) on the main A1 Peel Road in the ...
on the Isle of Man.


Early life and influences


Early days

Thomas Henry Hall Caine was born on 14 May 1853 at 29 Bridgewater Street,
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England, the eldest of six children of John Caine (1825–1904) and his wife Sarah Caine (née Hall, (1828–1912)). Sarah was born in
Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...
, Cumberland, and descended from an old
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
family of Ralph Halls, china manufacturer. After living for many years in Cumberland the Hall family moved to Liverpool where Sarah, a seamstress, met and married John. As her husband was a member of the
Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
and not a Quaker she lost her connection with the
Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
. Throughout her life she retained the Quaker simplicity of life and dress. John Caine, a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
, came from the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
. In the absence of work he emigrated to
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, where he trained as a shipsmith. At the time of Caine's birth, he was working temporarily in
Runcorn docks Runcorn Docks, originally the Bridgewater Docks, is an inland port on the Manchester Ship Canal in the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is operated by Peel Ports and handles bulk and project cargo. History Early development It is poss ...
. Within a few months the family were back in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, where Caine spent his childhood and youth. They rented rooms at 14 Rhyl Street,
Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...
, convenient for
Liverpool Docks The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the ...
and within a small Manx expat community. By 1858 they had moved to number 21. Early in 1862 they moved to 5 Brougham Street where Caine attended Windsor Street Wesleyan School, and in January 1865 the family moved round the corner to 2 Coburg Street. During his childhood Caine was occasionally sent to stay with his grandmother, Isabella, and uncle, William, a butcher-farmer, in their thatched cottage at
Ballaugh Ballaugh ( ; , ) is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of Ballaugh (parish), the same name, in the sheading of Michael (parish), Michael. It is the only village in the parish. The parish adjoins Jurby to the north, Lezayre to the e ...
on the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
. His grandmother nicknamed him 'Hommy-Beg', Manx for 'Little Tommy'. The island has a long history of
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and superstition, passed from generation to generation. Continuing this tradition Grandmother Caine passed on her knowledge of local myths and legends to her grandson, telling him countless stories of fairies, witches, witch-doctors and the evil eye while they were sat by the fire. When Caine was nine he lost two of his young sisters within a year. Five year old Sarah developed
hydrocephaly Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurs within the brain. This typically causes increased pressure inside the skull. Older people may have headaches, double vision, poor balance, urinary inco ...
after a fever. Fourteen month old Emma died in
convulsion A convulsion is a medical condition where the body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled shaking. Because epileptic seizures typically include convulsions, the term ''convulsion'' is sometimes used as a s ...
s brought on by
whooping cough Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or ...
she caught from him and his brother John. Caine was to be sent to the Isle of Man to recover from his illness and grief. He was put on a boat to
Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...
by his father, with a label pinned on his coat and assurances that his uncle would meet him. A fierce storm occurred preventing the ferry from reaching land. Caine was rescued by a large rowing boat. He later drew on this experience when writing the scene in ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
'' in which Stephen Orry is cast ashore there. Another sister, Lily Hall Caine, made it to adulthood and became a prominent stage actress. Lily died June 1, 1914. The Caine family belonged to the Baptist Church in Myrtle Street, Liverpool, presided over by the charismatic
Hugh Stowell Brown Hugh Stowell Brown (10 August 1823 – 24 February 1886) was a Manx Christian minister and renowned preacher. Hugh Stowell Brown was a preacher, pastor and social reformer in Liverpool in the nineteenth century. His public lectures and work am ...
, a Manxman and brother of poet
Thomas Edward Brown Thomas Edward Brown (5 May 183029 October 1897), commonly referred to as T. E. Brown, was a late- Victorian scholar, schoolmaster, poet, and theologian from the Isle of Man. Having achieved a double first at Christ Church, Oxford, and electi ...
. Brown's public lectures and work among the poor made him a household name in Liverpool. Caine participated in the literary and debating society Brown had established. While Caine was very young he became well known and highly regarded by the people of south Liverpool. There he was in great demand as a speaker, having the ability to engage an audience from his first word. Through studying the works of the Lake School of Poets, and the best writers of the eighteenth century, Caine combined this knowledge with his own ideas of perfection, and went on to develop his level of eloquence to oratory. From the age of ten Caine was educated at Hope Street Unitarian Higher Grade School in Caledonia Street, Liverpool, becoming head boy in his last year there. Prior to this he attended St. James's School and for several years afterwards continued his education attending evening classes at Queen's College,
Liverpool Institute The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool. The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on ...
. He spent many hours on his own avidly reading books, notably at Liverpool's Free Library. Caine also experienced what he described as the 'scribbling itch' for writing. He produced essays, poems, novels and overview histories with little thought of them being published. In common with all 19th century towns Liverpool was unsanitary. In 1832 there had been a cholera epidemic. As panic and fear of this new and misunderstood disease spread, eight major riots had broken out on the streets along with several smaller uprisings. In 1849 a second epidemic occurred. When Caine was thirteen the third outbreak of cholera occurred in July 1866. Memories of that time were to stay with him, the deaths, the large volume of funerals and prayer meetings in open spaces that were happening all around him.


Apprentice and schoolmaster

At fifteen, after leaving school, he was apprenticed to John Murray, an architect and
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
in Lord Street, Liverpool. Murray was a distant relative of
William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...
. On 10 December 1868, the day of the general election when Gladstone was to be elected as Prime Minister, Caine was running to offices in Union Court, belonging to Gladstone's brother, with telegrams announcing the results of the contests all over the country. Caine was breaking the news of great majorities before Gladstone had time to open his telegrams. Caine was to meet Gladstone on another occasion when he was on Gladstone's estate at
Seaforth House Seaforth House was a mansion in Seaforth, Merseyside England built in 1813 for Sir John Gladstone, father of William Ewart Gladstone who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom four times. Sir John had lived on Rodney Street, Liverpool and de ...
. The surveyor-in-chief had not appeared one morning and a fifteen year old Caine took his place. Caine had left a lasting impression on Gladstone, as two years later Caine had a letter from Gladstone's brother saying the Prime Minister wished to appoint him steward of the Lancashire Gladstone estates. Caine declined the offer. Caine's maternal grandparents had lived with the rest of his family while they were growing up in Liverpool. His grandfather, Ralph Hall, died in January 1870, when Caine was seventeen. In the same year of his life Caine was reunited with William Tirebuck, a friend from his school days, when the business of their masters brought them together. United in their interest in literature, they made a juvenile attempt to establish a monthly manuscript magazine, assisted by Tirebuck's sister. Tirebuck was editor, printer, publisher and postman; Caine was principal author. One of the magazine's contributors inherited a small fortune which he invested. About ten thousand copies were printed, followed by a delayed issue no.2. After this venture Tirebuck returned to his position as junior clerk in a merchant's office. Suffering from what he described as "the first hint of one of the nervous attacks which even then beset me", and later as "the first serious manifestation of the nervous attacks which have pursued me through my life", Caine quit his job with Murray and, arriving unannounced, went to live with his uncle and aunt, James and Catherine Teare in
Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...
on the Isle of Man. Teare was the local
schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...
, and as Caine was to learn, ill with tuberculosis. Caine became his assistant teaching in the schoolhouse. Finding their accommodation in part of the schoolhouse was crowded Caine camped in a nearby ''tholtan'', a half-ruined cottage. Using his stonemason skills, taught to him by his grandfather Hall, he restored and lived in the cottage. On the stone lintel above the door he carved the name Phoenix Cottage and the date 8 January 1871. Encouraged by Teare, after he had written to reassure Caine's parents that he might one day be able to make a living as a writer, Caine wrote anonymous articles for a local newspaper on a wide range of religious and economic questions.
John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...
had started his
Guild of St George The Guild of St George is a charitable Education Trust, based in England but with a worldwide membership, which tries to uphold the values and put into practice the ideas of its founder, John Ruskin (1819–1900). History Ruskin, a Victorian ...
and began expressing his ideas in his new monthly series, '' Fors Clavigera'', written as a result of his feelings regarding the acute poverty and misery in Great Britain at the time. Rumours of undergraduates, following Ruskin's ideas, digging the ground outside
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, reached Caine. He was inspired by Ruskin to begin writing denunciations of the
social system In sociology, a social system is the patterned network of relationships constituting a coherent whole that exist between individuals, groups, and institutions. It is the formal structure of role and status that can form in a small, stable group. ...
and of the accepted interpretation of the
Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global populat ...
. Caine was to become 'an eager pupil and admirer' of Ruskin. He later became a frequent visitor to Ruskin's Coniston home,
Brantwood Brantwood is a historic house museum in Cumbria, England, overlooking Coniston Water. It has been the home of a number of prominent people. The house and grounds are administered by a charitable trust, the house being a museum dedicated to Jo ...
. Following the death of James Teare in December 1871, Caine carved a headstone for the grave. After officially taking his place as schoolmaster, he also performed the extra unpaid services his uncle had provided, "such as the making of wills for farmers round about, the drafting of agreement and leases, the writing of messages to banks protesting against crushing interest, and occasionally the inditing of love letters for young farm hands to their girls in service on farms that were far away". Later he drew on this material to use in his writing. In March 1872, he had a letter from Murray his master, the architect, which said "Why are you wasting your life over there? Come back to your proper work at once." Caine was on his way back to Liverpool within a week.


Journalist and theatre critic

In April 1872, at the age of eighteen, Caine was back home in Liverpool where he set about applying his knowledge, gained working in the drawing office, into articles on architectural subjects, and subsequently published in ''
The Builder ''Building'' is one of the United Kingdom's oldest business-to-business magazines, launched as ''The Builder'' in 1843 by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – architect of Birmingham Town Hall and designer of the Hansom Cab. The journal was renamed ''Bu ...
'' and '' The Building News''. These were Caine's first works published for a national audience. The articles caught Ruskin's attention and he wrote words of encouragement to Caine. Seeking to be published, he offered his services, without payment, as a theatre critic to a number of Liverpool newspapers, which were accepted. He used the pseudonym 'Julian'. Before Henry Irving played Hamlet, his intention to play the part differently to any other actor was known to Caine and he contributed many articles on the subject to various papers. The study of Shakespeare and the Bible from his earliest years were his 'chief mental food'. As he had become more absorbed by literary studies he was not content with reading Shakespeare's plays, so he was reading all of the most notable playwrights of the Elizabethan age and "he began to make acquaintance with the dramatists". In the summer of 1872 Caine wrote his first play. ''The Charter'' was an adaptation of
Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...
's novel ''
Alton Locke ''Alton Locke'' is an 1850 novel, by Charles Kingsley, written in sympathy with the Chartist movement, in which Carlyle is introduced as one of the personages. Overview In this novel, Kingsley set out to expose the social injustice suffered b ...
'', but as an unknown writer he could not get it staged. "Partly from the failure of faith in myself as a draughtsman and partly from a desire to be moving on" Caine left his employment with Murray and joined the office of
Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and paleontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkable gift for interpreting fossils. Owe ...
and later Wainwright and Son. For a few years he was general assistant to a builder, James Bromley who became his friend. Together with William Tirebuck and George Rose, his friends from school days, Caine applied himself to establishing Liverpool branches of the Shakespeare Society, and the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...
. They called their own organisation Notes and Queries Society and held their meetings at the prominent
Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
, Colquitt Street. Caine was president of the society and their meetings were reported in the Liverpool newspapers. The 'Notes' were often provided by
John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...
,
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...
and
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
. On 16 October 1874
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
wrote to Caine agreeing to his request to use his portrait in ''Stray Leaves'' a new monthly magazine he was launching. In his capacity as critic of the Liverpool ''Town Crier'', Caine attended the first night of ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' at the
Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnold ...
, on 31 October 1874, with Irving in the title role. Caine was enthralled by Irving's performance and after his enthusiastic review was published in the newspaper, he was asked to reprint it as a broad-sheet pamphlet, as it was of such a high quality. Caine's first short story ''Max Wieland'' was published in the ''Liverpool Critic'' around 1874. A year later Caine became dramatic critic of the ''Spectator''. Caine's long narrative poem, ''Geraldine'', appeared in print in March 1876. It was a completion of Coleridge's unfinished poem '' Christabel''. The Caine family had moved into a larger house in 1873, at 59 South Chester Street,
Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...
, where Caine shared a bedroom with his younger brother John, a shipping clerk. John contracted
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
which he passed to his brother. By 1875 Caine had permanent lodgings in New Brighton, spending weekends there "for the sake of his health". Caine became increasingly unwell from the beginning of January 1877. In April the same year John, died from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, aged 21. Dangerously ill, Caine was terrified of suffering the same fate. He recovered, but the disease left him with permanent lung damage, and throughout his life he had attacks of
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
. In his 1913 novel ''
The Woman Thou Gavest Me ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' is a 1919 silent film directed by Hugh Ford (director), Hugh Ford and starring Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, Katherine MacDonald and Milton Sills. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Famo ...
'', he describes Mary O’Neil dying of tuberculosis.
Manchester Corporation Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three f ...
had covertly been buying land for building the proposed
Thirlmere Aqueduct The Thirlmere Aqueduct is a 95.9-mile-long (154.3-kilometre-long) pioneering section of water supply system in England, built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925. Often incorrectly thought of as one of the longest tun ...
, intended to supply water to the city. When discovered, it outraged the local community.
Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a number of fells; for instance, Armboth Fell and Raven Crag both ...
, close to the centre of the Lake District, in an area, not only celebrated in the poetry of early conservationist
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
and fellow Lake poets, but also used as a summer residence by writers, amongst others. In opposition to damming the lake at
Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a number of fells; for instance, Armboth Fell and Raven Crag both ...
to form a reservoir, the first environmental group, Thirlmere Defence Association was formed in 1877. It was supported by the national press, Wordsworth's son and John Ruskin. Caine, incensed at what he perceived as a threat to his beloved Cumbria, joined the movement, initiating a Parliamentary petition. Thirlmere was to be the setting for his novel ''The Shadow of a Crime''. In response to his lecture ''The Supernatural in Shakespeare'', given in July 1878, in a meeting chaired by Professor Edward Dowden,
Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...
wrote him a long letter of praise. He was also praised by
Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...
's biographer,
Lord Houghton Lord Houghton or Baron Houghton may refer to: *Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, FRS (19 June 1809 – 11 August 1885) was an English poet, patron of literature and a politician who strong ...
. The lecture appeared in ''Colburn's New Monthly Magazine'' in August 1879, Irving presided at a meeting of the Liverpool Notes and Queries Society in September 1878. At Irving's invitation, he travelled to London to attend Irving's first night at the Lyceum Theatre under his own management, presenting his new production of ''Hamlet'' with
Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...
as
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...
on 30 December. It was at this time that Caine was introduced to Irving's business manager,
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
, who was to become one of his closest friends. Stoker was subsequently to dedicate his famous novel ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' to Caine, under the
nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
'Hommy-Beg'. In 1879 Caine edited a booklet of the papers presented to the Notes and Queries Society by
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...
,
Samuel Huggins Samuel Huggins (1811–1885) was an English architect and writer. Huggins' defence of Classical architecture and opposition to a proposed restoration of Chester Cathedral led to the formation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. ...
and John J. Stevenson on the progress of public and professional thought on the treatment of ancient buildings which was described as "'well worth reading". At the 1879 Social Science Congress held in
Manchester Town Hall Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. It is the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments. The building faces Albert Square to th ...
, Caine read his paper ''A New Phase of the Question of Architectural Restoration''. He spoke of the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...
, its purpose, actions and achievements. Caine had joined the society the previous year and remained a member for the rest of his life. One of the society's founders was
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...
.


Friendship with Francis Tumblety

As a young man of 21 Caine encountered the self-proclaimed 'Great American Doctor',
Francis Tumblety Francis Tumblety (c. 1833 – May 28, 1903) was an Irish-born American medical quack who earned a small fortune posing as an "Indian Herb" doctor throughout the United States and Canada. He was an eccentric self-promoter and was often in trouble ...
, aged 43, after he set up at 177 Duke Street, Liverpool, offering herbal cure-all
elixir ELIXIR (the European life-sciences Infrastructure for biological Information) is an initiative that will allow life science laboratories across Europe to share and store their research data as part of an organised network. Its goal is to bring t ...
s and
Patent medicine A patent medicine, sometimes called a proprietary medicine, is an over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name (and sometimes a patent) and claimed ...
s to the public, which he claimed were secrets of the American Indians. Tumblety posed at various times in his life as a surgeon, an officer in the federal army, and a gentleman. He always followed his name with "M.D." and used the title 'Doctor', without the supporting qualifications for which he was fined in
Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...
in 1860. From September 1874, Tumblety was announcing his arrival in Liverpool by advertising in local newspapers, later including testimonials. Following the death of Edward Hanratty in January 1875, the same night he took a spoon of medicine supplied by Tumblety, and action taken by William Carroll to sue Tumblety for £200 after allegedly publishing a false testimonial, Tumblety fled to London. Many newspapers reported the stories and in the wake of this adverse publicity, Tumblety recruited Caine to edit his biography. Late January Tumblety wrote requesting Caine to obtain a quote for printing ten thousand copies in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, telling of being betrayed by a supposed friend, and praising Caine for his genuine friendship. After Caine forwarded his letters, he wrote on 1 February discussing the upcoming biography and enclosed a letter supposedly originating from the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, by
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
. The following day the first advert for the upcoming
pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
appeared in the ''Liverpool Mercury''. Tumblety changed lodgings, initially missing an urgent telegram from Caine indicating there was a problem with the publication. His response was to tell Caine to stop until he saw the proofs. Tumblety offered to pay for Caine to visit him in London to discuss the pamphlet, his letter dated 16 February indicating Caine had taken up the offer. He told a friend that his visit to Tumblety was "arduous". A spate of correspondence relating to the publication ensued, Tumblety supplying Caine with names of notable people to be included in the pamphlet, along with money for printing and advertising. Tumblety later wrote of disputes with the printer. Claiming to be too ill to send money, he sent Caine a printer's bill for payment. Tumblety had hired an assistant who read the proofs to him. The pamphlet entitled ''Passages from the Life of Dr Francis Tumblety'', and the fourth of Tumblety's biographies, was published in March 1875. Tumblety wrote to Caine in April 1875 that he was contemplating manufacturing his pills in London, and required a partner to share the profits, telling Caine to approach Liverpool chemists as proposed outlets. Caine had declined a further invitation to London, but Tumblety persisted with his invites to join him in London, later made by telegram, additionally inviting him on a planned trip to
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Around the time Alfred Thomas Heap was hanged in Kirkdale Gaol, Liverpool, for an abortion-related death, Tumblety, who had been arrested in 1857 for selling abortion drugs, disappeared. Caine made enquiries as to his whereabouts. Briefly Tumblety set up offices in Union Passage,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. His correspondence turned menacing, demanding money from Caine. Tumblety left London for New York City in August 1876. Failing to entice Caine to join him, he followed months later with a pleading letter from San Francisco, after which there is no record of any further contact.


Rossetti years

Caine delivered a series of three lectures on
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
's work and the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...
movement at Liverpool Library between November 1878 and March 1879. The January lecture entitled ''The Poetry of Dante Rossetti'' was printed in Colburn's ''New Monthly Magazine'' in July 1879. Caine sent a copy of the magazine to the poet Rossetti, who by that time had become a virtual recluse and was "ravaged by years of addiction to chloral and too much whisky". Rossetti wrote his first letter to Caine on 29 July 1879. This letter was the first of nearly two hundred in quick succession. Around this time Caine's father was badly injured in an accident at work and Caine took responsibility for supporting his parents and siblings. Early in 1880 he wrote ''Stones Crying Out'', a short book on the restoration of old buildings. Two of the chapters were papers he had read at the Social Science Congress and Liverpool Library. Rossetti introduced Caine to
Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
, who was at the time working on ''
The Manchester Murals ''The Manchester Murals'' are a series of twelve paintings by Ford Madox Brown in the Great Hall of Manchester Town Hall and are based on the history of Manchester. Following the success of Brown's painting ''Work'' he was commissioned to pai ...
''. Following his visit to write an article on Brown's frescoes in July 1880 they became friends. On a later visit Caine accepted Brown's invitation to sit for one of the figures while he was working on ''The Expulsion of the Danes from Manchester'', the third fresco. On another visit he modelled for ''Crabtree watching the Transit of Venus A.D. 1639'', the fifth fresco to be painted. Caine and Rossetti eventually met in September 1880 when Caine visited Rossetti in his home at 16
Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...
,
Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...
, where he lived "in shabby splendour". The strain of overworking was affecting Caine's health and in 1881, deciding to focus on his literary career, he left his job at Bromley & Son and went to St John's in the Vale, Cumbria. Before long Rossetti wrote that he too was ill and asked Caine to go to London planning to return to Cumbria with him. By the time Caine arrived in London Rossetti had changed his mind and instead Caine became Rossetti's housemate. Early in September, persuaded by friends and family Rossetti spent a month with Caine at St John's in the Vale, accompanied by
Fanny Cornforth Fanny Cornforth (born Sarah Cox; 3 January 1835 – 24 February 1909) was an English artist's model, and the mistress and muse of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Cornforth performed the duties of housekeeper for Ros ...
. Whilst there, Caine recited a local myth to Rossetti. The myth was to become the inspiration for his first novel ''The Shadow of a Crime''. He was also delivering weekly lectures in Liverpool. Caine negotiated the acquisition of Rossetti's largest painting '' Dante's Dream of the Death of Beatrice'' by Liverpool's
Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...
, representing the painter at its installation in November 1881. In January 1882 Caine's
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
''Sonnets of Three Centuries'' was published. After Rossetti "had an attack of paralysis on one side", his medical adviser, Mr John Marshall, recommended a change of air. Architect
John Seddon John Seddon is a British occupational psychologist and author, specialising in change in the service industry. He is the managing director of Vanguard, a consultancy company he formed in 1985 and the inventor of ' The Vanguard Method'. Vangua ...
offered Rossetti the use of Westcliffe Bungalow at
Birchington Birchington-on-Sea is a village in the Thanet district in Kent, England, with a population of 9,961. The village forms part of the civil parish of Birchington. It lies on the coast facing the North Sea, east of the Thames Estuary, between the ...
, Kent. Caine eventually persuaded Rossetti to make the trip to Birchington, and they both arrived on 4 February 1882, accompanied by Caine's sister and Rossetti's nurse. Caine stayed with Rossetti until Rossetti's death on Easter Sunday, 1882.


Start of literary career

From 1882 Caine was employed as a leader-writer on the ''Liverpool Mercury'' and was given free rein as to the subject and number of articles he wrote. This gave him the opportunity to attend and review numerous first nights at the London theatres. One review angered actor-playwright
Wilson Barrett Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his suc ...
and he demanded a meeting with Caine. Barrett concluding his complaint added "I think you could write a play, and if someday you should hit on a subject suitable to me, I shall be glad if you will let me hear of it". Caine's ''Cobwebs of Criticism: A Review of the First Reviewers of the Lake, Satanic and Cockney Schools'' was published in 1883. It began as a series of Liverpool lectures exposing unjustified reviews of poets
Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
,
Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poe ...
,
Hunt Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, e ...
,
Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...
, Shelley, Southey and
Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
that were written during their lifetimes Returning to London after Rossetti's death, Caine moved into 18
Clement's Inn The Inns of Chancery or ''Hospida Cancellarie'' were a group of buildings and legal institutions in London initially attached to the Inns of Court and used as offices for the clerks of chancery, from which they drew their name. Existing from a ...
in July 1882, sharing rooms with his academic friend Eric Robertson, where they often hosted intellectual gatherings. They frequently had their evening meals delivered from a nearby coffee shop in
Clare Market Clare Market is a historic area in central London located within the parish of St Clement Danes to the west of Lincoln's Inn Fields, between the Strand and Drury Lane, with Vere Street adjoining its western side. It was named after the food mark ...
, which were brought by two young women; one was the 19-year-old Mary Chandler who was to eventually marry Caine. Mary was the fourth of seven children. She was born 23 April 1863, the daughter of Mary and William Chandler, a General Dealer, and grew up in
Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...
. William died in 1873 and her mother married John Ward, a Poulterer, in
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
. The family moved to the
City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
where John became a Hawker. Months after Mary had first met Caine, John Ward and the other girl's father confronted Caine and Robertson demanding marriage, claiming the young women had been 'ruined'. According to Caine's biographer, nothing more than 'a bit of flirting' had taken place. Refusing to marry, Caine went to Liverpool to deliver lectures, returning to London in early December 1882. Upon Caine's return Mary's stepfather abandoned her at Clement's Inn. Mary went to
Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...
for six months to be educated, financed by Caine; she had received little education as a child. At the end of October 1883, with enough money to last about four months Caine, accompanied by Mary, went to the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
where he rented Vectis Cottage, close to the cliffs and sea near
Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake in between. Together ...
. There he set to work writing his first novel ''The Shadow of a Crime''. Inspired by his Cumbrian heritage the plot was based on one of the oldest legends of the Lake District, told to him by his grandfather, Ralph Hall. Bram Stoker Introduction to Hall Caine, Shadow of a Crime In it he uses the
Cumbrian dialect The Cumberland dialect is a local Northern English dialect in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, not to be confused with the area's extinct Celtic language, Cumbric. Some parts of Cumbria have a mor ...
that he had listened to and spoke during his childhood. When he had finished he moved back to London. Living in rooms on the fourth floor of New Court, in
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
, he re-wrote it. After running as a serial in the ''Liverpool Weekly Mercury'', Caine's novel was published in February 1885, by
Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...
, and serialised in several newspapers. His reputation was immediately established, along with a foremost place among the novelists of the day. He was later invited to write the story of writing ''The Shadow of a Crime'', which after its appearance in ''the Idler'' was published in 1894 in ''My First Book''. After the publication of Caine's first novel, Mary created a series of scrapbooks containing items relating to his public life. Mary and Caine's son,
Ralph Hall Ralph Moody Hall (May 3, 1923 – March 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as the United States representative for from 1981 to 2015. He was first elected in 1980, and was the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Tec ...
, was born in their rented house Yarra, Worseley Road,
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
on 15 August 1884. The following month they moved to live in Aberleigh Lodge, Red House Lane,
Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, next door to William Morris' Red House, where they remained until 1889. Caine had many friends in London's elite artistic and intellectual circles. As a friend of Stoker and Irving for many years he became a regular at Irving's Beefsteak Room gatherings at the Lyceum, presided over by
Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...
, where he became acquainted with the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). At one supper, where the only other guest was composer Alexander Mackenzie, Caine breaking the rules, brought his son Ralph with him. In order to make essential money and acquire exposure in America, disregarding the advice of his friends, Caine's short novel '' She's All The World To Me'', was published in New York, in 1885 by
Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
. '' She's All The World To Me'' was the first of his novels to be set on the Isle of Man. Under
American copyright law The copyright law of the United States grants monopoly protection for "original works of authorship". With the stated purpose to promote art and culture, copyright law assigns a set of exclusive rights to authors: to make and sell copies of thei ...
s the book's copyright was forfeited to Harper and Brothers, a situation unforeseen by Caine, he was incensed. Caine recycled much of the material from the book in his later works, particularly in ''The Deemster''. ''She's All The World To Me'' was serialised in the ''Liverpool Weekly Mercury'' between 21 March and 4 April 1885 immediately following ''The Shadow of a Crime''. Set in the contrasting locations of the Vale of Newlands in the Lake District and
Victorian London During the 19th century, London grew enormously to become a global city of immense importance. It was the largest city in the world from about 1825, the world's largest port, and the heart of international finance and trade. Railways connecting ...
, ''A Son of Hagar'', Caine's third novel was written in 1885–86 and published in 1886 by Chatto and Windus. Bram Stoker Introduction to Hall Caine, Son of Hagar Begun in collaboration with Robert Buchanan, their partnership was discontinued early on after discovering they did not work well together. Dealing with the theme of
illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
, Caine has written a story close to his own life. The opening scene is set in Victorian London police court where a girl is charged with attempted suicide after she and her illegitimate baby had been dragged from the Thames, a scene he could well have witnessed while working as reporter. Later Caine attempted to suppress ''A Son of Hagar'' from both of the Collected Editions of his novels. Licensed to Thomas Nelson in 1907 by Chatto, the novel was printed in the ''Nelson Library''. In 1886 Mary and Caine travelled to Scotland to watch Irving when he was on tour in Edinburgh where they covertly married on 3 September under Scottish law by declaration before witnesses. Mary became a devoted wife, reading all his work, advising and criticising when appropriate and was his first secretary. Two of Caine's sonnets, ''Where Lies the Land!'' and ''After Sunset'', were included in William Sharp's 1886 anthology ''Sonnets of this Century''. Publisher
Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
engaged Eric Robertson, Caine's former roommate, to edit a series entitled '' Great Writers''. Aware of the study Caine had already made of Coleridge, Robertson asked Caine to contribute a brief
biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
of the poet to the series. In three weeks Caine wrote ''Life of Coleridge'', published in 1887. November the same year '' The Deemster'' was published in three volumes by Chatto & Windus. It was set in 18th century Isle of Man, where the title of
Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promu ...
is given to the Island's judges. The plot includes the story of a fatal fight, with the body being taken out to sea only to float back to land the next day. It ran to more than fifty English editions and was translated into every major European language. Caine sent a copy of the novel to
Wilson Barrett Wilson Barrett (born William Henry Barrett; 18 February 1846 – 22 July 1904) was an English manager, actor, and playwright. With his company, Barrett is credited with attracting the largest crowds of English theatregoers ever because of his suc ...
as he suited the main character, then set to work adapting his novel into a stage version called Ben-my-Chree, Manx for 'Girl of my Heart'. Irving, after reading the book, saw potential in it, himself playing the Bishop. The play opened at the Princess Theatre on 17 May 1888 and ran for a profitable nine weeks. It was a popular staple on Barratt's provincial and international tours for several years afterwards and was successfully produced by others to whom he licensed the rights. An appreciative Caine acknowledged Barratt's substantial contribution by naming him co-writer.


Middle years


First visit to Iceland

The first title published by
Heinemann Heinemann may refer to: * Heinemann (surname) * Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company * Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States See also * Heineman * Jamie Hyneman James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...
was Caine's 1890 three-volume novel ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
'', a plot of revenge and romance set in the late 18th century Isle of Man and
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. It commences with the story of a seaman who marries the daughter of Iceland's Governor-General, abandoning her before the birth of their child. Between June and November 1889 it was serialised in the ''Isle of Man Times'', ''General Advertiser'' and several provincial newspapers. Accompanied by Mary, Caine made a research visit to Iceland in August 1889, during which he made a seventy-mile round day trip from Reykjavik to Krysuvik.
William Heinemann William Henry Heinemann (18 May 1863 – 5 October 1920) was an English publisher of Jewish descent and the founder of the Heinemann publishing house in London. Early life On 18 May 1863, Heinemann was born in Surbiton, Surrey, England. Heine ...
was so pleased with initial sales, eventually selling almost half a million copies, that he named his company's
telegraphic address A telegraphic address or cable address was a unique identifier code for a recipient of telegraph messages. Operators of telegraph services regulated the use of telegraphic addresses to prevent duplication. Rather like a uniform resource locator ( ...
after the novel's main character, "Sunlocks".


Cumbria

Caine leased Castlerigg Cottage in Keswick in 1888. The following year Caine bought Hawthorns out of part of his earnings from ''Ben-my-Chree''. Hawthorns was a small square-built stone house on the Penrith Road, a mile outside Keswick, overlooking
Bassenthwaite Lake Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately long and wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about . It is the only body of water in the Lake ...
and Derwentwater. Caine also rented a
pied-à-terre A ''pied-à-terre'' (, plural: ''pieds-à-terre''; French for "foot on the ground") is a small living unit, e.g., apartment or condominium, often located in a large city and not used as an individual's primary residence. The term implies use of ...
at Albert Mansions, Victoria Street, London. Hawthorns was close to Chesnut Cottage that Shelley had rented in 1811 and
Greta Hall Greta Hall is a house in Keswick in the Lake District of England. It is best known as the home of the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Overview The official address of Greta Hall is Main Street, Keswick, but it is located some ...
home of the poets
Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poe ...
and Southey. The house had ten acres of land where Caine kept two ponies he had transported from Iceland. Mary learned to make butter and cheese. The Caines lived at Hawthorns for four years. In 1890
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
began his notes for his ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' novel. Caine published a magazine serial in 1895 called ''Unto the Third and Fourth Generation''. Stoker and Caine were lifetime literary friends. They shared an interest in
mesmerism Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, was a protoscientific theory developed by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century in relation to what he claimed to be an invisible natural force (''Lebensmagnetismus'') possessed by all livi ...
. Prior to being published in book form the story was renamed ''Drink: A Love Story on a Great Question''. ''Drink'' contains a number of similarities to Stoker's novel. In 1906 ''Drink'' was published by
George Newnes Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newnes ...
, and illustrated by expatriate Italian American illustrator and painter
Cyrus Cuneo Cyrus Cincinato Cuneo (18 June 187923 July 1916), known as Ciro, was an American-born English visual artist, best known for painting. Early life He was born into an Italian American family of artists and musicians. His parents were Giovann ...
. It was described in the ''Manchester Guardian'' as 'a rather gruesome love story'. The story is of a girl who inherits a taste for alcohol from her father and is put on the road to recovery by hypnotic influence. Two hundred thousand copies of the book had been sold in England by the time the American edition was published by Appleton in 1907.


Banning of ''Mahomet''

Caine's ''Mahomet'' is a four-act historical drama based on the life of
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, the
prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, written in 1890 for the actor-manager
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
. In Autumn 1889 Irving presented a copy of Henri de Bornier's new play ''Mahomet'' to Caine, translated into English by
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
's wife, Florence. Irving had been granted the English rights by
Jules Claretie Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of: People with the name *Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer *Jules Abadie (1876–195 ...
, director of France's Théâtre Français and he asked Caine to revise it for staging at the Lyceum. The French government stopped Bornier's play on 22 March 1890, partly due to the intervention of the Ottoman Sultan
Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...
. Caine called the play's plot "false to history, untrue to character, Western in thought and Parisian in sentiment". He continued with his own version that concentrated on Muhammad's flight from Mecca and his triumphant return from Medina years later. Scenes were handwritten by Caine and subsequently reviewed by Irving after Stoker had them typed. Reviewed pages were returned with Irving's edits and often Stoker's suggestions. On 20 June a piece appeared in the French ''
Journal des débats The ''Journal des débats'' ( French for: Journal of Debates) was a French newspaper, published between 1789 and 1944 that changed title several times. Created shortly after the first meeting of the Estates-General of 1789, it was, after the ou ...
'' soon followed by a longer piece in ''
The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed int ...
'' connecting Bornier's ''Mahomet'' with Irving's English production. William Henry (Abdullah) Quilliam orchestrated protests. In common with Caine he was of Manx descent, raised in Liverpool and had visited Morocco. Converting to Islam, Quilliam set up Britain's first mosque and was made Sheikh al-Islam for the British Isles by Abdul Hamid II. Rumour that the play would be produced in London caused unrest in Britain's Muslim communities, threatened British rule in parts of India and strained the nation's relations with the Ottoman Empire. It was banned by the
Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
,
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom (12 December 1837 – 19 November 1898), known as The Lord Skelmersdale between 1853 and 1880, was a British Conservative politician. He was a member of every Conservative administration between 1866 ...
in his capacity as licencer of stage plays. Lathom's intervention was unusual, illustrating the high level of concern by the British government. Caine's completed play was accepted by
Edward Smith Willard Edward Smith Willard (9 January 1853 – 9 November 1915) was an English actor. He was born at Brighton''Who's Who on the Stage: the dramatic reference book and ...'', Volume 1 edited by Walter Browne, Frederick Arnold Austin; 1906 pg. 227 and ...
for production in America. Influenced by Renan's ''Life of Christ'' he spent the remainder of 1890 hastily writing his own version. Dissatisfied with the result he refused to publish the book, despite being offered three thousand pounds for it in 1894.


Morocco

Caine travelled to
Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
,
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, for three weeks in March 1890, researching
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
and
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
life. Disregarding the advice of British consular officials Caine explored the Kasbah alone on foot at all hours of the day and night. Returning to Tangier in Spring 1891 to pick up local colour for his next novel ''The Scapegoat'', he suffered an attack of
malarial fever Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue (medical), tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In se ...
. Caine became the house-guest of
Ion Perdicaris Ion Hanford Perdicaris (April 1, 1840 – May 31, 1925) was an author, professor, lawyer, painter, and playwright. He was a humanitarian and human rights activist. He fought for the rights of Moors, Arabs and slaves. He was active in the anti-sl ...
, who arranged Caine's nursing until he was sufficiently recovered to return to England. In July of the same year ''The Little Manx Nation'' was published. It was originally delivered in the form of three lectures on the history of the Isle of Man which were given at the
Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
, London on 22 and 29 January and 4 February 1891. The book is dedicated to Manx poet
Thomas Edward Brown Thomas Edward Brown (5 May 183029 October 1897), commonly referred to as T. E. Brown, was a late- Victorian scholar, schoolmaster, poet, and theologian from the Isle of Man. Having achieved a double first at Christ Church, Oxford, and electi ...
, who supplied Caine with information on Manx legends and ballads. ''The Scapegoat '' was written at Hawthorns immediately after Caine returned home from Morocco, while he was still impeded by malaria. First serialised in ''The Illustrated London News '' between July and October 1891, and then in ''
The Penny Illustrated Paper The ''Penny Illustrated Paper'' was a cheap ( 1d.) illustrated London weekly newspaper that ran from 1861 to 1913. Premises Illustrated weekly newspapers had been pioneered by the ''Illustrated London News'' (published from 1842, costing fivepe ...
'' between October 1891 January 1892. In the story, little Naomi is deaf and dumb and blind. Her mother is dead. She lives with her father, in Israel's house. As Israel changes his ways to become a better person Naomi starts to regain her lost senses. The novel was published in two volumes in September 1891 by William Heinemann, and simultaneously in Europe, America and Canada. Set in Morocco in the last years of the Sultan Abd er-Rahman, it exposed
anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
persecution and was described as a 'scathing indictment of Moroccan tyranny'. The book was praised by 'the most intelligent and influential members of the respectable Jewish community in London'. Caine's Connections with the
British Jewish community British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British citizens who identify as Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 2021. History ...
extended back to Caine's youth. Novelist
Israel Zangwill Israel Zangwill (21 January 18641 August 1926) was a British author at the forefront of cultural Zionism during the 19th century, and was a close associate of Theodor Herzl. He later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and be ...
, enlisted Caine in the
Zionist movement Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Jew ...
. ''The Scapegoat'' brought Caine a considerable correspondence, mainly because of its pro-Jewish stance. At this time Caine and Mary's second son, Derwent was born on 12 September 1891.


Mission to Russia

Following the publication of ''The Scapegoat'', Caine was approached by
Hermann Adler Hermann Adler HaKohen CVO (30 May 1839 – 18 July 1911; Hebrew נפתלי צבי הירש הכהן אדלר ) was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1891 to 1911. The son (and successor as Chief Rabbi) of Nathan Marcus Adler, the 1911 ' ...
, the Chief
Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
and chairman of the Russo-Jewish Committee. Jews were fleeing Russia due to the
pogroms A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian ...
and resulting atrocities happening there. Adler, certain no
Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
would be allowed entry, requested Caine go to Russia and Poland on behalf of the committee. Caine's plans to depart for Russia after Christmas 1891 were delayed until 15 June 1892 due to famine and riots there. Caine funded the trip himself, refusing subsidies offered by the committee. He carried Adler's letter, in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, to present to the rabbis in the various towns on his journey, which "secured him everywhere a most hospitable reception" and for protection against the Russian authorities Caine carried a letter from
Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...
, then Prime Minister. Caine managed to visit several Jewish communities in the
Pale of Settlement The Pale of Settlement (russian: Черта́ осе́длости, '; yi, דער תּחום-המושבֿ, '; he, תְּחוּם הַמּוֹשָב, ') was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 19 ...
but got no further than the frontier towns as many were dying due to a cholera outbreak. Fearing he was to suffer the same fate he returned to London, in time to attend Lord Alfred Tennyson's funeral in October 1892. Caine remained in London after the funeral working on three novellas ''Cap'n Davey's Honeymoon'', ''The Last Confession'' and ''The Blind Mother'', published in 1893 as one volume entitled ''Cap'n Davey's Honeymoon''. The book was edited by and dedicated to Stoker. At his suggestion, the last part of the title story was rewritten and ''The Last Confession'' was added. Set in Morocco, ''The Last Confession'' is based on Rossetti's blank-verse poem of the same name.


Isle of Man

For the purpose of writing ''The Manxman'' Caine rented
Greeba Castle Greeba Castle is a castle on the Isle of Man. Etymology The name is derived from Scandinavian: Gnipa, ''a peak''. Location The castle is situated in the parish of German (but close to the boundary with Marown) on the main A1 Peel Road in the ...
for six months, a
castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
house in the Isle of Man overlooking the
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
to Peel road. It was this book, published as one volume in August 1894 by Heinemann, that ended the system of three-volume novels. Bram Stoker Introduction to Hall Caine, The Manxman It is the story of Pete, a fisherman, considered by Kate's father as too poor to marry her. Pete leaves to make his fortune, and is reported dead. Kate falls in love with Philip, Pete's cousin and friend. Pete returns, creating a dilemma. The character of Pete was based on the Peel fishermen Caine mixed with and Joseph Mylchreest, a Manxman who made his fortune diamond mining in South Africa. Caine took full advantage of the subsequent Press attention. He was photographed and interviewed for the monthly magazines. The British sales of ''The Manxman'' totalled nearly 400,000. It was translated into twelve languages, selling over half a million copies by 1913. While in London in June and July 1984, Caine wrote a dramatic version of ''The Manxman'', with Philip as the main character. Caine offered it to
Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...
, who refused it as being unlikely to appeal to the
Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
audiences. On 22 August 1894, three weeks after the book was published, Wilson Barrett's adaptation opened at the
Grand Theatre, Leeds The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It seats approximately 1,500 people. Building It was designed by James Ro ...
. Caine bought the Greeba Castle estate in 1896 with part of his earnings from ''The Manxman''. His rented London home, 48 Ashley Gardens, in one of five red-brick Victorian mansion blocks adjacent to
Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
, was changed to 2
Whitehall Court Whitehall Court in the City of Westminster, England, is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions. The south end was designed by Thomas Archer and A. Green and constructed as a block of luxury residential apartments in ...
between
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...
and the
Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...
. Caine wrote a guidebook entitled ''The Little Man Island: Scenes and Specimen Days in the Isle of Man'' for the 1894 tourist season. Published by the
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...
it comprises a mixture of descriptions, pictures and advertising. At the end of the 19th century the Isle of Man was a popular tourist destination, a result of the
Wakes Week The Wakes Week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland. Originally a religious celebration or feast, the tradition of the Wakes Week developed into a secular holiday, particularly in North West England during the Industrial Revolution ...
s, when Lancashire mills and factories closed for holidays. To meet growing demand the
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...
purchased new steamers to bring many thousands of tourists to Douglas from Liverpool. The Isle of Man Advertising Committee was set up in 1894 under the Advertising Rate Act. A group of bankers, local businessmen and developers built new hotels, boarding houses and entertainment venues. They formed a Committee publicising the Isle of Man as a holiday resort, opening an office in London with Caine's brother in charge. When Caine wrote the Deemster in six weeks at a boarding house on the Douglas esplanade he saw these developments. He believed that the Island's economic prosperity lay in developing this trade. The success of Caine's novels set in the Isle of Man boosted the tourist trade.
Tynwald Day Tynwald Day ( gv, Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July (if this is a Saturday or Sunday, then on the following Monday). On this day, the Island's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, Isle of Man, ...
, the island's national day, became better known both in England and America because of his novels. Caine and Greeba Castle became a visitor attraction. Cruising around Great Britain aboard the Royal yacht,
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
and
Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
visited the Isle of Man, in August 1902. They were the first British monarchs to set foot on Manx soil. The King had read most of Caine's works and through reading them he wanted to visit the island. The Queen enjoyed Caine's Manx novels and was interested to see where his characters lived. The royal party enjoyed Caine's hospitality. He was invited to join the royal couple on their yacht and to accompany them on their tour of the island the following day.


Canadian copyright

At a time copyrights in Canada were governed by British laws and legal framework the Canadian Government was attempting to enact their 1889 Copyright Bill. Canadian publishers sought to exclude competition from the United States. Collection of duty on imported foreign reprints of British copyright books was to be stopped after 27 March 1895. This situation, named the Canadian copyright question, caused concern to the British Government and they involved both the Copyright Association and the
Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...
, asking them to comment. During the ongoing discussions Caine maintained high profile, his interventions changing the course of the debate. Publishers in American recognised the threat of their market being flooded with cheap Canadian reprints on which no copyright fees would be paid. Proposed by Caine, the Society of Authors passed a unanimous vote, on 25 February 1895, against the
Canadian Copyright Act The ''Copyright Act'' of Canada is the federal statute governing copyright law in Canada. It is jointly administered by the Department of Industry Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage. The ''Copyright Act'' was first passed in 1921 and s ...
. Caine suggested "all authors should bind together to oppose the passing of the Act". The Society sent a petition to the Marquess of Rippon, signed by over 1500 mainly authors and publishers, requesting Queen Victoria withhold assent of the Canadian Copyright Bill. If passed, there would be nothing preventing other colonies asking for the same, threatening authors with the loss of the whole Colonial market. The Society of Authors invited Caine to act as their representative in Canada and to negotiate with the Canadian Government on the 1889 Canadian Act. Similarly Frederick Richard Daldy represented the Copyright Association. Edmund Newcome, the Canadian Deputy Minister of Justice, eventually visited England in August 1895 to address the Canadian copyright problem, after his plans to visit had been postponed multiple times. Newcombe, instructed only to meet with the government, met with
Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...
, Secretary of State for the Colonies, in London to begin work on a new draft copyright bill. The Copyright Association and the Society of Authors were kept informed of proceedings.


First visit to the United States and Canada

Caine arrived in New York 25 September 1895, accompanied by his wife Mary and eldest son Ralph, where they were met by his New York publisher William Appleton, an active in the struggle for an
international copyright While no creative work is automatically protected worldwide, there are international treaties which provide protection automatically for all creative works as soon as they are fixed in a medium. There are two primary international copyright agreem ...
. He carried with him a letter of introduction to the Government of Canada from Chamberlain. On the street he was mobbed by fans. The following month Caine reached Canada, where he met with leading members of the publishing trade. He had long discussions with the Canadian Prime Minister
Mackenzie Bowell Sir Mackenzie Bowell (; December 27, 1823 – December 10, 1917) was a Canadian newspaper publisher and politician, who served as the fifth prime minister of Canada, in office from 1894 to 1896. Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, En ...
and the Canadian Minister of Justice
Charles Tupper Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, (July 2, 1821 – October 30, 1915) was a Canadian Father of Confederation who served as the sixth prime minister of Canada from May 1 to July 8, 1896. As the premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led N ...
in Ottawa. At the request of the Canadian Copyright Association Caine went to Toronto where he had talks with the Toronto publishers. Caine resolved the dispute between the Canadian publishers, the Canadian Copyright Association and English authors. The proposed solution, that Canadian publishers would have the right to republish copyright works that had not been published in Canada within sixty days of publication elsewhere, was incorporated into the draft copyright bill. On 25 November 1895 Caine presented the draft bill at the Ottawa copyright conference where all parties agreed to it. The Canadian authorities and publishers were satisfied with the proposal put forward from England as were the American authors and publishers. The bill never became law, the 1889 Act was abandoned and a more flexible solution was found by 1900.


Peak years


Second visit to the United States

Taking two years to write, Caine's novel ''The Christian'' was published by Heinemann in 1897. It is the first novel in Britain to have sold over a million copies () The book was inspired by Rossetti's verses ''Mary Magdalene at the Door of Simon The Pharisee'', written for his painting, depicting a man trying to pluck back a woman about to enter the gates of heaven. Caine followed it with a lecture tour of Scotland, a one-man dramatic performance of his novelette ''Home Sweet Home''. ''The Christian'' was serialised in Britain in the ''
Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...
'' between December 1896 and November 1897 and in the United States in ''
Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Weekly'', later known as ''Munsey's Magazine'', was a 36-page quarto United States, American magazine founded by Frank Munsey, Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs. Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the pe ...
'' between November 1896 and January 1898. Mainly set in Victorian London, it is the story of Glory Quayle, a young woman living an independent life who becomes an actress, and John Storm, who enters the priesthood. It was the first time that Caine had taken up
the Woman Question "The woman question", which is translated from the French term ''querelle des femmes'' (literally, "dispute of women"), refers both in historiography to an intellectual debate from the 1400s to the 1700s on the nature of women and feminist campai ...
. The character of John Storm is drawn from a composite of the Hon. and Rev. James Adderley, an Anglican priest of Berkley Chapel, Mayfair, London, and Father Stanton, who became an Anglican bishop. Caine dramatised the book in 1896. His play was so popular with the public that the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' published it in a thick-paper, illustrated edition. He directed the play, travelling to New York where he went on to deliver a series of lectures and readings there.
Viola Allen Viola Emily Allen (October 27, 1867 – May 9, 1948) was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespeare and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916. B ...
produced the play for the first time on the stage at
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
on 25 September 1898. It opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on 10 October 1898, running for twenty-one weeks in New York. Almost one thousand clergymen attended a matinee on 15 November 1898. George C. Tyler, reportedly made one million dollars from the Broadway production of ''The Christian''. On his return to London after being on tour, Wilson Barratt gave Caine half of an advance payment received from an Australian manager for Barratt's stage adaptation of ''The Christian''. Caine rejected both the money and the play. Barratt unsuccessfully sued Caine on the grounds that they had an agreement to collaborate on the dramatisation. ''The Christian'' was first produced in England at the
Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...
in October 1899. It failed after two months. Caine authorised a touring production with his sister Lily playing Glory Quayle and managed by her husband George Day which in 1907 was still continuously performed by up to three companies. After Finnish politician and writer Aino Malmberg sought aid from Caine on her country's behalf, he offered the Finnish rights to the
Finnish National Theatre The Finnish National Theatre ( fi, Suomen Kansallisteatteri), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish ...
. Finland belonged to the Russian Empire and was actively seeking Independence. Malmberg translated Caine's works into Finnish.


Rome

Caine and his wife, Mary, spent four winters in Rome, renting a house, 18 Trinità de' Monti, near the
Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps ( it, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway ...
. On their visit between January and April 1901 Caine finished ''The Eternal City'', his greatest commercial success. It is Caine's only novel to be first conceived as a play. The story begins in Rome in 1900 at the fictional Pope Pius X's jubilee celebrations, at the height of the dispute between the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
and the Italian state on the temporal power of the Church. David Rossi, a socialist and republican is accused of conspiring to assassinate the Italian king. He opposes Baron Bonelli, a corrupt prime minister. Bonelli tries to prevent the culmination of the love story between his mistress Donna Roma Volonna and Rossi. ''The Eternal City'' was serialised in Britain in 1901 in
The Lady's Magazine London fashionable spencer ">Spencer_(clothing).html" ;"title="walking dresses, July 1812, including a Spencer (clothing)">spencer ''The Lady's Magazine; or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amuseme ...
and in the United States in
Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...
, between February and August 1901. Immediately afterwards it was published in book form by Heinemann, with an initial print run of 100,000, running to twenty-six editions, selling more than a million copies in English alone and translated into thirteen languages. The stage adaptation opened at His Majesty's Theatre, London on 2 October 1902, produced by actor-manager
Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...
, with
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
by Italian composer
Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece ''Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ' ...
. A week after the play opened in London, Caine republished the novel, cutting all the political parts and following the story of the play making it into a 'theatre edition'. The American production of ''The Eternal City'' premiered on 17 November, at the Victoria Theatre, New York City, with
Viola Allen Viola Emily Allen (October 27, 1867 – May 9, 1948) was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespeare and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916. B ...
as Roma,
Frederic De Belleville Frederic De Belleville (February 17, 1855 in Liège – February 25, 1923 in New York City) was a Belgian-born American stage actor. He began his career in 1873 in London and arrived in the United States in 1880. An early newspaper account recor ...
as Bonelli, and Edward J. Morgan as Rossi. Caine supervised rehearsals. Towards the end of 1903 six companies were performing ''The Eternal City'', in England, USA, Australia and South Africa.


''Household Words''

In 1901 Caine bought ''
Household Words ''Household Words'' was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s. It took its name from the line in Shakespeare's ''Henry V'': "Familiar in his mouth as household words." History During the planning stages, titles origi ...
'', the literary magazine founded by
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
in 1850. He appointed his son Ralph as editor, and it was sold in 1904. ''The Eternal City'' appeared as two instalments in the Christmas 1901 and January 1902 editions. He made many contributions including articles about
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
, whom he had a private audience with, the story ''A Maid of Mona'' and a serialisation of ''The Manxman''. His writings on Roman Catholicism caused serious offence to his fellow members of the National Club of London, founded as a
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
club. Between 1902 and 1904 the Caine's rented a large early Victorian house in London on
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
Common, The Hermitage. It had been the last home of Scottish novelist
Margaret Oliphant Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (born Margaret Oliphant Wilson; 4 April 1828 – 20 June 1897) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works cover "domestic realism, the historical nove ...
.


Second visit to Iceland

To obtain local colour for his novel '' The Prodigal Son'' Caine visited Iceland in 1903. On one of two exploration trips that started from Reykjavik Caine discovered a cave about 200 feet long in the valley of Thingvellir, afterwards named "Hall's Hellin" (Hall's cave). On 26 August Caine was at the close of the Iceland
Althing The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
where he was a guest of Magnús Stephensen, the island's Governor. At the Parliamentary dinner which followed, Caine was introduced "as a distinguished "skald" (bard), whose writings were widely known and greatly admired in Iceland". ''The Prodigal Son'' was published in November 1904 by Heinemann and translated into thirteen languages. It is set in a sheep-rearing community in rural Iceland, with scenes in London and the
French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
. In ''The Prodigal Son'' Magnus learns on his wedding day that his bride, Thora, is in love with his brother Oscar, a composer. She marries Oscar after Magnus releases her from the engagement. When Thora dies, a distraught Oscar places the only copies of his compositions in her coffin. Later he has her grave opened and his music retrieved. Caine's use of a similar event to Rossetti's exhumation of Elizabeth Siddal, where Rossetti recovered his poems that he had buried with her, caused a lasting rift between Caine and the Rossetti family. ''The Prodigal Son'' was simultaneously dramatised, the copyright performance held at the Grand Theatre,
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
. American and British productions opened days apart in 1905, at the National Theatre in Washington, D. C. on 28 August, the
New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...
in New York City on 4 September and at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, London on 7 September, with George Alexander playing Oscar and Caine's sister Lilian playing Thora. After a long run at Drury Lane it was revived in 1907. In September 1906 Caine's dramatised version of ''The Bondman'' was produced in London's
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, with
Mrs Patrick Campbell Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner (9 February 1865 – 9 April 1940), better known by her stage name Mrs Patrick Campbell or Mrs Pat, was an English stage actress, best known for appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw and Barrie. She also toured th ...
playing a leading role and Caine's son, Derwent (aged sixteen), making a stage début. A copyright performance had taken place at the Theatre Royal, Bolton in November 1982. Caine revised the play for Arthur Collins, moving part of the story to
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
and creating a happy ending. The highlight of the show was the sulphur mine explosion and volcano eruption. In April 1906 Collins and Caine had gone on a research trip where they spent a day with Leone Testa, the inspector-general of Sicily's sulphur mines and while visiting
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
they witnessed
Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of s ...
erupt. The show ran for eleven weeks followed by eight weeks at the
Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
and a revival of The Prodigal Son. The production went on tour in the UK and America. Japanese actor and a founder of Japanese modern theatre Otojirō Kawakami staged the play in Japan in 1909, changing the setting to Japan and the Philippines and included the volcanic eruption. When Kawakami's new western style theatre Teikoku-za opened in Osaka in March 1910 the first production was The Bondman. 1908 saw the publication of ''My Story'', described by Bram Stoker as "autobiographical rather than an autobiography and gives insight to the life and character of his many friends and their influence on his life and work, and of the gradual growth of his mind and of his importance in the world as the success of each book gave him further opportunities."


Egyptian nationalism

On 13 June 1906 British officers shot pigeons for sport in Denshawai, an Egyptian village whose inhabitants were pigeon farmers, resulting in a clash between the officers and several villagers. One villager, falsely accused of murder was killed on the spot. Four villagers were hanged and others punished by jail sentences, hard labour and lashings. The Denshawai Incident proved a turning point in the history of the British occupation of Egypt, starting a fierce political debate both in Egypt and Britain in which intellectuals and men of letters participated, eventually causing the resignation of
Lord Cromer Earl of Cromer is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, held by members of the Baring family, of German descent. It was created for Evelyn Baring, 1st Viscount Cromer, long time British Consul-General in Egypt. He had already been cr ...
, the redoubtable British Consul General and de facto ruler of Egypt since 1882. Crucially poet Wilfred Scawen Blunt exposed the facts in his pamphlet ''Atrocities of Justice Under British Rule in Egypt'', provoking a public outcry in Britain.
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
drafted a petition published in ''The New Age'' with the main purpose of gaining the release of the Egyptian prisoners. Shaw denounces the "Denshawai horror" in his ''Preface to Politicians'' that introduces his ''John Bull's Other Island''. Caine's literary response to the debate is his controversial novel ''The White Prophet.'' Shaw reviews ''The White Prophet'' and opposes literary censorship in ''Bernard Shaw on Shams of Rule and of Religion''. Set in Egypt at the start of the twentieth century, twenty years into the British occupation and opening with a ceremonial re-enactment of the
Battle of Omdurman The Battle of Omdurman was fought during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan between a British–Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by British Commander-in-Chief (sirdar) major general Horatio Herbert Kitchener and a Sudanese army of the M ...
, ''The White Prophet'' is the story of Colonel Charles George Lord, a British officer who joins the crusade of Ishmael Ameer, a Muslim prophet against selfishness and sedition. Lord compares him with Christ and John the Baptist. Ameer plans a coup against the British in Sudan, after developing political ambitions. ''The White Prophet'' is Caine's only book never to have been reprinted; its sympathies for
Egyptian nationalism Egyptian nationalism is based on Egyptians and Egyptian culture. Egyptian nationalism has typically been a civic nationalism that has emphasized the unity of Egyptians regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Egyptian nationalism first manifes ...
rendered it a commercial failure. Caine used material from ''Mahomet'' and ''The Mahdi'' in the novel. Accompanied by his wife, he made three research visits to Egypt, March to May 1907, then January to May in 1908 and similarly in 1909 when he was joined by actor manager
Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...
. Cromer failed to meet Caine during his visit to Egypt in 1907, instead Caine wrote urging him to grant the Egyptians wish "for a speedy fulfilment of England's promise to get out of Egypt as soon as it was safe to do so" and to "yield to legitimate claims to national independence". Originally entitled ''The White Christ'', it was serialised in the British and US editions of ''The Strand Magazine'' between December 1908 and November 1909, and subsequently translated into seven languages. The Arabic translation was serialised in Cairo-based newspaper ''al-Minbar''.
Douglas Sladen Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen (5 February 1856, London-12 February 1947, Hove) was an English author and academic. Life Educated at Temple Grove School, East Sheen, Cheltenham College, and Trinity College, Oxford, in 1879 Sladen migrated to ...
read the first two instalments of ''The White Prophet'' and had the idea of writing a counterblast, the novel ''The Tragedy of the Pyramids: A Romance of Army Life in Egypt''. Closing the preface he writes "I felt bound to challenge the false light in which he presents the British Army of Occupation in Egypt to the public". A copyright performance was performed at the
Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...
, London on 27 November 1908. Beerbohm Tree's plans to produce a dramatised version at
His Majesty's Theatre, London Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established ...
, which he was to direct and star in, were abandoned following threats to lobby the Lord Chamberlain against granting a licence for the play, banning it. Cromer is reported to have protested to the Lord Chamberlain's Department that "the state of the Nationalist agitation in Egypt made a dramatic representation of some of its features injudicious". The character of John Lord is widely believed to be Cromer. Promoting the publication of ''The White Prophet'' by Heinemann on 12 August 1909, Caine published a series of eight articles ''Aspects of the East'' in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
''. Heinemann published Shaw's ''The Critics of The White Prophet'' as a pamphlet, endorsing the novel's political viewpoint. It was to have been the preface for the second edition. On 15 August 1910, Caine's new stage adaptation of ''The Deemster'' entitled ''The Bishop's Son'' opened at the Grand Theatre,
Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...
, with Caine's son, Derwent, playing Dan. It went on to open at London's
Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...
on 28 September 1910 with
Bransby Williams Bransby Williams (born Bransby William Pharez; 14 August 1870 – 3 December 1961) was a British actor, comedian and monologist. He became known as "The Irving of the music halls". Early years Born in Hackney, London, the son of William Me ...
as Dan, which ran for seven performances.


Controversy of ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me''

Caine's novel '' The Woman Thou Gavest Me: Being the Story of Mary O'Neill'', published by Heinemann in 1913, "caused the biggest furore of any of his novels". Translated into nine languages, worldwide advance orders for the book exceeded 200,000. From October 1912 it was serialised in Britain in ''Nash's Magazine'' and concurrently in the United States in '' Hearst's Magazine''. The following month serialisation began in ''
The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...
''.
Circulating libraries A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee. Overview Circulating li ...
divided new books into three categories: satisfactory, doubtful and objectionable. They attempted to boycott ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' along with
Compton Mackenzie Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish independence, Scottish nation ...
's ''Sinister Street'' and
W. B. Maxwell William Babington Maxwell (1866–1938) was a successful British novelist and playwright. Early life Born on 4 June 1866, William Babington Maxwell was the son of novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Irish businessman John Maxwell. The ...
's ''The Devil's Garden'', for failing their criteria. The authors directed a publicity campaign opposing the boycott. ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'', the second of Caine's novels to address the Woman Question, "arraigns the divorce laws" of the time. Father Bernard Vaughan, known for his sermons on ''The Sins of Society'', denounced Caine's book saying "it showed startling ignorance of Roman Catholic doctrine and practice". The novel was one of several books the Catholic Federation in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand wanted removed from sale. In
Wyndham, Western Australia Wyndham is the northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for ...
the committee of Little River Mechanics Institute Free Library ordered the book banned and burnt. American newspapers reported of a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
preacher's daughter that eloped and married the son of a prominent family, who later divorced her and took away her child. She was arrested on the street for Immorality. After three days in jail
Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate of the Soc ...
, five times Socialist candidate for
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
sheltered her in his home. It was Debs' "challenge to the Christianity of
Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...
", Indiana. Parallels were drawn between the problem that Debs handled in real life and Caine's fictional story of Mary O'Neill, who marries unhappily and ends up on the street without shelter, with the whole world turned against her. ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' was reprinted five times before the end of 1913 when nearly half a million copies had been sold.
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...
listed it as the most popular novel of that year. New York's Bookman, listed it as the fifth best-seller of October 1913. English fiction was represented in Europe by Hall Caine, as French fiction was by
Anatole France (; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...
, Italian by Gabriele D'Annunzio, and German by
Hermann Sudermann Hermann Sudermann (30 September 1857 – 21 November 1928) was a German dramatist and novelist. Life Early career Sudermann was born at Matzicken, a village to the east of Heydekrug in the Province of Prussia (now Macikai and Šilutė, i ...
. "Among English novelists who have made from fifty to sixty cents for every word in a long novel are Hall Caine and
Marie Corelli Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey, and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist. From the appearance of her first novel ''A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became the bestsel ...
. Compared with such money earners as these,
Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
,
Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...
, and
George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...
were poorly paid for their labor".


Politics

On 24 October 1901, Caine was elected a
Member of the House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...
in a by-election as a
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
for the constituency of
Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey ( gv, Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has ...
, by a majority of 267 votes. Caine sought election to the Keys after the collapse of Dumbell's Banking Company on Friday 2 February 1900. The crash resulted in a number of resignations and retirements, resulting in eleven by-elections. The Bank had held most of the island's cash deposits and left businesses and residents without money. At the General election in 1903 Caine was re-elected for another five years. During Caine's election campaign he supported dominion status for the Island with a Manxman as Lieutenant-Governor, a directly elected Legislative Council and departmental officials appointed by and responsible to
Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...
. A pamphlet entitled ''Hall Caine's Letters and Speeches on Manx Politics'' was published in 1903, containing his election speech and articles he wrote for the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' and ''
Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
'', describing his experiences and aspirations. In recognition of his single election speech Caine was appointed vice-president of the Land Nationalisation Society of Great Britain. The Manx National Reform League made constitutional and social reform the central issues in the general election of 1903, after an extra-parliamentary initiative by journalist and printer Samuel Norris. It was influenced by Liberal demands for political change in the United Kingdom. In 1903 Caine was elected the first president of the Manx National Reform League. In 1904 the new House of Keys established a committee on constitutional reform, chaired by Caine, that prepared the 1907 petition for constitutional reform. Caine retired from active politics in 1908. Due to the other pressures on his time he seldom spoke in the Keys. He also had little time to offer to politics on a larger scale. Prior to the Ramsey by-election, Caine was invited by
Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...
to stand for the
British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
but he refused.


The Great War

Caine was aged 61 at the outbreak of the Great War. The British secretly set up the War Propaganda Bureau under MP
Charles Masterman Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman PC (24 October 1873 – 17 November 1927) was a British radical Liberal Party politician, intellectual and man of letters. He worked closely with such Liberal leaders as David Lloyd George and Winston Church ...
. Caine was one of twenty-five leading authors Masterman invited to the Bureau's London headquarters,
Wellington House Wellington House is the more common name for Britain's War Propaganda Bureau, which operated during the First World War from Wellington House, a building on Buckingham Gate, London, which was the headquarters of the National Insurance Commission bef ...
on 2 September 1914 with the purpose of best promoting Britain's interests during the war. Shortly after, Caine was one of fifty-three of the leading authors in Britain to sign the 'Authors' Declaration', a manifesto drafted by Masterman stating that Britain "could not without dishonour have refused to take part in the present war." Issued on 17 September the document was sent by special cable to the ''New York Times''. Caine abandoned literary contracts in America valued at 150,000 dollars in order to devote all his energies to the British war effort. Following the
Rape of Belgium The Rape of Belgium was a series of systematic war crimes, especially mass murder and deportation and enslavement, by German troops against Belgian civilians during the invasion and occupation of Belgium in World War I. The neutrality o ...
Caine edited ''King Albert's Book'' in support of the exiled King Albert of Belgium. It was Caine's idea and was published at Christmas 1914 by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
''. The proceeds from the book, £20,000, went to the Daily Telegraph Belgium Fund, a fund created to support British efforts to receive and maintain Belgian refugees in Britain. In previous years Caine had edited several of these volumes already, the most recent for Queen Alexandra's charities in 1905 and 1908. Caine invited authors, artists, composers, statesmen and many notable people to present their view of events in Belgium. ''King Albert‘s Book'' contains contributions from two hundred and fifty of the most famous people of the time. Among the contributors are British
Prime Minister Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of ...
and then Lord of the Admiralty
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, painters
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
and John Collier and composer
Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
. King Albert of Belgium made Caine an Officer of the Order of Leopold of Belgium for his humanitarian aid to the Belgian refugees in 1918. Caine's portrait by the Belgian painter, Alfred Jonniaux, was presented to him by the Fine Art Department of the Belgian Government. Caine wrote extensively in the English, American and Italian newspapers. He claimed that by this work and his personal influence with Italian statesmen he greatly helped bring Italy into the war on the side of the allies. President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
had declared the United States neutral and his policy of neutrality was enormously popular with the American people. Caine urged America to join the war by writing articles, mainly for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and in 1915 he gave a series of lectures in the United States but these were not well received. In September 1915, at the conclusion of the first year of war, a series of articles featuring royalty, countries and events which included Archduke Ferdinand, the
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
and the
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania The was a UK-registered ocean liner that was torpedoed by an Imperial German Navy U-boat during the First World War on 7 May 1915, about off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. The attack took place in the declared maritime war-zone around th ...
that Caine had contributed to ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' were published as a book entitled ''The Drama of 365 Days: Scenes in the Great War''. Caine attended Nurse
Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...
's memorial service in
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
, London, on 29 October 1915; the World War I British nurse who is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers in Brussels from all sides without distinction. His account was published in The Daily Telegraph on 30 October and extensively in other newspapers. In 1916 he was invited to work with
Lord Robert Cecil Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, (14 September 1864 – 24 November 1958), known as Lord Robert Cecil from 1868 to 1923,As the younger son of a Marquess, Cecil held the courtesy title of "Lord". However, he ...
at the
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...
towards the creation of the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
after the end of the war. ''Our Girls: Their Work for the War'', is the title of Caine's Christmas book published by Messrs Hutchinson early in December 1916, consisting of a series of Caine's articles written for the
Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...
, together with additional stories of women's working lives in the factories and in the hospitals. It was designed to be a gift for munitions girls to send to their men at the front. The National War Aims Committee was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic propaganda. Caine was recruited for the committee by the Prime Minister
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...
to write the screenplay for the
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
film ''
Victory and Peace ''Victory and Peace'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Matheson Lang, Marie Lohr, and James Carew. The film was produced by the National War Aims Committee that was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic p ...
'', designed to show what would happen in a German invasion. Most of the negative of the newly finished film was destroyed in a fire at the offices of the London Film Company in June 1918. It was re-filmed over four-months, just as the war ended and was never released. Towards the end of 1917 Caine was offered a
baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
etcy in recognition of the contribution he made to the war effort as an allied propagandist and his position as a leading
man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
. Caine declined the hereditary peerage and accepted a
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
hood instead. He was made Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire(KBE), insisting on being called, not 'Sir Thomas' but 'Sir Hall'.


After the war

Begun in 1914 Caine's '' The Master of Man: The Story of a Sin'' had been set aside for the duration of the Great War and resumed on the day after armistice in 1918. It is the story of Bessie Collister who has an illegitimate child. The baby's father Victor Stowell, as judge, has to try Bessie for the murder of their child. Heinmann published the novel in July 1921. Of the initial one hundred thousand copies printed seventy thousand were advance orders. Due to his age and health Caine announced it was to be his last novel. Sales of ''The Eternal City'' in English had reached one million and fifty-two English editions of ''The Deemster'' had been published. A Collected Edition of Caine's novels followed, also published by Heinmann, issued not in order of publication but in the order of public demand. The following year Caine acquired the ''Sunday Illustrated'' newspaper which had been founded by
Horatio Bottomley Horatio William Bottomley (23 March 1860 – 26 May 1933) was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine ''John Bull (maga ...
. Caine's last novel '' The Woman of Knockaloe'' was brought out in 1923, this time published by Cassell's. Caine's strong anti-German feeling had turned to advocacy of reconciliation and pacifism. In the editorial note Newman Flower explains that the story was never intended to be published, but Flower happened to see the manuscript and persuaded Caine to publish it immediately. The book deals with the harm caused by racial hatred after Mona Craine, a British woman, falls in love with Oskar Heine, a German prisoner of war. The scene of the story is Knockaloe, a farm on the west coast of the Isle of Man, turned into an internment camp 1914–1918 for alien civilians. Caine was former part owner of the farm and suggested the establishment of the camp to the government. The camp was the first and largest of its kind in Europe, containing about twenty-five thousand aliens and two thousand British guard. The site was overlooked by Greeba Castle, Caine's Manx house, four miles away. That year he sold the ''Sunday Illustrated''. On Armistice Day 1923 Caine's first radio broadcast, ''A Counsel of Peace'', was made to the nation from the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
in London. Caine's last published work in his lifetime was a revised version of ''Recollections of Rossetti'', with a shortened title, to coincide with the 1928 centenary of Rossetti's birth. During the last eight years of his life Caine devoted himself to his life's work a ''Life of Christ'', which he had begun in 1893. On at least three occasions Caine visited
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and Transjordania, the last in 1929; consulting the best-known theologians of the time, and reading every book he could obtain on the subject. His health broke down under the strain and the book remained unfinished. In the statement he prepared for his obituary was written, "one-fifth of the book is in a form fit for publication, the remainder not being in a condition which renders it possible that another author should complete it". The statement was disregarded by his sons and after extensive editing the book was published posthumously by his sons in 1938. The handwritten manuscript, including text and words, contained three million words, much of it indecipherable, to the extent that Caine's former secretaries were called in to transcribe it. An editor, journalist Robert Leighton was employed to cut it down to half-a-million words. "It was severely criticised by the reviewers and the sales were not large". Along with
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, Caine received the
Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...
in October 1922 for his services to literature and was granted the
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
of Douglas in 1929 for promoting the Isle of Man through his writings.


Films


1910s

Most of Caine's novels have been made into
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
silent films. The first film adaptation is ''The Christian'' (1911), by
West's Pictures West's Pictures was a short-lived Australian film production and exhibition company during the silent era. It was established by English theatrical entrepreneur Thomas James West (1885-1916) who helped turn the company into one of Australia's large ...
in Australia. The twenty-eight-minute unauthorised film is the first directed by
Franklyn Barrett Walter Franklyn Barrett (1873 – 16 July 1964), better known as Franklyn Barrett, was an Australian film director and cinematographer. He worked for a number of years for West's Pictures. It was later written of the filmmaker that "Barrett's visu ...
. ''The Christian'' features the cast of the stage production by
William Anderson William Anderson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Anderson (artist) (1757–1837), painter of marine and historical paintings * William Anderson (theatre) (1868–1940), Australian stage entrepreneur * William Anderson (1911–1986), ...
's Company. An unauthorised film of ''The Bondman'' (1916) was made by
Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film ...
in the United States and is the first film they released under their De Luxe brand. All of Fox's 110 musicians accompanied ''The Bondman'' screenings. The music is composed by
Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...
, Fox's musical director. A financial and critical success it was re-released in 1918 as one of Fox's Big Six. A further film version of ''The Bondman'' was released as '' The Red Samson'' (1917) in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The director was
Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
, who had by 1916 become one of Hungary's most important directors. The first authorised film of a Caine novel is '' The Christian'' (1914) released in the United States by the Vitagraph Liebler Company. The first eight reel film they made. Vitagraph leased the Harris Theatre on West 42nd Street, for the purpose of exclusively showing their own films, opening with ''The Christian'' starring
Earle Williams Earle Williams (born Earle Raphael Williams; February 28, 1880 – April 25, 1927) was an American stage actor and film star in the silent era."EARLE WILLIAMS EXPIRES: Bronchial Pneumonia Ends Brilliant Career of Pioneer Filmland Favorite", ''L ...
and Edith Storey. Caine wrote the film scenario, the first time ever that a famous author undertook a film scenario of their own work. Vitagraph staff writer Eugene Mullins followed Caine's own scenario. Adapted and directed by established American screenwriter and director
George Loane Tucker George Loane Tucker (June 12, 1872 – June 20, 1921) was an American actor, silent film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Career Tucker was born George S. Loane in Chicago to George Loane and stage actress Ethel Tucker. After ...
, '' The Christian'' (1915) was made by the
London Film Company The London Film Company was a British film production company active during the silent era. Founded in 1913, the company emerged as one of the dominant forces in production during the First World War. With strong financial backing the company co ...
. The 9,000 feet film stars Caine's son
Derwent Hall Caine Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician. Biography Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumb ...
as John Storm. ''
The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...
'' (1916), also produced by the London Film Company and directed by Tucker, was filmed on the Isle of Man and, when released drew huge crowds in Britain and America. It was one of the few British films distributed in the United States that went on to become a financial and critical success. Starring Derwent Hall Caine and Marian Swayne '' The Deemster'' (1917), made in the United States, is the first special feature film
Arrow Film Corporation Arrow Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company during the silent era from 1915 to 1926. An independent company it operated alongside the established studios. Originally formed to supply films for Pathé Exchang ...
made. Shot on location on
Block Island, Rhode Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...
, the film was originally entitled ''The Bishop’s Son'' after Caine's 1910 stage adaptation of ''The Deemster'' in which Derwent had also played Dan Mylrea and on which the film is based. Caine remained closely involved with the production; based in England, Caine reviewed the scenario and produced drawings of the character of the buildings to be used.
Adolph Zukor Adolph Zukor (; hu, Zukor Adolf; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produ ...
's Famous Players Film Company produced the first version of ''The Eternal City'' (1915). The $100,000 epic film features stage star
Pauline Frederick Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey, August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...
. Made on location in London and Italy in 1914 the production was interrupted by the start of the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and was completed in New York. For distribution of initially ''The Eternal City'' and other prestigious feature-length films Famous Players created the Select Booking Agency. Caine cabled the producers after attending the British premiere at Marble Arch Pavilion, in London congratulating them. The film was re-released in 1918 as part of the Paramount "Success Series". Prime Minister
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...
recruited Caine in 1917 to write the screenplay for the propaganda film ''
Victory and Peace ''Victory and Peace'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Matheson Lang, Marie Lohr, and James Carew. The film was produced by the National War Aims Committee that was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic p ...
'' (1918), made in Britain and directed by
Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...
. Caine was appointed as chief adviser to the film campaign department of the National War Aims Committee. Lloyd George chose Caine due to his experience in the field of cinema and his "reputation as a man of letters". On 20 September 1917, in
Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...
, Brenon's representative obtained the film rights of ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' from
Derwent Hall Caine Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician. Biography Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumb ...
, Caine's American agent, intending to start work in November 1917. The film was advertised but it was never made by Brenon. Adapted for the screen by
Beulah Marie Dix Beulah Marie Dix (December 25, 1876 – September 25, 1970) was an American screenwriter of the silent and sound film eras, as well as a playwright and author of novels and children's books. She wrote for more than 55 films between 1917 an ...
, ''
The Woman Thou Gavest Me ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' is a 1919 silent film directed by Hugh Ford (director), Hugh Ford and starring Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, Katherine MacDonald and Milton Sills. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Famo ...
'' (1919) was made by
Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...
.
Katherine MacDonald Katherine Agnew MacDonald (December 14, 1891–June 4, 1956) was an American stage and film actress, film producer, and model. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was the older sister of actresses Miriam MacDonald and Mary MacLaren. ...
, stars in the film as Mary MacNeil. Immediately after completing ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' she set up her own production company.


1920s

Caine wrote the screenplay of ''
Darby and Joan Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to share a quiet life of mutual devotion. Usage ''The Nuttall Encyclopædia'' defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the ''Random House ...
'' (1920). Made by Master Films the film was directed by
Percy Nash The English surname Percy is of Normans, Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came i ...
featuring
Derwent Hall Caine Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician. Biography Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumb ...
and
Ivy Close Ivy Lilian Close (15 June 1890 – 4 December 1968) was a British actress. She acted in 44 films between 1912 and 1929.
. Many of the scenes were shot in the Isle of Man. The fourth film adaptation of '' The Christian'' (1923) was by
Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...
and directed by the celebrated
Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
. Along with some of the cast, Tourneur travelled to the Isle of Man for location shooting where they were joined by Caine who co-operated in the filming of his work and held daily conferences with Tourneur. After the film was completed in the United States a print was sent to Caine in London where he wrote the intertitles. Adapted and directed by A.E. Coleby '' The Prodigal Son'' (1923) was made by Stoll Pictures, the largest British film company of the early 1920s, as the centrepiece of their 1923 releases. Costing £37,000 it was at the time the most expensive British production made. The film's length at 18,454 feet made it the longest commercially made British film. The 4-hour 40-minute picture was released in two parts; part two titled ''The Return of the Prodigal''.
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
featured in '' The Eternal City'' (1923) by the Samuel Goldwyn Company. Directed by
George Fitzmaurice George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and producer. Career Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940, he directed ...
and shot on location in Rome less than a year after the
March on Rome The March on Rome ( it, Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration and a coup d'état in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, Fa ...
resulted in Mussolini's
National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...
rising to power in Italy. The film portrays Mussolini as a leader saving his people from communism. Caine disapproved of the adaptation and attempted to withdraw his name from it. The first American made film by noted Swedish actor-director
Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...
for
Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...
was adapted from
The Master of Man ''The Master of Man: The Story of a Sin'' was a best-selling 1921 novel by Hall Caine. The fictional story is set on the Isle of Man and is concerned with Victor Stowell, the Deemster's son, who commits a romantic indiscretion and then gives up ...
. The title was changed to "The Judge and the Woman" before settling on ''
Name the Man ''Name the Man'' is a surviving 1924 American silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström and starring Mae Busch. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures in association with Cosmopolitan Productions. Plot Arriving home late on ...
'' (1924).
Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...
began negotiating the film rights before the novel was finished. ''The Woman of Knockaloe'' was filmed by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
in 1927 as ''
Barbed Wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
'' and is the second American made film by German director
Erich Pommer Erich Pommer (20 July 1889 – 8 May 1966) was a German-born film producer and executive. Pommer was perhaps the most powerful person in the German and European film industries in the 1920s and early 1930s. As producer, Erich Pommer was involved ...
. It deals with a phase of WWI where German prisoners of war suffer the hatred of the French women and yet find romance. Then
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
arrived on the Isle of Man to film ''
The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...
'' (1929) but he and Caine did not get on well and the rest of the film was shot in Cornwall. ''The Manxman'' was Hitchcock's last silent film. Caine was not happy with it. The British silent film ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
'' (1929) was directed by
Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...
.


1930s

After retiring from the army in 1922, Colonel Hanna joined the
British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...
and held the position of vice-president and chief censor throughout the 1930s.
Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...
's plan to film ''The White Prophet'' was abandoned after objections by Colonel Hanna as he thought it contained scenes with "a tendency to bring the British army into contempt and ridicule" and that "no scene of cavalry charging the mob and causing 100 deaths….would be permissible on the screen". Shortly before Caine's death in 1931,
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
purchased the screen rights of ''The Christian'' with the intention of making a
talking picture A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...
. The rights were reported as selling for £8000.


Personal and domestic

In appearance Caine was a short man who tended to dress in a striking fashion. His eyes were dark brown and slightly protuberant, giving him an intense stare. He had red-gold hair and a dark red beard which he trimmed to appear like the Stratford
bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
; indeed if people did not notice the likeness he was inclined to point it out to them. He was also preoccupied throughout his life with the state of his health. This was often the result of overwork or other stresses in his life and he sometimes used nervous exhaustion as an excuse to escape from his problems. In 1912, their son Derwent Hall Caine had an illegitimate daughter, Elin, and she was brought up as Caine and Mary's child. By 1914 Mary at last had her own house in London: Heath Brow, which overlooked
Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...
. After the Great War this house had become too big, and Mary moved into Heath End House, again overlooking Hampstead Heath. By 1922 they were informally separated; Caine could not live with Mary, nor could he break with her completely. From that time, they both suffered from various ailments. On 31 August 1931, aged 78 Caine slipped into a coma and died at his home,
Greeba Castle Greeba Castle is a castle on the Isle of Man. Etymology The name is derived from Scandinavian: Gnipa, ''a peak''. Location The castle is situated in the parish of German (but close to the boundary with Marown) on the main A1 Peel Road in the ...
, Isle of Man. On his death certificate is the diagnosis of "cardiac syncope". Following his death messages of condolence were received from the Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...
, King George V and Queen Mary. At Caine's funeral on Friday 4 September 1931 representatives of all branches of public life in the Isle of Man followed the coffin. Sixty thousand Manx people and holiday makers paid tribute on the 25-mile journey. At Douglas great crowds lined the route and the majority of businesses closed. An address was made by the Bishop of Man. Caine was buried in Kirk Maughold
churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...
. A memorial service was held at
St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...
, London on 9 September 1931. Rev. R.J. Campbell gave the address. The Prime Minister was represented by Charles Patrick Duff, and A.J. Sylvester represented
Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for lea ...
. In March 1932, six months after her husband's death, Mary Hall Caine died from pneumonia. She was buried alongside her husband. An Irish limestone obelisk depicting six characters from Caine's novels and a likeness of Mary was erected over their grave. The design is based on the ancient Maughold Parish Cross that is preserved in the churchyard. The memorial is the work of artist Archibald Knox. A statue of Hall Caine stands in Douglas, financed by money from the estate of Derwent Hall Caine.


Postscript


Caine's legacy

Hall Caine was an enormously popular and best-selling author in his time. Crowds would gather outside his houses hoping to get a glimpse of him. He was "accorded the adulation reserved now for pop stars and footballers", and yet he is now virtually unknown. Allen suggests two reasons for this. First that, in comparison with Dickens, his characters are not clearly drawn, they are "frequently fuzzy at the edges" while Dickens' characters are "diamond-clear"; and Caine's characters also tend to be much the same as each other. Something similar could also be said about his plots. Possibly the main drawback is that although Caine's books can be romantic and emotionally moving, they lack humour; they are deadly earnest and serious.


Critical appraisals

* Despite his proving the wealthiest of Victorian novelists, Caine has been largely dismissed as a mere
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
tist by subsequent criticism. * G. K. Chesterton said in "A Defence of
Penny Dreadfuls Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred to ...
" that "it is quite clear that this objection, the objection brought by magistrates, has nothing to do with literary merit. Bad story writing is not a crime. Mr. Hall Caine walks the streets openly, and cannot be put in prison for an anticlimax." *
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
criticised Caine for his excessive
egotism Egotism is defined as the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance distinguished by a person's amplified vision of one's self and self-importanc ...
. * According to Luther Munday in ''A Chronicle of Friendships'',
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
said that Caine "wrote at the top of his voice."Munday, Luther, ''A Chronicle of Friendships'', p.98 (New York, 1896).
/ref>


Hall Caine Airport

Hall Caine Airport was an airfield on the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
which was located near
Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...
. It was named after the author by his sons Gordon Hall Caine and
Derwent Hall Caine Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician. Biography Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumb ...
, who were the project initiators and Hall Caine Airport flourished for a short period prior to the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. From 1935 to 1937 it handled domestic scheduled passenger flights to English, Scottish and Irish airports. By 1937 it had fallen into disuse, primarily due to its location. Both Gordon Hall Caine and
Derwent Hall Caine Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 18912 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician. Biography Caine was the son of British novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumb ...
were particularly keen on the development of an aerodrome as they saw it as another bit of the island as being associated with their late father. They were said to be extremely interested in the progress of the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...
and in particular its transport infrastructure. They also wished to include Ramsey's municipal authority in the project, as they were both of the opinion that the aerodrome would bring immense benefit to the town. The final commercial flight from Hall Caine Airport departed at 16:15hrs on Saturday 2 October 1937.


Bibliography


Prose fiction


Plays


Films


Non-fiction

Caine wrote countless articles and stories of which an account has never been kept.


Filmography

*1911 – '' The Christian'', based on the play. Directed by
Franklyn Barrett Walter Franklyn Barrett (1873 – 16 July 1964), better known as Franklyn Barrett, was an Australian film director and cinematographer. He worked for a number of years for West's Pictures. It was later written of the filmmaker that "Barrett's visu ...
in Australia. 28 minutes *1914 – '' The Christian'', based on the play and the novel. Directed by Frederick A. Thomson in USA. *1915 – '' The Eternal City'', based on the play and the novel. Directed by Hugh Ford and
Edwin S. Porter Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over ...
in USA. 120 minutes *1915 – '' The Christian'', based on the novel. Directed by
George Loane Tucker George Loane Tucker (June 12, 1872 – June 20, 1921) was an American actor, silent film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Career Tucker was born George S. Loane in Chicago to George Loane and stage actress Ethel Tucker. After ...
in UK. 120 minutes *1916 – ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
'', based on the novel. Directed by
Edgar Lewis Edgar Henry Mead Lewis (12 February 1902 – 26 April 1992) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1958 to 1974, representing the seat of Moore. Lewis was born in Fr ...
in USA. *1916 – ''
The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...
'', based on the novel. Directed by
George Loane Tucker George Loane Tucker (June 12, 1872 – June 20, 1921) was an American actor, silent film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Career Tucker was born George S. Loane in Chicago to George Loane and stage actress Ethel Tucker. After ...
in UK. 90 minutes *1917 – '' The Deemster'', based on the novel (also known as ''The Bishop's Son''). Directed by
Howell Hansel Howell Hansel (1860 – 1917), was an American film director. He directed 26 films between 1913 and 1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The ...
in USA. *1917 – '' The Red Samson'', based on the novel ''The Bondman''. Directed by
Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
in Hungary. 90 minutes *1918 – ''
Victory and Peace ''Victory and Peace'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Matheson Lang, Marie Lohr, and James Carew. The film was produced by the National War Aims Committee that was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic p ...
''. Directed by
Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...
in UK. *1919 – ''
The Woman Thou Gavest Me ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' is a 1919 silent film directed by Hugh Ford (director), Hugh Ford and starring Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, Katherine MacDonald and Milton Sills. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Famo ...
'', based on the novel. Directed by Hugh Ford in USA. 60 minutes *1920 – ''
Darby and Joan Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to share a quiet life of mutual devotion. Usage ''The Nuttall Encyclopædia'' defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the ''Random House ...
'', based on the novella. Directed by
Percy Nash The English surname Percy is of Normans, Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came i ...
in GB. 180 minutes *1923 – '' The Christian'', based on the play and the novel. Directed by
Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
in USA. 80 minutes *1923 – '' The Prodigal Son'', based on the novel. Directed by A. E. Coleby in UK and Iceland. 280 minutes *1923 – '' The Eternal City'', based on the novel. Directed by
George Fitzmaurice George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and producer. Career Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940, he directed ...
in USA. 80 minutes *1924 – ''
Name the Man ''Name the Man'' is a surviving 1924 American silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström and starring Mae Busch. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures in association with Cosmopolitan Productions. Plot Arriving home late on ...
'', based on the novel ''The Master of Man: the Story of a Sin''. Directed by
Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...
in USA. 80 minutes *1927 – ''
Barbed Wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
'', based on the novel ''The Woman of Knockaloe, a Parable''. Directed by Rowland V. Lee in USA. 67 minutes *1929 – ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
'', based on the novel. Directed by
Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...
in UK. *1929 – ''
The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previousl ...
'', based on the novel. Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
in UK. 90 minutes.


Footnotes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * *
Hall Caine's page on the ''Manx Literature'' website
*
Portraits
in the National Portrait Gallery
Objects relating to Hall Caine
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

The Sir Hall Caine Papers
(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA)
Film footage of Hall Caine and son, Derwent
, in the middle of the film, ''The King's Ride in the Isle of Man'' (1902), from the
BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

Film footage of Hall Caine, ''Last Interview at Isle of Ulan with Sir Hall Caine'' (1931), from ITN SourcePoems by Hall Caine on the PoemHunter websitePlays by Hall Caine on the Great War Theatre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caine, Hall 1853 births 1931 deaths Recipients of the Order of Leopold II Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour People from Runcorn 19th-century English novelists 20th-century English novelists 19th-century British journalists English male journalists People associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Manx writers Manx politicians Manx culture English male novelists 19th-century male writers Manx dramatists and playwrights 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights Victorian novelists 19th-century Manx writers 20th-century Manx writers Silent film people British male screenwriters 19th-century British writers 20th-century British writers 19th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century British screenwriters