Sir John Hawkins (29 March 1719 – 21 May 1789) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

author and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson and

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whig politician. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twi ...

. He was part of Johnson's various clubs but later left The Literary Club after a disagreement with some of Johnson's other friends. His friendship with Johnson continued and he was made one of the executors of Johnson's will. During his life, he wrote many works, including ''A General History of the Science and Practice of Music'' and his ''

Life of Samuel Johnson Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy tra ...

'' in memory of his friend. He was appointed as a magistrate and later became Chairman of the

Quarter Session The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established i ...

for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbouri ...

. He was knighted in 1772 for his services.

Biography

Hawkins first was brought up to follow in the footsteps of his father to become an architect. However, before the age of 30 he established a successful business as a solicitor. He married Sidney Storer in 1753 and retired from all professional vocations in 1759 after his wife had received a large inheritance due to the death of her brother. In 1760 the family moved to Twickenham, near Horace Walpole, where Hawkins published an edition of Walton's ''The Complete Angler; Or, Contemplative Man's Recreation: Being a Discourse On Rivers, Fish-Ponds, Fish, and Fishing''. In 1763, he published a document on the state of the Highways which has been considered to be the basis for the Highway Act 1835. Following the commission of the peace in 1771 he acted as a magistrate for the county of Middlesex. Hawkins was knighted in 1772, and served as Chairman of the

.Davis (1961), p. xi In 1773, he provided the notes for a new Shakespeare edition. It took Hawkins 16 years to write ''A General History of the Science and Practice of Music'' which was published in

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

. Although this publication was somewhat respected, it soon was overshadowed, with the help of the likes such as Dr Callcott who composed a mocking song against Hawkins, by Charles Burney's ''General History of Music'' (1776–89). However, in years to come Hawkins's music history was considered to be superior to Burney's music history (compare the 1875 edition of Hawkins's work). Burney's discourse on Handel and Bach was viewed as being particularly inadequate. Within hours of Johnson's death, Thomas Cadell and William Strahan asked Hawkins to write a biography and an edition of works for Johnson.Davis (1961), p. xii He soon produced the first full-length biography of Johnson, the ''

'' (1787). This has been largely eclipsed, except for specialists, by the far longer and more colourful work (with the same title) published by

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the English writer S ...

four years later. But Hawkins had known Johnson about twice as long as Boswell, since the 1740s, and his work, from which Boswell freely pillaged, covers some aspects of Johnson much better. Hawkins was more attuned to Johnson's strongly religious nature, and was with Johnson when he died, unlike Boswell who had been in Scotland for some months.

Family

Hawkins married in 1753 the heiress Sidney Storer (1726–1793), second daughter of the attorney Peter Storer. With two daughters who died in infancy, their children were two sons,

John Sidney Hawkins John Sidney Hawkins (baptised 11 February 1758 – 12 August 1842) was an English antiquarian. Considered reclusive, he is known largely for his publications. Life He was the eldest son of Sir John Hawkins and his wife Sidney Storer; the writer L ...

and Henry, and a daughter, the novelist

Laetitia Hawkins Laetitia Matilda Hawkins (baptized 8 August 1759 – 22 November 1835) was an English novelist, associated with Twickenham. She was the daughter of Sir John Hawkins, an acquaintance of Samuel Johnson. Hawkins was an outspoken yet highly conserv ...

Notes

References

* Davis, Bertram. "Introduction" in ''The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.'', ed. Bertram H. Davis, pp. vii-xxx. New York: Macmillan Company, 1961.
John Hawkins (1719 - 1789)

External links

On his life & works, especially the Life of Johnson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, John 1719 births 1789 deaths English non-fiction writers English music historians English male non-fiction writers 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers Knights Bachelor

Biography

Family

Notes

References

Further reading

External links