Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton,
FRS (19 June 1809 – 11 August 1885) was an English poet, patron of literature and a politician who strongly supported
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
.
Background and education
Milnes was born in London, the son of
Robert Pemberton Milnes, of
Fryston Hall, Castleford,
West Yorkshire, and the Honourable Henrietta, daughter of
Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway. His grandmother was Rachel Slater Milnes (née Busk, 1760-1835), niece of
Sir Wadsworth Busk. Milnes was educated privately, and entered
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
, in 1827. There he was drawn into a literary set, and became a member of the famous
Apostles Club, which then included
Alfred Lord Tennyson,
Arthur Hallam
Arthur Henry Hallam (1 February 1811 – 15 September 1833) was an English poet, best known as the subject of a major work, '' In Memoriam'', by his close friend and fellow poet Alfred Tennyson. Hallam has been described as the ''jeune homme fa ...
,
Richard Chenevix Trench,
Joseph Williams Blakesley, and others.
After graduating with an M.A. in 1831, Milnes travelled abroad, spending some time at the
University of Bonn.
He went to Italy and Greece, and published in 1834 a volume of ''Memorials of a Tour in some Parts of Greece'', describing his experiences.
Political career
Milnes returned to London in 1837, and was elected to Parliament as member for
Pontefract as a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
.
In parliament he interested himself particularly in the question of
copyright and the conditions of reformatory schools.
He left
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Sir Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
's party over the
Corn Law controversy, and was afterwards identified in politics with
Lord Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
.
His easy good nature had the effect that his political career was viewed with less seriousness by his contemporaries than it might otherwise have been.
In 1848, he went to Paris to see something of the revolution, and to fraternise with both sides.
On his return he wrote, as a ‘Letter to Lord Lansdowne,' 1848, a pamphlet on the events of that year, in which he offended the conservatives by his sympathy with continental liberalism, and in particular with the struggle of Italy against Austria.
During the
Chartist riots of 1848,
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, lit ...
wrote to his mother:
Tell Miss Martineau it is said here that Monckton Milnes refused to be sworn in a special constable, that he might be free to assume the post of President of the Republic at a moment's notice.
In 1863, Palmerston elevated Milnes to the peerage as Baron Houghton, of Great Houghton in the West Riding of the County of York.
George W. E. Russell said of him: "As years advanced he became not (as the manner of most men is) less Liberal, but more so; keener in sympathy with all popular causes; livelier in his indignation against monopoly and injustice."
Literary career and interests
Milnes' literary career was often influenced by church matters. He wrote a tract in 1841, which was praised by
John Henry Newman. He took part in the discussion about "
Essays and Reviews", defending the
tractarian position in ''One Tract More'' (1841). He published two volumes of verse in 1838, ''Memorials of Residence upon the Continent'' and ''Poems of Many Years'', ''Poetry for the People'' in 1840 and ''Palm Leaves'' in 1844. He also wrote a ''Life and Letters of Keats'' in 1848, the material for which was largely provided by the poet's friend,
Charles Armitage Brown
Charles Armitage Brown (14 April 1787 – 5 June 1842) was a close friend of the poet John Keats, as well as a friend of artist Joseph Severn, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, Walter Savage Landor and Edward John Trelawny. He was the fat ...
. Milnes'
ballads were among the most popular of their day. In 1868, Lord Houghton was elected to the
Royal Society.
In 1870, he was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society.
Despite his piety, he had apparently an almost unsurpassed collection of
erotic literature
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feel ...
, which he bequeathed to the
British Library, a collection known to few in his lifetime. A man whom his biographer Saunders said, "had many fine tastes and some coarse ones," Milnes authored ''
The Rodiad'', a
pornographic
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, poem on the subject of
flagellation
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
.
However, his chief distinctions were his sense of literary merit in others, and the way he fostered it. He was surrounded by the most brilliant men of his time, many of whom he had been the first to acclaim. His reputation rests largely on the part he played, as a man of influence in society and in moulding public opinion on literary matters, in connection with his large circle of talented friends. He secured a pension for
Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
and, as an
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
, helped to make
Ralph Waldo Emerson known in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. He was one of the earliest champions of
Algernon Charles Swinburne and helped
David Gray by writing a preface for ''The Luggie''. He helped to obtain a job for
Coventry Patmore at the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
. He was, in the traditional sense, a patron of literature, who never abused the privileges of his position.
Women's rights
He admired the literacy brilliance in female writers and was a firm friend of the
Gaskell family of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. A champion of women's rights, in 1871 he served as a vice-president on the
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
Committee of the
National Association for the Promotion of Social Science and was president of the association in 1873. He supported Meta, the daughter of novelist
Elizabeth Gaskell in her work as the Representative of the Manchester Ladies' Educational Association and on
The North of England Council for Promoting the Higher Education of Women.
The Spectator reported upon Meta's death in 1913 that, "Lord Houghton once said that the conversation and society to be met with in the house of the Gaskells at Manchester –
Plymouth Grove – were the one thing which made life in that city tolerable for people of literary tastes".
Personal life
Milnes was a persistent suitor of
Florence Nightingale (who finally refused to marry him), and one of her staunchest supporters along with the statesman
Sidney Herbert.
On 30 July 1851, he married the Honourable Annabella Hungerford Crewe, daughter of
John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe
John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe (bap. 1772 – 4 December 1835) was an English soldier and a peer. He formed part of the first British embassy to China, and rose to the rank of General. Becoming estranged from the majority of his family, he spen ...
. Together they had three children:
*Hon. Amicia Henrietta Milnes (d. 4 Jul 1902). She married Sir Gerald FitzGerald. They had one known son, archaeologist Capt. Gerald Milnes FitzGerald (b. 5 October 1883).
*Hon. Florence Ellen Hungerford Milnes (d. 4 Apr 1923). She married Maj.-Gen. Arthur Henry Henniker-Major, son of
John Henniker-Major, 4th Baron Henniker. They had no issue.
*
Lord Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st and last Marquess of Crewe (12 Jan 1858 – 20 Jun 1945)
She died in 1874. Lord Houghton died at
Vichy, France, in August 1885, aged 76, and was buried at Fryston.
He was succeeded in the barony by his son, Robert, who became a prominent Liberal statesman and was created Earl of Crewe in 1895 and
Marquess of Crewe
Marquess of Crewe was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the Liberal statesman Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe. He had already been created Earl of Crewe, of Crewe, Cheshire, in 1895, and was made Ear ...
in 1911.
Richard and Annabella's two daughters were Amicia Henrietta and the novelist
Florence Henniker.
Milnes took an interest in
parapsychology
Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...
and was a member of the
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...
.
[Oppenheim, Janet. (1988). ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914''. Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ]
References
;Attribution
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron
1809 births
1885 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Society
Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society
Barons Houghton
Parapsychologists
Patrons of literature
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1847–1852
UK MPs 1852–1857
UK MPs 1857–1859
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UK MPs who were granted peerages
Bibliophiles
English male poets
19th-century English poets
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria