Henry Mayhew
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Henry Mayhew (25 November 1812 – 25 July 1887) was an English journalist, playwright, and advocate of reform. He was one of the co-founders of the satirical magazine ''
Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...
'' in 1841, and was the magazine's joint editor, with
Mark Lemon Mark Lemon (30 November 1809, in London – 23 May 1870, in Crawley) was the founding editor of both ''Punch'' and '' The Field''. He was also a writer of plays and verses. Biography Lemon was born in Marylebone, Westminster, Middlesex, ...
, in its early days. He is also known for his work as a social researcher, publishing an extensive series of newspaper articles in the ''
Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...
'' that was later compiled into the book series ''
London Labour and the London Poor ''London Labour and the London Poor'' is a work of Victorian journalism by Henry Mayhew. In the 1840s, he observed, documented and described the state of working people in London for a series of articles in a newspaper, the ''Morning Chronicle'' ...
'' (1851), a groundbreaking and influential survey of the city's poor.


Biography


Early life

He was born in London, the thirteenth of 17 children of Joshua Mayhew. He was educated at
Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...
before running away from his studies to sea. He then served with the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
as a
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
on a ship bound for
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
. He returned after several years, in 1829, becoming a trainee lawyer in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.Taithe (1996), p. 9 He left this and became a freelance journalist. He contributed to ''The Thief'', a readers' digest, followed quickly by editing a weekly journal – ''Figaro in London''. Mayhew reputedly fled his creditors and holed up at the Erwood Inn, a small public house in the village of
Erwood Erwood ( cy, Erwyd) is a village and community lying beside the River Wye, on the A470 road some 6 miles south-east of Builth Wells in Powys, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 429. It is in the historic county ...
, south of
Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...
in Wales.


Paris and writing

In 1835, Mayhew found himself in a state of debt and, along with a fellow writer, escaped to Paris to avoid his creditors. He spent his time writing and in the company of other writers including
William 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 th ...
and
Douglas Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer. Biography Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...
. Mayhew spent over 10 years in Paris, returning to England in the 1850s, whereby he was involved in several literary adventures, mostly the writing of plays. Two of his plays – ''But, However'' and the ''Wandering Minstrel'' – were successful, whilst his early work ''Figaro in London'' was less successful.Taithe (1996), p. 10


''Punch'' magazine

On 17 July 1841, Mayhew cofounded ''Punch ''magazine. At its founding, the magazine was jointly edited by Mayhew and Mark Lemon. The two men hired a group of writers and also illustrators to aid them. These included Douglas Jerrold, Angus Reach, John Leech, Richard Doyle, and Shirley Brooks. Initially, it was subtitled ''The London Charivari'', this being a reference to a satirical humour magazine published in France under the title ''
Le Charivari ''Le Charivari'' was an illustrated magazine published in Paris, France, from 1832 to 1937. It published caricatures, political cartoons and reviews. After 1835, when the government banned political caricature, ''Le Charivari'' began publishing ...
'' (a work read often whilst Mayhew was in Paris). Reflecting their satiric and humorous intent, the two editors took for their name and masthead the anarchic glove
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
Mr. Punch. ''Punch'' was an unexpected success, selling about 6,000 copies a week in the early years. However, sales of as many as 10,000 issues a week were required to cover all costs of the magazine. In December 1842, the magazine was sold to Bradbury and Evans; Mayhew resigned as joint editor, and he continued at the magazine as "suggestor in chief" with Mark Lemon reappointed as editor. Mayhew eventually severed his connection with the magazine, writing his last article in February 1845. His brother
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
stayed on the board of Punch until his own death. The ''Punch'' years gave Mayhew the opportunity to meet talented illustrators whom he later employed to work from
daguerreotypes Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...
on ''
London Labour and the London Poor ''London Labour and the London Poor'' is a work of Victorian journalism by Henry Mayhew. In the 1840s, he observed, documented and described the state of working people in London for a series of articles in a newspaper, the ''Morning Chronicle'' ...
''. Following ''Punch'', Mayhew launched ''Iron Times'', a railway magazine. However, this venture lost Mayhew so much money that he was forced to appear in a court of
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in 1846.


Formative work

In 1842, Mayhew contributed to the pioneering ''
Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...
''. By this time, he had become reasonably secure financially, had settled his debts, and married Jane Jerrold, the daughter of his friend
Douglas Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer. Biography Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...
. She lived until 1880.


''London Labour and the London Poor''

The articles comprising ''London Labour and the London Poor'' were initially collected into three volumes in 1851; the 1861 edition included a fourth volume, co-written with Bracebridge Hemyng, John Binny, and Andrew Halliday, on the lives of prostitutes, thieves, and beggars. This extra volume took a more general and statistical approach to its subject than volumes one to three. Mayhew wrote in volume one: "I shall consider the whole of the metropolitan poor under three separate phases, according as they ''will'' work, they ''can't'' work, and they ''won't'' work". He interviewed everyone – beggars, street-entertainers (such as Punch and Judy men), market traders, prostitutes, labourers,
sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...
workers, even down to the "
mudlark A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The practice of searching the banks of rivers for items cont ...
s" who searched the stinking mud on the banks of the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
for wood, metal, rope, and coal from passing ships, and the "pure-finders" who gathered dog faeces to sell to tanners. He described their clothes, how and where they lived, their entertainments and customs, and made detailed estimates of the numbers and incomes of those practising each trade. The books show how marginal and precarious many people's lives were, in what, at that time, was the richest city in the world. Mayhew's richly detailed descriptions give an impression of what the street markets of his day were like. An example from volume one: Some of the London street traders did not like the way Mayhew wrote about them. In spring/summer 1851, they established a Street Trader's Protection Association to guard themselves against the journalist.


Family

Mayhew was the grandfather of Audrey Mayhew Allen (b. 1870), an author of a number of children's stories published in various periodicals, and of ''
Gladys in Grammarland ''Gladys in Grammarland'' is a novel by Audrey Mayhew Allen, written ca. 1897 and published by the Roxburghe Press of Westminster. It is an educational imitation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 book '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. In this stor ...
'', an
imitation Imitation (from Latin ''imitatio'', "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. ...
of
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
's ''Wonderland'' books.


Influence

Mayhew's work was embraced by and was an influence on the Christian Socialists, such as
Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes (20 October 182222 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. ...
, Charles Kingsley, and
F. D. Maurice John Frederick Denison Maurice (1805–1872), known as F. D. Maurice, was an English Anglican theologian, a prolific author, and one of the founders of Christian socialism. Since the Second World War, interest in Maurice has expanded."Fre ...
. Radicals also published sizeable excerpts from the reports in the '' Northern Star'', the '' Red Republican'', and other newspapers. The often sympathetic investigations, with their immediacy and unswerving eye for detail, offered unprecedented insights into the condition of the Victorian poor. Alongside the earlier work of
Edwin Chadwick Sir Edwin Chadwick KCB (24 January 18006 July 1890) was an English social reformer who is noted for his leadership in reforming the Poor Laws in England and instituting major reforms in urban sanitation and public health. A disciple of Uti ...
, they are also regarded as a decisive influence on the thinking of
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 ...
. Mayhew's work inspired the script of director
Christine Edzard Christine Edzard (born 15 February 1945)Christine Edzard
IMDb. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
is a
The Fool''. Mayhew has appeared as a character in television and radio histories of Victorian London ; he was played by
Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carter) ...
in the documentary ''
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
'' (2004), and
David Haig David Haig Collum Ward (born 20 September 1955) is an English actor and playwright. He has appeared in West End productions and numerous television and film roles over a career spanning four decades. Haig wrote the play '' My Boy Jack'', w ...
in the
Afternoon Play ''Drama'' (formerly ''Afternoon Theatre'', ''Afternoon Drama,'' ''Afternoon Play'') is a BBC Radio 4 radio drama, broadcast every weekday at 2.15pm. Generally each play is 45 minutes in duration and approximately 190 new plays are broadcast each ...
''A Chaos of Wealth and Want'' (2010). In the 2012 novel '' Dodger'' by
Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...
, Mayhew and his wife appear as fictionalised versions of themselves, and he is mentioned in the dedication.


Publications, Plays and Public Speeches: Select List

Although Mayhew is most remembered for his works of non-fiction, he also authored many plays, farces, novels, public speeches (many of which have been transcribed and subsequently published) alongside his numerous works of non-fiction and newspaper articles. *1831 Figaro in London o-founder and editor, weekly, radical paperref name="britannica.com">’’Henry Mayhew’’ iographical notes ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Mayhew * 1832 ''The Thief '' eriodical * 1834: ''The Wandering Minstrel: A Farce in One Act'' (farce first performed at the Fitzroy Royal Theatre, 16 January 1834) * 1838 But, however: A Farce in One Act lay by Henry Mayhew and Henry Bayliss * 1841-1842: Punch (satirical magazine, co-founded with Mark Lemon,
Ebenezer Landells Ebenezer Landells (Newcastle 1808 – 1 October 1860 London) was a British wood-engraver, illustrator, and magazine proprietor. Life Born in Newcastle, Landells was apprenticed to the wood-engraver Thomas Bewick. In 1829 he moved to London, ...
and possibly others) * 1844: ''The Comic Almanack '', vol 2, 1844 o-authored with William Makepeace Thackery, Gilbert Abbott A’ Beckett, Horace Mayhew (brother) and Albert Smith/ref> * 1847: ''The Greatest Plague of Life: or, the Adventures of a Lady in Search of a Good Servant, '' Carey and Hart, London, atirical novel, co-authored with Augustus Mayhew (brother)* 1849-1850: ''Survey of Labour and the Poor'' - series of 82 letters, surveying the conditions of the nation’s labouring population as published in the Morning Chronicle in 1849-1850 * 1851: ''London Labour and the London Poor'', 2 volumes, 1851, 1862 (reprinted 1865) ook, based on the Morning Chronicle articlesref name=jstor3825892>
* 1851 ''The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys and Family, who Came up to London to Enjoy Themselves and See the Great Exhibition'', George Newbold, London, 1851 omic novel * 1856: “The Great World of London” amphlet seriesref name=jstor3825892/>Anne Humphreys (ed), ''Voices of the Poor: Selections from the Morning Chronicle, 'Labour and the Poor' (1849-1850) by Henry Mayew'', Frank L Cass, NY, 1971, p. xviii * 1862: ''The Criminal Prisons of London: And Scenes of Prison Life'' * 1871: ''London Characters and the Humorous Side of London Life: with upwards of seventy illustrations'', Stanley Rivers, London, 1871


Notes


References

* Anne Humpherys (1984), Henry Mayhew, Boston/Mass.: OUP. * * Ole Münch (2017), Henry Mayhew and the Street Traders of Victorian London – A Cultural Exchange with Material Consequences, in: The London Journal. * * *


External links


London Labour and the London Poor
Mayhew, Henry, Published in London, 1861–62. Retrieved 7 July 2010

Punch Magazine History and FAQs * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayhew, Henry English magazine editors English male journalists People educated at Westminster School, London Oral historians 1812 births 1887 deaths 19th-century British journalists English male non-fiction writers Social documentary photographers 19th-century English male writers Punch (magazine) people Mayhew family British magazine founders British social commentators