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Ten Minutes with William Hone Kyle Grimes © 2013 University of Alabama at Birmingham Ten Minutes with William Hone Kyle Grimes © 2013 University of Alabama at Birmingham Hone is known today chiefly in three historical contexts: In 1817 he successfully defended himself against the Attorney General's ex officio charges of blasphemy and sedition, thus earning a significant place in the history of a free press in England. In 1819-21 he collaborated with George Cruikshank to produce a series of illustrated satirical pamphlets whose wide popularity helped define the public reaction to such events as the "Peterloo" massacre and the Queen Caroline affair. In 1825-27 he edited and published the Every-Day Book, an antiquarian miscellany that was widely read and influential throughout the nineteenth century. The following paragraphs—a "ten minute biography"—will outline the salient aspects of Hone's life. For more information on any of these matters, I invite readers to explore the William Hone BioText at honearchive.org. ________________________________________________________________________ A Ten-Minute Biography of William Hone __________________________________________________ The Hone family moved to London in Reeves' Association where it earned A London Childhood 1783 where the older William Hone the accolades of the secretary. was soon employed as a legal copyist 1780-1800 With help from his father, Hone and where his son grew up in a house began work as a "factotum" and legal Hone was born in Bath on 3 June, on Grafton Street—at the time bor- copyist in 1793 or 94. His 1780—his entry into the world dering the open countryside of what "professional life" soon brought him occurring almost simultaneously with would soon become Regent's Park. The into contact with a much wider view of the Gordon Riots in London. Hone's events of 1789 reverberated through the world—including poetry, theater, father, also William Hone, was a the Hone household—as they did and radical politics. Hone began to devoutly religious man, though as a throughout England—and the family doubt the religious foundations of his follower of the charismatic preacher subscribed to a newspaper and, as upbringing and he became affiliated William Huntington S.S., he was Hone put it later, "We became with a branch of the London Cor- technically a dissenter. His enthusi- politicians." In fact, the young Hone, responding Society. Hone's father, asm was such that he lived according at the age of 12, soon assembled his concerned about this turn in his son's to the strict discipline of his faith, and first "publication": a half-sheet thinking, secured a position for him in he may well have inculcated in his broadside entitled The Contrast that Chatham, where Hone spent two or sons a deep skepticism about the sets the freedoms of the English three years in the later 1790s and established church and other such constitution against the slavery of the where he wrote some poetry in his institutions. French. A copy of this privately printed little free time. Soon, however, Hone work was sent to the conservative was back in London working to make the bankruptcy courts. They had to Hone once again publicized the case. his way in the book trade. liquidate all their assets—"wearing He also wrote a short narrative apparel and the wearing apparel of pamphlet about the case—La Pie their wives and children only Voleuse, or the Maid and the Magpie— Early Professional Life: excepted," as the court order put it— which was very popular in itself and "Tranquillity" and the Book and give the proceeds to their many which inspired Hone to produce other Trade creditors. pamphlets documenting the abuses of 1800-1810 power within the legal and political systems. In July of 1800, Hone married Sarah Projects and Publishing Johnson, the daughter of his landlady 1810-1815 who was also an old family friend. One In 1810, therefore, Hone had to Radical Publisher: A year later, the Hones first child was make a fresh start at a career. This is Parodist on Trial born—a daughter named after her a sparse period in the surviving mother. Every two or three years for 1815-1818 documents. Capitalizing on his the next twenty years or so, the Hones The years 1815-1817 saw Hone expertise in the antiquarian book ushered a new child into the family. consolidating his status as a writer of trade, Hone set himself up as an The growing numbers put some radical critiques of the government, auctioneer of private libraries. Soon, urgency into Hone's efforts to find and, in addition, he began to write in however, his philanthropic energy profitable employment, and through his characteristic parodic/satirical turned toward other projects. In 1813 the first decade of the 19th-century he style. (With hyperbolic conservative and 14, for example, Hone worked tried several ventures—from book and rhetoric about the end of the war with with James Bevans and Edward stationery shops to editing (e.g. the France and the excesses of the Prince Wakefield to develop a new form of popular cookbook called Millington's Regent, he was by no means short of asylum for the humane treatment of Cookery [1805]). material.) In addition, Hone continued the insane. The three pursued the to publish the public journalistic Two ventures are particularly project with some vigor, but were exposés that were already associated significant in this context. First Hone, ultimately foiled due to a lack of with him. For example, just days after together with LCS acquaintance John wealthy supporters. Fortunately, in the Spa Fields Riots of late 1816, Hone Bone, tried to establish a kind of January of 1814 Hone was named the published his own account of the savings bank/annuity company called "Literary Editor" of the venerable affair—and his account included a Tranquillity. Though an eminently Critical Review, a position he held for broader social and economic analysis sensible idea which was in many ways about 18 months. The status (and founded loosely on the principles of well ahead of its time, and though the salary) afforded to Hone by this Thomas Spence. project earned the good opinions of position enabled him to open a several influential persons, it was bookselling shop at 55 Fleet Street, forced to close for lack of funds less where he moved with his family in that one year after its initial December of 1814. Shortly thereafter establishment. Ten years later, Hone a series of events caused Hone to recalled the venture as a kind of move increasingly into a "watchdog learning experience for the young journalism" that would eventually entrepreneur and social reformer: "It bring him to the attention of the [the Tranquillity project] was very Attorney General. Quixotic—we were mad; mad because The first event was Hone's concern we supposed it possible, if an intention with the miscarriage of justice (as he were good, that it would therefore be saw it) regarding the shooting death of carried into effect" (Third Trial, p. 20). Edward Vyse. Vyse had been present The second venture—a book and during a street protest about the Corn print shop—was also undertaken in Laws and was shot from the windows partnership with Bone. While the of the home of the MP Frederick Bone/Hone bookshop was not a Robinson. Hone, who was closely financial success, it did provide a involved in the subsequent trial, saw space wherein Hone was able to that every effort was being made to establish friendships with such figures insure that no person of real stature as Sir Richard Phillips, Lord would be held responsible. Hone took Skeffington, and, at the opposite end it upon himself to publicize this of the social and political spectrum, miscarriage of justice. Francis Place and Thomas Spence. In The second event was the trial and addition, Hone was able to establish a execution of Elizabeth Fenning, a reputation for himself as an expert in servant girl who was accused of antiquarian books and prints. That poisoning the family of her employer. said, in the fall of 1810, the stack of The evidence against Fenning was At the beginning of 1817—when unpaid bills overwhelmed the partners, scant and entirely circumstancial, and political tensions and the threat of and the only way forward was through social unrest were running so high that the government suspended habeas the jury returned a verdict of "Not Gang, and The Political Show-man, At corpus—Hone began publishing a Guilty" which was met by enthusiastic Home! Each of these works was radical weekly newspaper called the cheers from the gallery. The trials extremely popular; indeed, Hone and Reformists' Register and he wrote and were widely publicized and as a result Cruikshank were among the best- published four parodic pamphlets that Hone became a popular hero—a kind selling writers in England during this used the forms of church liturgy to of humble common man who had tumultuous period. attack the self-serving corruption of bravely stood up to the political What is less known about this the current government. These latter authorities of the day. The forces of extraordinarily productive period is pamphlets caught the eye of Home repression, as Hone put it later, had Hone's continuing fascination with Secretary Lord Sidmouth and his been "laughed out of court." antiquarianism. In 1820, Hone network of domestic spies, and on 3 published a highly controversial edition May, 1817, Hone was arrested on ex of the Apocryphal New Testament officio charges of blasphemy and Illustrated Satire, which was set in double column pages sedition. He was held in the King's Adaptations, and the in imitation of the standard format of Bench prison until 2 July when he was Apocryphal New Testament the Bible.
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