| AdminHistory | Born at Bath, 1780; aged ten, sent to London to an attorney's office, and was influenced by the democratic principles of the London Corresponding Society; consequently removed by his father and sent to the office of another attorney at Chatham; returned after two and a half years to London as a clerk in Gray's Inn; left the law; married, 1800; began business as a bookseller in Lambeth Walk; removed to St Martin's Churchyard, but suffered losses from fire; with his friend John Bone established in Albion Street, Blackfriars Bridge, an institution, 'Tranquillity', combining the features of a savings bank, insurance office, and registry office, but although persons of substance acted as trustees, like Hone's other philanthropic and commercial schemes the bank soon failed; partnership with Bone as a bookselling firm was also unsuccessful; became bankrupt; again started business in May's Buildings, St Martin's Lane, and High Street, Bloomsbury; compiled the index to an edition of Lord John Bourcier Berners's 'Froissart'; chosen by the booksellers as trade auctioneer, 1811; had a counting-house in Ivy Lane; paid more attention to public than to personal affairs - notably, at this time, lunatic asylums - and failed a second time; with a family of seven children, lived in humble lodgings in the Old Bailey, supporting them by contributions to the 'Critical Review' and 'British Lady's Magazine'; took a small shop at 55 Fleet Street, and was twice robbed; published the 'Traveller' newspaper, 1815; therein defended Elizabeth Fenning, a servant hanged - against popular opinion - for poisoning her employers; a witness at inquests held on two persons shot during the Corn Bill riots in Old Burlington Street, and published reports of both; commenced the 'Reformer's Register', a weekly periodical, but it ceased the same year, 1817; an exponent of freedom of the press and cheap literature; began to write and publish satirical pieces directed against the government, 1817; these included 'The late John Wilkes's Catechism', 'The Sinecurist's Creed', and 'The Political Litany', illustrated by George Cruikshank, and pieces parodying the litany, Athanasian creed, and church catechism; prosecuted by the Attorney-General; brought to trial on three separate charges, but acquitted on them all; Hone's courage and learning displayed in speeches in his own defence excited public sympathy; received over £3,000 from a public subscription and was able move from the Old Bailey to a large shop at 45 Ludgate Hill; having begun a friendship with Cruikshank in 1815, the artist etched several caricatures on the result of the trial, as well as reduced copies of engravings by Gillray, which Hone intended to publish in a work justifying his parodies; Hone wrote his well-known 'Political House that Jack Built' (which soon ran through fifty-four editions), 1819; its popularity was largely owing to Cruikshank's woodcuts; Hone's other squibs on the Prince Regent were also illustrated by Cruikshank; Hone published 'A Slap at Slop', a burlesque on the 'New Times' newspaper, 1820; was attacked in verses in his own style, entitled 'Slop's Shave at a Broken Hone'; issued a 'Catalogue of Ancient and Modern Books' on sale at Ludgate Hill, including trials, engraved portraits, and a few oil-paintings; published cheap popular reprints at 6d, known as 'Hone's editions'; for the illuminations celebrating the victory obtained by the press for the liberties of the people (thought to be assailed by attacks on Queen Caroline), Cruikshank painted for Hone's shop-front a transparency, engraved in the 'Political Showman', 1820; Hone announced that he was to publish a 'History of Parody' in monthly parts, with engravings, but although advertised from time to time from 1820 to 1824 the book never appeared; his 'Apocryphal New Testament' (1820) was severely criticised in the 'Quarterly Review', 1821; his political satires were extremely popular; gradually withdrew from politics; brought out 'Ancient Mysteries', compiled from materials collected for his defence during his three trials, 1823; wrote a pamphlet, 'Aspersions Answered', partly with reference to the notice in the 'Quarterly Review', 1824; Hone's weekly miscellany, the 'Every Day Book', was commenced, 1826; since the sale was small, arrested for debt; published the 'Table Book', 1827-1828; collected a few complete sets of his controversial pamphlets and issued them as 'Facetiæ and Miscellanies', with 120 engravings by Cruikshank, 1827; edited Strutt's 'Sports and Pastimes', 1830; during the struggle for electoral reform, produced a couple of squibs in his old manner, 1832; helped by friends to take the Grasshopper Coffee-house, Gracechurch Street, but the venture was not successful; contributed to early numbers of the 'Penny Magazine'; joined a religious community, and became very devout, frequently preaching at the Weigh House Chapel, Eastcheap; while sub-editing the 'Patriot', had an attack of paralysis, 1837; published the 'Year Book', 1839; died at Tottenham, 1842; Cruikshank and Charles Dickens attended the funeral; his library and collections were sold by Henry Southgate & Co, 1843. Publications: over 65 pamphlets and other publications on political and other subjects. |
| CustodialHistory | Part of the library of Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957), linguistic psychologist, founder of the Orthological Institute and originator of the language system Basic English, whose interests in language systems are reflected in the subject matter of his collection, which comprised individual manuscripts and manuscript collections dating from the 14th to the 20th century. |