Henry Arthur Bright
Encyclopedia
Henry Arthur Bright was an English merchant and author.
), by Elizabeth Anne, eldest daughter of Hugh Jones, a Liverpool banker. The family pedigree goes back to Nathaniel Bright of Worcester (1493-1564), whose grandson, Henry Bright
, was canon of Worcester, and purchased the manor of Brockbury in the parish of Colwall, Herefordshire, which still remained in the family.
Henry Arthur Bright, who on his mother's side was related to Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton
, was educated at Rugby School
, under Archibald Tait, and at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he qualified for his degree, but as a nonconformist was unable to make the subscription then required as a condition of graduation. When this restriction had been removed, Bright and his relative James Heywood
were the first nonconformists to take the Cambridge degrees of B.A. (1857) and M.A. (1860).
. Bright was chairman of the sailors' home in Canning Street in 1867, and again in 1877; in the latter year the dispensary in the Custom House arcade was opened mainly through his exertions, and in August 1878 a second sailors' home, projected by him, was opened in Luton Street.
In 1865 he was placed on the commission of peace for the borough, and in 1870 for the county.
in a previous generation, as a centre of literary interests and literary friendships. He was a member of the Roxburghe Club
and of the Philobiblon Society, as well as of the local historical and literary societies. His personal intercourse with literary men and women was very extended and sympathetic, and was sustained by a wide correspondence, in which his own part was characterised by a singular fertility and charm. In the world of letters he will be best remembered by the frequent allusions to him in the 'Note-books' and biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne
, whose acquaintance he made at Concord, Massachusetts
in 1852. The friendship was renewed and deepened in the following year, when Hawthorne became consul at Liverpool. In 1854 they made a tour in Wales
together, and the friendship lasted until Hawthorne's death.
, but returned to Liverpool in the spring of 1884, and died on 5 May at his residence, Ashfield, Knotty Ash. In 1861 he had married Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Samuel H. Thompson of Thingwall Hall, and left three sons and two daughters.
, and contributed occasionally to the Christian Life, established in 1876. One of his most finished public speeches was at the Liverpool celebration of the Channing centennial. As a literary critic Bright wrote for the Examiner
, and contributed regularly to the Athenaeum
from 1871. His major literary success was the Year in a Lancashire Garden, 1879.
His publications include:
He also contributed a hymn ('To the Father through the Son') to Hymns, Chants, and Anthems, 1858, edited by John Hamilton Thorn for Renshaw Street Unitarian chapel
; and wrote (before 1858) 'The Lay of the Unitarian Church,' a spirited poem, originally contributed to a magazine (Sabbath Leisure, edited by John Relly Beard
), and issued anonymously and without date as a tract about 1870. To the same magazine he contributed a prose tale, 'The Martyr of Antioch', illustrating the early history of Arianism
; part of this was reprinted in the Christian Freeman.
Early life
Bright was born at Liverpool on 9 February 1830, the eldest son of Samuel Bright, J.P. (1799-1870 ; a younger brother of the pathologist Richard BrightRichard Bright (physician)
Richard Bright was an English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease.He was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, the third son of Sarah and Richard Bright Sr., a wealthy merchant and banker. Bright Sr. shared his interest in science with his son,encouraging him to consider it...
), by Elizabeth Anne, eldest daughter of Hugh Jones, a Liverpool banker. The family pedigree goes back to Nathaniel Bright of Worcester (1493-1564), whose grandson, Henry Bright
Henry Bright (teacher)
Henry Bright was an Usher, and then Headmaster, at King's College, Worcester. He is mentioned in Worthies of England, by Thomas Fuller as an exceptional teacher...
, was canon of Worcester, and purchased the manor of Brockbury in the parish of Colwall, Herefordshire, which still remained in the family.
Henry Arthur Bright, who on his mother's side was related to Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton
Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton
Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton FRS was an English poet, patron of literature and politician.-Background and education:...
, was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, under Archibald Tait, and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he qualified for his degree, but as a nonconformist was unable to make the subscription then required as a condition of graduation. When this restriction had been removed, Bright and his relative James Heywood
James Heywood (philanthropist)
James Heywood was a British MP, philanthropist and social reformer.He was born in Manchester, the son of banker Nathaniel and Ann Heywood, and was the brother of Benjamin Heywood and Thomas Heywood and grandson of Thomas Percival...
were the first nonconformists to take the Cambridge degrees of B.A. (1857) and M.A. (1860).
In business
On leaving Cambridge Bright became a partner with his father in the shipping firm of Gibbs, Bright, & Co., by whose enterprise regular communication was established between this country and AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Bright was chairman of the sailors' home in Canning Street in 1867, and again in 1877; in the latter year the dispensary in the Custom House arcade was opened mainly through his exertions, and in August 1878 a second sailors' home, projected by him, was opened in Luton Street.
In 1865 he was placed on the commission of peace for the borough, and in 1870 for the county.
Literary friendships
In Liverpool he held a place unique in his time, but akin to that filled by William RoscoeWilliam Roscoe
William Roscoe , was an English historian and miscellaneous writer.-Life:He was born in Liverpool, where his father, a market gardener, kept a public house called the Bowling Green at Mount Pleasant. Roscoe left school at the age of twelve, having learned all that his schoolmaster could teach...
in a previous generation, as a centre of literary interests and literary friendships. He was a member of the Roxburghe Club
Roxburghe Club
The Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
and of the Philobiblon Society, as well as of the local historical and literary societies. His personal intercourse with literary men and women was very extended and sympathetic, and was sustained by a wide correspondence, in which his own part was characterised by a singular fertility and charm. In the world of letters he will be best remembered by the frequent allusions to him in the 'Note-books' and biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, whose acquaintance he made at Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
in 1852. The friendship was renewed and deepened in the following year, when Hawthorne became consul at Liverpool. In 1854 they made a tour in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
together, and the friendship lasted until Hawthorne's death.
Later life and death
In 1882 his health, never robust, began seriously to give way. He tried the effect of a sojourn in the south of France, and a winter at BournemouthBournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, but returned to Liverpool in the spring of 1884, and died on 5 May at his residence, Ashfield, Knotty Ash. In 1861 he had married Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Samuel H. Thompson of Thingwall Hall, and left three sons and two daughters.
Works
He was a Unitarian in religion, and from 1856 to 1860 wrote to guide the policy of the Inquirer newspaper towards conservative unitarianism. He wrote also in the Christian ReformerChristian Reformer
The Christian Reformer was a British Unitarian magazine edited by Robert Aspland....
, and contributed occasionally to the Christian Life, established in 1876. One of his most finished public speeches was at the Liverpool celebration of the Channing centennial. As a literary critic Bright wrote for the Examiner
Examiner
The Examiner was a weekly paper founded by Leigh and John Hunt in 1808. For the first fifty years it was a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles, but from 1865 it repeatedly changed hands and political allegiance, resulting in a rapid decline in readership and loss of...
, and contributed regularly to the Athenaeum
Athenaeum (magazine)
The Athenaeum was a literary magazine published in London from 1828 to 1921. It had a reputation for publishing the very best writers of the age....
from 1871. His major literary success was the Year in a Lancashire Garden, 1879.
His publications include:
- A Historical Sketch of Warrington AcademyWarrington AcademyWarrington Academy, active as a teaching establishment from 1756 to 1782, was a prominent dissenting academy, that is, a school or college set up by those who dissented from the state church in England...
, 1859, 8vo (reprinted from the Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, vol. xi.; chiefly drawn up from original papers in his possession). - The Brights of Colwall, 1872, 8vo (reprinted from The Herald and Genealogist, vol. vii.)
- Some Account of the Glenriddell MSS. of BurnsRobert BurnsRobert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
's Poems, 1874, 4to (these manuscripts had been deposited in the Liverpool AthenaeumLiverpool AthenaeumThe Athenaeum originated as a gentlemen's club in Liverpool, England. It has been in continuous use since the end of the 18th century. The club was founded to ensure the up-to-date provision of newspapers and pamphlets, and to create a library for the use of the merchants and professional...
Library by the widow of Wallace Currie, son of Burns's biographer; Bright first made them known, communicating the unpublished matter to the 'Athenæum' of 1 Aug. 1874). - Poems from Sir Kenelm Digby's Papers, 1877, 4to (edited for the Roxburghe ClubRoxburghe ClubThe Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
from papers long in the possession of the Bright family). - A Year in a Lancashire Garden, 1879, 8vo (first published, month by month, in the Gardeners' Chronicle for 1874; fifty copies were privately printed in 1875; the published volume has considerable additions; there are two editions, same year).
- The English Flower Garden, 1881, 8vo (originally contributed as an article to the Quarterly ReviewQuarterly ReviewThe Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
, April 1880). - 'Unpublished Letters from Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
to the Rev. John Prior EstlinJohn Prior EstlinJohn Prior Estlin was an English Unitarian minister, noted as a teacher and for his connections in literary circles.-Life:He was born at Hinckley, Leicestershire, 9 April 1747, was the son of Thomas Estlin, hosier, by his wife, née Prior. His education was undertaken by his mother's brother, the...
', 1884, 4to (printed for the Philobiblon Society; the letters belong to Coleridge's Unitarian period, and include a previously unprinted poem).
He also contributed a hymn ('To the Father through the Son') to Hymns, Chants, and Anthems, 1858, edited by John Hamilton Thorn for Renshaw Street Unitarian chapel
Unitarian Chapel, Liverpool
The Unitarian Chapel, Liverpool is in Ullet Road, Sefton Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, England . It is a Grade I listed building and is an active Unitarian church...
; and wrote (before 1858) 'The Lay of the Unitarian Church,' a spirited poem, originally contributed to a magazine (Sabbath Leisure, edited by John Relly Beard
John Relly Beard
John Relly Beard was an English Unitarian minister who wrote more than thirty books in his lifetime.-Life:He was born in Portsmouth on 4 August 1800, the first child of a tradesman, John Beard, and his wife Ann Paine. Afer schooling in Portsmouth and in France he went joined Manchester College,...
), and issued anonymously and without date as a tract about 1870. To the same magazine he contributed a prose tale, 'The Martyr of Antioch', illustrating the early history of Arianism
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
; part of this was reprinted in the Christian Freeman.