Robert Barnabas Brough
Encyclopedia
Robert Barnabas Brough was an English writer. He wrote poetry, novels and plays and was a contributor to many periodicals.
, also a playwright, John Cargill Brough (1834–1872), a science writer, and Lionel
, a comic actor. The family moved to Pontypool
in Monmouthshire
, where his father ran a brewery and public house. His father was briefly kidnapped by the Chartists in 1839 and was a crown witness at the trial of the Chartist leader John Frost
, which resulted in Frost's deportation to Australia
. The family was ostracized and ruined financially as a result, and moved to Manchester
in 1843, where Brough worked as a clerk in order to contribute to the family income.
In 1847, Brough established the Liverpool Lion, a comic periodical, writing satiric articles and drawings. He worked with his brother William to write a Victorian burlesque play, The Enchanted Isle, which was produced in Liverpool in 1848 before transferring to London. Moving to London, he wrote other successful burlesques including Medea (1856) and Masaniello (1857), as well as other collaborative productions with his brother William including The Sphinx (1849) and The Last Edition of Ivanhoe (1850).
Brough also wrote essays and poems for journals and newspapers, including for a period being the Brussels
correspondent of the Sunday Times. Songs of the Governing Classes (1855), a book of radical poems, is his best known work. In it, Brough critiqued the handling of the Crimean war
and launched an attack on the upper classes through his satiric fictional portraits of aristocratic figures.
Brough also penned a parody of Edgar Allan Poe
's "The Raven
" called "The Vulture; An Ornithological Study" which was published in the December 1853 issue of Graham's Magazine
, though he was not credited. The poem was later reprinted in William Evans Burton
's "Cyclopedia of Wit and Humor" (1858), this time with his name attached. He also published much-praised translations of poetry, including those of Victor Hugo
.
In 1860 Robert Brough edited the magazine the "Welcome Guest" for John Maxwell
, and was editor at the time of the first contribution by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
.
In 1859 Brough published a short story entitled "Calmuck" in Charles Dickens
' magazine Household Words
. It was a thinly disguised account of William Holman Hunt
's experience painting his picture The Hireling Shepherd
and of his relations with his model Emma Watkins. Hunt wrote an outraged letter to Dickens, who claimed that to be unaware that the story was based on real events.
Brough was a popular member of a ‘bohemian’ circle of journalists, writers and playwrights. He was a founder of the Savage Club
in 1857, and helped support the families of deceased writers and numerous working-class causes through benefit performances.
He married actress Elizabeth Romer. They had three children including a daughter, Frances "Fanny" Whiteside Brough (1852–1914), an actress known for her portrayal of Kitty Warren in the 1905 staging of George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession; and a son, Lionel Barnabas Brough (1857–1906), known professionally as Robert Brough, who became an actor-manager. Robert Barnabas Brough was also related to Robert Brough Smyth
.
On 26 June 1860, Robert Brough died at 8 Boundary Street, Hulme, near Manchester, leaving his widow and three children with little money to support them. The Savage Club, with the help of five leading London theatres, arranged a benefit performance to establish a fund to support them, with Charles Dickens
as a trustee.
Life and work
Brough was born on April 10, 1828 in London, the son of Barnabas Brough (d. 1854), a brewer and wine merchant and Frances Whiteside, a poet. His brothers were WilliamWilliam Brough (writer)
-Life and works:Brough was born in London, the son of Barnabas Brough , a brewer, publican, wine merchant and later dramatist, and his wife Frances Whiteside, a poet and novelist. He was the brother of writer Robert, actor Lionel and science writer John Cargill Brough...
, also a playwright, John Cargill Brough (1834–1872), a science writer, and Lionel
Lionel Brough
Lionel Brough was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s...
, a comic actor. The family moved to Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
, where his father ran a brewery and public house. His father was briefly kidnapped by the Chartists in 1839 and was a crown witness at the trial of the Chartist leader John Frost
John Frost (Chartist)
John Frost was a prominent Welsh leader of the British Chartist movement in the Newport Rising....
, which resulted in Frost's deportation to Australia
Australia
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...
. The family was ostracized and ruined financially as a result, and moved to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1843, where Brough worked as a clerk in order to contribute to the family income.
In 1847, Brough established the Liverpool Lion, a comic periodical, writing satiric articles and drawings. He worked with his brother William to write a Victorian burlesque play, The Enchanted Isle, which was produced in Liverpool in 1848 before transferring to London. Moving to London, he wrote other successful burlesques including Medea (1856) and Masaniello (1857), as well as other collaborative productions with his brother William including The Sphinx (1849) and The Last Edition of Ivanhoe (1850).
Brough also wrote essays and poems for journals and newspapers, including for a period being the Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
correspondent of the Sunday Times. Songs of the Governing Classes (1855), a book of radical poems, is his best known work. In it, Brough critiqued the handling of the Crimean war
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and launched an attack on the upper classes through his satiric fictional portraits of aristocratic figures.
Brough also penned a parody of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
" called "The Vulture; An Ornithological Study" which was published in the December 1853 issue of Graham's Magazine
Graham's Magazine
Graham's Magazine was a nineteenth century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham. It was alternatively referred to as Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine , Graham's Magazine of Literature and Art , Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art Graham's...
, though he was not credited. The poem was later reprinted in William Evans Burton
William Evans Burton
William Evans Burton , who often went by the nickname Billy, was an English actor, playwright, theater manager and publisher who relocated to the United States.-Early life:...
's "Cyclopedia of Wit and Humor" (1858), this time with his name attached. He also published much-praised translations of poetry, including those of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
.
In 1860 Robert Brough edited the magazine the "Welcome Guest" for John Maxwell
John Maxwell
John Maxwell may refer to:*John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell , Scottish nobleman and head of the Border family of Maxwell*John Maxwell , Scottish prelate, Archbishop of Tuam, Bishop of Ross...
, and was editor at the time of the first contribution by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon was a British Victorian era popular novelist. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret.-Life:...
.
In 1859 Brough published a short story entitled "Calmuck" in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' magazine Household Words
Household Words
Household Words was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s which took its name from the line from Shakespeare "Familiar in his mouth as household words" — Henry V.-History:...
. It was a thinly disguised account of William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
's experience painting his picture The Hireling Shepherd
The Hireling Shepherd
The Hireling Shepherd is a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt. It represents a shepherd neglecting his flock in favour of an attractive country girl to whom he shows a death's-head hawkmoth...
and of his relations with his model Emma Watkins. Hunt wrote an outraged letter to Dickens, who claimed that to be unaware that the story was based on real events.
Brough was a popular member of a ‘bohemian’ circle of journalists, writers and playwrights. He was a founder of the Savage Club
Savage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857 is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:Many and varied are the stories that have been told about the first meeting of the Savage Club, of the precise purposes for which it was formed, and of its christening...
in 1857, and helped support the families of deceased writers and numerous working-class causes through benefit performances.
He married actress Elizabeth Romer. They had three children including a daughter, Frances "Fanny" Whiteside Brough (1852–1914), an actress known for her portrayal of Kitty Warren in the 1905 staging of George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession; and a son, Lionel Barnabas Brough (1857–1906), known professionally as Robert Brough, who became an actor-manager. Robert Barnabas Brough was also related to Robert Brough Smyth
Robert Brough Smyth
Robert Brough Smyth was an Australian geologist, author and social commentator.Smyth was born in Wallsend, Northumberland, England, the son of Edward Smyth, a mining engineer, and his wife Ann, née Brough. Smyth was educated at a school at Whickham, afterwards studied geology, chemistry and...
.
On 26 June 1860, Robert Brough died at 8 Boundary Street, Hulme, near Manchester, leaving his widow and three children with little money to support them. The Savage Club, with the help of five leading London theatres, arranged a benefit performance to establish a fund to support them, with Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
as a trustee.
Selected works
- "The Enchanted Isle; or, Raising the Wind" (play), co-written with brother William Brough, 1848
- "A Cracker Bon-Bon for Christmas Parties, 1852
- "The Vulture; An Ornithological Study," 1853
- "The Moustache Movement" (play), 1854
- "Songs of the Governing Classes," 1855
- "Beranger’s Songs of The Empire, The Peace, and the Restoration," 1856
- "Crinoline" (play), 1856
- "Medea, or The Best of Mothers, with a Brute of Husband" (play), 1856
- "Masaniello; or, The Fish'oman of Naples," (play) 1857
- "The Life of Sir John Falstaff," 1858
- "Ulf The Minstrel," 1859