b. 19 October 1817. d. 12 July 1880. Nationality: English. VIAF.
Prolific playwright, comic writer, poet, and art critic. Educated at the University
of Glasgow and Trinity College, Cambridge. Lived in London from 1844. Married composer
Laura Wilson Barker on 19 June 1855, and their home on Lavender Sweep, by Clapham
Common, became a social centre for prominent artistic, literary, and political figures.
Major contributor to *Punch*, becoming editor in 1874. Worked as a lawyer and served
on the Board of Health. Poetry volumes include the verse dramas *Twixt Axe and Crown*
(1870) and *Jeanne Darc* (1871). Art critic for *The Times* (from 1857) and *The Graphic*
(1870s). Biographical information: *ODNB*. (AC)