Augustus John Cuthbert Hare (1834 - 1903)

Born 13 Mar 1834 in Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy

Ancestors

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Biography

Augustus was born in 1834. He was the son of Francis Hare and Anne Paul. He passed away in 1903.

The 19th century English author, Augustus John Cuthbert Hare wrote several guide books. Hare was born in Rome in 1834 into what has been described as a predominately ecclesiastical family with aristocratic connections. His fascination with London stemmed from his youth. He tells of the only book he could find of interest in his tutor’s library in Edmonton: Charles Knight’s ‘London’. Knight’s book greatly excited his interest in the city and encouraged young Augustus Hare to take many a solitary expedition to see the historic sights which he describes as being ‘inexpressibly delightful’ . These early expeditions in turn laid a foundation for the investigations of his ‘Walks in London’ travel guides. The stream of tourists visiting London in the 19th century surged after the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815. London at the time was the largest city in the world and continued to be so throughout the century. The population of the city in 1815 of 1.5 million increased to 6.5 million by 1900. The city was vast and for visitors, overwhelming; a maze of streets found by many to be disorientating. Once one may have walked through every street in London, Hare noted, but with it’s ever growing size it can never be believed one can ever do so again. Punch Magazine at the time, satirised the plight of the unfortunate tourist in Victorian London, arguing that there should be a scheme in place for picking up these lost visitors and guiding them to where they want to go! It is into this immense city that Augustus Hare’s two volume publication transports his reader. A city, which at the time was twice the size of Paris and New York. This travel guide was written for the gentlemen class. Hare in fact makes reference to the younger members of this class in his introduction. Taking a moment he addresses the young, idle gentlemen perpetually lounging in the parks and encourages them to find new interest and pleasure in the city by taking his suggested tours. For the traveller of the 21st century, Hare’s 19th century guide book offers much more than its intended function. This guide and commentary allows today’s traveller the experience of stepping into Augustus Hare’s Victorian city and society, and walking with him. As a travel guide author, Augustus Hare has been remembered and reviewed as both a “…Pepys without his importance…” and as an author who has provided a “valuable and pleasant companion” to the studies of London. The assessment of ‘The Westminster Review’ in 1878 was that Augustus Hare set an example of a readable and useful guide book which was being followed by other writers of the genre. For the 21st century tourist in London, this guide makes for a fascinating exploration of the changes in the sites and surroundings of the city as well as allowing for an insight into the changes of a society.

Sources

• family search.org