- Howard Dudley
Howard Dudley (1820 – 1864) wrote the first illustrated history of
Horsham ,West Sussex , in 1836. The book was entitled "The History and Antiquities of Horsham and its Vicinities". He also produced thelithograph s andwoodcut s that were used as the illustrations, and then went on to print the book himself. While this may not seem particularly remarkable in early Victorian Britain it must be noted that Dudley was only 15 at the time.This was Dudley’s second book; the first being a wider ranging history of
Sussex entitled "Juvenile Researches" of which he produced two editions in 1835 and 1836.The two texts are extremely rare today and are unlikely to become available on the open market. However, facsimile copies have been reproduced on two occasions and now the full text and images of the Horsham book are available online. The first facsimile was published by Cecil Cramp in 1973 and features images of a superior quality to its successor in 2002 published by Dick Richardson. The Horsham book is dedicated to To the Right Hon George O’Brien Wyndam, Earl of Egremont and Baron Cockermouth.
Born in 1820, Dudley was the only son of Quaker parents George and Sarah Dudley. He spent his early years in
Fleet Street ,London but on the death of his father in 1827 the family moved toEastbourne ,West Sussex , near toMidhurst . Dudley married Jane Ellen Young onDecember 1 1849 inEdinburgh , and returned to London three years later.Howard Dudley died childless of consumption on
July 4 1844 . Dick Richardson’s book, upon which the above text draws, quotes Dudley’s obituary in "Gentlemen’s Magazine": “Dudley was a mild and amiable man, affectionate in his domestic relations, and his gentlemanly manners, bright ideas and pungent remarks, and a very great choice of words, made him a delightful companion. He died with an earnest profession of his belief in Jesus Christ.”References
* Howard Dudley. "The History and Antiquities of Horsham". Country Books; Facsimile Ed edition (21 Oct 2002). ISBN 1898941726. ISBN-13 978-1898941729
* Jeremy Knight. "Horsham's History: 1790 - 1880" v. 2 (Paperback)External links
* [http://www.hiddenhorsham.co.uk/58/howarddudley01.htm The History and Antiquities of Horsham] reproduced in full on Hidden Horsham
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
