Jesse Biography

— The Corvey Poets Project at the University of Nebraska —

British Poetry of the later Eighteenth and Earlier Nineteenth Centuries

Bibliographical and Contextual Apparatus

Jesse, John

Tales of the Dead, and Other Poems. London: Murray, 1830. Pp. 126.

Biographical Information

John Heneage Jesse, who is well-known as a historical writer, was born at West Bromwich, Staffordshire, on 15 March 1815 and died in the Albany, London, on 7 July 1874. He was the only son of Edward Jesse (1780-1868) and his first wife, Matilda, née Morris. Edward Jesse was a placeholder and writer on natural history and his father was descended from a branch of the Languedoc barons de Jessé Lévas, who emigrated to England after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685.
The family, which also included two sisters, lived at Richmond, Bushey Park, and finally at West Molesey, Surrey. One of Jesse's sisters, Matilda Charlotte Houstoun, was a novelist and travel writer. She wrote such travel books as Texas and the Gulf of Mexico (2 vols., 1844) and Travels in the West (2 vols., 1850). And she also published novels focusing on the perilous life of the single woman; Recommended to Mercy (1863), The Poor of the Period (1884), Records of a Stormy Life (1888), etc. Thanks to his father's friendship with William, duke of Clarence, John Wilson Croker, and the Rev. John Mitford, editor of the Gentleman's Magazine, and others, the children were often introduced at home literary and political discussion.

John Jesse attended Eton College on the foundation. During the latter part of his stay there he, as a companion of Lord Waterford, was involved in some of his wild pranks, and had to escape on board the marquis's yacht to Norway. His father intended to send him to Brasenose College, Oxford, but at the suggestion of the Duke of Clarence, on his return from Norway, he applied for and obtained a clerkship in the admiralty in 1835. He remained in this position for many years, before retiring with a comfortable pension. As an adult, he was a dedicated Londoner, and seldom ventured away from the metropolitan area. He never married and was estranged from his family. In character he was most amiable; in person tall and commanding, and, when he put on what he called his 'purest manner,' was very persuasive. He maintained a small circle of devoted friends and was a frequenter of Lady Blessington's salon and the Garrick Club. While seated at the whist-table of the Garrick Club, he was sketched by Mr. Millais (afterwards Sir J.E) on the envelope of a letter (MRS. HOUSTON).

Jesse early developed a literary taste. At the age of sixteen he published 'Mary Queen of Scots' and other poems (1829), which he dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. John called this work 'my first step in literary life'. This long biographical poem about Mary and the several shorter verses are entirely conventional in form and diction, and of little lasting value. The title poem is accompanied by 'historical notes' which, along with the author's exalted view of the queen, suggest the direction and content of his future works as a historical writer. Next year he published another volume of verses, entitled Tales of the Dead (1830), which was dedicated by permission to Queen Adelaide. And he published a fragmentary poem, entitled London (1847), which was dedicated to Samuel Rogers. However, unfortunately, none of these literary ventures achieved any success. Nevertheless, he never lost his dream of making a mark in literary circles. His Memoirs of King Richard the Third (1862) originated with his intention to write a play about the battle of Bosworth. As he explained in the preface, he felt it necessary to do research on 'the characters and motives of action of the different historical personages'. Thus he acquired the material which he published in addition to his historical drama. However, the play (in blank verse) adds nothing to his reputation.

Unlike his literary works, his numerous historical works were written with vivacity and interest, and in their own style, are important contributions to the history of England. The first of his historical volumes, Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reigns of the Stuarts (4 vols.), appeared in 1840. This work was so successful that it encouraged him to bring out the similar volumes on the protectorate, William, the pretenders, and the house of Hanover. His Memoir of George Selwyn and his Contemporaries achieved great success. His best work was the Memoirs of the George the Third, in which he used some important unpublished correspondence, including letters of George. He was convinced that the young king was really married to the pretty quakeress, Hannah Lightfoot, although he was opposed by Mr. Thomas, editor of 'Notes and Queries.' His Memoirs of Celebrated Etonians was not published until after his death.

Jesse's works are largely uncritical and routine retellings of well-known facts and stories. His narratives focus on court anecdotes and the public characters of his protagonists. He cited and quoted from all the available printed memoirs, letters, and journals. The principal exception is George Selwyn and his Contemporaries (4 vols., 1843), in which he printed for the first time a number of letters to Selwyn. Jesse's style is not remarkable but is easily comprehensible, which probably accounted for his apparent popularity.

Sources

Barbara Brandon Schnorrenberg, 'Jesse, John Heneage (bap.1809, d. 1874)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 [accessed 18 Nov 2004:http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.library.unl.edy:80/view/article/14802]
Beverly E. Schneller, 'Houstoun, Matilda Charlotte (1815-1892)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 'accessed 18 Nov 2004"http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.library.unl.edu:80/view/article/61562]
G. T. Bettany, 'Jesse, Edward (1780-1868)', rev. Alexander Goldbloom, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 [accessed 18 Nov 2004:http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.library.unl.edy:80/view/article/14801]
"JOHN HENEAGE JESSE." LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia. © 2003, 2004 LoveToKnow. http://23.1911encyclopedia.org/J/JE/JESSE_JOHN_HENEAGE.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Heneage_Jesse"