Author: Charles Horrocks
Author: Charles Horrocks (1816–1885)
Alternate Name(s): Captain (rank)
Biography: Captain Charles Horrocks was born in Tullichewan Castle, Scotland, the son of John Horrock and Mary Scott Macintosh. His paternal grandfather was John Horrocks (1768-1804), the Preston cotton factory owner and member of Parliament; his maternal grandfather was Charles Macintosh, F.R.S. (1766-1843), the Scottish chemist and inventor of the waterproof raincoat that bears his name. After the death of his mother in 1824, Charles and his five siblings were left to the care of his maternal grandparents and his bachelor uncle General Alexander Fisher Macintosh. After attending Eton, Charles bought a commission in the 15th Regiment, spent time in Canada as a soldier, and resigned his commission in 1846. In 1843, he married his first cousin Amelia Elizabeth Horrocks and they had eleven children. The couple spent their latter years mainly on the continent, settling first in Weimar, Germany, with his twin brother, John. At this time, Charles turned to fiction, producing two novels: Horace Grantham; or, The Neglected Son (1852) and A Brief Career; or, The Jew's Daughter (1854). The former novel draws heavily on Charles's own life, especially his childhood and his relationship with his father. He died in Ostend, Belgium, in 1885. Charles's younger brother, James Dunlop Horrocks, wrote an undistinguished collection of poetry, Zeno, a Tale of the Italian War, and other Poems.
Author Tags:
References: per inf (Michael Demy-Geroe); Times (16 May 1885)
Fiction Titles:
- Horace Grantham: or, The Neglected Son. 3 vol. London: Shoberl, 1852.
- The Brief Career: or, The Jew's Daughter. 3 vol. London: T. C. Newby, 1854.