Silas Kitto Hocking (24 March 1850 – 15 September 1935) was a British novelist and Methodist preacher. He is known for his novel for youth called Her Benny (1879), which was a best-seller.[1][2]
Carricature of Hocking from Vanity Fair, issue dated 14 November 1906
Hocking was born at St Stephen-in-Brannel, Cornwall, to James Hocking, part owner of a tin mine, and his wife Elizabeth, née Kitto.[1][2] His brother was Joseph Hocking (1860–1937), also a novelist and Methodist minister, and his sister, Salome Hocking (1859–1927), who was also a novelist.[1][2] As a youngster he read Sir Walter Scott. Although intended to follow his father into the tin business, he felt called to the Methodist ministry.[1] He attended Owens College and the Crescent Range Theological College of Manchester.[1] In 1870 he was ordained as a minister.[2] He worked in different parts of England over the next few years, showing himself to be a brilliant preacher, and he married in 1876.[1] He resigned in 1896 to devote his time to writing, Liberal politics and journalism.[1]
Hocking wrote many novels aimed at children with a didactic bent.[1] He wrote his first novel, Alec Green, while living in Burnley[3] in 1878. It was, however, with his second novel that he won great fame; Her Benny (1879), a story of the street children of Liverpool.[2] It sold over a million copies and with it Hocking become one of the most popular authors in England.[1][2] The novel was adapted to silent film in 1920 as Her Benny.
In 1894 Hocking became editor of Family Circle and two years later helped establish Temple Magazine, a Sunday magazine in the style of Good Words.[1] His novel The Strange Adventures of Israel Pendry (1899) is autobiographical of his Cornish youth.[1] Other works include God's Outcast (1898) which reflects on the nature of guilt; and, To Pay the Price (1900), a morality story of theft and redemption.[1] His autobiography My Book of Memory was published in 1923.[1] In all he wrote fifty books.
Hocking was also politically active, for the Liberal party and unsuccessfully contested the January 1906 General Election at Aylesbury and January 1910 General Election at Coventry.[2] He died in Highgate, Middlesex, and was survived by his wife, Esther Mary, to whom he had been married since 1876.[2] They had two sons and two daughters.[4] Silas Hocking is buried in St Pancras and Islington Cemetery, along with his son, who died of Spanish flu in 1919, and his wife.[2]
^Hocking, Silas K., My Book of Memory (London: Cassell, 1923), pp. 67–70.
^Although both the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Who Was Who state that Hocking had one son and two daughters, in his My Book of Memory he at one point refers to having 'a wife and four children dependent on me' (p. 164), names the sons as Ernest and Vivian (who predeceased him) (p.280–81), and mentions 'My two daughters' (p. 282).
Kent, Alan M. (2002). Pulp Methodism: The Lives and Literature of Silas, Joseph and Salome Hocking. St Austell: Cornish Hillside Publications. ISBN978-1-900147-24-8
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Silas Kitto Hocking 24 March 1850 15 September 1935 was a British novelist and Methodist preacher He is known for his novel for youth called Her Benny 1879 which was a best seller 1 2 In The Sketch 16 September 1896 Contents 1 Biography 2 Bibliography 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksBiography edit nbsp Carricature of Hocking from Vanity Fair issue dated 14 November 1906Hocking was born at St Stephen in Brannel Cornwall to James Hocking part owner of a tin mine and his wife Elizabeth nee Kitto 1 2 His brother was Joseph Hocking 1860 1937 also a novelist and Methodist minister and his sister Salome Hocking 1859 1927 who was also a novelist 1 2 As a youngster he read Sir Walter Scott Although intended to follow his father into the tin business he felt called to the Methodist ministry 1 He attended Owens College and the Crescent Range Theological College of Manchester 1 In 1870 he was ordained as a minister 2 He worked in different parts of England over the next few years showing himself to be a brilliant preacher and he married in 1876 1 He resigned in 1896 to devote his time to writing Liberal politics and journalism 1 Hocking wrote many novels aimed at children with a didactic bent 1 He wrote his first novel Alec Green while living in Burnley 3 in 1878 It was however with his second novel that he won great fame Her Benny 1879 a story of the street children of Liverpool 2 It sold over a million copies and with it Hocking become one of the most popular authors in England 1 2 The novel was adapted to silent film in 1920 as Her Benny In 1894 Hocking became editor of Family Circle and two years later helped establish Temple Magazine a Sunday magazine in the style of Good Words 1 His novel The Strange Adventures of Israel Pendry 1899 is autobiographical of his Cornish youth 1 Other works include God s Outcast 1898 which reflects on the nature of guilt and To Pay the Price 1900 a morality story of theft and redemption 1 His autobiography My Book of Memory was published in 1923 1 In all he wrote fifty books Hocking was also politically active for the Liberal party and unsuccessfully contested the January 1906 General Election at Aylesbury and January 1910 General Election at Coventry 2 He died in Highgate Middlesex and was survived by his wife Esther Mary to whom he had been married since 1876 2 They had two sons and two daughters 4 Silas Hocking is buried in St Pancras and Islington Cemetery along with his son who died of Spanish flu in 1919 and his wife 2 Bibliography editAlec Green 1878 Her Benny 1879 His Father 1880 Reedyford 1880 Chips A Story of Manchester Life 1881 Ivy 1881 Poor Mike 1882 Sea Waif 1882 Dick s Fairy 1883 Caleb Carthew 1884 Cricket A Tale of Humble Life 1885 Our Joe 1885 Tregeagles Head 1886 Up the Rhine and Over the Alps 1886 Real Grit 1887 Crookleigh 1888 For Abigail 1889 Chips Joe and Mike 1890 For Light and Liberty 1890 Rex Raynor 1890 Where Duty Lies 1891 One in Charity 1893 A Son of Reuben 1894 Sweethearts Yet 1894 The Blindness of Madge Tyndall 1894 Doctor Dick and Other Tales 1895 The Heart of Man 1895 For Such is Life 1896 In Spite of Fate 1897 God s Outcast 1898 Tales of a Tin Mine 1898 The Culture of Manhood 1898 The Day of Recompense 1899 The Strange Adventures of Israel Pendray 1899 The Fate of Endilloe 1901 To Pay the Price 1900 When Life is Young 1900 The Awakening of Anthony Weir 1901 Gripped 1902 The Wizard s Light 1902 Adventures of Latimer Field Curate 1903 A Bonnie Saxon 1903 The Tempter s Power 1903 The Scarlet Clue 1904 2nd edn Smoking Flax 1904 Meadowsweet and Rue 1904 Chapters in Democratic Christianity 1904 Pioneers 1905 The Conquering Will 1905 The Earnest Life 1905 The Flaming Sword 1905 A Gamble with Life 1906 A Human Face 1906 The Silent Man 1906 The Squire s Daughter 1906 A Modern Pharisee 1907 St Gwynifer 1907 The Shadow Between 1908 Yours and Mine 1908 A Desperate Hope 1909 Who Shall Judge 1910 The Quenchless Fire 1911 The Third Man 1911 Smuggler s Keep 1913 A Woman s Love 1913 The Wrath of Man 1913 In Self Defence 1914 Sword and Cross 1914 Uncle Peter s Will 1914 The Angel of the Desert 1915 The Great Hazard 1915 When He Came to Himself 1915 The Beautiful Alien 1916 A Man s Work 1916 His Own Accuser 1917 Camouflage 1918 The Moral Aspect of the League of Nations n d 1918 Nancy 1919 Without the Gate 1919 Watchers in the Dawn 1920 An Interrupted Romance 1921 The Greater Good 1922 Where the Roads Cross 1922 The Lost Lode 1923 My Book of Memory 1923 The Guarded Way 1924 The Crooked Trail 1925 Lonehead Farm 1925 The Sinister Shadow 1926 Miss Ann s Lodger 1927 The Broken Fence 1928 The Winds of Chance 1928 The Exile s Return 1929 The Mystery Man 1930 The Perplexities of Peter 1933 Gerry Storm 1934 References edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sutherland John 1989 The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction Stanford University Press p 301 a b c d e f g h i Burnett R G 2004 Hocking Silas Kitto 1850 1935 rev Sayoni Basu Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press Hocking Silas K My Book of Memory London Cassell 1923 pp 67 70 Although both the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Who Was Who state that Hocking had one son and two daughters in his My Book of Memory he at one point refers to having a wife and four children dependent on me p 164 names the sons as Ernest and Vivian who predeceased him p 280 81 and mentions My two daughters p 282 Further reading edit nbsp Cornwall portalKent Alan M 2002 Pulp Methodism The Lives and Literature of Silas Joseph and Salome Hocking St Austell Cornish Hillside Publications ISBN 978 1 900147 24 8External links editWorks by Silas K Hocking at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Silas K Hocking at Internet Archive Works by Silas K Hocking at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp Biography at Star Dot Star Catalogue of Hocking s papers held at the Modern Records Centre University of Warwick Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Silas K Hocking amp oldid 1176635735, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
