Charles Reade

Born on June 8, 1814, the oldest boy in a family of eleven children, Reade wanted to be a dramatist.  His father was an Oxfordshire squire and his mother was the daughter of a well-known member of Parliament.  Because his mother wanted him to become ordained, he studied at Magdalen College, Oxford and earned a degree.  Though he later was a fellow at the college, dean of arts, and vice-president, Reade preferred to spend most of his time in London.  He wasn't interested in being a minister, and though able to practice law, Reade found that profession undesirable as well.  However, his knowledge of how to present an argument and research for details aided him in his writing.

London provided Reade with the opportunity to write plays.  London was also the place where Reade as a gifted violinist could work as a partner with a company making Soho violins.  In his element, Reade produced several plays that earned acclaim.  Later, as his dramas fell out of favor, he would hire people to put on his own plays, and they weren't well-received.  As an author, Reade had more success.

Taking one of his plays and adapting it into a novel, Reade found publication for his first book.  A few years later he penned It's Never Too Late to Mend which addressed this issue of prison reformation and the poor treatment of prisoners at the hands of the court system.  Like Charles Dickens, Reade found much of London society wanting and pushed for change.  Well-read and an avid researcher, Reade felt disheartened about the injustices done by man to his fellow man, and so he gave generously of his money and his time to help other people.  However, his greatest drawback was most likely his personality.  He couldn't make his arguments consistently effective nor would much of the public admit his good works because he often couldn't get along with other people.  Reade lacked tact and often made decisions that hindered his own progress.  In spite of all that, though, reforms eventually came to England.

Perhaps best-known for his historical fiction book The Cloister and the Hearth, Reade also published many other works.  He collected and kept information in ledgers and notebooks which he used in his writing.  Initially, Reade thought he would use all that he had gathered to write about the follies and wisdom of human nature, but he later decided to use it as reference materials for his books.  When his good friend and housekeeper, Laura Seymour, who had given Reade much support through the years, passed away,  Reade was grief-stricken.  Intending to continue writing books and plays, Reade couldn't muster the enthusiasm he previously had.  On April 11, 1884, Reade died.  He is buried along side Laura Seymour in London.   

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