Author: Joseph Hornsby Wright
Author: Joseph Hornsby Wright (1817–1885)
Biography: Joseph Hornsby Wright was born on 7 June 1817 in Woolwich, the son of Augustus Wright. He attended the Merchant Taylors' School before becoming a lawyer. However, his income came mainly from investments and property and Wright spent much of his time involved in charitable activities including the St. John's Wood Home for Female Orphans, the Maida Hill Industrial Home, and the Charity Organization Society. In 1853, he married Ann Oakes and the couple had three children. In addition to a charity handbook and a few miscellaneous works, Wright wrote one work of fiction whose profits went to a charity in Marylebone. Notably, he lived for over twenty years at 3, Abbey Road, the future home of the Beatles' Abbey Road studio. He died there on 7 October 1885. As his obituary noted, he was "a true philanthropist, his purse being ever open in support of charitable institutions."
Author Tags:
References: British Census (1861, 1871, 1881); Kilburn Times (16 October 1885); Probate
Fiction Titles:
- Confessions of an Old Almsgiver: or, Three Cheers for Charity Organizaton Society. 1 vol. London: Hunt & Co., 1871.