Horace Smith

Horatio Smith (31 December 1779 – 12 July 1849) was an English poet and novelist. In 1818, he participated in a sonnet-writing competition with Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was of Smith that Shelley said: "Is it not odd that the only truly generous person I ever knew who had money enough to be generous with should be a stockbroker? He writes poetry and pastoral dramas and yet knows how to make money, and does make it, and is still generous."

Biography

Smith was born in London, the fifth of eight children, son of Robert Smith (1747–1832) F.R.S. and his wife Mary Bogle. His niece was the poet Maria Abdy. He was educated at Chigwell School with his elder brother James Smith, also a writer. Horace first came to public attention in 1812 at the time of the rebuilding of the Drury Lane Theatre, after it had burnt down; the managers offered a prize of £50 for an address to be recited at the Theatre's reopening in October. The Smith brothers wrote parodies of poets of the day, supposedly their failed entries in the competition, and sold the collection under the title Rejected Addresses. James parodied Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge and Crabbe, while Horace parodied Byron, Moore, Scott and Bowles.

Smith went on to become a prosperous stockbroker. He travelled with family in continental Europe from 1821 to 1825. Returning to England, he first took a house in Tunbridge Wells, and then moved to Brighton in 1826. He died at Tunbridge Wells on 12 July 1849.