Richard (Harris) Barham

Humorist, born in Canterbury, Kent, SE England, UK. He studied at Oxford, was ordained (1813), and in 1821 received a minor canonry of St Paul's Cathedral. In 1837 he began his series of burlesque metrical tales under his pseudonym which, collected under the title of The Ingoldsby Legends (3 vols, 1840–7), became popular for their irreverent humour, irony, and esoteric learning.

Richard Harris Barham (December 6, 1788–June 17, 1845), English novelist and humorous poet, better known by his nom de plume of Thomas Ingoldsby, was born at Canterbury.

At seven years of age he lost his father, who left him a small estate, part of which was the manor of Tappington, so frequently mentioned in the Legends.

In 1807 he entered Brasenose College, Oxford, intending at first to study for the profession of the law. he married in the following year, and in 1821 moved to London on obtaining the appointment of minor canon of St. Paul's cathedral. Three years later he became one of the priests in ordinary of the King's Chapel Royal, and was appointed to a city living.

In 1826 he first contributed to Blackwood's Magazine; But beneath this obvious popular quality there lies a store of solid antiquarian learning, the fruit of patient enthusiastic research, in out-of-the-way old books, which few readers who laugh over his pages detect.

His life was grave, dignified and highly honoured. His sound judgment and his kind heart made him the trusted counsellor, the valued friend and the frequent peacemaker; yet he was the lifelong friend of the liberal Sydney Smith, whom in many respects he singularly resembled. He retained vigour and freshness of heart and mind to the last, and his last verses ("As I laye a-thynkynge") show no signs of decay. He died in London after a long, painful illness, on June 17, 1845.

One of his descendants is the British author Guy Walters.