The Life of Arthur Henry Hallam
Biography of the Poet and Friend of Alfred Lord Tennyson
Jun 22, 2009
Born to Henry and Julia Elton Hallam on February 1, 1811 in London, England, Arthur Hallam showed intellectual promise at a young age. His father, a respected historian, expected much from his eldest child. Arthur did not often disappoint him.
Arthur Hallam’s Childhood Education and Love of Writing
Though Arthur tended to become flushed in the face under intellectual exertion and had delicate health, he diligently studied and excelled at French, Italian and Latin. He wrote many dramatic poems growing up, which pleased his parents, though they told no one of their son’s writing talent. Hallam attended school at Eton College, where he became great friends with future prime minister of Britain, William Ewart Gladstone.
Hallam’s Friendship with Tennyson
Hallam went to Trinity College at Cambridge University where he met fellow student and poet Alfred Tennyson. The two became best friends immediately. They often visited each other’s homes when college was not in session, and even went on long holidays together to the Pyrenees and down the Rhine. They also joined the Cambridge Conversazione Society, known better as the Apostles because they kept group membership down to twelve men only.
Emily Tennyson, Fiancée
During one of his long visits to the Tennyson home—called Somersby Rectory--Hallam fell in love with Tennyson’s sister Emilia, known as Emily. She returned his affections and the two became engaged, much to the dismay of Hallam’s and Tennyson’s fathers, who felt that they were too young to marry (both were nineteen). They agreed to a long engagement, and would have no contact with each other until Hallam became of age in 1832.
Hallam, A Literary Agent
When Tennyson balked at sending his poetry to publishers, Hallam became Tennyson’s informal literary agent. He helped his friend publish with Edward Moxon, a New Bond Street publisher. Arthur also wrote poetry, and hoped to co-publish with Tennyson, but his father forbade him. Hallam wrote an article praising his friend’s poetry in The Englishman’s Magazine. It was not taken seriously, except by critic John Wilson who mocked both Hallam and Tennyson in Blackwood’s Magazine.
Coming of Age
In February 1832, Hallam came of age, but formed no immediate plans to marry Emily Tennyson. At his father’s behest, Hallam began studying law, though he loathed it. By now Emily’s father had died, and there was no one but her grandfather to consult about marriage. He continued working, and visited his friends, including Tennyson. One advantage was that he was now able to visit Somersby Rectory freely, and he did so multiple times.
The Final Voyage
In the summer of 1833, Henry Hallam insisted that his son accompany him on a trip to the Continent for an extended visit. Whilst in Vienna, Arthur wrote to his fiancée and friend, on September 6, gushing about the beauty of the city and the art within. It was the last letter he would write to his friend and his fiancée.
An Early Death
On the day of September 15, 1833, he began to feel ill. He rested on a couch whilst his father went for a walk. When Henry Hallam returned, he began working and writing until he noticed his son had not moved for the past hour. He called for a doctor.
Arthur may have been comatose, then died. Or he may have died before the doctor arrived. But after a post-mortem examination, doctors concluded that nothing could have saved Arthur as he had a malformed brain that was destined to cause early death. He is thought to have died of a brain hemorrhage or stroke.
The Aftermath of Hallam’s Death
Arthur Hallam’s body came by ship to England, and the funeral occurred on January 3, 1834 at St Andrew’s Church in Clevedon. He was buried inside the family vault. Tennyson was too devastated to attend the funeral, but later published In Memoriam, an elegy to his friend. It cemented him in the minds of his contemporaries and readers even unto the 21st century. Though his life was short, Arthur Hallam’s legacy has endured.
Sources:
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. June 22, 2009 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/587422/Alfred-Lord-Tennyson
Hallam, Henry, Remains in Verse and Prose of Arthur Henry Hallam (Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863) Reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, 2005.
Martin, Robert Bernard, Tennyson: The Unquiet Heart, (London: Clarendon Press, 1983.
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