Barham, Richard Harris

Barham, Richard Harris, an English clergyman and author, better known by his assumed name of Thomas Ingoldsby, was born at Canterbury, Dec. 6, 1788. He was educated at St. Paul's School, London, and Brasenose College, Oxford. Having been admitted to holy orders, he was appointed curate of Ashford, in Kent, from which he removed to Westwell, a few miles distant. About the year 1814, he became rector of Snargate, in Romney Marsh, Kent, and at the same time curate of Wareham. In 1821 he was elected canon of St. Paul's, London, and from that time gave much attention to literature. In 1824 he was appointed priest in ordinary of the Chapel Royal, and shortly afterwards was presented to the rectory of the united parishes of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Gregory by St. Paul's, London. In 1842 he was appointed divinity reader in St. Paul's Cathedral, and was permitted to change his living for the more valuable rectory of St. Augustine and St. Faith's, London. He died June 17, 1845. He was the author of the celebrated Ingoldsby Legends which began to appear in Bentley's Miscellany in 1837, and have since been published in three vols. 8vo, with a Memoir by his son. He was a frequent contributor to the periodicals of his day, and wrote considerable poetry of a high order. See Knight, Eng. Cyclop. Biog. i, 533; Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v.; English Review (Lond.), 1847, p. 59; Hart, English Literature (Phila.), p. 449.