Richard Head

Richard Head
Born	1637 Ireland
Died	prior to June 1686
Occupation(s)	Writer, dramatist, bookseller
Years active	1647–1677
Known for	The English Rogue (1665)

Richard Head (1637 – prior to June 1686) was an Irish writer, dramatist, and bookseller. He achieved recognition through his satirical novel The English Rogue (1665), which stands as one of the earliest English novels translated abroad.

Life

The most comprehensive account of Head's biography comes from William Winstanley's entry in Lives of the most famous English poets (1687), based on direct acquaintance. Born in Ireland to a clergyman, Head lost his father during the Irish rebellion of 1641, an event that influenced The English Rogue. Following this, his mother moved with him to England, residing in Barnstaple, Plymouth, and Bridport, Dorset. In 1650, he attended Bridport grammar school. Subsequently, he matriculated at Oxford—likely New Inn Hall—but financial difficulties forced him into an apprenticeship with a Latin bookseller in London, where he acquired expertise in the book trade.

Head’s literary abilities emerged early with the publication of his first satirical piece, Venus Cabinet Unlock'd. Around this time, he married but encountered monetary troubles due to gambling debts despite earnings from writing.

Returning to Ireland, he gained acclaim for his comedic play Hic et ubique, or, The Humors of Dublin, which he dedicated to James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth upon the Duke’s return to England in 1663. Although the Duke provided some patronage, it proved insufficient; Head resumed bookselling with shops reportedly situated in Little Britain and Petty Canons Alley near Paternoster Row. According to Winstanley, Head briefly accumulated wealth but lost it again through gambling.

His financial situation improved somewhat with The English Rogue (1665). Inspired by Spanish rogue tales such as Lazarillo de Tormes and influenced by Paul Scarron's Roman Comique, the novel drew from Head’s own experiences. Initially censored for its risqué material, a revised version with toned-down content sold quickly. The first edition was published by Henry Marsh and sold out within a year. After Marsh’s death, Francis Kirkman acquired the rights and issued four additional editions between 1666 and 1667. Later volumes (two through four) appeared in 1671, 1674, and 1680; however, their authorship remains uncertain. In a 1675 dedication to Proteus redivivus, Head denied involvement beyond the initial volume, although Kirkman asserted co-authorship of the subsequent parts.

Head also released several publications under his own imprint until 1677. Winstanley records that Head drowned while traveling to the Isle of Wight, with this account dating from June 1686 and generally accepted as marking his death.

Literary impact

Richard Head’s English Rogue was among the earliest English prose fiction works translated into a continental language. Its German translation, titled Simplicianischer Jan Perus... (1672), catered to readers familiar with Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen's Simplicius Simplicissimus (1666–1668).

The popularity of Head’s rogue narrative sparked numerous English imitations, including The French Rogue: or, The Life of Monsieur Ragoue de Versailles (1672), which is occasionally attributed to Head. Notably, Daniel Defoe’s The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (1722) is regarded as a significant successor in this genre.

Works

• A Threefold Cord to Bind Souls Eternally to God... (London, 1647)
• The Christian’s Daily Comfort in Practical Observations... (London, 1659)
• Hic et Ubique, or The Humours of Dublin: A Comedy... (London, 1663)
• The English Rogue Portrayed in the Life of Meriton Latroon... (London, 1665)
• The Red Sea, or An Account of a Most Terrible Sea Battle Between the English and Dutch... (London, 1666)
• The Canting Academy, or The Devil’s Cabinet Unveiled... Including a Complete Canting Dictionary... (London, 1673)
• The Floating Island, or A New Discovery Relating to the Strange Adventure on a Recent Voyage... (London, 1673)
• Jackson’s Recantation, or The Life and Death of the Notorious Highwayman... (London, 1674)
• The Western Wonder, or O Brazeel: An Enchanted Island Found... With Descriptions of Its Inhabitants... (London, 1674)
• The Miss Display’d, Featuring All Her Wiles and Stratagems... By the Author of the First Part of The English Rogue (London, 1675)
• Nugae Venales, or The Complaisant Companion Containing New Jests... (London, 1675)
• Proteus Redivivus, or The Art of Wheedling and Insinuation Acquired Through General Conversation... Compiled and Systematized by the Author of the First Part of The English Rogue (London, 1675)
• The Life and Death of Mother Shipton, Providing Not Only a True Account of Her Strange Birth and Significant Life Events but Also All Her Prophecies... Published for Posterity’s Benefit (London, 1677)

Sources

• William Winstanley, The Lives of the Most Famous English Poets (1687), pp. 207–210. Gutenberg e-text
• Gerard Langbaine, An Account of the English Dramatick Poets (1691), pp. 246–247.
• J. Caulfield, Portraits, Memoirs, and Characters of Remarkable Persons from Edward III’s Reign to the Revolution, Vol. 3 in 1 (1813), pp. 212–213.
• H. R. Plomer et al., A Dictionary of Booksellers and Printers Active in England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1641 to 1667 (1907), pp. 94–95.
• S. McSkimin, "Biographical Sketches: Some Account of the Noble Family of Chichester", in The History and Antiquities of the County of the Town of Carrickfergus, ed. E. J. M'Crum (1909), pp. 469–470.
• R. C. Bald, "Francis Kirkman: Bookseller and Author", Modern Philology, Vol. 41 (1943–44), pp. 17–32.
• Margaret Claire Katanka, Richard Head, 1637?–1686? A Critical Study, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Birmingham, 1975.
• Jonathan Pritchard, "Head, Richard (c.1637–1686?)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.

Further reading

• Calhoun Winston, "Richard Head and the Origins of the Picaresque in England", in The Picaresque: A Symposium on the Rogue’s Tale (University of Delaware Press, 1994).
• Leah Orr, "The English Rogue: Afterlives and Imitations, 1665–1741", Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, September 2015, Vol. 38, Issue 3, pp. 361–376.

External links

• Richard Head at Munseys