Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton

Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, FRS (19 June 1809 – 11 August 1885), was an English poet, literary patron, and politician. His familial background includes his father, Robert Pemberton Milnes of Fryston Hall, Castleford, West Yorkshire, and his mother, the Honourable Henrietta, daughter of Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway. His grandmother was Rachel Slater Milnes (née Busk), active in the social circles of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Milnes received a private education before matriculating at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1827. During his time at Cambridge, he became part of a notable literary circle known as the Apostles Club, which included prominent figures such as Alfred Lord Tennyson, Arthur Hallam, Richard Chenevix Trench, and Joseph Williams Blakesley. He graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1831 and subsequently traveled abroad, spending time at the University of Bonn. His travels took him to Italy and Greece, and he published "Memorials of a Tour in some Parts of Greece" in 1834, documenting his experiences.

In 1837, Milnes was elected to Parliament representing Pontefract as a Conservative. His parliamentary interests included copyright law and the conditions of reformatories. He left Sir Robert Peel's Conservative party over the controversy surrounding the Corn Laws and later aligned with Lord Palmerston. His political career was characterized by a congenial disposition that sometimes led contemporaries to view his role with less gravity. In 1848, he traveled to Paris amidst the revolutionary upheaval and produced a pamphlet titled "Letter to Lord Lansdowne" that discussed the events of that year, reflecting his sympathies with continental liberal movements, especially Italy's struggle against Austria.

Milnes maintained connections with social reform movements, including interests in female education and opposition to slavery in the United States. His familial relations included interaction with Harriet Martineau, a social theorist with whom he shared interests, and whom his relative Frances Lupton—educationalist and niece of Elizabeth Gaskell—also supported.

In 1863, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Houghton by Lord Palmerston, with the full title "Baron Houghton, of Great Houghton in the West Riding of the County of York." According to George W. E. Russell, as he aged, Milnes became increasingly sympathetic to popular causes and was more active in opposing monopolies and injustices.

Milnes' literary pursuits included poetry and essays, often with religious themes. His early works consisted of "Memorials of Residence upon the Continent" (1838) and "Poems of Many Years" (1840), along with "Poetry for the People" (1840) and "Palm Leaves" (1844). He also authored the "Life and Letters of Keats" in 1848, which drew heavily on the contributions of Charles Armitage Brown. As a poet, his ballads gained popularity during his lifetime.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1868 and a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1870. He amassed a private collection of erotic literature, which he later bequeathed to the British Library, and authored "The Rodiad," a pornographic poem on the theme of flagellation.

Milnes played a significant role in fostering literary talent, securing pensions for authors like Alfred Tennyson, promoting Ralph Waldo Emerson in Britain, and supporting poets such as Algernon Charles Swinburne, David Gray, and Coventry Patmore. He was recognized as a patron of literature without abusing his influence.

He supported women's rights and was a vice-president of the Leeds Committee of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science in 1871, serving as its president in 1873. His support extended to the Manchester Gaskell family, particularly Elizabeth Gaskell's daughter, Meta, advocating for higher education for women.

Milnes was married in 1851 to the Honourable Annabella Hungerford Crewe, daughter of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe. They had three children: Hon. Amicia Henrietta Milnes (died 1902), Hon. Florence Ellen Hungerford Milnes (died 1923), and Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, who later became the 1st Marquess of Crewe. His wife died in 1874.

Richard Monckton Milnes died in Vichy, France, in August 1885 at the age of 76 and was buried at Fryston. He was succeeded in the barony by his son Robert, who was a prominent Liberál politician and was elevated to Earl of Crewe in 1895 and Marquess of Crewe in 1911.