Arthur Munby
Encyclopedia
Arthur Joseph Munby was a Victorian
British diarist, poet
, barrister
and solicitor
. He is also known by his initials, A. J. Munby.
. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
, graduating BA in 1851, and called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn
in 1855. He worked as a civil servant in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
' office from 1858 until his retirement in 1888. His published poetry included Benoni (1852) and Verses New and Old (1865). He taught Latin
at the Working Men's College
for more than a decade and helped promote the Working Men's College Volunteer Corps, a response to the national call for Volunteer Rifle Corps (1859) to combat a perceived threat from Napoleon the Third. Munby penned verses of support: Invicta: a Song of 1860 for the 19th Middlesex Regiment
, a regiment to which the W.M.C.V.C. was attached. In 1864, a sister Working Women's College was established; Munby was a leading spirit of, and teacher for, the new college.
Munby had a life-long fascination and fetish
for working-class women, particularly those who did hard, dirty physical labor (a form of mysophilia). His favorite pastime was to wander the streets of London
and other industrial cities, approach working women and ask them about their lives and the details of their work, while noting their clothes and dialect
s. These observations went into his journals. He was an amateur artist, and his diaries contain sketches of working women, many of whom strongly resemble caricatures of black men: squat, black-faced figures in coats and trousers, with massive feet and hands and protruding lips.
Munby apparently had little interest in conventional sex, and vehemently denied that his "hobby" had any prurient elements.
He also collected hundreds of photographs of female mine workers, kitchen maids, milkmaids, charwomen, acrobats and so on. These diaries and images provide historical information on the lives of working-class Victorian women. Much of his obsession is hinted at in his last book, Faithful Servants: being epitaphs and obituaries recording their names and services (1891). His papers are housed at Trinity College, Cambridge
.
In 1854, Munby was on one of his urban wanderings when he met Hannah Cullwick
, a Shropshire-born maid-of-all-work. They formed a relationship in which Munby was the master and Cullwick the slave, with him training her in the virtues of hard work and loyalty. His scenarios also included elements of ageplay
and infantilism, with Cullwick holding him in her lap or carrying him.
They had a secret marriage in 1873. However, Cullwick resisted his efforts to make her into a lady, and she lived with him as a domestic servant, not a wife. She would, however, play the role of a lady wife on their trips to Europe.
They separated in 1877, but continued to see each other until Cullwick's death in 1909. The marriage remained a secret from all but a few close friends; he revealed it to his brother only a few months before his own death from pneumonia
.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
British diarist, poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. He is also known by his initials, A. J. Munby.
Biography
Munby was born in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, graduating BA in 1851, and called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in 1855. He worked as a civil servant in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
' office from 1858 until his retirement in 1888. His published poetry included Benoni (1852) and Verses New and Old (1865). He taught Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at the Working Men's College
Working Men's College
The Working Men's College- WMC, being among the earliest adult education institutions established in the United Kingdom, is Europe's oldest extant centre for adult education and perhaps one of its smallest...
for more than a decade and helped promote the Working Men's College Volunteer Corps, a response to the national call for Volunteer Rifle Corps (1859) to combat a perceived threat from Napoleon the Third. Munby penned verses of support: Invicta: a Song of 1860 for the 19th Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
, a regiment to which the W.M.C.V.C. was attached. In 1864, a sister Working Women's College was established; Munby was a leading spirit of, and teacher for, the new college.
Munby had a life-long fascination and fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
for working-class women, particularly those who did hard, dirty physical labor (a form of mysophilia). His favorite pastime was to wander the streets of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and other industrial cities, approach working women and ask them about their lives and the details of their work, while noting their clothes and dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s. These observations went into his journals. He was an amateur artist, and his diaries contain sketches of working women, many of whom strongly resemble caricatures of black men: squat, black-faced figures in coats and trousers, with massive feet and hands and protruding lips.
Munby apparently had little interest in conventional sex, and vehemently denied that his "hobby" had any prurient elements.
He also collected hundreds of photographs of female mine workers, kitchen maids, milkmaids, charwomen, acrobats and so on. These diaries and images provide historical information on the lives of working-class Victorian women. Much of his obsession is hinted at in his last book, Faithful Servants: being epitaphs and obituaries recording their names and services (1891). His papers are housed at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
In 1854, Munby was on one of his urban wanderings when he met Hannah Cullwick
Hannah Cullwick
Hannah Cullwick was a Victorian era diarist and domestic servant. She is known for her unusual relationship with Arthur Munby, which they both documented in diaries, letters and photographs.-Early life:...
, a Shropshire-born maid-of-all-work. They formed a relationship in which Munby was the master and Cullwick the slave, with him training her in the virtues of hard work and loyalty. His scenarios also included elements of ageplay
Ageplay
Ageplay or age play is a form of roleplaying in which an individual acts or treats another as if they were a different age. The practice can be regressive, in which the goal is to re-experience childhood, or sexual, recreating a sexual relationship with people of the pretend and/or true ages...
and infantilism, with Cullwick holding him in her lap or carrying him.
They had a secret marriage in 1873. However, Cullwick resisted his efforts to make her into a lady, and she lived with him as a domestic servant, not a wife. She would, however, play the role of a lady wife on their trips to Europe.
They separated in 1877, but continued to see each other until Cullwick's death in 1909. The marriage remained a secret from all but a few close friends; he revealed it to his brother only a few months before his own death from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Further reading
- Judith Flanders. Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004.
- Diane AtkinsonDiane AtkinsonDiane Atkinson is an historian and author who lives in Shoreditch, London.She has written many books about the Suffragettes, and about Victorian women, most recently Elsie and Mairi Go To War...
. Love and Dirt: The Marriage of Arthur Munby and Hannah Cullwick. New York: Macmillan, 2003. - Barry Reay. Watching Hannah: Sexuality, Horror and Bodily De-formation in Victorian England. Reaktion, 2002. (ISBN 1-86189-119-9)
- Anne McClintock, Imperial Leather: Race, Gender, and Sex in the Colonial Contest. New York: Routledge, 1995. (ISBN 0-415-90890-6)
- Derek Hudson. Munby: Man of Two Worlds. Gambit, 1972. (ISBN 0-87645-066-4)