Charles Hamilton Aide (sometimes written as Aidé or Aïdé; 4 November 1826 – 13 December 1906) was "for many years a conspicuous figure in London literary society, a writer of novels, songs and dramas of considerable merit and popularity, and a skillful amateur artist". In particular, Aide was "known for such widely anthologized lyrics as 'Love, the Pilgrim', 'Lost and Found' and 'George Lee.

Biography

Aide was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. His father, a

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exile, of good character, was killed in a duel when Aide was four years old. He was thereafter raised in England by his mother, who was the daughter of British Admiral

George Collier Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier (11 May 1732 – 6 April 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-r ...

. Aide attended the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

, then served in the British army seven years until 1853, attaining the rank of captain.Jeffrey Richards, ''Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World'' (2007), p. 167. He was an acquaintance to English novelist

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...

. In a 1858 letter to publisher George Smith, she described him as such: A homosexual bachelor, Aide lived in Lyndhurst with his mother. After her death in 1875, he then "took rooms at Queen Anne's Gate where he hosted a celebrated salon which drew 'the chief figures in the social and artistic world of France as well as England. He was one of the male companions of

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

, who characterised him as "the

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...

of our time". He died in

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, leaving his papers to Morton Fullerton.

Legacy

His entry in the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' sets forth that Aide was: Aide left his papers to American author Morton Fullerton, then a correspondent for

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in their Paris office, with open-ended instructions "to manipulate, to publish, or to burn as you think fit".Marion Mainwaring, ''Mysteries of Paris: The Quest for Morton Fullerton'' (2001), p. 41. His estate was sworn at £43,000 gross. His remaining literary copyrights were bequeathed to Lady Stanley.

Works

*''Rita: An Autobiography'' (1858) *''Confidences'' (1859) *''Carr of Carrlyon'' (1862) *''Mr. and Mrs. Faulconbridge'' (1864) *''The Marstons'' (1868) *''In That State of Life'' (1871) *''Morals and Mysteries'' (1872) *''Penruddocke'' (1873) *''A Nine Days' Wonder: A Novelette'' (1875) *''Poet and Peer'' (1880) *''Introduced to Society'' (1884) *''Passages in the Life of a Lady, 1814-1815-1816'' (1887) *''The Cliff Mystery'' (1888) *''A Voyage of Discovery: A Novel of American Society'' (1892) *''Elizabeth's Pretenders'' (1895) *''Jane Treachel'' (1899) *''The Snares of the World'' (1901)

References

External links

* * * * * Hamilton Aïdé Papers. General Collection of Books and Manuscripts. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aide, Charles Hamilton 1826 births 1906 deaths 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights People from Lyndhurst, Hampshire English male novelists 19th-century English novelists 19th-century English male writers Victorian novelists University of Bonn alumni Writers from Hampshire 19th-century English songwriters English male songwriters English army officers English LGBTQ writers English people of Greek descent