Herbert Vivian (3 April 1865 – 18 April 1940) was an English journalist, author and newspaper owner, who befriended
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British aristocrat and politician. Churchill was a Tory radical who coined the term "One-nation conservatism, Tory democracy". He participated in the creation ...
,
Charles Russell,
Leopold Maxse
Leopold James Maxse (11 November 1864 – 22 January 1932) was an English amateur tennis player and journalist and editor of the conservative British publication, ''National Review'', between August 1893 and his death in January 1932; he was s ...
and others in the 1880s. He campaigned for
Irish Home Rule
The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of ...
and was private secretary to
Wilfrid Blunt, poet and writer, who stood in the
1888 Deptford by-election
Events January
* January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used.
* January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, M ...
. Vivian's writings caused a rift between
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
and
James NcNeil Whistler. In the 1890s, Vivian was a leader of the
Neo-Jacobite Revival
The Neo-Jacobite Revival was a political movement active during the 25 years before the First World War in the United Kingdom. The movement was monarchist, and had the specific aim of replacing British parliamentary democracy with a restored monar ...
, a monarchist movement keen to restore a
Stuart
Stuart may refer to:
People
*Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name)
* Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan
*House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England
Places Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, ...
to the British throne and replace the parliamentary system. Before the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he was friends with
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
and was the first journalist to interview him. Vivian lost as
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
candidate for Deptford in 1906. As an extreme monarchist throughout his life, he became in the 1920s a supporter of
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
. His several books included the novel ''The Green Bay Tree'' with
William Henry Wilkins
William Henry Wilkins (1860–1905) was an English writer, best known as a royal biographer and campaigner for immigration controls. He used the pseudonym W. H. de Winton.
Life
Born at Compton Martin, Somerset, on 23 December 1860, he was son ...
. He was a noted
Serbophile; his writings on the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
remain influential.
Early life and education
Herbert Vivian was born on 3 April 1865 in
Chichester
Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
, the only son of the Reverend Francis Henry and Margaret Vivian. He was baptised by his father on 11 May 1865 at the town's Church of St Peter the Great. He had a sister, Margaret Cordelia Vivian. His grandfather
John Vivian was the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist.
* An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
MP for
Truro
Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
, and owned
Pencalenick House in
St Clement, Cornwall
St Clement () is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated southeast of Truro in the valley of the Tresillian River. Other notable villages within the parish are the much larger Tresillian 1.4 miles (2.3&nb ...
; Herbert recalled shooting his first rabbit there as a child. He always glossed over his grandfather's political role, for example, writing: "None of my immediate relatives have ever troubled their heads in politics..." in his newspaper ''The Whirlwind''.
Herbert studied at
Harrow School
Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...
from 1879 until 1883. When he was 14, he was introduced to an old friend of his father's,
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes (20 October 1822 – 22 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had atte ...
, the author of ''
Tom Brown's School Days
''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is a novel by Thomas Hughes, published in 1 ...
''. The meeting had a strong impact on the young Vivian, who wrote about it later in his memoirs. In 1881, his grandfather introduced him to
Thomas Bayley Potter
Thomas Bayley Potter Deputy Lieutenant, DL, Justice of the Peace, JP (29 November 1817 – 6 November 1898) was an English merchant in Manchester and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician.
Early life
Born in Polefield, Lancashire, he was ...
, the
Member of Parliament for
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. Potter was impressed by Vivian and often took him into Parliament during his holidays. There Vivian met many of the MPs and was particularly impressed by
Charles Warton
Charles Nicholas Warton (1832 – 31 July 1900) was a barrister and politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as a Conservative from 1880 to 1885. In 1886, he was appointed Attorney-General of Western Australia.
Biograph ...
, the MP for
Bridport
Bridport is a market town and civil parish in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the River Asker, Asker. Its origins are Anglo-Saxons, Saxon and it has a long history as a ...
. Potter also introduced him to
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British aristocrat and politician. Churchill was a Tory radical who coined the term "One-nation conservatism, Tory democracy". He participated in the creation ...
, who inspired Vivian to take up
Tory democracy
One-nation conservatism, also known as one-nationism or Tory democracy, is a form of British political conservatism and a variant of paternalistic conservatism. It advocates the "preservation of established institutions and traditional prin ...
. Vivian exchanged letters with Lord Randolph during his school days and continued to correspond with him for many years afterwards. Vivian later became friends with his son,
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
.
Vivian studied at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, graduating in 1886 with a
degree in
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
and subsequently being promoted to a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
. In his student years, Vivian and his friend
Edward Goulding
Edward Alfred Goulding, 1st Baron Wargrave (5 November 1862 – 17 July 1936), known as Sir Edward Goulding, Bt, between 1915 and 1922, was a British barrister, businessman and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons betw ...
were the President and Vice-President respectively of the
University Carlton Club and invited Lord Randolph to become its President. Never shy of using his connections, Vivian dropped Churchill's name to arrange a meeting in
Vevey
Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used.
It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...
with
Nubar Pasha
Nubar Pasha GCSI (; ; January 1825 – 14 January 1899) was an Egyptian-Armenian politician and the first Prime Minister of Egypt. He served as Prime Minister three times during his career. His first term was between August 1878 and 23 February 1 ...
, the first
Prime Minister of Egypt
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
. After spending several hours discussing politics with Pasha, he returned to London and reported his conversation to Churchill. Churchill introduced Vivian to
Charles Russell, who later became Baron Russell of Killowen and the
Lord Chief Justice of England
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English an ...
, and the two became friends. Around 1882, Vivian attended a lecture given by
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
at which
James NcNeil Whistler was also present and which Vivian would later write about .
At Cambridge, Vivian struck up friendships with students who went on to be prominent politicians and businessmen.
Austen Chamberlain
Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of ...
was involved in
Cambridge Union
The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a historic debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. The society was founded in 1815 making it the oldest ...
politics when Vivian arrived and the two bonded over a shared interest in
Radicalism. He was a close friend of
Leopold Maxse
Leopold James Maxse (11 November 1864 – 22 January 1932) was an English amateur tennis player and journalist and editor of the conservative British publication, ''National Review'', between August 1893 and his death in January 1932; he was s ...
— later editor of the
''National Review''. Another friend was
Ernest Debenham
Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, 1st Baronet (26 May 1865 – 25 December 1952), was an English businessman. He was responsible for the considerable expansion of the family's retail and wholesale drapery firm between 1892 and 1927.
Biography
Born at ...
, who went on to lead the family business
Debenhams
Debenhams plc was a British department store chain that operated in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, as well as franchised locations across Europe and the Asia Pacific.
The company was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and gr ...
to great commercial success. Vivian recalled Debenham overdosing on
hashish
Hashish (; ), usually abbreviated as hash, is a Compression (physics), compressed form of resin (trichomes) derived from the cannabis flowers. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, As a Psychoactive drug, psychoactive ...
during experiments in
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
at Cambridge.
Private secretary to Wilfrid Blunt
Vivian and Chamberlain organised speaking events at the Union. In 1886, they invited the English anti-imperialist writer and poet
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (17 August 1840 – 10 September 1922), sometimes spelt Wilfred, was an English poet and writer. He and his wife Lady Anne Blunt travelled in the Middle East and were instrumental in preserving the Arabian horse bloodlines ...
to speak on the subject of
Irish Home Rule
The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of ...
, and Vivian and Blunt became friends. Later that year, Vivian visited Blunt at his home,
Crabbet Park, and took a position as his private secretary. Vivian spent most weekends at Crabbet during his final year of studies, and continued to work for Blunt after he graduated. While so employed, he met influential politicians, as Blunt prepared to stand for Parliament, among them the Anglo-French historian
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...
. Blunt was a cousin of
Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford University he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carr ...
and a friend of Oscar Wilde.
In 1887 Blunt became more vociferously in favour of Irish Home Rule. In November, Lord Randolph wrote to Vivian advising him to distance himself from Blunt, advice Vivian did not take. At the time, Blunt was also developing interest in
the Jacobite cause of restoring the
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...
to the British throne, which Vivian was to become a passion in his life.
In late 1887, Vivian left the
Conservative Party and joined the Home Rule Union between the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
and the
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nati ...
. At the end of the year, he toured
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
with the leading Irish politician
Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt (25 March 1846 – 30 May 1906) was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican activist for a variety of causes, especially Home Rule (Ireland), Home Rule and land reform. Following an eviction when he was four years old, Davitt's ...
and
Bradford Central
Bradford Central was a United Kingdom constituencies, parliamentary constituency in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Ki ...
MP
George Shaw-Lefevre
George John Shaw Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley (12 June 1831 – 19 April 1928) was a British Liberal Party politician. In a ministerial career that spanned thirty years, he was twice First Commissioner of Works and also served as Postmaster Gen ...
. Shortly after Vivian returned from Ireland he met the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...
and then the MP for
East Mayo,
John Dillon
John Dillon (4 September 1851 – 4 August 1927) was an Irish politician from Dublin, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 35 years and was the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. By political disposition, Dillon was a ...
. In October 1887, Blunt gave a speech at a meeting in
Woodford, County Galway
Woodford () is a village in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland. It is situated between the River Shannon and the Slieve Aughty mountains.
History
The village's industrial history is indicated by a variant of its Irish name, ''Gráig na Mui ...
protesting against mass evictions of tenant families. The meeting had been banned by
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...
, the
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British Dublin Castle administration, administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretar ...
and Blunt was arrested, tried and imprisoned. While Blunt served his sentence in Dublin, Vivian worked closely with
William John Evelyn
William John Evelyn JP DL (27 July 1822 - 26 July 1908) was a British Member of Parliament, landowner and philanthropist. He was MP for Surrey West in 1849 and again for Deptford in 1885. to promote Blunt in the February 1888
Deptford by-election, caused by Evelyn's resignation as the Conservative MP. Blunt lost by 275 votes. Despite this, Blunt and Vivian were approached in March 1888 by a committee from Parnell's
Irish National League
The Irish National League (INL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded on 17 October 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell as the successor to the Irish National Land League after this was suppressed. Whereas the Land League ...
, asking Blunt to stand as their candidate for Deptford at the next general election, but by the time the election was called in 1892, Blunt's enthusiasms had moved on.
For a while, Vivian contributed to Evelyn's ''Abinger Monthly Record'', a magazine he later described as "
npart... really scurrilous attacks on the Vicar". The Vicar was Rev. T. P. Hill, incumbent of
Abinger
Abinger is a large, well-wooded and mostly rural civil parish that lies between the settlements of Dorking, Shere and Ewhurst in the district of Mole Valley, Surrey, England.
It adjoins Wotton Common on the same side of Leith Hill and inclu ...
, who had fallen out with Evelyn. The ''Record'' was also noted for a campaign against compulsory vaccinations and support of Irish Home Rule.
Oscar Wilde
In the late 1880s, Vivian was a friend of Oscar Wilde; they dined together on several occasions. At one such dinner, Vivian claimed he witnessed a famous exchange between Wilde and
James NcNeill Whistler. Whistler said a ''bon mot'' that Wilde found particularly witty, Wilde exclaimed that he wished that he had said it, and Whistler retorted, "You will, Oscar, you will".
In 1889, Vivian included this anecdote in an article, "The Reminiscences of a Short Life", which appeared in
''The Sun'' and implied that Wilde had a habit of passing off other people's witticisms as his own, especially Whistler's. Wilde saw Vivian's article as a scurrilous betrayal and it directly caused the break in friendship between Wilde and Whistler. "The Reminiscences" also caused acrimony between Wilde and Vivian, Wilde accusing him of "the inaccuracy of an eavesdropper with the method of a blackmailer" and banishing him from his circle. After the incident, Vivian and Whistler became friends, exchanging letters for many years.
Newspaper publishing and the Neo-Jacobite Revival
The late 1880s and 1890s brought a
Neo-Jacobite Revival
The Neo-Jacobite Revival was a political movement active during the 25 years before the First World War in the United Kingdom. The movement was monarchist, and had the specific aim of replacing British parliamentary democracy with a restored monar ...
in Britain. In 1886,
Bertram Ashburnham founded the
Order of the White Rose
The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all ...
, which embraced causes such as Irish,
Cornish, Scottish and Welsh independence, Spanish and Italian
legitimism
The Legitimists () are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject the claim of t ...
, and particularly Jacobitism. Its members included
Frederick Lee,
Henry Jenner
Henry Jenner (8 August 1848 – 8 May 1934) was a British scholar of the Celtic languages, a Cornwall, Cornish cultural activist, and the chief originator of the Cornish language revival.
Jenner was born at St Columb Major on 8 August 1848. H ...
, Whistler,
Robert Edward Francillon,
Charles Augustus Howell
Charles Augustus Howell (10 March 1840 – 21 April 1890) was an art dealer and alleged blackmailer who is best known for persuading the poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti to dig up the poems he buried with his wife Elizabeth Siddal. His reputation as ...
,
Stuart Richard Erskine and Vivian. It published a paper, ''The Royalist'', from 1890 to 1903.

Vivian first met Erskine when they were at a journalism school together. In 1890, the two founded a weekly newspaper ''
The Whirlwind, A Lively and Eccentric Newspaper'' with Vivian as editor, noted for including illustrations by artists, including Whistler and
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...
. Sickert was also its art critic, and wrote a weekly column. It carried articles on Oscar Wilde at the height of his fame and notoriety. The paper espoused an
individualist
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
, Jacobite political view, championed by Erskine and Vivian. One notable Sickert illustration for ''The Whirlwind'' was a portrait of
Charles Bradlaugh
Charles Bradlaugh (; 26 September 1833 – 30 January 1891) was an English political activist and atheist. He founded the National Secular Society in 1866, 15 years after George Holyoake had coined the term "secularism" in 1851.
In 1880, Br ...
. Bradlaugh also wrote an article on "practical individualism" for the paper.
In the first edition of ''The Whirlwind'' published on 28 June 1890, Erskine and Vivian came out against female suffragette, writing in a leader (editorial) they were utterly opposed to any kind of "female, childhood or dog suffrage" (the last two were included to illustrate the presumed absurdity of allowing women to vote). The two authors explained that women should be not allowed to vote because supposedly 99 out of 100 British women supported "state socialism" as an economic system (Erskine later admitted that he made up this statistic). In the same leader, Erskine and Vivian came out in favor of restoring the House of Stuart, arguing that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was illegal and as such the claims of the descendants of King James II to the throne took precedence over the claims of Queen Victoria. In the opinion of Eskien and Vivian, the rightful monarch was Princess Mary of Bavaria.
''The Whirlwind'' was scourged by
Victor Yarros for its anti-Semitic stance, mainly espoused by Vivian in his editorials. In the 23 August 1890 edition, he wrote, "The Jews are a race rather than a religious body, and, like the Chinese, are often obnoxious to their neighbours. By their financial craft they have acquired a dangerously extensive power, not merely over individuals, but even over the policy of states.... The proper way to deal with Jews is a rigorous boycott... What should be aimed at is a return of the whole Jewish race, as speedily as may be, to Palestine... The countries of their adoption would assuredly have no difficulty in sparing them".
Vivian used his editorship to promote also an individualist philosophy for women, though he was against
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
. Other causes included the menace of
London's tramways and repeated attacks on the journalist and explorer
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missi ...
and other figures of the age. He also published a series of autobiographical articles, ''Reminiscences of a Short Life'', which later formed the basis of his 1923 memoirs, ''Myself Not Least, being the personal reminiscences of "X."'' The Scottish-American industrialist
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
, one of the world's richest men, was attacked for his republicanism and labelled as "vermin" in ''The Whirlwind''. The paper went on hiatus in early 1891, when Vivian stood for election, and did not restart publication.
The Order of the White Rose split in 1891. It had been a primarily nostalgic, artistic organisation, but Vivian and Erskine wanted a more militant political agenda. With
Melville Henry Massue
Melville Amadeus Henry Douglas Heddle de la Caillemotte de Massue de Ruvigny (26 April 1868 – 6 October 1921) was a British genealogist and author who was twice president of the Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland. He styled ...
, styling himself the Marquis of Ruvigny, they founded a rival
Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland
The Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland was a Jacobite society founded in 1891 by Herbert Vivian, Melville Henry Massue and Ruaraidh Erskine following a split from the earlier Order of the White Rose. The League was conside ...
, sometimes using the name White Rose League. Its Central Executive Committee contained
Walter Clifford Mellor
Colonel John James Mellor (12 August 1830 – 12 January 1916) was a British industrialist and Conservative politician.
Early life
Mellor was born in Oldham, Lancashire, and was educated privately.''New Members of Parliament'', The Times, 19 J ...
, Vivian, George G. Fraser, Massue, Baron Valdez of Valdez, Alfred John Rodway, and R. W. Fraser, with Erskine as President. Pittock called the League a "publicist for Jacobitism on a scale unwitnessed since the Eighteenth Century".
The League organised protests often centred on statues of Jacobite heroes. In late 1892, they applied for government permission to lay wreaths at the
statue of Charles I at
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
on the anniversary of his execution. This was denied by Prime Minister
Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party.
In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
and enforced by George Shaw-Lefevre, Vivian's one-time travelling companion and now
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequent to 1922, within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irel ...
. The League tried to lay the wreaths anyway on 30 January 1893. Police were sent to stop this, but after a confrontation, Vivian and other members were allowed to complete their moved, so gaining significant press coverage. The political reporter for the ''
Lancashire Evening Post
The ''Lancashire Post'' is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. Until 14 January 2017 it was known as the ''Lancashire Evening Post''. According to the British Library
The British Library ...
'' wrote, "Mr. Herbert Vivian has been successful at last in placing a wreath upon the Statue of Charles the First.... We trust all parties will feel the better for the operation — especially the bronze statue". An article in the ''
Western Morning News
The ''Western Morning News'' is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England.
Organisation
The ''Western ...
'' said, "A bold and daring man is Mr. Herbert Vivian, Jacobite and journalist.... He announces to all and sundry that, law or no law, he will... attempt to lay a wreath on the statue. I have not heard whether special precautions have yet been taken to cope with this new force of disorder though, perhaps... one constable may be set apart to overawe Mr. Herbert Vivian".
In June 1893 came a split between Ruvigny and Vivian, with Vivian seeking to continue the League with support from
Viscount Dupplin, Mellor and others. Vivian left the Jacobite League in August 1893, but continued to promote a strongly Jacobite political philosophy.
In 1892 and 1893, Vivian worked as a journalist for
William Ernest Henley
William Ernest Henley (23 August 1849 11 July 1903) was a British poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, th ...
at the ''
National Observer''. In 1894, he published ''The Green Bay Tree'' with a college friend, the anti-immigrant writer
William Henry Wilkins
William Henry Wilkins (1860–1905) was an English writer, best known as a royal biographer and campaigner for immigration controls. He used the pseudonym W. H. de Winton.
Life
Born at Compton Martin, Somerset, on 23 December 1860, he was son ...
. He also contributed to Wilkin's monthly periodical ''The Albemarle'', which was co-edited by a mutual Cambridge friend,
Hubert Crackanthorpe. He spent the winter of 1894/1895 in France, where he discussed Jacobite and
Carlist
Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...
politics with the poet
François Coppée
François Edouard Joachim Coppée (; 26 January 1842 – 23 May 1908) was a French poet and novelist.
Biography
Coppée was born in Paris to a civil servant. After attending the Lycée Saint-Louis he became a clerk in the ministry of war and wo ...
and contemporary literature with the novelist
Émile Zola
Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...
.
Vivian continued his political journalism after ''The Whirlwind'' closed. In 1895, he was editor of ''The White Cockade'', a newspaper whose main purpose was to put forward the Jacobite argument. It received poor reviews and no success. Vivian was described in the ''Bristol Mercury'' as a "volatile young gentleman
hoenjoys a European reputation in the spheres of politics and literature."
By 1897, Vivian was the President of the ''Legitimist Club'', another Neo-Jacobite organisation. In 1898, Vivian published letters he had exchanged with the
Office of Works
The Office of Works was an organisation responsible for structures and exterior spaces, first established as part of the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences.
In 1832 it be ...
demanding that the Club be allowed to lay a wreath at the
Statue of James II, Trafalgar Square
The statue of James II is a bronze sculpture located in the front garden of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Probably inspired by French statues of the same period, it depicts James II of England as a Roman emp ...
on 16 September, the anniversary of James' death. Vivian's wreath-laying, tactics and use of the press to publicise his cause, remained the same. Vivian remained president of the Club until at least 1904.
In 1898, he published ''Servia The Poor Man's Paradise'', in which he offered up a highly romanticised, if essentially accurate account of his visit to Serbia. The majority of the land in Serbia during Ottoman rule had been held by Muslim landlords, and after Serbia had become independent, the great landed estates of the pashas had been broken up with the land being handed out to their tenants. Serbia was unusual in Eastern Europe at the time in that the majority of the land was owned by yeoman farmers. Vivian was greatly attracted to the social structure of Serb society, which saw as the purest expression of nationhood. The fact that the vast majority of Serbs in 1898 lived in rural areas and that Serbia was barely urbanised, let alone industrialised, was viewed by Vivian with approval as indicating that Serbia was still a "heroic agrarian" society, unlike modern Britain. Vivian saw Serbia as a society that still lived by an Eastern European version of the medieval code of chivalry, which he was greatly attracted to. Most importantly, for him Serbia did not have the same social cleavages between urban vs. rural values and between working class and middle class people that saw as disfiguring modern Britain. The very backwardness that other British travelers usually condemned Serbia for was celebrated by Vivian. Vivian's picture of Serbia was closely related to contemporary British concerns, namely the idea that a nation of property-owning small farmers was the best safeguard against the rise of socialist movements. As such, Serbia, which had been dominated by a yeoman farmer class ever since the estates of the pashas had broken up during the land reforms of the 1830s, was a nation that started to be the subject of much interest in Britain, of which Vivian's book was merely the best known example of. Vivian wrote with admiration that the rural areas of Serbia had been barely touched by modernisation, which led for the yeoman farmers to "steadily" vote for conservative politicians in successive elections. About Belgrade and the other cities of Serbia, Vivian condemned them for a "false" culture that was antithetical to the "real" Serbian culture to be found in the countryside.
Writing career

After his departure from the Jacobite League in 1893, Vivian became travel correspondent of
Arthur Pearson's paper ''
Pearson's Weekly
''Pearson's Weekly'' was a British weekly periodical founded in London in 1890 by Arthur Pearson, who had previously worked on ''Tit-Bits'' for George Newnes.
The first issue was well advertised and sold a quarter of a million copies. The paper ...
''. In February 1896, he launched and edited a new weekly called ''Give and Take'', which was noted for offering its readers coupons for "a selected set of tradesmen".
In 1898, Vivian returned to being a travel journalist, first for the ''
Morning Post
''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''.
History
The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...
'' (1898–1899) and then for Pearson's newly-founded ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' (1899–1900). In 1901 and 1902, he produced a magazine called ''The Rambler'' with
Richard Le Gallienne
Richard Le Gallienne (20 January 1866 – 15 September 1947) was an English author and poet. The British-American actress Eva Le Gallienne (1899–1991) was his daughter by his second marriage to Danish journalist Julie Nørregaard (1863–19 ...
, intended as a revival of
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
's periodical of the
same name
''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...
. After the turn of the 20th century, Vivian wrote several novels, some anonymously or using
pseudonyms
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...
, which met mixed reviews. ''The Master Sinner'' was seen by ''The Publisher's Circular'' as "unpleasant but clever", and in ''The Literary World'' as having a "style... jerky and overladen with adjectives", but still "a readable book".
Of Vivian's several travel books, the best-known was ''Servia: The Poor Man's Paradise'' (1897), which was widely quoted in newspapers, including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', the ''
Morning Post
''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''.
History
The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...
'' and ''Pearson's Weekly''. In 1899, he published ''Tunisia and the Modern Barbary Pirates'', a denunciation of French rule in Tunisia. An anonymous reviewer in the ''Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York'' noted that like many other supporters of the British empire, Vivian felt an intense hatred for French imperialism under the grounds the British or the Italians would had made for better colonial masters of Tunisia. The reviewer complained about Vivian's anti-Americanism, noting that Vivian in his book stated that all "Yankees" were "impudent vulgarians". In 1901, Vivian wrote with his wife Olive a book on European religious rituals, described in the ''Sheffield Independent'' as "well written, curious and readable, and marred only by a singularly fatuous surrender to any form of superstition however grovelling". That same he published ''Abyssinia: Through the Lion-Land to the Court of the Lion of Judah'', recounting his visit to the Empire of Ethiopia, which had attracted worldwide attention after defeating Italy, being the first and only African nation to defend its independence during the
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was the invasion, conquest, and colonialism, colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the era of ...
. Vivian noted that main form of communicating the news in Ethiopia was via the ''Azimâre'', wandering minstrel singers whose songs convoyed information about current events and gossip. Vivian wrote about the ''Azimâre'': "There are no regular songs, but the professional bards make up their poetry as they go along. Usually, they sing of war and the chase, how many elephants and lions have been killed, what doughty deeds their local heroes had performed, and sometimes they will allude to such current events". He described Ethiopia as having a
gun culture
Gun culture refers to the attitudes, feelings, values and behaviour of a society, or any social group, in which guns are used. The term was first coined by Richard Hofstadter in an '' American Heritage'' article critiquing gun violence in the Un ...
where owning a rifle was the highest mark of prestige. He wrote" if you take man
n Ethiopianout with you, buy a small thing and hand it to him to carry, he calls a coolie at once. He will carry your gun and as many cartridges as is physically possible, but not a bottle or a roll of cloth."
In June 1901, Vivian founded ''The Rambler'', a monthly magazine intended to be a direct successor of ''The Rambler'' edited by
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
with Vivian going so far as to print the new ''Rambler'' in 18th-century font and having the first page being numbered 1245 as the last page of the old ''Rambler'' that ended in 1752 was page 1244. Johnson was considered to be an ultra-conservative intellectual who was possibly a Jacobite, making him into Vivian's hero. Vivian defined the purpose of the new ''Rambler'' as "...the revival of Toryism, which has now nearly passed into memory; a free criticism of even the idols of the hour; an Exposition of foreign politics, hitherto gravely misunderstood; a return to those literacy graces which Johnson displayed in the ''Rambler'' and Disraeli on the hustings; an Apotheosis of Brevity, which an unhurried age has contrived to disembody from wit; and above all a reverence for old ideas and contempt for the superstitions of democracy". Vivian adopted the stance of the 18th-century Tory Party in ''The Rambler'' (through he also praised
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...
), calling for a return to the values of the 18th century. Vivian's "radical individualism" led him to take unusual positions for a reactionary journalist as he called for Home Rule for not only Ireland, but for Wales, Scotland, England and Cornwall as well along with a devolution of power from Westminster to the county governments. Vivian was strongly pro-Boer in regards to the Boer War as he depicted the two Boer republics as the victims of British aggression. He reserved his most vitriolic abuse in ''The Rambler'' for
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
, whose aggressive support for the Boer War was the precise opposite of his viewpoint. Vivian was vehemently opposed to the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902, which inspired him to write: "Now that we have failed to hold our own between all the majesty of our empire and a handful of Dutch famers, we suddenly throw our traditions, we put our pride into our pockets, and we solict the support of not a great, honorable country, but a pack of gibbering Simians". In 1902, Vivian interviewed the French novelist
Joris-Karl Huysmans
Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...
.

In 1903, Vivian returned to the subject of Serbia in "The Servian Character" for the ''
English Illustrated Magazine
''The English Illustrated Magazine'' was a monthly publication that ran for 359 issues between October 1883 and August 1913. Features included travel, topography, and a large amount of fiction and were contributed by writers such as Thomas Hardy ...
''. He followed this with a second work, ''The Servian Tragedy: With Some Impressions of Macedonia'' (1904), detailing the
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
against the Serbian royal family. This was reviewed in the ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph'': "The author has a thorough personal knowledge of the country, was received in audience by the late King and Queen, and is personally acquainted with all the statesmen. The Belgrade catastrophe is minutely described from full particulars obtained first hand." It was reviewed less positively in the ''London Daily News'': "Mr. Herbert Vivian's new book... presents many interesting chapters on the events leading up to the recent tragedy, but can hardly be looked upon as an authoritative history. The matter is thin, the author does not quote his authorities; and he is too evidently willing to accept hearsay in place of evidence."
Vivian had been greatly shocked by the coup d'etat on 10 June 1903 (known in Serbia as the May coup as the Serbs still used the Julian calendar) that saw the overthrowal of the
House of Obrenović
The House of Obrenović or Obrenović Dynasty (, Обрeновићи / Obrenovići, ) was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903.
They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Milo ...
and the installation of the rival
House of Karađorđević
The House of Karađorđević or Karađorđević dynasty ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Династија Карађорђевић, Dinastija Karađorđević, ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Карађорђевићи, Karađorđevići, label=none) was the former ruling Kin ...
on the Serbian throne. The climax of the coup saw the much hated King Alexander and the even more hated Queen Draga hacked to death in their bedchamber by a group of Royal Serb Army officers. The coup, which was completely at odds with Vivian's picture of Serbia as a semi-medieval, chivalric society led him to blame modernisation as the root cause. Vivian wrote that the yeoman farmers of Serbia were noble and honorable with a "natural capacity" for self-government. He wrote: "It is only when they go abroad for their education, don black coats, and a thin veneer of progress that they invite criticism" for embracing a "corrupt modernity". He sadly ended ''The Servian Tragedy'' that he wished to "remember them as I have known them-admirable survivors of the age of chivalry".
In ''The Servian Tragedy'', Vivian also addressed the subject of banditry in the Balkans along with the "Macedonian question". The Ottoman ''vilayet'' (province) of Macedonia was an ethically and religiously mixed region where brigandage was rampant that consisted of what is now modern
Northern Greece
Northern Greece () is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions.
Administrative term
The term "Northern Greece" is widely used to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Macedonia and (Western) Thra ...
and North Macedonia along with parts of Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo. In the early 20th century, the governments of Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia sponsored guerrillas in Macedonia known locally as the ''komitadji'' that when not fighting the Ottoman authorities fought each other. The line between guerillas and bandits in Ottoman Macedonia was frequently blurred. Vivian treated Balkan banditry in the same romantic vein that was usual in his writings on the Balkans as he declared: "the real brigand is usually a political refugee who only desires to be left alone and is content if he can steal enough to keep body and soul together, or else is a political emissary who travels about trying to force an unwilling peasantry into revolution". He wrote that nearly six centuries of oppressive rule by the Sublime Porte had made Ottoman Macedonia into "the headquarters of brigandage" in the Balkans. Anticipating the social banditry theory, he depicted the brigands of Macedonia as
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
-type defenders of the poor and oppressed. Vivian was less sympathetic towards the ''komitadji'', which he portrayed as a perversion of the "noble" bandits who engaged in cold-blooded violence in order to achieve the territorial ambitions of their respective paymasters in Athens, Sofia and Belgrade. He accused the ''komitadji'' of intentionally engaging in extreme violence out of the hope (which was usually realised) of provoking even greater extreme violence from the Ottoman state, which thereby made the "Macedonian question" a matter of international concern as the struggle in Macedonia was the subject of intense media attention.
King Alexander had accepted a "subsidy" (a polite term for a bribe) from the Austrian Empire in exchange for keeping Serbia within the Austrian sphere of influence, and a major reason for the coup was the belief in the Serb Army that Alexander was a corrupt king who did what was best for the Austrian empire rather than for Serbia. After the overthrow of the pro-Austrian House of Obrenović and its replacement with the pro-Russian House of Karađorđević, Austro-Serbia relations went into a rapid decline as the Austrians were unwilling to accept the loss of their former
satellite state
A satellite state or dependent state is a country that is formally independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control from another country. The term was coined by analogy to planetary objects orbiting a larger ob ...
. Vivian who was a partisan of the House of Obrenović supported the Austrian empire, writing that "if I were the foreign minister
f Austria I would counsel an occupation of Servia by the powers, perhaps even a partition." Vivian bitterly wrote that "Servia had been put back at least a century" by the May coup.
Vivian, as a friend of
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
, met him several times in the 1900s, seeking political gossip and advice. In May 1903, in response to
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...
's call for Imperial preference tariffs, Vivian met with Churchill to discuss what he should be Churchill's stance on the issue. Churchill decided to oppose Imperial preference and support free trade under the grounds that Imperial preference would mean higher food prices for British consumers, guessing correctly that the electoral appeal of lower food prices would be greater than the electoral appeal of turning the British empire into one economic unit. In 1905 Vivian published the first interview given by Churchill, published in ''
The Pall Mall Magazine
''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, and ...
'', which received attention in the press. Vivian also interviewed
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
, the
President of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...
, for ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' and wrote for ''
The Fortnightly Review
''The Fortnightly Review'' was one of the most prominent and influential magazines in nineteenth-century England. It was founded in 1865 by Anthony Trollope, Frederic Harrison, Edward Spencer Beesly, and six others with an investment of £9,000 ...
''.
In 1904, Vivian made a political speech containing pointed remarks about
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
. Shaw and Vivian exchanged letters on the matter, which Vivian then published, to Shaw's chagrin:
The publication of my letter to Mr. Vivian was a piece of humourous cruelty in which I had no part. I honestly gave Mr. Vivian the best advice I could in his own interest in a letter obviously not intended for publication; and if he had acted quietly upon it, instead of sending it off to the papers... he might still have a chance at a seat in the next Parliament.... I shall not pretend to be sorry that I have helped Mr. Bowerman, the accredited Labour candidate, to disable an opponent who, if he had played his cards skilfully, might have proved very dangerous... Yours, G. Bernard Shaw
Vivian continued his keen interest in the Balkan states. In 1907, he joined a plot to put
Prince Arthur of Connaught
Prince Arthur of Connaught (Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert; 13 January 1883 – 12 September 1938) was a British military officer and a grandson of Queen Victoria. He served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 20 November 19 ...
on the throne of Serbia. A year later, the
Montenegrin government considered appointing him as its Honorary Consul in London, and Vivian wrote to his friend Winston Churchill, asking for an
exequatur
An exequatur (Latin, literally "let it execute") is a legal document issued by a sovereign authority that permits the exercise or enforcement of a right within the jurisdiction of the authority.
International relations
An exequatur is a letters ...
for his appointment.
In 1908, Vivian proposed a gambling "system" for
roulette
Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...
published in ''
The Evening Standard
The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
''. His system relied on the
gambler's fallacy
The gambler's fallacy, also known as the Monte Carlo fallacy or the fallacy of the maturity of chances, is the belief that, if an event (whose occurrences are Independent and identically distributed random variables, independent and identically dis ...
and it was debunked by
Sir Hiram Maxim
Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916) was an American-born British inventor best known as the creator of the first automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. Maxim held patents on numerous mechanical devices such as hair ...
in the ''
Literary Digest
''The Literary Digest'' was an American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current Opinion''. ...
'' in October 1908. The First Balkan War with reports of atrocities against local Muslims by the forces of the Balkan League of Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Serbia led to massive demonstrations by angry Indian Muslims, and many British newspapers published articles critical of the Balkan League for threatening the stability of the Raj. Many British newspapers appeared to view the First Balkan War entirely through the spectrum of India, arguing the victories of the Balkan League over the Ottoman empire were greatly upsetting the Indian Muslim community (the world's largest Muslim community), and hence causing trouble for the British empire. Vivian was highly critical of Serbia's actions in joining the Balkan League that went to war against the Ottoman empire in October 1912, writing that Serbia had fallen under "terrorist rule" with its noble chivalric peasant traditions being "corrupted" by modern ethno-religious nationalism. Vivian urged the Serbs to return to the values of Prince
Stefan Dušan
Stephen (honorific), Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан), also known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Силни; – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Emperor of th ...
, which in return required the overthrow of the House of Karađorđević and a union with Montenegro to put the
House of Petrović-Njegoš
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air co ...
on the throne. He wrote that only by accepting the House of Petrović-Njegoš as their rules was necessary to end "the regicide terrorism of the last nine years and restoring greater Servia, almost the Servia of Dushan, to her old place among the civilised nations".
Vivian continued to publish books in the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, notably a 1917 volume, ''Italy at War'', which despite its title was largely a travelogue. He tried to join the
Ministry of Information and met both
Lord Beaverbrook
William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...
and
John Buchan
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a ...
as part of his efforts, but his services were rejected, although Buchan admitted to Jacobite sympathies during their meeting. Vivian instead returned to the ''Daily Express'' as travel correspondent for 1918.
In the 1920s Vivian worked as a travel
stringer
Stringer may refer to:
Structural elements
* Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened
* Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal
* Stringer (stairs), ...
for newspapers that included ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' and ''
The Yorkshire Post
''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...
''. In 1927, he wrote ''Secret Societies Old and New'', which received mixed reviews, ''The Spectator'' calling it "well-written and extremely readable", but Albert Mackey noting, "The author does not possess sufficient knowledge for his task."
In 1932, Vivian returned to European political history and legitimism with ''The Life of the Emperor Charles of Austria'', the first biography of
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
published in English. It was positively received in the ''
Belfast News Letter
The ''News Letter'' is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published from Monday to Saturday. It is the world's oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication, having first been printed in September 1737. The ...
''. He continued to write on the Balkans, with an article in ''
The English Review
''The English Review'' was an English-language literary magazine published in London from 1908 to 1937. At its peak, the journal published some of the leading writers of its day.
History
The magazine was started by 1908 by Ford Madox Hueffer (l ...
'' in 1933 on racial tensions in
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
.
Vivian's writings were noted in his lifetime and after; he is listed in the 1926 edition of ''Who's Who in Literature'', and the 1967 ''New Century Handbook of English Literature''. His last book, ''Fascist Italy'' (1936) was an apologia for Benito Mussolini, whom Vivian depicted as saving Italy from a Communist revolution.
Political candidate
In 1889, Vivian sought to stand in the
Dover by-election. He withdrew and later alleged that the Irish journalist and candidate for
Galway Borough
Galway Borough was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland. It returned one MP from 1801 to 1832, two MPs from 1832 to 1885 and one MP from 1885 to 1918. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Gr ...
,
T. P. O'Connor
Thomas Power O'Connor, PC (5 October 1848 – 18 November 1929), known as T. P. O'Connor and occasionally as Tay Pay (mimicking the Irish pronunciation of the initials ''T. P.''), was an Irish nationalist politician and journalist who served ...
, had stepped in to prevent his candidacy.
In April 1891, Vivian announced he was standing in the
East Bradford constituency for the Jacobite "Individualist Party", of which he was sole member. By May 1891, Vivian was claiming to be the
Labour candidate for the seat, though this was denied by the
Bradford Trade and Labour Council. During the campaign he was named as co-respondent in a divorce case which was gleefully reported by the local press. He duly lost the 1892 election to
William Sproston Caine.
In 1895, he stood for the
North Huntingdonshire constituency on an explicitly Jacobite platform. The seat was comfortably held by
A.E. Fellowes.
Undeterred by failures, Vivian again sought election in the 20th century. He was interested in the Deptford constituency, where he had helped Wilfrid Blunt's campaign 15 years earlier. He began to campaign there at the end of 1903 and spoke at a free trade meeting in December, reading letters of support he had received from
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
and
John Dickson-Poynder, MP for
Chippenham
Chippenham is a market town in north-west Wiltshire, England. It lies north-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, west of London and is near the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon, ...
. Churchill joined the Liberal party in 1904 and Vivian followed him. He was selected as a Liberal candidate to fight the 1906 election, and Churchill spoke in his support at two meetings. Vivian met serious opposition to his candidacy, and received only 726 votes, losing heavily to the Labour Party's
C. W. Bowerman.
In 1908, Vivian looked into standing as a candidate in the
Stirling Burghs
Stirling Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 to 1918.
Creation
The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and ...
constituency after the death of the former Prime Minister
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman ( né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. ...
, who had held the seat for the Liberals. Vivian again espoused legitimist views in support of restoring the
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...
. In the end he did not stand and the seat was won by
Arthur Ponsonby
Arthur Augustus William Harry Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede (16 February 1871 – 23 March 1946), was a British politician, writer, and social activist. He was the son of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, an ...
.
Fascist sympathies
In 1920, Vivian met
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
and
Gabriele D'Annunzio in Italy and became an admirer of
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
, notably
Italian Fascism
Italian fascism (), also called classical fascism and Fascism, is the original fascist ideology, which Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini developed in Italy. The ideology of Italian fascism is associated with a series of political parties le ...
. In 1926, he wrote of his visits to Mussolini's Italy:
I find most useful, instead of a passport, is a copy of the first Fascist newspaper, for which I wrote an article in 1920... These fascist syndicates everywhere are not unlike the Soviets, and Fascism is very like Bolshevism in many ways. Except that one means well, and the other not. Fascism is certainly succeeding... All the public services go like clockwork, trains arrive to the tick.
In May 1929, Vivian and
Hugh George de Willmott Newman
Hugh George de Willmott Newman (17 January 1905 – 28 February 1979) was an Independent Catholic or independent Old Catholic bishop. He was known religiously as Mar Georgius I and bore the titles, among others, of Patriarch of Glastonbury, ...
founded the Royalist International, a group with a stated aim of opposing the spread of
Bolshevism
Bolshevism (derived from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Leninist and later Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined p ...
and restoring the Russian monarchy, but with a clear pro-
fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
agenda. Vivian was General Secretary and editor of the league's publication, the ''Royalist International Herald''. Newman, 24 at the time, went on to be ordained a bishop in the
Independent Catholic church
Independent Catholicism is an independent sacramental movement of clergy and laity who self-identify as Catholic (most often as Old Catholic or as Independent Catholic) and form "micro-churches claiming apostolic succession and valid sacrament ...
and an archbishop in the
Catholicate of the West
The Catholicate of the West was a Christian denomination established in 1944 and which ceased to exist in 1994 to become the British Orthodox Church.
The denomination was also known as the Catholic Apostolic Church, the Catholicate of the West ( ...
, and was involved in
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
's
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult secret society and hermetic magical organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, ...
. In 1933, Vivian wrote:
Monarchy... sa more satisfactory form of government than the insidious poisons of a plutocracy ndthe distorted democracy of Parliaments... the world's galloping consumption will not be arrested until... Kings forget their ancient animosities to unite in a Royalist International uncontaminated and unhampered by the lying, cowardly, malignant Spirit of the Age.
Vivian believed the Great Depression was the death-knell of democracy and that soon absolute monarchies would be the world's dominant political system or that alternatively Communism would be the world's dominant political system. He wrote that Great War "cast the world into a melting pot and the world still seethes". He declared that when the world stabilises people find that the "19th century superstitions of Parliament and democracy are not dead, but damned", leaving the world between a stark choice between "being absorbed in the bloody mists of Bolshevism or in the empyrean ideas of love and labor and self-sacrifice" in the service of kings. He called for the day when "the world may recall and emulate happier centuries when men feared God and honored kings; when monastic benevolence and brotherhood of guilds kept poverty and jealousy from their doors; when the crusading spirit went abroad and the slinking shadows of secret societies were held in horror by all men of goodwill". Vivian was disappointed in 1933 when
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
did not restore the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...
as he had expected him to do, which led him to turn against Nazi Germany. Vivian much preferred fascists like
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
who professed himself to be a loyal servant of King
Victor Emmanuel III
Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...
as he was only willing to accept fascist regimes in service of monarchies.
In 1936 came Vivian's ''Fascist Italy'', in which he expressed admiration for the Italian fascist regime. It received a scathing review in the ''
Nottingham Journal
The ''Nottingham Journal'' was a newspaper published in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands in England. During that time, the paper went through several title changes through mergers, take-overs, acquisitions and ownership changes. ...
'': "A facile writer of travel guides... Herbert Vivian must be read as an amusement of a rather grim sort than as an education.... This is a book which need not be taken too seriously, but which may be worth reading with no more attention than is given to works which claim, as this one does not, to be mainly fiction." The ''
Dundee Evening Telegraph
The ''Evening Telegraph'' is a local newspaper in Dundee, Scotland. Known locally as the ''Tele'' (usually pronounced ''Tully or Tilly''), it is the sister paper of '' The Courier'', also published by Dundee firm DC Thomson. It was founded in ...
'' review noted Vivian "writes with rapturous enthusiasm. Mussolini is to him a "saviour", who "restored order and glory and pride, cured his country in her calenture, create an imperial future with traditions of ancient Rome"... Inasmuch as it is a mouthpiece for crude propaganda, Mr. Vivian's book is regrettable." The British scholar Alex Murray wrote that ''Fascist Italy'' was a peculiar book where Vivian's call for a return to the values of the Middle Ages sat uneasily alongside his admiration for the modernism of the Fascist regime as Mussolini made a point of claiming that Italy was in the forefront of science and technology under his rule. Vivian called Mussolini Europe's savior in ''Fascist Italy'' and complained that "Britain has scarcely produced a statesman since King James II was driven from her shores". Murray wrote that Vivian had been consistently opposed to democracy ever since he started his eccentric crusade to restore the
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...
to the British throne in the 1880s, and that Vivan's embrace of fascism was not an aberration, but the logical culmination of his political thought.
Political views
Vivian's political views varied over his life, embracing at times
one-nation Toryism,
free-trade liberalism and open
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
. Indeed, he often seemed more interested in the mechanisms of power and power of persuasive political speech than in consistent policies or positions.
During a failed campaign for the 1891 Bradford East by-election he wrote:
I preach fanatically the gospel of individualism according to John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer. The first principle of this gospel is that everyone must be allowed to do whatever he pleases so long as his doing so does not interfere with the liberty of others to do the same. I am a staunch free trader, desiring the abolition of that curse of civilisation, the custom house. I protest against all monopolies, whether exercised by un-wieldy State departments, or by grasping individuals, and I support the claims of all nationalities to the management of their own affairs.
Some of his beliefs were consistent: he held racist views from early days:
He was noted for "extreme monarchist views" throughout his life, and became antagonistic to democracy. His 1933 ''Kings in Waiting'' – in which he wrote "Democracy, liberty, and prosperity had been the mirages that had attracted the nations to their shambles" – was noted for its passionate pro-Monarchist and anti-Democratic stance.
He was a prominent British
Serbophile and an early proponent of a
Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, inclu ...
that encompassed most of the territory of
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
.
Modern perceptions
Vivian's books and articles on Serbia remain widely quoted in modern histories of the region. Slobodan Markovich, writing in 2000, describes ''Servia: A Poor Man's Paradise as "a rather sympathetic account of the Serbian King Alexander and the Serbian Army.... Although biased, the book has an abundance of facts and confirms the extent to which British knowledge on Serbia had accumulated in previous decades." Markovich says that Vivian "among Britons who took part in the creation of the image of Serbia and the Balkans" was the "one person
hoshould be given a special attention." He also put Vivian and anthropologist
Edith Durham
Edith Durham, (8 December 1863 – 15 November 1944) was a British artist, anthropologist and writer who is best known for her anthropological accounts of life in Albania in the early 20th century. Her advocacy on behalf of the Albanian cause a ...
"among
heprominent actors of the 'balkanisation' of the Near East", who greatly influenced the British perception of the Balkans after the First World War."
In 2013, ''Servia: The Poor Man's Paradise'' was described by Radmila Pejic as "a major contribution to British travel writing about Serbia with its in-depth analysis and rather objective portrayal of the country's political system, religious practices and economic situation."
Although Vivian's Neo-Jacobite views are now largely forgotten, his 1893 wreath-laying earned him the epithet "political maverick" from Smith, who summed up the impact of the event: "The affair enjoyed publicity out of all proportion to the latter-day significance of the Jacobite cause, which had long been effectively extinct, but as one man's crusade against an aspect of state bureaucracy, it acquired contemporary meaning."
Miller and Morelon call him a "monarchist British historian" and ascribe his interest in Emperor Charles of Austria to an uncritical admiration of kings.
Personal life
In 1892 at the age of 27, Vivian was named as co-respondent in a divorce case. In 1891, he had met Henry Simpson and his wife Maud Mary Simpson in Venice and become a frequent visitor to their home. Henry was an artist and a friend of Whistler. The Simpsons travelled on to Paris, where Mrs Simpson confessed that Vivian had proposed to her. The Simpsons then returned to London and Mrs Simpson left her husband and demanded a divorce, as she and Vivian were living together in
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...
under the assumed names of Mr and Mrs Selwyn. The Simpsons' divorce came in December 1892, one of only 354 granted in England and Wales that year. On 22 June 1893, Vivian married Maud. She pursued her ambition to become an actress and in 1895 she travelled to Holland, where she abandoned Vivian for a Mr Sundt of the Norwegian Legation in Amsterdam. The marriage ended in divorce in 1896.
On 30 September 1897, Vivian married Olive Walton, daughter of
Frederick Walton
Frederick Edward Walton (13 March 183416 May 1928), was an English manufacturer and inventor whose invention of Linoleum in Chiswick was patented in 1863. He also invented Lincrusta in 1877.
Early life
Walton was born in 1834, near Halifax. ...
the inventor of
linoleum
Linoleum is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), Pine Resin, pine resin, ground Cork (material), cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a Hessian fabric, hes ...
. Herbert and Olive were well known on the London social scene in the years just after the First World War and appear in
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work '' A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English.
Powell ...
's memoir ''Infants of the Spring'' throwing a lavish luncheon in honour of
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
. Powell notes that their "marriage did not last long, but was still going at this period." Olive kept up a lively correspondence with Powell's father for many years after the divorce.
Vivian was made a Knight of the
Royal Serbian Order of Takovo in 1902 and a Commander of the Royal Montenegrin
Order of Danilo
The Order of Prince Danilo I () is an Order (decoration), order, formerly of the Principality of Montenegro, Principality and later Kingdom of Montenegro, Kingdom, of Montenegro; it is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of ...
in 1910.
Vivian died on 18 April 1940 at
Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe ( ) is a coastal civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula south of Helston and partly contains The Loe, the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall. The parish population includin ...
in Cornwall, from his grandfather's house in St Clement.
Works

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The following books are commonly attributed to Vivian, but at least one source gives Wilfrid Keppel Honnywill as the author.
* (published anonymously)
* (published anonymously)
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vivian, Herbert
1865 births
1940 deaths
19th-century British newspaper founders
19th-century English novelists
20th-century British newspaper founders
20th-century English novelists
20th-century English journalists
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
English science fiction writers
English fascists
English Jacobites
English journalists
English travel writers
Jacobite propagandists
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Montenegro–United Kingdom relations
Neo-Jacobite Revival
Oscar Wilde
People educated at Harrow School
Herbert
Herbert may refer to:
People
* Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert
* Herbert (given name)
* Herbert (surname)
Places Antarctica
* Herbert Mountains, Coats Land
* Herbert Sound, Graham Land
Australia
* Herbert, Northern Territor ...