C. H. (Charles Harold) Herford

Born on February 18, 1853, Charles Harold Herford was an English literary scholar and critic. He is remembered above all for his biography and edition of Ben Jonson’s works, a large scholarly project that established his reputation.

Herford studied at Cambridge and went on to a long academic career, most notably at the University of Manchester, where he taught English literature. His writing ranged beyond editing and criticism to lectures and essays that made serious literary study feel lively and accessible.

He died on April 25, 1931. Today, he is still noted for the depth of his scholarship and for the role he played in building English literature into a modern university subject.