Caine , Sir , Thomas Henry Hall , 1853-1931 , Knight , novelist x Caine , Sir , Hall

Thomas Henry Hall Caine was born in Cheshire and educated in Liverpool before being apprenticed to an architect. In his late teens he taught on the Isle of Man for a year, and on returning to Liverpool began to work as a journalist as well as an architectural draughtsman. He began corresponding with Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1879 and through him was introduced to London literary society. His first novel was published in 1885 and he became very popular as an author: The Christian (1897) was the first British novel to sell more than one million copies. His Christian faith and radical political opinions were strong influences on his work. In 1895 Caine returned to the Isle of Man, where he and his family took up permanent residence; he served as a member of the House of Keys for several years. He was knighted in 1918 (disliking his first name, he preferred to be called Sir Hall rather than Sir Thomas) and became a Companion of Honour in 1922. His Life of Christ, for which he had hoped to be remembered, was published posthumously in 1937.