Forster, Hugh Oakeley Arnold-, 1855-1909, politician

Hugh Oakeley Arnold was born in Dawlish, Devon on 19 August 1855 into an illustrious family. His late grandfather, Thomas Arnold, had been headmaster at Rugby; his uncles included the poet and critic, Matthew Arnold, and the literary scholar, Thomas Arnold; an aunt was the novelist Mary Ward (also known as Mrs Humphry Ward); and a cousin was the journalist W. T. Arnold. When he was just four months old he moved to India where his father, William Delafield Arnold, was Director of Public Instruction in the Punjab. Hugh's mother, Frances, daughter of Gen. J. A. Hodgson, later Surveyor-General of India, died when Hugh was three years old. His father decided to return Hugh, and his three siblings, to England but W. D. Arnold himself died whilst following them in April 1859. The Arnold children, ranging in age from two to eight years found themselves orphaned.

Hugh and his siblings were taken in by their aunt Jane and her husband, W. E. Forster, later a leading Liberal politician. After initial schooling in Devon, under John Penrose, in 1869 Hugh went to Rugby and later took a first class degree in Modern History at Oxford. It was around the time of his graduation that Hugh, and his siblings, changed their name to Arnold-Forster.

...