A. P. Herbert

A. P. Herbert – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the life of A. P. Herbert (1890–1971): English novelist, satirist, law reformer and MP. Explore his biography, works, witty quotes, and enduring legacy.

Introduction

Sir Alan Patrick Herbert, better known as A. P. Herbert or sometimes “A.P.H.,” remains a distinctive figure in 20th-century British letters and public life. Born on 24 September 1890 and passing on 11 November 1971, Herbert wore many hats: novelist, playwright, poet, humorist, satirist, and independent Member of Parliament. His skill at combining wit with principled advocacy—especially in the fields of law and divorce reform—earned him a unique reputation: a man who could make you laugh while nudging the arc of statute law.

In this article, we explore Herbert’s life, the milieu in which he wrote, his major works, his influence on law and culture, and his most memorable quips—many of which still circulate in legal and literary circles today.

Early Life and Family

A. P. Herbert was born on 24 September 1890 in Ashtead, Surrey, England. Hood in 1941.

He received his early schooling at preparatory institutions, then went on to Winchester College, where he distinguished himself in verse and speech, winning the King's Medals for English Verse and English Speech. New College, Oxford, studying initially Classics before switching to Law/Jurisprudence.

Even as a student, Herbert submitted verses and light pieces to Punch and contributed to other periodicals such as The Observer, Pall Mall Gazette, and Vanity Fair. This early exposure gave hints of the satirical voice he would develop further.

Youth, Education, and War

Herbert’s transition from promising Oxford scholar to wartime serviceman came with the outbreak of World War I. He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1914 as an ordinary seaman, before being promoted to acting leading seaman and later commissioned as a sub-lieutenant.

He served with the Royal Naval Division (which later came under Army command) in the Gallipoli campaign and later on the Western Front. The Secret Battle (1919), an incisive work about a soldier executed for cowardice that drew on his war experiences. The Secret Battle helped bring public attention to the harshness of wartime military justice.

After the war, Herbert was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1919, though he never practiced law in conventional practice.

Career and Achievements

Literary & Humour Work

From the 1920s onward, Herbert became a prolific writer. He contributed to Punch for much of his life—eventually becoming a regular contributor. Misleading Cases in the Common Law, a set of humorous faux legal judgments or law reports (starring the fictional litigant Albert Haddock).

The Misleading Cases were collected into volumes, including Uncommon Law (1935) and later More Uncommon Law.

In novels, Herbert’s work includes:

• The House by the River (1921)

• The Water Gipsies (1930), one of his most beloved novels, set around the Thames and canal life.

• Holy Deadlock (1934), a satirical novel that critiqued the rigidity and absurdities of English divorce law.

• The “Topsy” series — The Trials of Topsy (1928), Topsy, MP (1929), Topsy Turvy (1947) — all in a light epistolary style.

Other works include essays, plays, musicals, poetry, and works on sundials (Sundials Old and New, 1967).

Herbert also wrote What a Word! (1935), a witty defense of clear English and a campaign for effective writing.

Parliamentary & Reforming Role

Herbert entered politics in 1935, winning election as an independent Member of Parliament for the Oxford University constituency.

One of his most significant legislative achievements was championing and piloting the Matrimonial Causes Act 1937, which modernized divorce law in England and Wales. It relaxed the stringent requirements for obtaining divorce (e.g. eliminating some earlier procedural absurdities and incorporating broader grounds). Holy Deadlock, Herbert had ridiculed the existing divorce rules, so his parliamentary work in effect translated satire into law.

He also took up numerous “private member’s” causes: opposition to the Entertainments Duty, advocacy for the rights of private members’ time in Parliament, and reform of archaic statutes.

During WWII, Herbert enrolled his boat Water Gipsy in the River Emergency Service on the Thames, and served (in non-commissioned capacity) in the Royal Naval Auxiliary Patrol. He wore his uniform regularly in the House of Commons, becoming the only NCO there.

In 1945, Herbert was knighted in Winston Churchill’s Resignation Honours, becoming Sir A. P. Herbert, CH.

His last speech in the Commons was in November 1949 in support of the Festival of Britain.

Historical Context & Milestones

• Herbert’s interwar and postwar career spanned pivotal decades in British political, social, and legal change—including debates on marriage, divorce, taxation, and the evolving role of Parliament.

• His witty legal satire—Misleading Cases—was sometimes mistaken for genuine legal decisions, underlining how convincingly he mimicked legal style.

• The fact that his proposals became law (as in the Matrimonial Causes Act) gave satirical writing a rare role in actual legal reform.

• His career reflects an era in which a public intellectual could straddle both literary and parliamentary spheres, wielding influence by persuasion and wit rather than party machinery.

• His adoption of the Thames and waterways as personal and literary themes resonates with the English tradition of waterway literature and underscores his rootedness in place.

Legacy and Influence

A. P. Herbert’s legacy is multifold:

• Legal satire with substance. His Misleading Cases continue to be quoted and studied in legal and literary scholarship for their cleverness and reformist underpinnings.

• Marriage & divorce reform. His advocacy contributed to loosening rigid divorcement rules, making English family law more humane.

• Wit as social tool. Herbert exemplified how humor, satire, and literary gifts can influence public discourse and policy.

• Cross-disciplinary creativity. He wrote novels, plays, libretto, essays, poetry, legal satire, and works on sundials—demonstrating how a writer can move fluidly across genres.

• Inspiration for defenders of minority causes. His independent, non-party role, focus on principle, and willingness to take unpopular stands resonate with later writers and MPs who reject strict party discipline.

• Enduring quotations. Many of his witticisms survive in cultural memory—especially among lawyers, students, and lovers of British humour.

Personality, Style, and Talents

Herbert combined a sharp mind with a light touch. His command of legal and parliamentary detail allowed him to craft satire that was precise yet entertaining. His voice could be irreverent but not mean-spirited, and he frequently used humor to expose absurdity.

He had a particular love for the Thames and waterways, living by Hammersmith and serving on the Thames Conservancy Board, and wrote The Thames (1966) as a tribute to his fascination with river machinery and life along the water. Sundials Old and New (1967), a reflection of his curiosity about time, astronomy, and measurement.

Though witty, he was also serious about clarity, good English, and functional writing—his What a Word! advocated against euphemism and obfuscation.

His persona as MP was that of an independent, occasionally contrarian voice, respectful but unafraid to dispute authority. He often refused to accept commissions or high office, preferring to retain intellectual autonomy.

Famous Quotes of A. P. Herbert

Here are some of his most enduring and quoted lines (with approximate sources):

• “The conception of two people living together for twenty-five years without having a cross word suggests a lack of spirit only to be admired in sheep.”

• “The critical period of matrimony is breakfast-time.”

• “If nobody said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth.”

• “People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any Act of Parliament.”

• “A highbrow is someone who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso.”

• “There is no reason why a joke should not be appreciated more than once. Imagine how little good music there would be if, for example, a conductor refused to play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony on the ground that his audience might have heard it before.”

• “The Englishman never enjoys himself except for a noble purpose.”

These quotes encapsulate Herbert’s style: playful but pointed, satirical but reflective, witty yet weighty.

Lessons from A. P. Herbert

1. Use wit as a lever.
Herbert showed that humor and satire, when combined with moral seriousness, can influence public opinion and reform legislation.

2. Cultivate multiple talents.
He did not confine himself to one genre—his curiosity drew him across fiction, essay, legal parody, and technical speculation (e.g. sundials).

3. Speak truth to power gently.
Herbert’s approach was not bombastic confrontation but a steady, reasoned, humorous critique of absurdities—this often gains more traction.

4. Principles over party.
His independent voice in Parliament reminds us of the value of intellectual autonomy in a political world driven by party agendas.

5. Roots enrich writing.
His attachment to the Thames, to law, to time, to the tangible world grounded his writing. He did not merely pontificate; he observed.

Conclusion

A. P. Herbert (1890–1971) stands as a luminous example of the writer-politician: a man who could enact legislative change, craft enduring satire, compose novels and plays, and still make readers laugh at the foibles of law, love, and society. His work reminds us that humor need not be trivial, and that serious causes can be advanced through wit. His legacy endures in legal satire, in divorce law reforms, and in the many quotations still passed from generation to generation.

If you’d like more—such as analyses of Uncommon Law, The Water Gipsies, or critical essays on Herbert’s influence—I’d be happy to dig deeper.