Onslow Yorke is the pen-name of William Hepworth Dixon (1821-1879), an English historian, traveller, editor, and journalist. He was born in Manchester and educated at King Edward's School in Birmingham. Originally trained in law, he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn but chose to pursue a literary career. He became known for his investigative writing on social issues, particularly prison conditions, and published several works on the subject. In 1853, he was appointed editor of The Athenæum, one of Victorian Britain's leading literary journals, a role he held until 1869. He travelled widely in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, and wrote popular historical and travel books including Her Majesty's Tower, The Holy Land, and New America. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Society of Antiquaries of London, and other bodies. Dixon used the pseudonym Onslow Yorke when writing on politically charged topics such as socialism and revolutionary movements.