William Brighty Rands

William Brighty Rands (24 December 1823, Chelsea, Middlesex – 23 April 1882, East Dulwich, London) was a British writer and one of the major authors of nursery rhymes of the Victorian era. His pen names include Matthew Browne, Henry Holbeach, and T. Talker.

William Brighty Rands was the son of George Rands, who ran a small shop. He received little formal education, but he educated himself primarily through reading secondhand books.

Rands married Mary Ditton in 1846, and the couple had three children. They separated, and Rands began living with Hannah Rolls. Rands and Rolls had four children, and married in 1881 after the death of Ditton.