Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901) was an English novelist and historian. His novels were socially aware and he endeavored to arouse the public conscience to the hardship among the poorest classes of cities. In addition to his fiction, Besant wrote largely on the history and topography of London. Besant was a freemason, joining the Lodge of Harmony in Mauritius in 1862. He became Master of Marquis of Dalhousie Lodge, London in 1873.