William Johnson Cory was a 19th century English poet whose most famous works were written in Latin. He was also a popular teacher at the famous Eton public school before being asked to resign in controversial circumstances after almost thirty years service. Became into the world as William Johnson on the 9th January 1823 in the Devon village of Great Torrington. He was sent ...
William Charles Wentworth was an Australian-born poet, explorer, journalist, jockey and politician who was one of those who campaigned vigorously on behalf of colonial self-government. There are doubts about his true date of birth but some reports say that he was born on the 13th August 1790 into a family with links to an old aristocratic family of Irish descent, at least on his ...
William Julius Mickle was an 18th century Scottish poet and translator. He was born William Julius Meikle on the 29th September 1734 in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, which is now part of the region called Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland. His father was the Reverend Alexander Meikle, a minister at the parish church but, other than that, little is known of Mickle’s early life. On ...
William Oldys was an English poet, bibliographer and antiquarian who was known to be fastidious in his life-long task of recording historical data. He was born on the 14th July 1696, probably in London, and it is believed that his early years were fraught with difficulty. He was the illegitimate son of Dr William Oldys, a chancellor of Lincoln and advocate of the Admiralty, ...
Most of us are inspired by someone when it comes to our job, or any hobbies we engage in. There is always an individual that we look up to, who inspired us to get involved in something, or whom we have studied to get where we are. So, have you ever wondered who inspired some of the most famous poets? What poets did Sylvia Plath study? Where did ...
William Pember Reeves was a New Zealand-born poet, historian, journalist, lawyer and social reforming politician who spent much of his later life living in England. He was born on the 10th February 1857 in Christchurch, only a matter of weeks after his parents had arrived on their arduous sea voyage from England. They sent young William to prep school in Christchurch and he ...
William Edmondstoune Aytoun was a 19th century Scottish poet, translator and lawyer who was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is often referred to as ‘the first modern professor of English literature". He was born on the 21st June 1813 in Edinburgh and his father, Roger Aytoun, held the privileged legal position of writer to the signet. This meant ...
William Cosmo Monkhouse was an English poet, novelist and art critic who also had a career in the civil service, rising to the position of assistant-secretary to the finance department at the Board of Trade. He was born on the 18th March 1840 in London, the son of a solicitor. After attending St Paul’s School up to the age of seventeen he began employment as a ...
William Ross Wallace was a 19th century American poet and lawyer of Scottish origins who, during the 1860s, produced a piece of work called The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World. This was the poem that made his name and it is still well known today. The story which sings the praises of motherhood was adapted for a Hollywood ...
William Percy French was an Irish poet, song writer and watercolour artist. He is best known for his jaunty songs, the most famous probably being Abdul Abulbul Amir. He performed many of them himself on the stage, thus making him one of the most popular entertainers of the late 19th century. He was born on the 1st May 1854 at Cloonyquin House which is ...
