Ten Notable North-West Poets from History By Margaret Brecknell
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Devon-born Samuel Taylor Coleridge followed his great friend and fellow poet, William Wordsworth, to the Lake District, taking up residence at Greta Hall in Keswick in July 1800. Along with Wordsworth and Robert Southey (of whom more below), Coleridge is regarded as one of the three “Lakes Poets”, who put the Lake District firmly on the literary map.
Above: Greta Hill, home of Coleridge and Southey, pictured in 1840
For centuries, Lancashire and North-West poets have been inspired by the beauty of their surroundings and the vibrancy of their local communities. In honour of National Poetry Day, which is celebrated this year on 6th October, here are ten of the region’s most notable poets from history.
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William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
One of England’s best-loved poets, William Wordsworth’s work was inspired by a love of nature and the awe-inspiring scenery of the Lake District, where he lived for much of his life. He was born in Cockermouth and educated at Hawkshead Grammar School, but, today, Dove Cottage in Grasmere is most famously associated with the writer. Wordsworth first came to prominence through Lyrical Ballads, his 1798 collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He moved to Dove Cottage the following year. There he wrote many of his most famous 62
poems including Daffodils, known for its immortal opening line, “I wandered lonely as a cloud”. The 1807 collection, Poems, in Two Volumes, includes much of the best work written during his time in Grasmere and shows Wordsworth at the height of his powers. In 1813, Wordsworth moved with his family to Rydal Mount. His work continued to enjoy great popularity and, in 1843, he was offered the position of Poet Laureate. By this stage the poet was in poor health and, initially, turned down the job on the grounds of being too old. He only accepted it when he was promised by Prime Minister, Robert Peel, that “you shall have nothing required of you”. He famously became the only Poet Laureate never to pen a verse whilst in office. Wordsworth’s long autobiographical poem, The Prelude, was only published after his death in April 1850. Written over the course of his life, it traces the development of Wordsworth’s poetic powers and forms a fitting tribute to the great Lakeland poet.
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Coleridge’s connection with the Lake District was in many ways fleeting. He had already written two of his most famous poems, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, before he moved to the area in 1800. He then stayed at Greta Hall for only four years, before he accepted a post in Malta and left his wife and children behind there. He never returned to live with his family, spending his later life in London. Increasingly dependent on opium, he simply found it impossible to settle to a life of domestic bliss in the Lakes. Yet, his very presence in the Lake District at a time, when, along with Wordsworth, he was at the forefront of an important new literary movement called Romanticism, meant that he left his mark on the area. Coleridge is known to have walked extensively during his time in the Lakes and is generally credited with making the first recorded descent of Scafell Pike via the Broad Strand route, albeit, inadvertently, after losing his bearings.
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Robert Southey (1774-1843)
Born and raised in South-West England, Southey and his wife, Edith, came on an extended visit to Greta Hall in 1803, soon after the loss of their first child. The stay was not initially meant to be permanent. However, after Samuel Taylor Coleridge left for www.lancmag.com
