Are you interested in William Wordsworth biography? This blog post covers his life, poetry, and legacy of the Romantic poet with a love for nature.
William Wordsworth (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850) was an English poet whose Lyrical Ballads (1798), co-written with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, sparked the Romantic movement.
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William Wordsworth Biography
William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an important figure in the English Romantic movement. Alongside Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he played a significant role in shaping Romantic literature through their collaborative work, Lyrical Ballads (1798), which marked the beginning of the Romantic Age in English poetry.
His most celebrated work, The Prelude, is a semi-autobiographical poem chronicling his formative years. He continuously revised and expanded it throughout his life. Initially known as The Poem to Coleridge, it was published posthumously by his wife in 1850.
Appointed Poet Laureate in 1843, Wordsworth held the position until he passed from pleurisy on 23 April 1850. His legacy endures as one of the most influential Romantic poets in English literature.
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William Wordsworth Early Life
William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in what is now Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, Cumberland (present-day Cumbria), a picturesque region in northwestern England known as the Lake District. He was the second of five children born to John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson. His younger sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, who later became a renowned poet and diarist, was born the following year, and the two remained close throughout their lives.
Their other siblings included Richard, the eldest, who became a lawyer; John, who pursued a career at sea but tragically perished in 1805 when his ship, the Earl of Abergavenny, sank; and Christopher, the youngest, who became a clergyman and later the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Wordsworth’s father worked as a legal representative for James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and, due to his connections, lived in a large house in Cockermouth. However, he was often away on business, leaving little room for close family interaction.
Despite their distant relationship, Wordsworth’s father played a crucial role in shaping his literary interests, encouraging him to memorize poetry by Milton, Shakespeare, and Spenser. William spent some of his childhood at his maternal grandparents’ home in Penrith, where he was exposed to the wild moors. However, his relationship with his grandparents and uncle was strained, causing him great distress to the point of contemplating suicide.
Wordsworth learned to read from his mother and initially attended a small school in Cockermouth before moving to a more prestigious school in Penrith for upper-class children. There, under the guidance of Ann Birkett, he was introduced to traditions that emphasized both scholarship and local festivities, including celebrations around Easter, May Day, and Shrove Tuesday. His studies included the Bible and The Spectator, though his formal education remained limited. During this time, he met the Hutchinson family, including Mary Hutchinson, who would later become his wife.
In 1778, following the death of Wordsworth’s mother, his father sent him to Hawkshead Grammar School in Lancashire (now part of Cumbria), while Dorothy was sent to live with relatives in Yorkshire. The siblings did not see each other again for nearly a decade.
Wordsworth made his literary debut in 1787 with the publication of a sonnet in The European Magazine. That same year, he enrolled at St John’s College, Cambridge, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1791. During his university years, he spent his summer holidays on extensive walking tours, exploring the countryside and drawing inspiration from nature. In 1790, he embarked on a journey across Europe, traveling through the Alps and visiting regions in France, Switzerland, and Italy. This experience left a profound impact on his poetic vision, influencing his later works.
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Relationship with Annette Vallon
In late 1791, Wordsworth traveled to Revolutionary France, where he became captivated by the ideals of the Republican movement. During his time there, he fell in love with Annette Vallon, a Frenchwoman who gave birth to their daughter, Caroline, in 1792. However, financial difficulties and rising tensions between Britain and France forced him to return home alone the following year. His abrupt departure and subsequent actions cast doubt on his professed intention to marry Annette. Nevertheless, he later made efforts to support both her and their daughter.
Wordsworth’s initial enthusiasm for the French Revolution faded as the Reign of Terror unfolded, leaving him deeply disillusioned. The outbreak of war between Britain and France further complicated matters, preventing him from reuniting with Annette and Caroline for several years.
In 1802, following the temporary truce brought by the Peace of Amiens, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy visited Annette and Caroline in Calais. The visit was primarily to inform Annette of his impending marriage to Mary Hutchinson. During this time, he shared a seaside walk with nine-year-old Caroline, whom he had never met before—a moment he later immortalized in his sonnet “It is a beauteous evening, calm and free.”
Mary Hutchinson, concerned for Caroline’s future, urged Wordsworth to provide further financial support. In 1816, upon Caroline’s marriage, he arranged an annual allowance of £30 for her (equivalent to £2,400 in 2021), which continued until 1835, when it was replaced by a lump sum settlement.
William Wordsworth Personal Life
In 1802, William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, repaid the £4,000 (equivalent to £451,114 in 2023) owed to Wordsworth’s father, settling a long-standing debt caused by his predecessor’s failure to pay his aide. This financial relief enabled Wordsworth to marry.
On 4 October 1802, shortly after visiting France with Dorothy to make arrangements with Annette Vallon, Wordsworth wed his childhood friend, Mary Hutchinson, at All Saints’ Church, Brompton. Dorothy continued living with the couple and formed a close bond with Mary.
The following year, Mary gave birth to the first of their five children. Tragically, three of them did not survive into adulthood:
- Rev. John Wordsworth MA (18 June 1803 – 25 July 1875): Became Vicar of Brigham and Rector of Plumbland, Cumberland. He married four times:
- Isabella Curwen (died 1848) – had six children, including Jane Stanley, whose son, Robert Harborough Sherard, became the first biographer of Oscar Wilde.
- Helen Ross (died 1854) – no children.
- Mary Ann Dolan (died after 1858) – had one daughter, Dora Wordsworth (1858–1934).
- Mary Gamble – no children.
- Dora Wordsworth (16 August 1804 – 9 July 1847): Married Edward Quillinan in 1841.
- Thomas Wordsworth (15 June 1806 – 1 December 1812): Passed away at the age of six.
- Catherine Wordsworth (6 September 1808 – 4 June 1812): Died young, just before her fourth birthday.
- William “Willy” Wordsworth (12 May 1810 – 1883): Married Fanny Graham and had four children—Mary Louisa, William, Reginald, and Gordon.
William Wordsworth’s Career
William Wordsworth’s literary career was instrumental in shaping the Romantic movement in English poetry. His works, centered on nature, emotion, and the ordinary experiences of life, marked a shift from the formal and intellectual poetry of the 18th century to a more personal and imaginative style.
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Early Literary Beginnings
Wordsworth published his first poem in The European Magazine in 1787 while studying at St John’s College, Cambridge. In 1793, he released his first two collections, An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches, which displayed his early poetic style but did not gain widespread recognition.
Lyrical Ballads and the Romantic Revolution
In 1798, Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge co-published Lyrical Ballads, a collection that marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement. The volume included Wordsworth’s famous poem Tintern Abbey and Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Wordsworth’s preface to the second edition (1800) became a defining manifesto for Romantic poetry, emphasizing the use of ordinary language and the deep connection between nature and human emotion.
Mature Works and The Prelude
Between 1802 and 1814, Wordsworth composed several major works, including Ode: Intimations of Immortality and The Excursion (1814). He also continued working on The Prelude, a long autobiographical poem that he kept revising throughout his life. Though it remained unpublished during his lifetime, it is now regarded as his magnum opus.
During this period, his poetry evolved from the radical themes of his youth to a more conservative and philosophical approach, reflecting his changing political views and personal losses.
Recognition and Later Years
By the 1820s, Wordsworth had gained national recognition, and in 1843, he was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, a position he held until his death in 1850. Though his later works were more traditional and less innovative than his early poetry, his influence remained strong.
After his death, his wife, Mary Wordsworth, published The Prelude, which later became one of the most celebrated poems in English literature.
Legacy
Wordsworth’s career redefined English poetry, emphasizing simplicity, emotional depth, and a spiritual connection to nature. His works continue to inspire poets, scholars, and readers worldwide, cementing his status as one of the greatest poets of the Romantic era.
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Death and Legacy
On 23 April 1850, William Wordsworth passed away at his home, Rydal Mount, due to complications from pleurisy. He was laid to rest at St Oswald’s Church in Grasmere.
Following his death, his widow, Mary Wordsworth, published his long autobiographical poem, originally addressed to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, under the title The Prelude. While it received little attention at the time, the poem has since been recognized as Wordsworth’s greatest work and a cornerstone of English Romantic poetry.
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