Henry Kirke White (21 March 1785 – 19 October 1806) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and hymn-writer. He died at the young age of 21.

Life

White was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, the son of a butcher, a trade for which he was himself intended. However, he was greatly attracted to book-learning. By age seven, he was giving reading lessons (unbeknownst to the rest of the family, being offered after the household were abed) to a family servant. After being briefly apprenticed to a stocking-weaver, he was articled to a lawyer, George Coldham. While in this position, he excelled in studying

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. When his health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, his employers gave him leave of absence for a month. He chose to live in

Wilford Wilford is a village in the city of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. The village is to the northeast of Clifton, southwest of West Bridgford, northwest of Ruddington and southwest of Nottingham city centre. It is at a meander of the Rive ...

at the crossroads, opposite Wilford House between 1804 and 1805. He drew inspiration for much of his poetry from Wilford and the surrounding area. Wilford Church

He wrote many of his poems in the gazebo which stands in the grounds of

St Wilfrid's Church, Wilford St Wilfrid's Church, Wilford is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Wilford, Nottinghamshire, England. History The church dates from the late 14th century. It is considered to have been founded by Gervase de Wilford aro ...

. Here he wrote:- Seeing the results of White's diligent studies and his deteriorating health, his master offered to release him from his contract if he had sufficient means to go to college. He received encouragement from

Capel Lofft Capel Lofft (sometimes spelled Capell; 14 November 1751 – 26 May 1824) was a British lawyer, writer and amateur astronomer. Life Born in London, he was educated at Eton College, Peterhouse, Cambridge. He trained as a lawyer at Lincoln's Inn, w ...

, the friend of Robert Bloomfield, and published in 1803, aged 17,''Clifton Grove, a Sketch in Verse, with other Poems'', dedicated to

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; ; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she wa ...

. One of the better known ones was 'The Fair Maid of Clifton' and another was 'Clifton Grove' in which were the controversial lines:- The book was violently attacked in the ''Monthly Review'' (February 1804), but White was rewarded with a kind letter from

Robert Southey Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...

. Through the efforts of his friends, he was able to enter

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, having spent a year beforehand with a private tutor, the Rev. Lorenzo Grainger, at

Winteringham Winteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire, England, on the south bank of the Humber Estuary. History Roman Britain The Romans founded a settlement probably called ''Ad Abum'' in this area. It was where Ermine Street, the major Roman roa ...

, Lincolnshire. Close application to study induced a serious illness,

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

was the disease, according to Sir Harris Nicholas's memoir, to which he ultimately became a victim, and to which White made many allusions in his poems and letters. Plaque marking the birthplace of Henry Kirke White

Plaque marking the birthplace of Henry Kirke White

Fears were also entertained for his sanity, but he went into residence at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, with a view to taking holy orders, in the autumn of 1805. The strain of continuous study quickly worsened his already deteriorating health resulting in his death. He was buried in the church of All Saints' Jewry, Cambridge, which stood opposite the gates of St John's College, but has since been demolished. The genuine piety of his religious verses secured a place in popular hymnology for some of his hymns, in particular the still popular ''O Lord, another day is flown''. Much of his fame was due to sympathy inspired by his early death; but

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

agreed with Southey about the young man's promise.

said of him: "...he could not rest satisfied till he had formed his principles upon the basis of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

." A metal plaque can be seen in Exchange Arcade, Cheapside in Nottingham, on the site of Kirke White's birthplace. Originally a Holbrook plaque was erected on the actual dwelling but was removed when that was demolished prior to the erection of the Council House.

contains two memorials. One is a marble plaque inside the nave, the second is a memorial stained glass window, c1870, by O'Connor.

Literary legacy

His ''Remains'', with his letters (which along with White's poems contain many allusions to himself that they may almost be considered an autobiography) and an account of his life, were edited (5 vols., 1807–1822) by Robert Southey. See prefatory notices by Sir Harris Nicolas to his ''Poetical Works'' (new ed., 1866) in the

Aldine Press The Aldine Press was the printing office started by Aldus Manutius in 1494 in Venice, from which were issued the celebrated Aldine editions of the classics (Latin and Greek masterpieces, plus a few more modern works). The first book that was dat ...

''British poets''; by Harry Kirke Swann in the volume of selections (1897) in the ''Canterbury Poets''; and by John Drinkwater to the edition in the "Muses' Library." See also John Thomas Godfrey and J. Ward, ''The Homes and Haunts of Henry Kirke White'' (1908).

said of White in a tributary eulogy 'while life was in its spring, thy young muse just waved her joyous wing'. White's complete works were published in 1923.''The Complete Works of Henry Kirke White'', 1923 edition Nabu Press, London

Hymns

* 'Oft in danger, oft in woe'

References

External links

Example of White's poetryPapers of Henry Kirke White are held at Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of NottinghamO Lord, another day has flown
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Henry Kirke 1785 births 1806 deaths English male poets Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Robert Southey