John Dennys (died 1609), a poet and fisherman, pioneered Angling poetry in England. His only work ''

The Secrets of Angling ''The Secrets of Angling'' was a book written by John Dennys. It was the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing, first published in 1613 in London. A didactic pastoral poem in 3 books, in the style of Virgil's Georgics. It was published ...

'' was the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing. John Dennys may have been an acquaintance of Shakespeare.

Early life

John Dennys was son of Hugh Dennis (died 1559) of "Plucherchurch" and Katherine, daughter of Thomas Trye of Hardwicke, Gloucestershire. Hugh's father John had been the heir of

Hugh Denys Hugh Denys (c. 14401511) of Osterley in Middlesex, was a courtier of Kings Henry VII of England, Henry VII and of the young Henry VIII. As Groom of the Stool to Henry VII, he was one of the King's closest courtiers, his role developing into one o ...

of Osterley, Middlesex (died 1511), Groom of the Stool to Henry VII. John's elder brother Henry, died without having fathered any children.

''The Secrets of Angling''

His only work ''

'' was the earliest English poetical treatise on fishing. In it he wrote of a brook,

River Boyd The River Boyd is a river of some in length which rises near Dodington in South Gloucestershire, England. It is a tributary of the Bristol Avon, running in a southerly direction and joining near Bitton. The flow rate at Bitton is an average . ...

, formed from streams in his hometown of

Pucklechurch Pucklechurch is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It has a current population of about 3000. The village dates back over a thousand years and was once the site of a royal hunting lodge, as it adjoined a large fo ...

, which met downstream with the River Avon: :And thou, sweet Boyd, that with thy watry sway, :Dost wash the cliffs of Deignton and of Weeke; :And through their Rockes with crooked winding way, :Thy mother Avon runnest soft to seeke; :In whose fayre streames the speckled Trout doth play. It was first published in 1613. Dennys's book was published after his death, the author identified by the initials J.D., and had been attributed to up to 6 poets. In 1811 the authorship was determined from Stationers' Registers, which showed that Dennys authored the book. A didactic pastoral poem in 3 books, totalling 151 verses each of 8 lines, in the style of Virgil's

Georgics The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek word , ''geōrgika'', i.e. "agricultural (things)") the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from being an example ...

, it was published in 4 editions until 1652, examples of which are amongst the rarest books in existence. Verses from the book have been quoted in other works, such as Izaak Walton in the first part of the first chapter of his 1653 edition of ''

The Compleat Angler ''The Compleat Angler'' (the spelling is sometimes modernised to ''The Complete Angler'', though this spelling also occurs in first editions) is a book by Izaak Walton. It was first published in 1653 by Richard Marriot in London. Walton continu ...

''. Dennys received at the hand of Thomas Westwood (1814–1888), the epithet "The Fisherman's ''Glorious John''". The appellation was received from Walter Scott.

Marriage and children

He married Eleanor, daughter of Thomas Millett of Warwickshire and had the following children: *

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

(born 1594),

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

(1629), died on 26 June 1638 and may also have been buried the same day at Pucklechurch. *William, born 1596 and baptised 18 April 1596 buried at Pucklechurch 1652. *Cicely or Cecelia, born 1596 and baptised 18 April 1596, married William Guise, Esquire of Elmore and Sheriff of Gloucester in 1647. *Katherine, born 1599 and baptised 9 April 1599 Between 1572 and 1608, he was the lord of the manor at Oldbury-sur-Montem, Pucklechurch, Glocestershire. He had other places in the same county.

Acquaintanceship with Shakespeare

Rev. Henry Nicholson Ellacombe wrote ''Shakespeare as an Angler'', in which he argues that The Bard and John Dennys (Dennis) may have known each other.

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

lived for a while at

Dursley Dursley is a market town and civil parish in southern Gloucestershire, England, almost equidistant from the cities of Bristol and Gloucester. It is under the northeast flank of Stinchcombe Hill, and about southeast of the River Severn. The t ...

, not too far from Dennys's manor of Oldbury-on-Hill, north of Pucklechurch.

Death and epitaph

He died 30 July 1609 and was buried 7 August 1609 at the ancient Pucklechurch, The family was buried in the Pucklechurch's "ancient" church on the north aisle. John Dennys's will was dated 1609, without month, proved 14th. Oct. 1609. Thomas Westwood wrote the following epitaph for John Dennys:

Calm be his sleep in the old aisle of Pucklechurch! or if any sound reach him from the outer world, may it be only the soughing of the sweet south wind, and the ripple of Boyd, that with "crooked winding way" past cliff and meadow, "Its mother Avon runneth soft to seek".Westwood, T. (1865). ''The Fisherman's Magazine and Review.'' Vol.2, 1865, p328.

Notes

References

Sources

* Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennys, John 17th-century English poets 17th-century English male writers Didactic poets Bucolic poets 16th-century English poets Angling writers

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Year of birth missing 16th-century births 1609 deaths English male poets People from Pucklechurch