Leonard Clark (1 August 1905 – September 1981) 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, writer, editor, and educator. Though his works do occasionally mention

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, they always return to the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to ...

. His pieces center around people and places familiar to him from, as well as the nature of, his hometown

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of Cinde ...

Biography

Clark was born on 1 August 1905 in

Saint Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. ...

, Guernsey to a governess out of wedlock. He was sent to live with widow Sarah Annie George and her sons Allan, George, and Frederick in

in the

. The family regularly attended St. Stephen's Church. Though he came to consider Sarah Annie, Allan, George, and Frederick his family, he struggled with feeling like an outside throughout his life. Clark attended Bilson Primary School and Double View School (now Heywood Community School) before earning a scholarship to

Monmouth School Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

Monmouth, Wales Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and ...

; he was unable to continue his education at Monmouth due to financial constraints. In his final year of school, Clark met Forest poet F.W. Harvey, who served as his mentor and helped him write and publish a collection of poetry in 1923. Clark worked as a

pupil teacher Pupil teacher was a training program in wide use before the twentieth century, as an apprentice system for teachers. With the emergence in the beginning of the nineteenth century of education for the masses, demand for teachers increased. By 1840, ...

with the goal of eventually becoming an educator. He taught from 1922—1928 in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

before earning his

Certificate in Education The Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) is a professional qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. There have been two incarnations of the Cert Ed over the years. New Cert Ed The current Cert Ed is a non-compulsory qualification offering ...

from

Bangor Normal College The Normal College, Bangor ( cy, Y Coleg Normal) was an independent teacher training college, founded in 1858. It was created through the efforts of the British and Foreign School Society and the educator Sir Hugh Owen, and was funded by £11,0 ...

in 1930. He then moved to London, where he taught from 1930—1936. In 1936, he became an Inspector of Education for Ofsted, a position he held until his retirement in 1970. In this role, he worked in

, and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Clark married Florence Tobias in 1933 at St. Stephen's Church; Harvey served as his best man. In the late 1930s, the couple moved to Plymouth. Their newborn son Robin died in 1939 and they divorced shortly after. Clark had at least one more son. Clark wrote more than 50 books of poetry, prose, anthologies, and essays of his own and edited more than 20 more during his career. Some of his best known works are ''The Hearing Heart'', ''Singing in the Streets: Poems for Christmas'', and ''English Morning and Other Poems''. He wrote a biography of

Alfred Williams Alfred Hamilton Williams (born November 6, 1968) is a former American football player. He was a linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. His nicknames ...

in his early years and edited collections by

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...

, and

Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...

. He also edited the ''Longman's Poetry Library'' series, was consulting editor for Chatto & Windus' children's poetry books and to Thornhill Press, and contributed frequently to ''The Citizen'' and the ''Dean Forest Mercury''. In 1966, Clark was awarded an OBE. He was also a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Royal Society of Literature and received the Children's Literature Association's award for "his critical article ''Poetry and Children''" published in 1978. In 1970, he was made a knight of St. Sylvester. He was on the Literature Panel of the Arts Council and on the Westminster Dioceses School Panel. Clark died in September 1981 at his London home. His son scattered half his ashes from the viewpoint in

Symonds Yat Symonds Yat is a village in the Wye Valley and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye in the English county of Herefordshire, close to the Gloucestershire border. It is within a few miles of Monmouthshire and the Welsh border. ...

and interred the other half in St. Stephen's Church. A plaque marks his resting place.

Legacy and impact

In 2018,

Tom Cousins Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

painted a mural on the side of a Cinderford bakery featuring Clark along with fellow Forest poets

Winifred Foley Winifred Mary Foley (born Winifred Mason; 25 July 1914 – 21 March 2009) was an English writer. She is known best for an autobiographical account of her childhood in the Forest of Dean: ''A Child in the Forest''. Forest life Winifred Foley ...

and Harry Beddington. His poem ''Stillborn'' is written in the voice of a mother who has lost her child and wonders: " idyou ejectus?" It is still used in support groups for families of stillborn babies.

Selected bibliography

Poetry * ''English Morning and Other Poems'' (1953) * ''Near and Far: Poems for Children'' (1968) * ''The Broad Atlantic'' (1974) * ''The Hearing Heart'' (1974) * ''The Way It Was: Poems'' (1980) * ''An Intimate Landscape'' (1981) Children's stories * ''Robert Andrew Tells a Story'' (1965) * ''Robert Andrew by the Sea'' (1965) * ''Robert Andrew in the Country'' (1966) * ''Mr. Pettigrew's Harvest Festival'' (1974) * ''Mr. Pettigrew's Train'' (1975) * ''Mr. Pettigrew and the Bellringers'' (1976) Anthologies and compilations * ''The Open Door: An Anthology of Verse for Juniors'' (1937) * ''The Magic Kingdom: An Anthology of Verse for Seniors'' (1937) * ''All Things New'' (1965) * ''All Along, Down Along: A Book of Stories in Verse'' (1971) Prose * ''Green Wood: A Gloucestershire Childhood'' (1962) * ''A Fool in the Forest'' (1965) * ''Grateful Caliban'' (1967) * ''An Inspector Remembers'' (1976) Edited books * ''Prospect of a Poet: Essays and Tributes by Fourteen Writers'' by

(1957) * ''The Collected Poems'' by

(1963) * ''Sound of Battle'' by

(1969) Biographies * ''A Handlist of the Writings in Book Form (1902—53) of Walter de la Mare'' (1953) * ''Walter de la Mare: A Checklist'' (1956) * ''Alfred Williams: His Life and Work'' (1969)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Leonard 1905 births 1981 deaths 20th-century English poets People from Saint Peter Port People from Cinderford People from Forest of Dean District Members of the Order of the British Empire Knights of the Order of St. Sylvester British poets English poets English male poets British writers English writers 20th-century English writers 20th-century English male writers English children's writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature British editors English editors