Rev. William Thompson ( 1712 – 1766) was an 18th-century
English 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 (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
.
Life
William Thompson was the son of Rev. Francis Thompson, vicar of
Brough in
Westmoreland, NW England, who died in 1735; William's date of birth is not known. William Thompson studied at
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
, which his father had also attended, and graduated with a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in 1738, afterwards becoming a
fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the college.
Thompson became rector of
Hampton Poyle
Hampton Poyle is a village in the civil parish of Hampton Gay and Poyle, in the Cherwell (district), Cherwell district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is the River Cherwell, Cherwell in valley, about northeast of Kidlington and about ...
with
South Weston in
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
. He published his collected poems in two volumes in 1757.
Work
He is best known for the long poem ''Sickness'' (1746), which discusses various illnesses including
melancholy,
fever
Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
,
consumption
Consumption may refer to:
* Eating
*Resource consumption
*Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption
* Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms
* Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...
, and
variola
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WH ...
. Other poems include ''Epithalamium'', ''Nativity'', and ''Hymn to May'', as well as a
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of - ' ...
to
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
.
[Davenport, "The Life of William Thompson", pg. 14.]
Footnotes
External links
William Thompsonat th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
18th-century English poets
18th-century English Anglican priests
Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford
English male poets
18th-century English male writers
{{England-poet-stub