Richard Abbot (1818 – 15 July 1904) was an English poet. He was born in Burton-in-Kendal,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

(now Cumbria). His father worked as a subcontractor on the Lancaster and Kendal Canal, which was then being extended to

Tewitfield Tewitfield is a hamlet in Lancashire, England, near Borwick and Carnforth, and in the parish of Priest Hutton. History & details Tewitfield Locks is the current terminus of the navigable Lancaster Canal. In 2008, the Lancaster Canal Trust, t ...

. His mother died when he was three years old. Abbot's initial education, from the age of four, was undertaken at Dame schools in

Shap Fell Shap is a linear village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Eden district, Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to 1,264 at the 2011 ...

and

Galgate Galgate is a village in the City of Lancaster, just south of Lancaster University, and about south of Lancaster itself in the English county of Lancashire. Etymology The name ''Galgate'' is from ''Galwaithegate'', a road that continues nort ...

, Lancashire, before he studied at a National school in Ingleton, North Yorkshire. When the family was in Ingleton, Abbot's father began farming on the fells of

Ingleborough Ingleborough () is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk. A large part o ...

, and from the age of 11, Abbot assisted him as a shepherd. Around 5 years later, his father suffered a serious accident that affected his sight and brain function, forcing him to end his farming business. Abbot gained new employment as a labourer on the construction of railways in Scotland, and parts of northern England. At the age of 50, he became the manager of a limestone quarry in the parish of

Forcett Forcett is a village in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies near the border with County Durham, on the B6274 road about 8 miles south of Staindrop. Nearby villages include Eppleby, Caldwell and Aldbrough. History ...

, North Yorkshire. He continued in this position for 32 years. After retiring, he passed the quarry to his son. He also had two daughters. He died at his home in Forcett in 1904, at the age of 86. He is buried in the graveyard of St Cuthbert's Church in Forcett. Four collections of his poetry were published between 1868 and 1901. In 1884, he became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His 1879 collection ''The pen, the press, and the sword'' features a

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

portrait by

Ralph Hedley Ralph Hedley (31 December 1848 – 14 June 1913) was a realist painter, woodcarver and illustrator, best known for his paintings portraying scenes of everyday life in the North East of England. Biography Born in Gilling West near Richmond, N ...

, and another portrait is included in his 1901 collection ''The Wanderer''. His poetry was also printed in magazines in England and colonial territories. They often appeared in the ''

Teesdale Mercury The ''Teesdale Mercury'' is a family-owned rural weekly newspaper in County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. ...

''. Three of his poems appeared in '' North Country Poets'': "The Song of Ingleton Bells", "O, Turn Aside Thy Loving Eyes" and "Fading Beauty".

Published works

* ''War!: a descriptive poem on passing events'' (Bishop Auckland: G. E. Briggs, 1868) * ''War, Canto III: Raby, Keverstone, Staindrop, etc.; The railway jubilee; Ode to Ingleborough, and other select poems and songs'' (London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1876) * ''The pen, the press, and the sword, with other poems and balsams for wounded hearts'' (Darlington: William Dresser, 1879) * ''The Wanderer, in special trains of grave thoughts, with other poems and songs'' (Darlington: William Dresser, 1901)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbot, Richard 1818 births People from Burton-in-Kendal Fellows of the Royal Historical Society 1904 deaths English male poets 19th-century English poets 19th-century English male writers People from Richmondshire (district)