William Walsh (6 October 1662 –15 March 1708) of Abberley Hall, Worcestershire was an English poet and critic and a Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1698 to 1708.
William Walsh (6 October 1662 –15 March 1708) of Abberley Hall, Worcestershire was an English poet and critic and a Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1698 to 1708.
Walsh was the second of eight children born to Joseph and Elizabeth Walsh of Abberley Hall. The last of his siblings, Octavia Walsh, was also, secretly, a poet. [1] He entered Wadham College, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner in 1678. Leaving the university without a degree, he settled in his native county. [2]
Walsh was returned MP for Worcestershire in 1698, 1701 and 1702. In 1705 he sat for Richmond, Yorkshire. On the accession of Queen Anne he was made "gentleman of the horse," a post which he held till his death, [2] noted by Narcissus Luttrell on 18 March 1708. [3]
Walsh wrote a Dialogue concerning Women, being a Defence of the Sex (1691), addressed to "Eugenia"; and Letters and Poems, Amorous and Gallant (preface dated 1692, printed in Jonson's Miscellany, 1716, and separately, 1736); love lyrics designed, says the author, to impart to the world "the faithful image of an amorous heart." [2] [1]
It is not as a poet, however, but as the friend and correspondent of Alexander Pope that Walsh is remembered. Pope's Pastorals were submitted for his criticism by Wycherley in 1705, and Walsh then entered on a direct correspondence with the young poet. The letters are printed in Pope's Works (ed. Elwin and Courthope, vi. 49-60). Pope, who visited him at Abberley in 1707, set great value upon his opinion. "Mr Walsh used to tell me," he says, "that there was one way left of excelling; for though we had several great poets, we never had any one great poet that was correct, and he desired me to make that my study and my aim." [2]
The excessive eulogy accorded both by Dryden and Pope to Walsh must be accounted for partly on the ground of personal friendship. The life of Virgil prefixed to Dryden's translation, and a "Preface to the Pastorals with a short defence of Virgil, against some of the reflections of Monsieur Fontenella," both ascribed at one time to Walsh, were the work of Dr Knightly Chetwood (1650–1720). In 1704 Walsh collaborated with Sir John Vanbrugh and William Congreve in Squire Trelooby , an adaptation of Molière's farce Monsieur de Pourceaugnac . Walsh's Poems are included in Anderson's and other collections of the British poets. [2]
John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was appointed England's first Poet Laureate in 1668.
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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1708.
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In Latin literature, Augustan poetry is the poetry that flourished during the reign of Caesar Augustus as Emperor of Rome, most notably including the works of Virgil, Horace, and Ovid. In English literature, Augustan poetry is a branch of Augustan literature, and refers to the poetry of the 18th century, specifically the first half of the century. The term comes most originally from a term that George I had used for himself. He saw himself as an Augustus. Therefore, the British poets picked up that term as a way of referring to their own endeavors, for it fit in another respect: 18th-century English poetry was political, satirical, and marked by the central philosophical problem of whether the individual or society took precedence as the subject of verse.
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Jacob Tonson, sometimes referred to as Jacob Tonson the Elder (1655–1736), was an eighteenth-century English bookseller and publisher.
Abberley Hall is a country house in the north-west of the county of Worcestershire, England. The present Italianate house is the work of Samuel Daukes and dates from 1846–49. Since 1916 it has been occupied by Abberley Hall School. It is a Grade II* listed building. The gardens are listed as Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. In the area close to Stourport-on-Severn there are several large manor and country houses, among which Witley Court, Astley Hall, Pool House, Areley Hall, Hartlebury and Abberley Hall are particularly significant.
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.
Sir William Trumbull was an English statesman who held high office as a member of the First Whig Junto.
John Grubham Howe (1657–1722), commonly known as Jack Howe, was an English politician. Elected on numerous occasions as Member of Parliament, he made the transition from the Whig to the Tory faction.
Walter Walsh was a courtier and Groom of the Privy Chamber at the court of Henry VIII of England. In November 1530, Cardinal Wolsey surrendered the Great Privy Seal to Walsh and Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, when they arrived to remove it from him.
Anthony Henley (1667–1711), of the Grange, Northington, Hanmpshire, was an English Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1698 and 1711. He was noted as a wit.
Octavia Walsh was an English poet. Her book of poetry is in the Bodleian Library.
Knightly Chetwood was an Anglican priest in the early 18th century.
Attribution:
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Foley Edwin Sandys | Member of Parliament for Worcestershire 1698–1701 With: Sir John Pakington, Bt | Succeeded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt |
| Preceded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt | Member of Parliament for Worcestershire 1702–1705 With: Sir John Pakington, Bt | Succeeded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt |
| Preceded by Wharton Dunch Thomas Yorke | Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks.) 1705–1707 With: Thomas Yorke | Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of England | Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks.) 1707–1708 With: Thomas Yorke | Succeeded by Harry Mordaunt Thomas Yorke |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by Henry Ireton | Gentleman of the Horse 1702–1708 | Succeeded by Thomas Meredith |
