Poet Laureate of the

United Kingdom

John Dryden, the first Poet Laureate

The British Poet Laureate is an honorary

position appointed by the monarch of the
United Kingdom on the advice of the
Prime Minister. The role does not entail
any specific duties, but there is an
expectation that the holder will write
verse for significant national occasions.
The origins of the laureateship date back
to 1616 when a pension was provided to
Ben Jonson, but the first official holder of
the position was John Dryden, appointed
in 1668 by Charles II. On the death of
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who held the post
between November 1850 and October
1892, there was a break of four years as
a mark of respect; Tennyson's laureate
poems "Ode on the Death of the Duke of
Wellington" and "The Charge of the Light
Brigade" were particularly cherished by
the Victorian public. Five poets, Thomas
Gray, Samuel Rogers, Walter Scott, Philip
Larkin and Seamus Heaney, turned down
the laureateship.[1][2] The holder of the
position as of 2019 is Carol Ann Duffy,
who was appointed in May 2009 on a
fixed ten-year term.

Background
The origins of the poet laureateship date
back to 1616 when James I of England
granted a pension to the writer Ben
Jonson.[3] Although there were
subsequent court poets it was not until
1668, and the appointment of John
Dryden by Charles II, that the post was
made an established royal office within
the royal household.[4][5] Dryden, who had
been appointed following the success of
his 1667 poem Annus Mirabilis, was
dismissed from office in 1689 following
the accession of the Protestant William
III and Mary II to the throne. Dryden, a
Catholic convert, refused to take the Oath
of Allegiance to the new monarchs and
he was dismissed from the laureateship
—the only holder to have been removed
from office.[6][7]

Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell,

was appointed in 1689 for life. He
introduced the custom of producing
poems for the new year and the
monarch's birthday, which became one of
the key duties of the position.[8] After the
appointment of William Wordsworth in
1843 the duties settled into an
expectation, not requirement, for major
court and national occasions. Alfred,
Lord Tennyson held the post between
November 1850 and October 1892.
According to Andrew Motion and Hilary
Laurie, Tennyson "gave the poet
laureateship new status and
significance" with works such as "Ode on
the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and
"The Charge of the Light Brigade". On his
death the post was left vacant as a mark
of respect; a new laureate was not
appointed until four years later, with the
appointment of Alfred Austin in January
1896.[9] As at 2015 the position is an
honorary one, and the office holder is left
to decide on which occasions they will
produce poetry.[1][4] Following Dryden's
dismissal from the post, the laureateship
was held for life by all successors until
Motion was appointed in 1999 for a fixed
term of ten years; his successor, Carol
Ann Duffy, was also appointed on the
same fixed term.[10] Duffy is the first
female poet to hold the role, and the first
Scot.[8][11]

After Shadwell's selection the laureate

was appointed by the Lord Chamberlain,
on the monarch's instructions. Since the
appointment of Henry James Pye in
1790, the Prime Minister has
recommended which candidate to
appoint.[1] For the appointment of Duffy
the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport (DCMS) undertook a consultation
of academics and literary organisations
to draw up a short list of
recommendations which they presented
to the Prime Minister. He, in conjunction
with the Cabinet Office, then submitted
the name to the Queen for approval.[10]

Dryden's salary for the laureateship was

£200 per year. In 1630 Charles I added an
annual "butt of Canary wine",[a] although
this was later discontinued in place of
the monetary equivalent.[8] When John
Betjeman was appointed, he rekindled
the tradition, and received 720 bottles of
sherry; as at 2015 this practice
continues.[13] Since Motion's
appointment the DCMS provided an
annual honorarium of £5,750; Motion
also received an additional £19,000 for
his work in education. With Duffy's
appointment, the salary returned to
£5,750 and the barrel of sherry.[14]

Poets laureate
 Length
Poet Birth and of
Portrait Dates of laureateship Appointed by Ref.
laureate[1][3] death tenure
(years)

1631– 13 April 1668 – January [15][16]

John Dryden Charles II 20
1700 1688

Thomas c. 1640– 9 March 1689 – 19 or 20 [17][18]

3
Shadwell 1692 November 1692 William III
and Mary II
1652– 23 December 1692 – 30 [19][20]
Nahum Tate 23
1715 July 1715

Nicholas 1674– 1 August 1715 – 6 [21][22]

3
Rowe 1718 December 1718
George I
Laurence 1688– 10 December 1718 – 27 [21][23]
12
Eusden 1730 September 1730

1671– 3 December 1730 – 12 [21][24]

Colley Cibber 27
1757 December 1757

George II

William 1715– 19 December 1757[b] – [21][25]

27
Whitehead 1785 14 April 1785

Thomas 1728– 20 April 1785 – 21 May [26][27]

5
Warton 1790 1790

Henry James 1745– 28 July 1790 – 11 [28]

George III 23
Pye 1813 August 1813

Robert 1774– 12 August 1813[c] – 21 [21][30]

30
Southey 1843 March 1843

William 1770– 6 April 1843 – 23 April Victoria 7 [31][32]

Wordsworth 1850 1850

Alfred, Lord 1809– 19 November 1850[d] – 6 [31][33]

42
Tennyson 1892 October 1892

1835– 1 January 1896 – 2 June [33][34]

Alfred Austin 17
1913 1913

Robert 1844– 25 July 1913 – 21 April [35][36]

17
Bridges 1930 1930
George V

John 1878– 9 May 1930 – 12 May [37][38]

37
Masefield 1967 1967

Cecil Day- 1904– 2 January 1968 – 22 [39][40]

4
Lewis 1972 May 1972

John 1906– 20 October 1972 – 19 [41][42]

12
Betjeman 1984 May 1984

1930– 28 December 1984 – 28 [43][44]

Ted Hughes 14
1998 October 1998

Elizabeth II
Andrew 1 May 1999 – 1 May [10][45]
1952– 10
Motion 2009

Carol Ann [10]

1955– 1 May 2009 – –
Duffy

See also
 Children's Laureate

Notes and references

Notes

a. A butt of wine measured 126 gallons

(572.80 litres).[12]
b. On the refusal of Thomas Gray.[25]
c. On the refusal of Walter Scott.[29]
d. On the refusal of Samuel Rogers.[33]

References

1. "Poets laureate (1668–2011)" .

Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press. Retrieved
27 August 2015. (subscription required)
2. "Seamus Heaney, the humble heart-
throb of poetry: Nobel Prize winner dies
at 74" . Mail Online. Retrieved
2017-08-26.
3. "List of poets laureate of Britain" .
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved
31 August 2015.
4. "Poet Laureate" . The British Monarchy.
The Royal Household. Retrieved
2 September 2015.
5. Laurie & Motion 1999, p. 17.
6. Laurie & Motion 1999, pp. 17–18.
7. Hammond, Paul (2009). "Dryden, John
(1631–1700)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8108 .
 Retrieved 2 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)

8. "Poets Laureate" . Encyclopædia

Britannica. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
9. Laurie & Motion 1999, pp. 10–11, 97–
98.
10. "Carol Ann Duffy was officially declared
as Britain's first female Poet Laureate
on May 1st 2009" . The Poetry Society.
Retrieved 6 July 2015.
11. "Duffy reacts to new Laureate post" .
BBC. 1 May 2009.
12. Unwin 2005, p. 364.
13. Brown, Mark (6 August 2014). "Poems,
palaces and butts of sherry: exhibition
 brings poets laureate to life" . The
Guardian. London.
14. Lea, Richard. "Irish literature gets
€150,000 boost with laureate award" .
The Guardian. London.
15. Nichol Smith 1950, p. 11.
16. Hammond & Hopkins 2014, p. xiv.
17. Hammond & Hopkins 2014, p. 333.
18. Bennett, Kate (2009). "Shadwell,
Thomas (c.1640–1692)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25195 . Retrieved
2 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

19. Dryden & Malone 1800, p. 206.

20. Hopkins, David (2008). "Tate, Nahum
(c.1652–1715)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26986 .
Retrieved 2 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)

21. Bucholz, R.O. "The Artistic

Establishment: Poet Laureate 1660–
1837, in Office-Holders in Modern
Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court
Officers, 1660–1837" . British History
Online. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
22. Sherbo, Arthur (2006). "Nicholas Rowe
(1674–1718)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
 Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24203 .
Retrieved 7 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)

23. Sambrook, James (2004). "Laurence

Eusden (1688–1730)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8934 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

24. Salmon, Eric (2012). "Cibber, Colley

(1671–1757)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5416 .
Retrieved 7 September 2015.
 (subscription or UK public library
membership required)

25. Scott, Rosemary (2004). "Whitehead,

William (bap. 1715, d. 1785)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29294 . Retrieved
2 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

26. "No. 12642" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 26 April 1785. p. 205.
27. Reid, Hugh (2006). "Warton, Thomas
(1728–1790)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28799 .
Retrieved 7 September 2015.
 (subscription or UK public library
membership required)

28. Sambrook, James (2008). "Henry

James Pye (1745–1813)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22918 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

29. Hewitt, David (2008). "Scott, Sir Walter

(1771–1832)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24928 .
Retrieved 2 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)
30. Carnall, Geoffrey (2011). "Robert
Southey (1774–1843)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26056 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

31. Hamilton, Walter (1880). "The Origin of

the Office of Poet Laureate".
Transactions of the Royal Historical
Society. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. 8: 20–35.
doi:10.2307/3677823 .
32. Gill, Stephen (2010). "William
Wordsworth (1770–1850)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
 Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29973 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

33. Ricks, Christopher (2006). "Tennyson,

Alfred, first Baron Tennyson (1809–
1892)" . Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography. Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27137 . Retrieved
2 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

34. Scheuerle, William H. (2006). "Alfred

Austin (1835–1913)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30503 . Retrieved
 7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

35. "No. 28740" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 25 July 1913. p. 5321.
36. Phillips, Catherine (2004). "Robert
Seymour Bridges (1844–1930)" .
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography. Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32066 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

37. "No. 33604" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 9 May 1930. p. 2865.
38. Gervais, David (2013). "John Edward
Masefield (1878–1967)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
 Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32066 . Retrieved
7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

39. "No. 44494" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 2 January 1968. p. 89.
40. Day-Lewis, Sean (2013). "Cecil Day-
Lewis (1904–1972)" . Oxford Dictionary
of National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31014 .
Retrieved 7 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)

41. "No. 45807" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 20 October 1972.
p. 12397.
42. Amis, Amis (2010). "Sir John Betjeman
(1906–1984)" . Oxford Dictionary of
National Biography. Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30815 .
Retrieved 7 September 2015.
(subscription or UK public library
membership required)

43. "No. 49967" . The London Gazette

(Supplement). 28 December 1984.
p. 17431.
44. Sagar, Keith (2013). "Edward James
Hughes (1930–1998)" . Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/71121 . Retrieved
 7 September 2015. (subscription or UK
public library membership required)

45. "Poetry in Motion" . BBC. 19 May 1999.

Sources

Dryden, John; Malone, Edmond (1800). The

Critical and Miscellaneous Prose Works of
John Dryden: Now First Collected: with
Notes and Illustrations . London: Cadell and
Davies. OCLC 642439986 .
Hammond, Paul; Hopkins, David (2014).
The Poems of John Dryden: Volume Four:
1686–1696 . Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
ISBN 978-1-317-90536-3.
Laurie, Hilary; Motion, Andrew (1999).
Verses of the Poets Laureate: From John
Dryden to Andrew Motion. London: Orion.
ISBN 978-0-7528-1859-7.
Nichol Smith, David (1950). John Dryden .
Cambridge: CUP Archive. OCLC 2285804 .
Unwin, Tim (2005). Wine and the Vine: An
Historical Geography of Viticulture and the
Wine Trade . London: Routledge. ISBN 978-
1-134-76192-0.

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