Rogerson, John Bolton

(1809-1859)

   Born in Manchester, Lancashire, from the age of thirteen he had several different jobs: solicitor, bookshop owner, and registrar of the North Manchester cemetery at Harpurhey. An amateur actor, he was president for some years of the Manchester Shakespearean Society and for a short time was on the staff of the Manchester Theatre Royal. He wrote The Baron of Manchester, a three-act play, and lectured on literary and educational subjects. Chronic rheumatism disabled him about 1855 from continuing his duties as registrar. He afterwards kept a tavern in Newton Street, Ancoats, Manchester, and in 1857 was master of a school at Accrington. In 1856 he was awarded a government pension, upon which he retired to the Isle of Man, where he died and was interred at Kirk Braddan, near Douglas. His verses were published in several Lancashire newspapers and magazines. His poetry publications: Rhyme, Romance, and Revery, 1852. A Voice from the Town, and Other Poems, 1843. The Wandering Angel, and Other Poems, 1844. Poetical Works, 1850. Flowers for all Seasons, 1854. Musings in Many Moods, 1859.

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. HarpurheyDistricts and Suburbs of Manchester, U.K.: John Bolton Rogerson (http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/harpurhey.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers. org). The Poorhouse Fugitives: Self-Taught Poets and Poetry in Victorian Britain. Brian Maidment, ed. Carcanet, 1987.