Shenstone, William

(1714-1763)

   Born at Halesowen, Worcestershire, he was educated at the local grammar school and Pembroke College, Oxford-where he was a contemporary of Dr. Johnson-but did not graduate. The year 1745 saw the start of his life's work: the beautifying of the grounds of Leasowes, Halesowen, a property bought by his grandfather; and building a solid reputation in the history of English landscape-gardening. His theories, outlined in Unconnected Thoughts on Gardening (1764), involved the creation of winding waterways and walks and a series of picturesque views. He assisted Thomas Bishop Percy (see entry) in the compilation and editing of Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765). He died unmarried and was buried in Halesowen churchyard. His poetic works include elegies, songs, and ballads. Some of his other poetry publications: Poems Upon Various Occasions, 1737. The Judgment of Hercules, 1741. The Schoolmistress, 1742. Pastoral Ballad, 1743. Works, 1773. Some of his poems: "Epilogue to the Tragedy of Cleone," "Hint from Voiture," "Jemmy Dawson," "Love and Music," "On a Seat Under a Spreading Beech," "Progress of Taste," "The Progress of Advice."

   Sources: A Bundle of Ballads. George Routledge and Sons, 1891. Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Love Poems. John Betjeman and Geoffrey Taylor, eds. Faber and Faber, 1957. English Poetry: Author Search. ChadwyckHealey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). 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 Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. The Poetical Works of William Shenstone. Charles Cowden Clarke, ed. James Nichol, 1854.