Watson, Sir (John) William

(1858-1935)

   Born at Burley-in-Wharfedale, Yorkshire, the son of a grocer, he was educated at Southport, Lancashire. His first volume of verse, the Prince's Quest, published at his father's expense, appeared in 1880; this was followed by twenty-seven other works of poetry and songs. He attracted attention with the appearance of Wordsworth's Grave and Other Poems (1890), and he was one of the poets considered for the laureateship when Robert Bridges (see entry) was appointed in 1913. Watson lectured in the United States, and several of his poems show gratitude for recognition generously given to him there. His happy marriage is reflected in many of his poems. In 1917 he was knighted, and he died at Ditchling Common, Sussex. Some of his other publications: Lachrymae Musarum, 1892. Lyric Love: An Antholog y, 1892. The Father of the Forest and Other Poems, 1895. Ode on the Coronation of King Edward VII, 1902. The Superhuman Antagonists and Other Poems, 1919. Some of his poems: "Abdication," "England and her Dominions," "Sonnets to Miranda," "The Bard-in-waiting," "The Cathedral Music," "The King's Daughter," "Wales: A Greeting," "Wordsworth's Grave."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. I Was an English Poet: Biography of Sir William Watson. Jean Moorcroft. Wilson, C. Woolf, 1982. 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 Family Book of Best Loved Poems. David L. George, ed. Doubleday, 1952. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. The Poems of Sir William Watson. George G. Harrap and Co, 1936.