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John Masefield

Born

in Ledbury, Herefordshire, England

June 01, 1878

Died

May 12, 1967

Genre

Children's Books, Poetry, Fiction

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Masefield was born in Ledbury, a rural area in England to George Masefield, a solicitor and Caroline. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was only 6 and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon after. After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board the HMS Conway, both to train for a life at sea, and to break his addiction to reading, of which his Aunt thought little. He spent several years aboard this ship and found that he could spend much of his time reading and writing. It was aboard the Conway that Masefield’s love for story-telling grew.

In 1894, Masefield boarded the Gilcruix, destined for Chile. HMasefield was born in Ledbury, a rural area in England to George Masefield, a solicitor and Caroline. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was only 6 and he went

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ALL day they loitered by the resting ships,

Telling their beauties over, taking stock;

At night the verdict left my messmate's lips,

"The Wanderer is the finest ship in dock."

I had not seen her, but a friend, since drowned,

Drew her, with painted ports, low, lovely, lean,

Saying, "The Wanderer, clipper, outward bound,

The loveliest ship my eyes have ever seen--

"Perhaps to-morrow you will see her sail.

She sails at sunrise": but the morrow showed

No Wanderer setting forth for me to hail;

Far down the stream men pointed where she rode,

Rode the great trackway to the sea, dim, dim,

Already gone before the stars were gone.

I saw her at the sea-line's smoky rim

Grow swiftly vaguer as they towed her on.

Soon even her masts were hidden in the haze

Beyond the city; she was on her course

To trample billows for a hundred days;

That afternoon the northerner gathered force,

Blowing a small snow from a point of east.

"Oh, fair for her," we said, "to take her south."

And in our spirits, as the wind increased,

We saw her there, beyond the ri

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John Masefield

English poet and writer (1878-1967)

John Edward MasefieldOM (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and the poems "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever".

Biography

Early life

Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire to George Masefield, a solicitor, and his wife Caroline (née Parker). He was baptised in the Church at Preston Cross, just outside Ledbury. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon afterwards, following a mental breakdown.^[1]

After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board HMS Conway, both to train for a life at sea and to break his addiction to reading, of which his aunt thought little. He spent several years aboard this ship, and found that he cou