Henry Kirke White (1785 – 1806)

Henry Kirke White (1785 – 1806) was an English poet born in Nottingham, the son of a butcher.

Despite his humble origin learnt to read at an early age and it is said that by the age of seven was teaching others in the household. He was articled to a lawyer, and excelled in studying the Classics.

In his late teens, White caught tuberculosis and went to live in the village of Wilford, in Nottinghamshire drawing inspiration for his poetry the village and its environs.

In the gazebo which stands in the grounds of St Wilfrid’s Church, Wilford. Here he prophetically wrote:

Here would I wish to sleep, this is the spot
Which I have long marked out to lay my bones in.
Tired out and wearied with the riotous world,
Beneath this yew would I be sepulchred.

 

He died in the year following his sojourn in Wilford at the age of just 21.

Hymns with Lyrics by Henry Kirke White (1785 – 1806).

[catlist name="henry-kirke-white-1785-1806" orderby=title order=asc numberposts=50 pagination=yes excerpt=yes title_tag=strong title_class=lcp_title]