| Who
was He? Poet.

Date and Place of
Birth: 6th August 1809,
Somersby Rectory, Lincolnshire, England.
Family Background:
He was the fourth of twelve children of George, the Rector of
Somersby and Elizabeth who were a talented but unhappy couple.
Education: Louth
Grammar School, where he hated the sadistic Headmaster, the Reverend
J. Waite. Trinity College, Cambridge University.
Chronology:
1823: Poems by
Alfred and his brother Charles were published by Jacksons in Louth,
Lincolnshire.
1829: Wins the
Chancellor's Gold Medal at Trinity College, Cambridge with "Timbuctoo".
He becomes a member of "The Apostles" group. Spends
Christmas at Somersby with his college friend Arthur Hallam.
1832: Visits the
Rhineland in Germany with Hallam.
1833: His work
"Poems" is slammed by the critics in "The Quarterly
Review" for being "too sentimental". (September)
Arthur Hallam dies in Vienna.
1835: Death of
his grandfather George.
1836: Falls in
love with Emily Sellwood at his brother's wedding.
1837: His parents
and the rest of the family leave Somersby and move to Beech Hill
House, at High Beech, Near Epping in Essex.
1840: Family move
to Tunbridge Wells.
1841: Family move
to Boxley, near Maidstone in Kent.
1842: His sisters
Emily and Cecilia marry.
1843: Collapse
of the woodcarving business which Tennyson had invested most of
his inheritance. He moves to Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.
1845: He is granted
a pension from the Civil List by the Government.
1850: Publication
of "In Memoriam" which had been inspired by the untimely
death of his friend Hallam. Becomes Poet Laureate, succeeding
William Wordsworth.
1851: (March)
The Tennyson's move to Chapel House, Twickenham.
1852: (August)
Birth of son Hallam Tennyson.
1853: (November)
They move to Farringford in the Isle of Wight.
1854: Birth of
Son Lionel.
1855: Publication
of "Maud and Other Poems".
1858: Tennyson
visits Norway alone.
1859: Visits Portugal.
1860: Julia Cameron
goes to live at Farringford.
1861: Visits the
Pyrenees with his family.
1862: Received
by Queen Victoria at Osborne House in the Isle of Wight.
1865: Death of
his mother.
1868: (April)
Begins to build a summer residence at Aldworth in Sussex.
1875: Publication
of "Queen Mary".
1884: Takes his
seat in the House of Lords as the First Baron Tennyson. His play
"Becket" is published.
1885: "Tiresias
and Other Poems" is published.
1886: Death of
Lionel.
(1893): First
performance of his play "Becket".
Written Works:
- 1827: "
Poems by Two Brothers" (Alfred and Charles).
- 1829: "Timbuctoo"
- 1830: "Poems
Chiefly Lyrical".
- 1832: "The
Lady of Shallot". "The Lotus Eaters".
- 1842: "Poems".
- 1847: "The
Princess".
- 1850: "In
Memoriam"
- 1852: "Ode
on the Death of the Duke of Wellington".
- 1854: "The
Charge of the Light Brigade".
- 1855: "Maud
and Other Poems".
- 1859: "The
Idylls of the King".
- 1864: "Idylls
of the Hearth".
- 1865: "A
Selection from the Works".
- 1869: "The
Holy Grail and Other Poems".
- 1872: "Gareth
and Lynette".
- 1876: Queen
Mary".
- 1875: "The
Lover's Tale".
- 1879: "The
Falcon".
- 1880: "Ballads
and Other Poems".
- 1881: "The
Cup".
- 1885: "Tiresias
and Other Poems"
- 1889: "Demeter"
- 1892: "The
Foresters". "The Death of Oenone". "Akbar's
Dream".
- 1893: "Becket".
Marriage:
1850 to Emily Sarah Sellwood.
Places of Interest:
CORNWALL:
Tintagel was inspiration for the "Idylls
of the King".
CUMBRIA:
Honeymooned at Tent Lodge, Coniston.
LINCOLNSHIRE:
Some personal effects at the Usher Gallery,
Lincoln.
SOMERSET:
Honeymooned at Clevedon House.
SUFFOLK:
Visited Edward Fitzgerald
at Dunwich.
ISLE OF WIGHT:
Tennyson Down Cliff Walk, Farringford.
Lived at Farrington House, Freshwater.
Summer House at Maiden's Croft Meadows, Freshwater.
Tennyson Display Room in Carrisbrooke Castle, Newport.
Date and Place of
Death: 6th October 1892,
Aldworth, Surrey, England.
Age at Death:
83.
Site of Grave:
Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, Westminster , London, England.
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