Thomas Ashe (poet)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ashe was an English
poet.
He was born in Stockport
, Cheshire in 1836. His father, John Ashe (d. 1879), originally a Manchester
manufacturer and an amateur artist, resolved late in life to take holy orders, was prepared for ordination by his own son, and became vicar of St. Paul's at Crewe
in 1869. Thomas was educated at Stockport Grammar School
and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he entered as a sizar in 1855 and graduated B.A.
as senior optime in 1859.
He took up scholastic work in Peterborough
, was ordained deacon in 1859 and priest in 1860; at Easter 1860 he became curate of Silverstone, Northamptonshire. But clerical work proved distasteful, and he gave himself entirely to schoolmastering. In 1865 he became mathematical and modern form master at Leamington College, whence he moved to a similar post at Queen Elizabeth's school, Ipswich
. He remained there nine years. After two years in Paris
he finally settled in London in 1881.
Here he was engaged in editing Samuel Taylor Coleridge
's works. The poems appeared in the 'Aldine Series' of poets in 1885. Three volumes of prose were published in Bohn's 'Standard Library'; Lecture and Notes on Shakspere in 1883', Table Talk and Omniana in 1884, and in Miscellanies, Aesthetic and Literary, in 1885. Ashe died in London on 18 Dec. 1889, but was buried in St. James's Churchyard, Sutton
, Macclesfield
; a portrait is given in the Illustrated London News
and in The Eagle
(xvi. 109).
Ashe was a poet of considerable charm. He wrote steadily from his college days to the end of his life; but, although his powers were recognized by some of the literary journals, his poems failed entirely to gain the ear of his generation. A lack of vigour and concentration impairs the permanent value of his larger poems; but the best of his shorter lyrics have a charm and grace of their own which should keep them alive.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet.
He was born in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Cheshire in 1836. His father, John Ashe (d. 1879), originally a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
manufacturer and an amateur artist, resolved late in life to take holy orders, was prepared for ordination by his own son, and became vicar of St. Paul's at Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
in 1869. Thomas was educated at Stockport Grammar School
Stockport Grammar School
Stockport Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Stockport, England, founded in 1487 by the 1482 Lord Mayor of London Sir Edmund Shaa.The school motto is "Vincit qui patitur" – He who endures, conquers....
and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he entered as a sizar in 1855 and graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
as senior optime in 1859.
He took up scholastic work in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, was ordained deacon in 1859 and priest in 1860; at Easter 1860 he became curate of Silverstone, Northamptonshire. But clerical work proved distasteful, and he gave himself entirely to schoolmastering. In 1865 he became mathematical and modern form master at Leamington College, whence he moved to a similar post at Queen Elizabeth's school, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
. He remained there nine years. After two years in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
he finally settled in London in 1881.
Here he was engaged in editing Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
's works. The poems appeared in the 'Aldine Series' of poets in 1885. Three volumes of prose were published in Bohn's 'Standard Library'; Lecture and Notes on Shakspere in 1883', Table Talk and Omniana in 1884, and in Miscellanies, Aesthetic and Literary, in 1885. Ashe died in London on 18 Dec. 1889, but was buried in St. James's Churchyard, Sutton
Sutton, Macclesfield
Sutton Lane Ends or Sutton is a semi-rural village and civil parish that is situated roughly a mile south of Macclesfield; it includes the hamlets of Gurnett and Jarman. Sutton is in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
; a portrait is given in the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
and in The Eagle
The Eagle (magazine)
The Eagle, founded in 1859, is an annual magazine published with the assistance of St. John's College, Cambridge.The poet Thomas Ashe founded The Eagle in the year in which he graduated from St John's., with the help of a college fellow, Joseph Bickersteth Mayor...
(xvi. 109).
Ashe was a poet of considerable charm. He wrote steadily from his college days to the end of his life; but, although his powers were recognized by some of the literary journals, his poems failed entirely to gain the ear of his generation. A lack of vigour and concentration impairs the permanent value of his larger poems; but the best of his shorter lyrics have a charm and grace of their own which should keep them alive.
Works
- Poems (1859)
- Dryope and Other Poems (1861)
- Pictures, and Other Poems (1865) http://books.google.com/books?id=uF4CAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1#PPP9,M1
- The Sorrows of Hypsipyle: a Poem (1867)
- Edith: or, Love and Life in Chesire, a Poem (1873) http://books.google.com/books?id=PYZzxwstk24C&pg=PA3&#PPP7,M1
- Poems (1885)
- Songs of a Year (1888)