List of British poets

This List of British poets is a comprehensive list of poets living or writing in the British Isles who wrote in the English language. English, Scottish and Welsh poets who wrote in English are included.

A

 * Lascelles Abercrombie (1881-1938), England
 * Harold Acton (1904-1994), England
 * Helen Adam (2909-1993), Scotland
 * Fleur Adcock (born 1934), New Zealand / England
 * Joseph Addison (1672-1719), England
 * Mark Akenside (1721-1770), England
 * William Alabaster (1567-1640), England
 * Sidney A. Alexander (1866-1948), England
 * Henry Alford (1810-1871), England
 * NIcholas Amhurst (1697-1742), England
 * Kingsley Amis (1922-1995), England
 * Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904), England
 * Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), England
 * Thomas Ashe (1836-1889), England
 * John Askham (1825-1894), England
 * Edwin Atherstone (1788-1872), England
 * W.H. Auden (1907-1973), England / United States
 * Alfred Austin (1835-1913), England
 * Sir Robert Aytoun (1570-1638), Scotland
 * William Aytoun (1813-1865), Scotland

B

 * Philip James Bailey (1816-1902), England
 * Joanna Baillie (1762-1851), Scotland
 * Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), England
 * John Barbour (died 1395), Scotland
 * Lady Anne Barnard (1750-1825), England / South Africa
 * Barnabe Barnes (1571-1609), England
 * William Barnes (1801–1886), England
 * Richard Barnfield (1574-1620), England
 * John Barr (1809-1889), Scotland / New Zealand
 * Syd Barret, England
 * Bernard Barton (1784–1849), England
 * James Beattie (1705-1803), Scotland
 * Francis Beaumont (1586–1616), England
 * Sir John Beaumont (1583-1627), England
 * Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1804-1849), England
 * Saint Bede (672/3-735), England
 * Henry Charles Beeching (1859-1919), England
 * Aphra Behn (1640–1689), England
 * Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), France / England
 * A.C. Benson (1862-1925), England
 * John Betjeman (1906–1984), England
 * Samuel Bishop (1731–1795), England
 * Thomas Blacklock (1721–1791), Scotland
 * R.D. Blackmore (1825-1900), England
 * Sir Richard Blackmore (1654-1729), England
 * William Blake (1757–1827), England
 * Susanna Blamire (1747–1794), England
 * Mathilde Blind (1841–1896), England
 * Robert Bloomfield (1766-1823), England
 * Edmund Blunden (1896–1974), England
 * Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922), England
 * Horatius Bonar (1808–1889), Scotland
 * Francis William Bourdillon (1852-1921), England
 * William Lisle Bowles (1762-1850), England
 * Mark Alexander Boyd (1563–1601), Scotland
 * Nicholas Brady (1659-1726), Ireland / England
 * Richard Braithwait (1588-1673), England
 * Nicholas Breton (1542–1626), England
 * Robert Bridges (1844–1930), England
 * Alexander Brome (1620-1666), England
 * Anne Brontë (1820-1849), England
 * Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), England
 * Emily Brontë (1818–1848), England
 * Rupert Brooke (1887–1915), England
 * William Broome (1689-1745), England
 * Thomas Edward Brown (1830–1897), Isle of Man
 * Isaac Hawkins Browne (1705–1760), England
 * William Browne (1588–1643), England
 * Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), England
 * Robert Browning (1812–1889), England
 * Michael Bruce (1746-1767), Scotland


 * Basil Bunting (1900–1985), England
 * John Bunyan (1628-1688), England
 * Anthony Burgess (1917–1993), England
 * Robert Burns (1759–1796), Scotland
 * Samuel Butler (1612-1680), England
 * John Byrom (1692-1763), England
 * George Gordon Lord Byron (1788–1824), England

C

 * Charles Stuart Calverley (1831–1884), England
 * Ada Cambridge (1844-1926), England
 * Thomas Campbell (1774–1844), Scotland
 * Thomas Campion (1567–1620), England
 * Mary Wedderburn Cannan (1893–1973), England
 * Edward Capern (1819-1894), England
 * Thomas Carew (1595–1639), England
 * Henry Carey (1693–1743), England
 * Lewis Carroll (1832–1898), England
 * William Cartwright (1611–1643), England
 * Charles Causley (1917–2003), England
 * John Chalkhill (fl. 1600?), England
 * William Chamberlayne (1619-1659), England
 * George Chapman (1560–1634), England
 * Elizabeth Charles (1828-1896), England
 * Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770), England
 * Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400), England
 * Colley Cibber (1671–1757), England
 * John Clare (1793–1864), England
 * Amy Key Clarke (1892-1980), England
 * John Cleveland (1613–1658), England
 * Arthur Hugh Clough (1819–1861), England
 * Hartley Coleridge (1796–1849), England
 * Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861–1907), England
 * Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834), England
 * William Collins (1721–1759), England
 * Laurence Collinson (1925-1986), Australia / England
 * William Congreve (1670–1729), England
 * Henry Constable (1562–1613), England
 * Eliza Cook (1818–1889), England
 * Thomas Cooper (1805–1892), England
 * Richard Corbet (1582–1635), England
 * Barry Cornwall (1787-1874), England
 * William Cornysh (1465-1523), England
 * William Johnson Cory (1823–1892), England
 * Charles Cotton (1630-1687), England
 * Anne Ross Cousin (1824–1906), Scotland
 * Abraham Cowley (1618–1667), England
 * William Cowper (1731–1800), England
 * George Crabbe (1754–1832), England
 * Richard Crashaw (1613–1649), England
 * Allan Cunningham (1784-1842), Scotland
 * Henry Cust (1861-1917), England

D

 * H.D. (!886-1961), United States / England
 * Samuel Daniel (1562–1619), England
 * William Davenant (1606–1668), England
 * John Davidson (1837–1909), Scotland
 * Sir John Davies (1569–1626), England
 * W.H. Davies (1871-1940), Wales
 * Thomas Dekker (1575–1641), England
 * John Denham (1615–1669), England
 * Richard Watson Dixon (1833-1900), England
 * Austin Dobson (1840-1921), England
 * John Donaldson, aka Jon Inglis (1921–1989), England
 * John Donne (1572–1631), England
 * Lord Alfred Douglas (1870-1945), England
 * Keith Douglas (1920–1944), England
 * Ernest Dowson (1867–1900), England
 * Sir Francis Hastings Doyle (1810–1888), England
 * Michael Drayton (1563–1631), England
 * Adam Drinan AKA Joseph Macleod (1903–1984), England
 * William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649), Scotland
 * John Dryden (1631–1700), England
 * Agnes Mary Frances Duclaux (1857-1944), England
 * William Dunbar (1465–1520), Scotland
 * Thomas D'Urfey (1653-1723), England
 * John Dyer (1699-1757), Wales

E

 * Richard Edwardes (c. 1523–1566), England
 * T.S. Eliot (1888–1965), United States / England
 * Jean Elliot (1727–1805), Scotland
 * Ebenezer Elliott (1781–1849), England
 * Edwin Ellis (1848-1916), England
 * William Empson (1906–1984), England
 * D.J. Enright (1920–2002), England
 * Sir George Etherege (1635–1691), England

F

 * Thomas Flatman (1637-1688), England
 * Giles Fletcher (?1586-1623), England
 * Phineas Fletcher (1582-1650), England
 * John Ford (1586-1637), England
 * William Fowler (?1560-1612), Scotland
 * Richard Furness (1791–1857), England

G

 * Norman Gale (1862-1942), England
 * George Gascoigne (1525–1577), England
 * David Gascoyne (1916–2001), England
 * John Gay (1685–1732), England
 * Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774), England
 * Sir Edmund Gosse (1849-1928), England
 * John Gower (1330-1408), England
 * Robert Cunninghame Graham (1735-1797), Scotland
 * W.S. Graham (1918-1986), Scotland
 * Richard Graves (1715–1804), England
 * Robert Graves (1895–1985), England
 * John Gray (1866-1934), England
 * Thomas Gray (1716–1771), England
 * Robert Greene (1558–1592), England
 * Julian Grenfell (1888-1915), England
 * Frances Greville (?1727-1789), Ireland / England
 * Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke (1554–1628), England
 * Nicholas Grimald (1519–1562), England
 * Ivor Gurney (1890–1937), England
 * Brion Gysin (1916–1986), England

H

 * William Habington (1605–1654), England
 * Thomas Gordon Hake (1809–1895), England
 * Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), England
 * Tony Harrison (born 1937), England
 * Blind Harry (?1440-1492), Scotland
 * F.W. Harvey (1888-1957), England
 * Stephen Hawes (died 1523), England
 * Robert Stephen Hawker (1803-1875), England
 * Robert Hayman (1575–1629), England
 * Felicia Hemans (1793–1835), England
 * William Ernest Henley (1849–1903), England
 * Robert Henryson (fl. 1460-1500), Scotland, Middle Scots
 * Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648), Wales / England
 * George Herbert (1593–1632), England
 * Robert Herrick (1591–1674), England
 * Phoebe Hesketh (1909–2005), England
 * John Heywood (?1497-1580?), England
 * Thomas Heywood (?1570 – 1650), England
 * Thomas Hoccleve (?1369-1426), England
 * James Hogg (1770–1835), Scotland
 * Thomas Hood (1798–1845), England
 * Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889), England
 * Richard Henry Horne (1802-1884), England / Australia
 * Frances Horovitz (1938–1983), England
 * A.E. Housman (1859–1936), England
 * Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517–1547), England
 * Ted Hughes (1930–1998), England
 * Leigh Hunt (1784–1859), England

I

 * Selwyn Image (1849-1930), England
 * Jean Ingelow (1820-1897), England

J

 * Richard Jago (1715–1781), England
 * Lionel Johnson (1867-1902), England
 * Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), England
 * David Jones (1895–1974), Wales
 * Ebenezer Jones (1820–1860), England
 * William Jones (1726-1795), Wales
 * Sir William Jones (1746-1794), England
 * Ben Jonson (1573–1637), England
 * Thomas Jordan (1612-1685), England
 * Jenny Joseph (born 1932), England

K

 * John Keats (1795–1821), England
 * Arthur Kelton (died c. 1550), Wales
 * Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy ('Woodbine Willy'; 1883–1929), England
 * Sidney Keyes (1922–1943), England
 * Arthur Henry King (1910–2000), England
 * Henry King (1592–1669), England
 * William King (1663–1712), England
 * William Knox (1789-1825), Scotland
 * Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), India / England

L

 * Charles Lamb (1775–1834), England
 * Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864), England
 * William Langland (c. 1332-1386), England
 * Emilia Lanier (1569–1645), England
 * Philip Larkin (1922–1985), England
 * D.H. Lawrence (1885–1930), England
 * Edward Lear (1812–1888), England
 * Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947), England
 * Alun Lewis (1915–1944), Wales
 * C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), England
 * Thomas Lodge (1556–1625), England
 * Richard Lovelace (1618–1658), England
 * Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957), England
 * John Lydgate (1370–1450), England
 * John Lyly (1553–1606), England
 * George Lyttelton, Lord Lyttelton (1709–1773), England

M

 * Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859), England
 * Norman MacCaig (1910–1996), Scotland
 * Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978), Scotland
 * Joseph Macleod (1903–1984), England
 * Robert Mannyng (1269–1340), England
 * Walter de la Mare (1873-1956), England
 * Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), England
 * Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), England
 * John Masefield (1878–1967), England
 * George Meredith (1828-1909), England
 * Louisa Anne Meredith (1812-1895), England / Australia
 * Alice Meynell (1847-1922), England
 * Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton (1809-1885), England
 * John Milton (1608–1674), England
 * Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax (1661–1715), England
 * James Montgomery (1771–1854), England
 * Susanna Moodie (1803-1885), England / Canada
 * Thomas Sturge Moore (1870-1944), England
 * Edwin Morgan (1920-2010), Scotland
 * William Morris (1834–1896), England
 * Sir Andrew Motion (born 1952), England
 * Edward Moxon (1801-1858), England
 * Anthony Munday (?1560–1633), England

N

 * Thomas Nashe (1567–1601), England
 * Sir Henry Newbolt (1862–1938), England
 * Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890), England
 * James Hume Nisbet (1849-1923), Australia / Scotland

O

 * Thomas Otway (1652-1685), England
 * Wilfred Owen (1893–1918), Wales

P

 * Coventry Patmore (1823-1896), England
 * Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866), England
 * Victor Plarr (1863-1929), England
 * Pearl Poet (14th century), England
 * Ambrose Philips (1674-1749), England
 * Marjorie Pickthall (1883-1922), Canada / England
 * Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), England
 * Sylvia Plath (1932–1963), United States / England
 * Robert Pollok (?1798–1827), Scotland
 * Alexander Pope (1688–1744), England
 * Peter Porter (1929-2010), Australia / England
 * Ezra Pound (1885–1972), United States / England
 * Frank Prewett (1893-1962), Canada / England
 * Nancy Price (1880–1970), England
 * Matthew Prior (1664–1721), England

Q

 * Francis Quarles (1592–1644), England / Canada

R

 * Ernest Radford (1857-1919), England
 * Craig Raine (born 1944), England
 * Kathleen Raine (1908–2003), England
 * Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618), England
 * Thomas Randolph (1605–1635), England
 * Tom Raworth (born 1938), England
 * Henry Reed (1914–1986), England
 * Joseph Relph (1712–1743), England
 * Ernest Rhys (1859-1946), England
 * Michael Roberts (1902-1948), England
 * Mary Robinson (1758–1800), England
 * Isaac Rosenberg (1890–1918), England
 * Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), England
 * Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), England

S

 * Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), England
 * Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), Scotland
 * William Bell Scott (1811–1890), Scotland
 * Sir Charles Sedley (1639–1701), England
 * Francis Sempill (?1616-1682), Scotland
 * James Sempill (1566-1625), Scotland
 * Robert Sempill (?1530-1595), Scotland
 * Robert Sempill the younger (?1595-1663?), Scotland
 * Robert W. Service (1874-1958), Scotland / Canada
 * William Shakespeare (1564–1616), England
 * Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), England
 * James Shirley (1596–1666), England
 * Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586), England
 * Dame Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), England
 * John Skelton (1460–1529), England
 * Robin Skelton (1925-1997), England / Canada
 * Elizabeth Smart (1913-1986), Canada / England
 * Alexander Smith (1830–1867), Scotland
 * Charlotte Turner Smith (1749–1806), England
 * Stevie Smith (1902–1971), England
 * Tobias Smollett (1721–1771), Scotland
 * Charles Sorley (1895–1915), Scotland
 * William Soutar (1898–1946), Scotland.
 * Robert Southey (1774–1843), England
 * Saint Robert Southwell (1561–1595), England
 * Stephen Spender (1909-1995), England
 * Edmund Spenser (1552–1599), England
 * Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), Scotland
 * Sir John Suckling (1609–1642), England
 * Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909), England
 * Joshua Sylvester (1563–1618), England
 * Arthur Symons (1865–1945), England

T

 * Alfred Tennyson, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892), England
 * Frederick Tennyson (1807-1898), England
 * William Thom (poet) (1799–1848), Scotland
 * Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), Wales
 * Edward Thomas (1878–1917), Wales
 * R.S. Thomas (1913–2000), Wales
 * Francis Thompson (1859–1907), England
 * James Thomson (1700-1748), Scotland
 * James Thomson (B.V.) (1834–1882), Scotland
 * Chidiock Tichborne (1558–1586), England
 * J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973), England
 * Thomas Traherne (?1636-1674), England
 * Katharine Tynan (1861-1931), Ireland / England

U

 * Allen Upward (1863-1926), England

V

 * Henry Vaughan (1621–1695), Wales
 * Aubrey Thomas de Vere (1814-1902), Ireland

W

 * Edmund Waller (1606–1687), England
 * Thomas Warton (1728–1790), England
 * Gilbert Waterhouse (1883-1916), England
 * Sir William Watson (1858-1935), England
 * Isaac Watts (1674–1748), England
 * John Webster (died 1630?), England
 * Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), Ireland / England
 * William of Shoreham (14th century), England
 * Hugo Williams (born 1942), England
 * John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647–1680), England
 * George Wither (1588–1667), England
 * Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), England
 * William Wordsworth (1770–1850), England
 * Sir Henry Wotton (1568–1639), England
 * Thomas Wyatt (1503–1542), England

Y

 * Edward Young (1683–1765), England