William Cox Bennett (14 October 1820 - 4 March 1895) was an English poet and songwriter.
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William Cox Bennett (1820-1895), from Songs for Sailors]. London: H.S. King, 1872.. Courtesy Internet Archive.
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Bennett was born at Greenwich, the younger son of John Bennett, a watchmaker.[1]
He was educated at Greenwich in the school of William Collier Smithers, but when he was 9 he was compelled, by the death of his father, to remain at home to assist his mother in business.[1]
Career[]
Bennett took much interest in the affairs of his native borough, and succeeded in effecting several useful reforms. In 1868 he proposed Gladstone to the liberals of the borough as their candidate, and helped to secure his return by very strenuous exertions. He was a member of the London council of the Education League.[1]
In 1869 and 1870 he was employed on the staff of the Weekly Dispatch as a leader writer and art critic, and subsequently he contributed to the London Figaro.[1]
He died at his residence at Eliot Cottages, Blackheath, and was buried at Nunhead cemetery on 8 March 1895.[1]
Writing[]
Bennett was well known as a writer of songs. His chief works are: 1. 'Poems,' London, 1850, 8vo; new edit. 1862.[1] 2. 'War Songs,' London, 1855, 8vo. 3. 'Queen Eleanor's Vengeance and other Poems,' London, 1867, 8vo. 4. 'Songs for Sailors,' London, 1872, 8vo; 2nd edit. 1873. 5. 'Baby May: Home Poems and Ballads,' London, 1875, 8vo. 6. 'Songs of a Song Writer,' London, 1876, 8vo. 7. 'Prometheus the Fire-Giver: an attempted Restoration of the lost First Part of the Promethean Trilogy of Æschylus,' London, 1877, 8vo. 8. 'The Lark: Songs, Ballads, and Recitations for the People,' London, 1885, 4to.[2]
Recognition[]
His 'Songs for Sailors' were set to music in 1878 by John Liptrot Hatton.[2]
A collected edition of his poems appeared in 1862 in Routledge's British Poets.[2]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- My Sonnets. Greenwich, UK: Henry S. Richardson, 1843.
- Songs, Ballads, etc. Greenwich, UK: Henry S. Richardson, 1845.
- Poems. London: Chapman & Hall, 1850.
- Verdicts. London: E. Wilson, 1852.
- War Songs. London: E. Wilson, 1855.
- Queen Eleanor's Vengeance, and other poems. [London?]: Chapman & Hall, 1857.
- Songs by a Song Writer. London: Chapman & Hall, 1859.
- The Worn Wedding-ring, and other poems. London: Chapman & Hall, 1861.
- Poems. London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1862.
- 8 Poems (illustrated by S.E. Baird). London: L. Booth, 1865.
- Our glory-roll, and other national poems. London: Routledge, 1866.
- Songs for Sailors. London: H.S. King, 1872.
- Baby May, and Home poems. London: H.S. King, 1875.
- Songs of a Song Writer. London: H.S. King, 1876.
- Prometheus the Fire-giver: An attempted restoration of the lost first part of the Prometheian trilogy of Aeschylus. London: Chatto & Windus, 1877.
- Sea Songs. London: Chapman, 1878.
- The Lark: Songs, ballads, and recitations for the people. London: Hart, 1885
Play[]
- A Character, in two scenes.London: Chapman & Hall, 1857.
Non-fiction[]
- Contributions to a Ballad History of England, and the States sprung from her. London: Chatto & Windus, [18--?]
Edited[]
- The Lark: Songs, ballads, and poems for the people. Greenwich: Birmingham, 1883-1884; London: Hart, 1885-1887.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[3]
A Spring Song — William Cox Bennett
See also[]
References[]
Carlyle, Edward Irving (1901). "Bennett, William Cox". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement. 1. London: Smith, Elder. pp. 168-169. . Wikisource, Web, Jan. 29, 2017.
Notes[]
External links[]
- Poems
- "A Christmas Song"
- Bennett in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "Baby May," "Be Mine, and I Will Give Thy Name," "A Christmas Song"
- William Cox Bennett at PoemHunter (4 poems)
- William Cox Bennett at Poetry Nook
- Books
- William Cox Bennett at Internet Archive
- William Cox Bennett at Amazon.com
- About
- William Cox Bennett at Dickens Journal Online
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement (edited by Sidney Lee). London: Smith, Elder, 1901. Original article is at: Bennett, William Cox
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