Sir John Denham (1615 - 10 March 1669), poet, son of the Chief Baron of Exchequer in Ireland, was born in Dublin, and educated at Trinity College, Oxford and at Lincoln's Inn in
London.
He began his literary career with a tragedy, The Sophy (1641), which seldom rises above
mediocrity. His poem, Cooper's Hill (1642), is the work by which he is remembered.
It is the first example in English of a poem devoted to local description (describing the Thames scenery round his home at Egham in Surrey). Denham wrote many versions of this poem, reflecting the political and cultural upheavals of the British
Civil War. Denham received extravagant praise from Dr Samuel Johnson; but the place now
assigned him is a much more humble one. His verse is smooth, clear, and agreeable, and occasionally a thought is expressed with
remarkable terseness and force.
In his earlier years Denham suffered for his Royalism (during the English Civil War, he was high sheriff of Surrey and governor of Farnham Castle), but after the Restoration enjoyed prosperity. He,
however, made an unhappy marriage, and his last years were clouded by insanity. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Although he initially trained as a lawyer, after the Restoration he succeeded (pre-Restoration) Inigo Jones as King's Surveyor (a post also sometimes called Surveyor of
the King's Works). However, it is likely the 1661 appointment was more for reasons of his
earlier political services than for any aptitude as an architect: there is no evidence that he personally designed any buildings,
although he seems to have been a comptetent administrator. Christopher Wren was
appointed Denham's deputy and succeeded him as King's Surveyor upon his death in 1669).
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
