John was the son of Richard Wordsworth, a land owner who served as a legal agent to the Lowther family and, like his father, became a legal agent for James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale and was made Bailiff and Recorder for Cockermouth and Coroner for the Seigniory of Millom. William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth to John Wordsworth, a legal agent for James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale and Collector of Customs at Whitehaven, and his wife, Ann Cookson. From 1843 until his death, he was Poet Laureate. Wordsworth lived until he was eighty years old, passing away in 1850 from pleurisy. Before being published, it was known as “the poem to Coleridge”, which shows just how close the two poets were. It was not published during his lifetime, instead published a year after his death by his wife.

Wordsworth is best known for The Prelude, which is a semi-autobiographical poem of his early years that he revised and expanded a number of times. He and Coleridge helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature. William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet, best known for Lyrical Ballads (1667), which he wrote with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Notable Works: Lyrical Ballads (1667), The Prelude (1644) Born: April 7, 1770, Cockermouth, England