C. Fox Smith facts for kids

Cicely Fox Smith (born February 1, 1882 – died April 8, 1954) was an English poet and writer. She was born in Lymm, Cheshire, and went to Manchester High School for Girls. After living in Canada for a short time, she came back to the United Kingdom just before World War I started. She settled in Hampshire and began writing poems. Many of her poems were about the sea. Cicely Fox Smith wrote over 600 poems for many different magazines and newspapers. Later in her life, she also wrote fiction and non-fiction books on various topics. The British Government gave her a small pension for her important contributions to literature.

Cicely Fox Smith's Early Life

Cicely Fox Smith was born on February 1, 1882. Her family lived in Lymm, near Warrington, England. Her father was a lawyer, and her grandfather was a church leader. At that time, many girls were expected to have a short education. Then, they would become homemakers for their families.

Cicely, however, received a good education. She attended Manchester High School for Girls from 1894 to 1897. She later said she was "something of a rebel" there. She started writing poems when she was quite young. She once wrote about making "epic poems" when she was only seven or eight. Sadly, these early writings are now lost. When she was 17, she published her first book of poems. It received good reviews from the newspapers.

Cicely loved exploring the open countryside near her home. This helped her develop a sense of adventure. As a girl, she would even follow fox hunts on foot. She really wanted to travel to Africa. Instead, she ended up sailing to Canada in 1911. She likely traveled with her sister Madge. They went by steamship to Montreal. Then, they took a train to Lethbridge, Alberta. She stayed there for about a year with her older brother, Richard Andrew Smith. After that, she moved to British Columbia (BC).

From 1912 to 1913, Cicely lived in Victoria, BC. She worked as a typist for a government department and later for a lawyer. In her free time, she explored the docks and streets near the water. She talked to local people and sailors. She listened to their stories and learned a lot. This helped her write about the sea as if she had lived it herself.

On November 23, 1913, Cicely returned home to Liverpool. She sailed with her mother and sister on the Teutonic. This was just before World War I began. After returning, she and her family settled in Hampshire, England.

Cicely Fox Smith as a Poet

After her travels, Cicely began writing many poems. Some of her poems clearly supported England during the war. Many of her poems were written from a sailor's point of view. The detailed sea terms in her poems made many readers think she was a man. One person even wrote to her as "Capt. Fox Smith." When she tried to correct him, he wrote back. He said she must be a real sailor because her writing was so accurate. He was almost right! She knew a lot about life at sea. Only later, when she was well-known, did she start using "Miss C. Fox Smith" or "Cicely Fox Smith" as her name.

Cicely first published her poems in many different magazines and newspapers. These included Punch, Blackwood's Magazine, and The Times Literary Supplement. She wrote many poems for Punch from 1914 until she died in 1954. Later, she collected many of these poems into her own books. In total, she published over 660 poems.

In 2012, the first collection of The Complete Poetry of Cicely Fox Smith was published. It included all the poems known at that time. A second edition came out in 2015. It added 74 new poems. Some of these had never been published before. This was thanks to many researchers around the world.

Cicely Fox Smith's Later Life

Cicely Fox Smith wrote other types of books too. She wrote three romantic novels. She also wrote many short stories and articles. Some of her books described "sailortown," which were areas where sailors lived. She also put together a book of traditional sea shanties. These are old songs sung by sailors. She also edited a collection of sea poems and stories by other writers.

In 1937, Cicely finally made a childhood dream come true. She sailed around the coast of Africa. She was a guest of a shipping company. She stopped in many harbors along the way. She wrote about her trip in a book called All the Way Round: Sea Roads to Africa. In the 1940s, she started writing children's sea stories. She wrote these with her sister, Margaret (Madge) Scott Smith. She also wrote other travel books and history books. She wrote a book about ship models and a biography called Grace Darling. She also helped edit many collections of writings.

Her older brother, Philip Wilson Smith, was an artist. He was known for his etchings and oil paintings. His artwork illustrated many of Cicely's poetry and prose books.

Cicely wrote so much that the government recognized her work. When she was 67, they gave her a small pension. This was for "her services to literature."

Cicely Fox Smith kept writing until the end of her life. She wrote about many things and places. Her writing was always very accurate and showed her expert knowledge. She even chose the words for her own gravestone. It was a line from a poem by Walter Raleigh:

But from this earth
This grave
This dust
My lord shall raise me up
I trust

Cicely Fox Smith passed away on April 8, 1954. She was living in the town of Bow, Devon, with her sister Madge.

Cicely Fox Smith's Legacy

Over 70 of Cicely Fox Smith's poems have been turned into songs. Many of these are now part of the traditional folk songs about the sea.