Hugh Holland facts for kids

Hugh Holland (born in 1563, died in 1633) was a writer and poet from Denbigh, a town in north Wales. He was the son of Robert Holland.

Hugh went to a famous school called Westminster School in London. His teacher there was William Camden, a very smart person who taught him a lot about old languages like Latin and Greek. At school, Hugh also met the famous playwright and poet Ben Jonson, and they became lifelong friends.

In 1589, Hugh received a special scholarship to study at Trinity College in Cambridge. After finishing his studies, he traveled a lot. He went as far as Rome, where he got into a bit of trouble for saying things about Queen Elizabeth. He also visited Jerusalem, where he might have become a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, a special honor. On his way back, he received a warning from the English ambassador in Constantinople (now Istanbul) for speaking too freely.

When he returned to England, Hugh lived in Oxford and then in London. He didn't get a high-ranking job, but he was supported by important people like George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, who even introduced him to King James.

Hugh Holland wrote many poems. His most famous collection of poems was called Cypress Garland, published in 1625. He is also well-known for a special poem he wrote praising the famous playwright William Shakespeare. This poem was included in Shakespeare's very first collection of plays, known as the First Folio, which came out in 1623. Hugh Holland was buried in Westminster Abbey on July 28, 1633.

Hugh was married to a woman named Ursula. She was the widow of Robert Woodard. Hugh and Ursula had three children: a daughter named Phil, and two sons named Martin and Arbellinus.

His Writings

Hugh Holland wrote several books and poems during his life. Here are some of his notable works:

• Pancharis: the first Booke. Containing the Preparation of the Love between Owen Tudyr and the Queene, long since intended to her Maiden Majestie and now dedicated to the Invincible James, (1603).
• A Cypres Garland. For the Sacred Forehead of our late Soveraigne King James, (1625).
• He also wrote short poems that were added to other authors' books, like:
  • Giles Farnaby's Canzonets, (1598)
  • Ben Jonson's play Sejanus (play), (1605)
  • Edmund Bolton's Elements of Armory, (1610)
  • Thomas Coryate's The Odcombian Banquet, (1611)