James Maxwell (poet) facts for kids

James Maxwell (born May 9, 1720 – died 1800) was a Scottish writer. He wrote poems and essays. People often called him the "Poet in Paisley" because he lived there for a long time.

Maxwell's Life Story

James Maxwell was born in a place called Auchenback, in Scotland, on May 9, 1720. We know a lot about his life because he wrote an autobiographical poem in 1795. This poem shared many details about his journey.

When he was 20 years old, James traveled to England. He tried to sell hardware, but it didn't go well. For the next twenty years, he worked as a weaver, making cloth. Later, he worked as a clerk for a tradesman and also as a school usher, helping out in schools.

After some time, James returned to Scotland. For a while, he worked as a schoolmaster. Eventually, in 1782, Maxwell settled in Paisley, Scotland. The next year, he was very poor and had to work breaking stones for roads. After that, he sold small books called pamphlets, including his own writings. He eventually focused only on selling his own poems and essays.

In 1787, the town council of Paisley gave him a pension, which is like a regular payment to help him live. James Maxwell passed away in the spring of 1800.

He often called himself "Poet in Paisley." Sometimes, on the title page of his books, he added the letters S.D.P. after his name. This stood for "Student of Divine Poetry," showing his interest in religious writing.

Maxwell's Writings

James Maxwell wrote many different things. His works include essays about morals and poems about new inventions and factories, which was called "industrial progress" at the time. A list of his fifty-two separate publications can be found in a book called Paisley Poets.

Some of his well-known works include:

• Divine Miscellanies; or, Sacred Poems (published in Birmingham, 1756)
• Hymns and Spiritual Songs (published in London, 1759)
• A new Version of the whole Book of Psalms in Metre (published in Glasgow, 1773)
• The Wonder of Wonders: or, The Cotton Manufacture. A Poem. (published in Paisley, 1785) – This poem was about how quickly the cotton industry was growing.
• Happiness. A Moral Essay... (published in Paisley, 1786) – This essay explored how people try to find happiness.
• The Great Canal; or, the Forth and Clyde Navigation. A Poem... (published in Paisley, 1788) – This poem described the important Forth and Clyde Canal.
• Animadversions on some Poets and Poetasters of the Present Age (published in Paisley, 1788) – This was a poem where he shared his thoughts on other poets of his time, including Robert Burns and John Lapraik.
• On the French Revolution. A Moral Essay on the Rights of Man (published in Paisley, 1792) – This essay discussed the French Revolution and human rights.
• A Brief Narrative, or, Some Remarks on the Life of James Maxwell, Poet, in Paisley (published in Paisley, 1795) – This was an autobiographical poem, meaning it was about his own life, written when he was 76 years old.

See also

• List of 18th-century British working-class writers