Stephen Duck facts for kids

Stephen Duck (born around 1705 – died 1756) was an English poet. He was special because he came from a very poor family but became famous for his writing. His story shows how people in his time were interested in "natural geniuses" – people who were talented without much formal education.

Early Life and Learning

Stephen Duck was born in a small village called Charlton, near Pewsey, in Wiltshire, England. His family was very poor, and his parents worked as laborers. Not much is known about his family, but we know they struggled financially.

Stephen went to a charity school, which was a school for poor children. He left school when he was only thirteen years old. After leaving school, he started working in the fields, doing tough farm work.

Around 1724, Stephen married his first wife, Ann. He really wanted to improve his life and escape the hard work and poverty of farming. Some people in his village, like the local squire, schoolmaster, and rector (a type of priest), encouraged him. They helped him by suggesting books to read. He read famous works by poets like John Milton and John Dryden, as well as a popular magazine called The Spectator, and the Holy Bible.

Becoming a Famous Poet

Stephen Duck was "discovered" by a priest named Alured Clarke, who worked at Winchester Cathedral. Clarke introduced Stephen to important people in high society. Clarke and Joseph Spence, who was a professor at Oxford University and a friend of the famous poet Alexander Pope, helped promote Stephen. They presented him as a very religious and clever man. Stephen had been writing poems, but none of them were published yet. Between 1724 and 1730, he and his wife Ann had three children.

In 1730, Stephen put some of his poems together into a longer work called The Thresher's Labour. This poem described how hard it was to work in the fields. The poem became very popular in London society. Soon after, he wrote The Shunammite, which showed his strong religious beliefs.

Stephen was invited to meet Queen Caroline. Sadly, his wife Ann passed away around this time. The news was kept from him until after his meeting with the queen. Queen Caroline was very pleased with Stephen. She gave him a yearly payment and a small house in Richmond Park.

Stephen continued to write and was seen as a great example of someone who improved himself through hard work and natural talent. In 1733, Queen Caroline made him a Yeoman of the Guard, which was a special position in the royal household. That same year, he married Sarah Big, who was the queen's housekeeper at Kew Palace. In 1735, Caroline made him the keeper of Merlin's Cave, a small, decorative building in Richmond Park where he had previously worked as a gardener. During this time, Stephen wrote many more poems. His book Poems in 1736 was supported by famous writers like Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.

Published Works

• The Thresher's Labour (1730)
• Poems on Several Occasions (1736)

See also

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