Winthrop Mackworth Praed facts for kids
Winthrop Mackworth Praed (born July 28, 1802, died July 15, 1839) was an English politician and a well-known poet. People often wrote his name as W. Mackworth Praed.
Life Story
Early Years
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was born in London, United Kingdom. His family name, Praed, came from his great-grandfather's marriage to a woman from Cornwall. Winthrop's father, William Mackworth Praed, was a lawyer. His mother's family, the Winthrops, came from New England.
In 1814, Praed started school at Eton College. While there, he helped start a school newspaper called Apis matina. Later, in October 1820, he started another paper called the Etonian with Walter Blount. This paper came out every month until July 1821. Praed wrote many articles for it using the name "Peregrine Courtenay." Other famous writers like Henry Nelson Coleridge also helped with the paper.
Before leaving Eton, Praed also created a "boys' library" above a shop. These books later became part of the main School Library. He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a very successful student. He won several awards for his writing, including the Browne medal four times and the Chancellor's Gold Medal twice. He also became a fellow at his college in 1827. At the Cambridge Union Society, which was a debating club, his speeches were very impressive.
Political Career
After college, Praed began studying law and became a lawyer in 1829. He had a good future in law, but he was more interested in politics. He started his political career after a few years.
When he was at Cambridge, he supported the Whig political group. But his ideas changed during the time when people were pushing for changes to how Parliament worked. In 1830, he was elected to Parliament for St Germans as a member of the Tory party.
He later represented other areas, including Great Yarmouth from 1835 to 1837. During this time, he also worked as the Secretary to the Board of Control under Sir Robert Peel. Praed was a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury from 1837 until he died. He suggested some ideas for how voting should work, which were later used in a new law in 1867.
Personal Life
In 1835, Winthrop Mackworth Praed married Helen Bogle. He passed away from tuberculosis in London at the age of 36.
His Writings
W. Mackworth Praed was very famous for his clever verse charades. These were like riddles in poem form. People like H. Austin Dobson praised his "sparkling wit" and "lively rhythm." His poems often made fun of the people and silly things of his time. Many other writers tried to copy his funny style.
His poems were first put together in a book in New York in 1844. Later, an official collection of his works was published in 1864. His nephew, Sir George Young, also edited a collection of his political and other poems in 1888. Sir George Young made sure to separate Praed's poems from those written by his friend Edward FitzGerald, which were sometimes confused.
Legacy
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was not only successful during his life, but his name lives on at Eton College. There is still a poetry club at Eton called the "Praed" society. This club meets at a teacher's house, and students are invited to join.
