The Dymock Poets
This month’s talk was about the Dymock Poets. Dymock is a small village near Newent, an area well known for its wild daffodils, and now we know that it is also famous for a group of poets in Dymock in the early years of the 20th century.
The Dymock Poets comprised Robert Frost, Lascelles Abercrombie, Rupert Brooke, Edward Thomas, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson and John Drinkwater. There were also a number of poets associated with the Dymock Poets, including our local poet WH Davies, who lived in Watledge, and others including Ivor Gurney (poet and composer, Gloucester).
The Dymock Poets started when Lascelles Abercrombie moved to live in Dymock in 1911. He was famous in his lifetime, which attracted other poets to live there or visit him. Wilfrid Gibson moved nearby in 1912. A couple of years later, Robert Frost, an American, moved to the area. The rest of the group were frequent visitors. They formed a poetry community, encouraging and inspiring each other, and publishing a regular magazine of their poetry called ‘New Numbers’. Two of the group died in the First World War (Rupert Brooke and Edward Thomas).
A couple of other people helped in different ways –
Harold Monro had a Poetry Bookshop in London and published various collections of poetry. Harold Monro’s bookshop was something of a catalyst, as this was where many of the Dymock poets initially met and formed friendships.
Another significant person was Edward Marsh, a benefactor who provided financial support to some of the poets.
By 1916, all the poets had left Dymock, and Robert Frost had returned to the US, so the Dymock Poets community was no more. For more information, visit the Friends of the Dymock Poets.
