Biography John Cleveland

Poet Biography

England's most popular poet....

The most popular English poet and political satirist in the mid-17th century was John Cleveland, who grew up in Hinckley where his father, Thomas, was the vicar.

He was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire in 1613 but the family moved to Hinckley in 1621 after his father's appointment.

In 1627 he was accepted at Christ's College, Cambridge and stayed at university for 16 years until the outbreak of the English Civil War, whereupon he joined the Royalist camp.

At the end of the war, and with the Royalists defeated, he disappeared from sight and died a few years later in 1658.

His best-known work was The Rebel Scot (1644). Though his contemporary fame was great, and his works originally went through 20 editions, he is known today chiefly for the lyrics “Fuscara” and “Mark Antony.”