Francis Turner Palgrave
Francis Turner Palgrave was an influential English poet, anthologist, and educator born on September 28, 1824, in Yarmouth, England. He hailed from a distinguished family; his father, Sir Francis Palgrave, was a noted antiquarian who converted to Christianity and adopted the Palgrave surname. Francis had a rich academic background, attending Charterhouse and later Oxford University, where he excelled in the classics and became a fellow at Exeter College. He contributed significantly to education, serving as vice principal at Kneller Hall and later as an official in the education department before becoming a professor of poetry at Oxford.
Palgrave is particularly renowned for his anthology "The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language," first published in 1861, which has remained a significant work in English literature. His literary contributions include various poetry collections and writings as an art critic, showcasing his versatility as a writer. Palgrave married Cecil Gaskell in 1862, with whom he had five children. He continued to write until his death from a stroke on October 24, 1897, leaving a lasting legacy in both education and poetry.
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Subject Terms
Francis Turner Palgrave
Critic
- Born: September 28, 1824
- Birthplace: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
- Died: October 24, 1897
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Francis Turner Palgrave was born on September 28, 1824, in the home of his maternal grandfather in Yarmouth, England. He was the son of renowned antiquarian Sir Francis Palgrave and his wife Elizabeth (Turner). Francis’s father was the son of Meyer Cohen, a Jewish stockbroker. He changed his name to Palgrave, the maiden name of his wife’s mother, in 1823, when he converted to Christianity with his marriage to Elizabeth. Francis spent his childhood at his grandfather’s home in Yarmouth and his family’s home in Hampstead with his three brothers William Gifford, Robert Harry Inglis, and Reginald Francis Douce.
Early is his academic career, Palgrave was a day student at Charterhouse, beginning in 1838. In 1843, he enrolled in Oxford University, where he studied at Balliol College and eventually became a fellow at Exeter. Palgrave graduated first class in the classics and in 1856 received his M.A. In 1850, Palgrave taught at Kneller Hall, a government training school for teachers of delinquent and poor children. While at Kneller, he was vice principal to Frederick Temple, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury. From 1855 to 1884, he was an official in the education department, and from 1885 to1895, he was a professor of poetry at Oxford. In 1878, Palgrave received an honorary LL.D from the University of Edinburgh.
In 1862, Palgrave married Cecil Gaskell, the daughter of a member of Parliament. Together they had five children: they had one son, who died young, and four daughters. Cecil died in 1890 leaving Francis and their four daughters.
Throughout his academic career, Palgrave published his own works, including Idyls and Songs, 1848-1854 in 1854, Hymns in 1867, Lyrical Poems in 1871, The Visions of England in 1881, and Amenophis in 1892. Palgrave was also an art critic for the Saturday Review and wrote frequently for the Quarterly Review. Palgrave, however, is most noted for being an anthologist, particularly with his anthology The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language in 1861. This anthology was reprinted numerous times and, indeed, came with a second edition in 1897; however, none of them reached the notoriety of the first. In Palgrave’s first edition of The Golden Treasury, he received much advice from his close friend Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Palgrave continued to write up until his death in 1897. Francis Turner Palgrave died of a paralytic stroke on October 24, 1897, at the age of seventy-three.