Charles Tennyson Turner
Charles Tennyson Turner was an English poet born on July 4, 1808, in Somersby, Lincolnshire. He was the son of George Clayton Tennyson and Elizabeth Fytche Tennyson, and one of eleven children in a family that faced financial challenges. Turner demonstrated an early aptitude for poetry, collaborating with his more renowned younger brother, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to publish "Poems by Two Brothers" in 1827. He later published his first solo work, "Sonnets and Fugitive Pieces," in 1830, which received acclaim from notable critics of the time. Despite his literary talent, Turner's life was marked by struggles, including the death of his father, financial instability, and a battle with opium addiction. He was ordained as a church minister in 1832 and married Louisa Sellwood in 1836, though their relationship was strained due to his addiction. Turner published several more volumes of poetry, but his work largely went unnoticed, eclipsed by his brother's success. He died in 1879, leaving a legacy that is often viewed through the lens of his relationship with Alfred, whose admiration for Turner is reflected in his poetry.
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Charles Tennyson Turner
Poet
- Born: July 4, 1808
- Birthplace: Somersby, Lincolnshire, England
- Died: April 25, 1879
- Place of death: Cheltenham, England
Biography
Charles Tennyson Turner was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England, on July 4, 1808. His parents were George Clayton Tennyson and Elizabeth Fytche Tennyson. One of eleven children, Turner’s childhood was not always happy. The family suffered ongoing financial instability throughout Turner’s young life, something that deeply affected both Turner and his more famous younger brother, the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Turner was educated in both the classics and modern languages during his early years at home. Later, he and his brothers Alfred and Frederick attended the Louth grammar school from 1815 to 1821. In 1821, Turner returned home to continue his studies under his father’s tutelage. Turner and his brothers all demonstrated early talent and interest in writing poetry.
In 1827, Turner and his brother Alfred published a joint volume of poetry, Poems by Two Brothers; Frederick also contributed to the volume. In the same year, Turner went up to Trinity College, Cambridge University. Sonnets and Fugitive Pieces, Turner’s first solo book of poems, was published during his Cambridge years in 1830. This volume received high praise from such influential critics as Leigh Hunt and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In this book and those to follow, Turner generally limited himself to sonnets.
The death of Turner’s father in 1831 deepened the financial difficulties of the Tennyson family. However, by 1835 Turner had inherited part of his father’s estate as well as that of his great uncles John and Samuel Turner. It was at this time that Charles Tennyson took the name of Turner, as required by the conditions of Samuel Turner’s will.
Turner turned to the church for his livelihood and was ordained in 1832. As with so many other writers of his day, Turner also turned to opium, becoming an addict by 1833. He married Louisa Sellwood, the sister of Alfred’s future wife, in 1836, but the couple separated in 1839 as a result of Turner’s opium addiction. The separation endured for ten years until the couple was reunited in 1849. At that time, Turner became the rector of Grasby, and he and his wife gave this parish their complete devotion and financial support for the next thirty years.
Turner published three additional volumes of poetry between 1864 and 1873. None of these books received much notice and he was relegated to the role of minor poet. Turner died in 1879, his wife surviving him by only one month. A collection of Turner’s work was published in 1880, including an elegy by Alfred Tennyson as well as a preface by Tennyson’s son, Hallam.
Turner’s achievements as a poet were largely overshadowed by his much more famous younger brother. He was by far Tennyson’s favorite brother and a constant companion in his youth. Tennyson memorialized this relationship in several of his poems. Consequently, while few scholars study Turner’s poetry for its own merits, his role in the larger picture of the life of Tennyson is an important one.