Joseph Beaumont
Joseph Beaumont was an English poet and theologian born on March 13, 1616, in Hadleigh, Suffolk. He was educated at Hadleigh Grammar School and later attended Cambridge University, where he earned a B.A. in 1634 and an M.A. in 1638, becoming a fellow at Peterhouse. Beaumont's early work was influenced by fellow poet Richard Crashaw, and his elegy appeared in an anthology alongside John Milton's "Lycidas." Despite being ejected from Peterhouse in 1644 due to differing religious views during a time of Puritan reform, Beaumont remained steadfast in his beliefs and returned to Hadleigh to write "Psyche," noted as one of the longest poems in English literature. He had a family life marked by both joy and tragedy, as only one of his six children survived to adulthood. In 1660, Beaumont was appointed doctor of divinity by King Charles II, and he resumed a prominent academic role at Cambridge in 1663. His literary contributions included theological works disputing the views of Dr. Henry More. After Beaumont's death in 1699, a revised edition of "Psyche" was published by his son, reflecting his lasting legacy. While he is associated with metaphysical poetry, Beaumont is primarily recognized for his friendships and theological insights during a tumultuous period in English history.
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Joseph Beaumont
Writer
- Born: March 13, 1616
- Birthplace: Hadleigh, Suffolk, England
- Died: November 23, 1699
Biography
Joseph Beaumont was born in Hadleigh, Suffolk, on March 13, 1616, to John Beaumont and Sarah Clarke Beaumont. His father, a Royalist, was related to both the poet Sir John Beaumont and the dramatist Francis Beaumont. As a child, he attended Hadleigh Grammar School and studied under William Hawkins, who was a priest and a poet. Beaumont entered Cambridge University at the age of fifteen and received a B.A. degree in 1634. He was elected to a fellowship at Peterhouse in 1636. His associate, Richard Crashaw, the poet who greatly influenced Beaumont’s own poetry, was elected to a fellowship at Peterhouse this same year. In 1638, Beaumont received the M.A. degree. Also in 1638, an elegy written by Beaumont appeared with John Milton’s “Lycidia” in the anthology Justa Edouardo King.
In 1644, Beaumont, along with Crashaw, was ejected from Peterhouse because his practices and beliefs did not conform to the ideas of Puritan reform. Although Crashaw left England and converted to Catholicism, Beaumont remained true to his religious beliefs, retired to his home in Hadleigh, and wrote Psyche, one of the longest poems in the English language. He was married in 1650 to Miss Brownrigg, the stepdaughter of his patron, Bishop Matthew Wren of Ely. They had six children altogether, but only one, Charles, survived into adulthood. In 1660, King Charles II, who by then had been restored to the throne, appointed him doctor of divinity. Beaumont’s wife died in 1662, and in 1663 he returned to Cambridge as master of Peterhouse. The following year he was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity. He published two books in argument with the doctrines of Dr. Henry More, which he found heretical. These were Some Observations upon the Apologie of Dr. Henry More for His Mystery of Godliness (1665) and Remarks on Dr. Henry More’s Expositions of the Apocalypse and Daniel, and Upon His Apology: Defended Against His Answer To Them (1690). Beaumont died in 1619.
In 1672, a revised edition of Psyche, edited by Beaumont’s son, Charles, was published. The verse in this edition is more polished, and the poem is lengthened by the addition of four cantos. Beaumont wrote a prodigious amount of religious literature, including speeches and sermons, but in his will he forbid its publication. However, much of this work can be found in the Peterhouse library. Although his poetry puts him in the company of the metaphysical poets, Joseph Beaumont is not remembered for the quality of his verse but rather for his friendship with Richard Crashaw and the representation in his verse of Laudian beliefs in a time of political and religious turmoil.