Richard Corbett
Richard Corbett, born in 1582, was an English poet, clergyman, and notable figure in the literary circles of his time. He initially faced criticism for his behavior during his school years, but he later gained recognition as a celebrated wit at Oxford University, where he was known for his humor, poems, and love for merriment. Corbett graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1602 and a Master of Arts in 1605, producing significant elegies honoring influential figures in his life. He was ordained a deacon and priest in 1613 and earned a Doctorate of Divinity by 1617, contributing to Oxford through funeral orations and collaborative verse.
In 1620, he was appointed as prebendary of the Bedminster Secunda Church and later as dean at Christ Church, joining the ranks of other prominent literary figures like John Donne and Ben Jonson. Corbett's writing was characterized by wit, linguistic playfulness, and affection for ballads. He married Alice Hutten, with whom he had two children, and continued to write poetry in memory of loved ones and to critique societal figures. His legacy, marked by humor and devotion, remained strong until his death in 1635.
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Richard Corbett
Bishop
- Born: 1582
- Birthplace: Ewall, Surrey, England
- Died: July 28, 1635
Biography
Richard Corbett was born in 1582 to gardener and horticulturalist Vincent Corbett and mother Benet Corbett. Early on—at Westminster School, for instance—Corbett was regarded as a somewhat abusive and cowardly person, according to biographer John Aubrey, who reports the description as it was made by a school friend of Corbett. However, at Oxford University’s Broadgates Hall and Christ Church (from 1597 to 1598 and 1598 to 1602, respectively), the man was “esteemed as one of the most celebrated wits in the university,” said Anthony Wood, who claimed Corbett’s wit was evident in his “poems, jests, romantic fancies and exploits. . . and his love for drink and merriment.” This may account, in part, for his staying on at Christ Church, working different posts for thirty years.
While studying and later graduating with a B.A. in June of 1602 and an M.A. in June of 1605, Corbett would write his first poems “of substance,” elegies that celebrated the lives and reputations of teachers, friends, and public figures who influenced him and his peers at that time. Ordained as a deacon and priest in March of 1613, and then earning his doctorate of divinity in May of 1617, Corbett delivered funeral orations in Latin and collaborated with Oxford fellows publishing verse. His verse in both Latin and English flattered the Lady Haddington who died of smallpox in 1618, Queen Anne upon her death in 1619, and his father, who also died in 1619, when Corbett was twenty-seven.
Corbett was also considered a “fine amateur” balladeer, who could be found singing ballads outside the Abingdon tavern and who often prefaced his poems with instructions for singing or whistling the pieces to a select tune. His writing also reflected what one of his biographers names as “his love of ballads, songs, linguistic wit, and playful satire.”
Corbett was appointed as prebendary of the Bedminster Secunda Church in Sarum in 1620, and then as dean at Christ Church also in 1620. Corbett was in good company: John Donne was appointed dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Ben Jonson was being eyed for deanship at Westminster. As John Chamberlain suggested, the three local areas would be “furnished with three poeticall deans.”
Although Corbett also suffered humiliation at one point—as dean of Christ Church, invited to preach for the visiting king, he fussed to the point of distraction with a ring the king had given him and he had tied to his robe band, making him the butt of jokes for some time thereafter—he was typically popular, engaging, and likeable. He would even marry, taking his wife, the former Alice Hutten, on his trips to pay homage. The couple had two children, Alice and Vincent, to whom he would also write loving poetry.
Corbett continued writing in celebration of great people, continued in his poetic devotion (including elegies to his wife when she died in 1628 of smallpox), and continued raising the hackles of those he opposed, writing about them with the cutting- edge wit and callous abuse of tongue—or pen—that he was known for as a college student.
The devotion he had to others, which along with his humor and playful joking outlived his reputation as a poet, continued until his death in 1635.