Richard Jefferies
Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) was an English naturalist, novelist, and essayist whose work has gained recognition posthumously for its prophetic insights into nature and society. Born in Wiltshire, England, on November 6, 1848, he grew up on a struggling farm, where his early experiences with nature greatly influenced his writings. Jefferies began his career as a reporter for the North Wilts Herald, drawing upon his observations of Victorian rural life in his notable work, *Hodge and His Masters*. He gained widespread attention in 1872 when a letter he wrote about agricultural laborers was published by *The Times*.
Despite facing financial difficulties, particularly after his marriage in 1874, he continued to write, producing a mix of fiction and essays. His later years, marked by illness, saw him create some of his most significant works, including the novel *After London: Or, Wild England*, which reflects his deep concerns about nature and civilization. Richard Jefferies died on August 14, 1887, from tuberculosis, and he is commemorated by monuments in Salisbury Cathedral and Taunton Shire Hall. His childhood home has been preserved as the Jefferies Museum, highlighting his enduring legacy.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Richard Jefferies
Author
- Born: November 6, 1848
- Birthplace: Coate Farm, Liddington, near Swindon, Wiltshire, England
- Died: August 14, 1887
- Place of death: Goring-on-sea, Sussex, England
Biography
John Richard Jefferies was born on November 6, 1848, at Coate Farm, Liddington, near Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He was the son of a struggling yeoman farmer. He became a naturalist, novelist, and essayist whose prophetic vision has been increasingly appreciated since his death. The farm where he was born has since been converted into a Jefferies Museum. Behind the farm stood Coate Water. His memories of it were included in his novel Bevis: The Story of a Boy. This is a fantasy about a solitary boy living in a magical world of talking animals. The area is maintained as a memorial to him by Swindon council.
He went to school at Sydenham, then at Swindon until he was about fifteen, but his most inspiring teachers were his father and a groundskeeper on a neighboring Burderop estate who made him acquainted with the wonders of nature and taught him to use his powers of observation. In 1866, he became a reporter on the North Wilts Herald. He used his experiences as a reporter in his two-volume work Hodge and His Masters, a classic record of Victorian countrymen from landowner to laborer. When he could he would escape to the Downs, laying the foundation for his observations and essays on wildlife. He kept field notebooks in which he entered his meticulous observations about the countryside.
In 1872, Jefferies became famous with a long letter regarding the Wiltshire agricultural laborer containing details so arresting that The Times newspaper published it in full. Soon, magazines and periodicals (including Pall Mall Gazette) were printing his sketches and articles. After his marriage in 1874, Jefferies began supplementing his income by writing fiction, starting with a series of melodramatic and largely unsuccessful novels.
In 1877, he moved nearer to London, living in Surbiton, Surrey; Eltham, Kent; Crowborough, Sussex; and near Brighton, Sussex, supporting his wife and two children on what he made from his writing. In his later years, between 1882 and 1887, he was ill as well as poor, but this was his most creative period. It was during this time that he wrote his prophetic novel, After London: Or, Wild England. Jefferies died at Goring-on-sea, Sussex, England, on August 14, 1887, from tuberculosis. He was memorialized by a monument in Salisbury Cathedral and a bust in Taunton Shire Hall.