Stephen Duck
Stephen Duck, often referred to as the "Thresher Poet," was an English poet born around 1705 in Wiltshire. He had humble beginnings, leaving school at the age of fourteen to work as a laborer on farms, particularly in the role of a thresher. Despite his modest upbringing, Duck developed a passion for learning in his late teens, aided by a friendship with a retired neighbor, John Lavington, who introduced him to literature. Duck's exposure to works like John Milton's *Paradise Lost* and the essays in *The Spectator* inspired him to begin writing poetry, with his most notable work being *The Thresher's Labour*, which vividly depicted rural life.
His poetry garnered local attention, leading to the publication of his first book by 1730 and opportunities to write for patrons, including a nobleman who shared his work with the royal family. Duck's literary journey was marked by both acclaim and criticism; while he achieved notable recognition, some viewed his work as lacking sophistication. His career progressed as he was appointed to significant positions, including a role in the royal court and later as rector of Byfleet. However, Duck struggled with his rise in social status, feeling the weight of his origins throughout his life. He continued to write until his death in 1756, which is believed to have been by suicide.
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Stephen Duck
Poet
- Born: c. 1705
- Birthplace: Charlton St. Peter, Wiltshire, England
- Died: 1756
Biography
Stephen Duck has come to be known as the “Thresher Poet” and was haunted throughout his life by the label which focused more on his humble origins than on his feats of self-education and composition. Duck was born around 1705 in Charlton St. Peter, Wiltshire, England. He was educated in a local charity school and left school at fourteen to work as a day laborer and farm hand, particularly as a thresher.
At about the age of nineteen, he began longing to increase his formal learning. He managed to purchase some arithmetic texts and began a long period of study at night. He was aided in his project by a fortunate friendship with John Lavington, a neighbor who had retired from domestic service and had collected a small library. He and Duck began to study together, reading John Milton’s Paradise Lost, some of Shakespeare’s plays, and a variety of contemporary essays and poetry. The essays and poetry in Joseph Addison’s The Spectator, a contemporary periodical, particularly impressed Duck with their philosophical and moral stance and with their picture of a wide world beyond Wiltshire. Duck began writing imitations of the poetry he found in the paper, starting with a sort of autobiography in verse.
The Thresher’s Labour became his best-known piece, praised for its lively picture of rural life. Duck soon found encouragement from local people who were willing to pay him for verses commemorating events in their lives. By 1730, he had published his first book and procured patrons of such station that one of them, Lord Macclesfield, read some of his poems to Queen Caroline. Despite his growing acclaim, it was clear to discerning readers that Duck’s work was often inept and naïve, and he was held up for ridicule by more sophisticated poets. Nevertheless, Duck’s rise continued; he was summoned to court, where he was made a Yeoman of the Guard and Keeper of the Queen’s Library at Richmond Gardens.
When Queen Caroline died in 1737, Duck lost the impetus that had inspired much of his writing, and although he continued to produce poems, they lacked the sense of vigor which had been the strongest virtue of his earlier work. One of his patrons persuaded him to enter the clergy in 1746, and he was eventually appointed rector of Byfleet in Surrey.
Throughout his career, Duck expressed uneasiness over his rapid social rise and his sense of his humble beginnings. Nevertheless, he was diligent in working at his craft and his religious calling. He died in 1756, evidently by suicide.