William Cowper Biography and Timeline

Lord Keeper of Great Seal

Appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal

Peerage

Created Earl Cowper, 1st

Unification

Helps negotiate the Union with Scotland

Cowper Appointed Great Britain’s Chancellor

Following the union, Queen Anne appointed William Cowper Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in May. The new title reflected the creation of a single kingdom.

Role range: 1707-1710

Great Seal Passes Under Cowper

William Cowper oversaw central legal business following the union as Lord High Chancellor. The chancellorship became an office of Great Britain rather than of England alone.

Role range: 1707-1710

Great Seal of Britain Authorised

The union provided for a Great Seal of Great Britain to replace the previous English and Scottish great seals for central government purposes. Separate Scottish sealing arrangements were retained for specified private rights.

Role range: 1707-1710

Peerage

Created Viscount Fordwich and Earl Cowper

Death of William Cowper

Death of William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper

Birth of Willam Cowper

Birth of Willam Cowper, novelist

Birth of William Cowper

William Cowper was born in Berkhamsted and became a leading English poet of religious reflection and everyday life.

Begins Legal Training

Cowper entered legal training in London before devoting himself increasingly to literary work.

Experiences Severe Mental Crisis

Cowper suffered a serious psychological crisis that deeply shaped the religious and personal concerns of his later verse.

Settles at Huntingdon

Cowper moved to Huntingdon, where new friendships helped sustain his emerging literary life.

Moves to Olney

Cowper settled in Olney and entered the religious community associated with the minister John Newton.

Begins Collaborative Hymn Writing

Cowper collaborated with John Newton on hymns that would later appear in the Olney Hymns collection.

Experiences Renewed Illness

Cowper's renewed mental illness interrupted his religious and literary activity in Olney.

God Moves in Mysterious Way

Cowper's hymn God Moves in a Mysterious Way appeared in Olney Hymns, expressing faith amid suffering.

O For Closer Walk with God

Cowper's hymn O for a Closer Walk with God appeared in the Olney Hymns collection.

Olney Hymns Collection Published

Olney Hymns appeared with contributions from Cowper and John Newton, bringing Cowper's devotional poetry to readers.

There Is a Fountain Published

The hymn There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood was included among Cowper's contributions to Olney Hymns.

Composes Table Talk Poem

Cowper prepared his conversational moral poem Table Talk for his first substantial independent poetry collection.

Charity Poem Appears

Cowper's Charity appeared in his first poetry collection and examined compassion as a Christian virtue.

Conversation Poem Appears

Cowper published Conversation in his first volume, criticizing the conduct and pretensions of social discourse.

Expostulation Poem Appears

Cowper included Expostulation in his first poetry collection, addressing national morality through public verse.

Hope Poem Appears

The poem Hope appeared in Cowper's first volume, presenting a devotional treatment of despair and consolation.

John Gilpin Ballad Composed

Cowper composed The Diverting History of John Gilpin, a comic ballad recounting an unintended journey.

Poems First Volume Published

Cowper published Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, establishing himself as a poet in print.

Retirement Poem Appears

Cowper included Retirement among his early poems, reflecting on withdrawal from worldly ambition.

Truth Poem Appears

Cowper's poem Truth appeared in his first volume, exploring religious conviction and moral understanding.

John Gilpin Gains Public Attention

Cowper's comic ballad John Gilpin reached a broad audience and became especially popular through public recitation.

Lady Austen Inspires the Task

Lady Austen's suggestion that Cowper write about a sofa prompted the beginning of his long poem The Task.

Garden Book Published

The Garden formed a section of The Task, celebrating horticulture and rural observation.

Poplar Field Poem Circulates

Cowper's The Poplar Field dates from this period and laments environmental loss through a remembered landscape.

Sofa Opens the Task

The Sofa served as the opening book of Cowper's published poem The Task, turning an ordinary object into literary reflection.

The Task Published

Cowper published The Task, a six book poem combining domestic observation, landscape and moral reflection.

Timepiece Book Published

The Timepiece appeared as a book of The Task, broadening the poem's meditations on society and religion.

Winter Evening Book Published

The Winter Evening formed part of The Task and depicted private domestic life alongside wider affairs.

Winter Morning Walk Published

The Winter Morning Walk appeared within The Task and explored contemplation of the natural world.

Winter Walk at Noon Published

The Winter Walk at Noon completed The Task with meditations on creation and spiritual life.

Moves to Weston Underwood

Cowper moved to Weston Underwood, where he continued writing poetry and translating classical works.