Born in 1819, Edward worked in the lace industry until failing eyesight forced him to seek alternative employment with the Post Office as a letter-carrier. His route lay between Bideford and Appledore and the job required him to make a return trip between the towns with a wait of two hours, to allow time for people to reply to letters he had just delivered because there were no post-boxes in those days. It was during this time that he began writing poems, often on the backs of the envelopes he would later deliver.
Edward Capern became a regular contributor to the 'Poet's Corner' of the North Devon Journal and his submissions became so popular that in 1856 a group of subscribers, including Alfred Tennyson, Charles Dickens, and Charles Kingsley, enabled him to publish his first collection of poems: an early example of crowd funding.
The following year the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston granted him a Civil List pension and the Postman Poet went on to publish several other popular collections including a book of ballads and songs.
Edward Capern died on 4 June 1894, and was awarded a state funeral.
He is buried beside his wife, Jane, in the churchyard at Heanton Hill, overlooking the beautiful Vale of Torridge.
His postman’s hand-bell was placed in a niche in the gravestone and this verse by Alfred Austin, the then Poet Laureate, is inscribed below.
O lark-like poet, carol on,
Lost in dim light and unseen trill.
We in the heaven where you are gone
Find you no more, but feel you still.
No comments:
Post a Comment