Proctor Bio

— The Corvey Poets Project at the University of Nebraska —

British Poetry of the later Eighteenth and Earlier Nineteenth Centuries

Bibliographical and Contextual Apparatus

[Proctor, Bryan W.], pseud. “Barry Cornwall”

English Songs, and Other Small Poems. London: Moxon, 1832.

Biographical Information about Bryan Waller Procter ["Barry Cornwall"] (1787-1874)

In recent years, common society usually does not acknowledge the achievements of a mediocre person striving to pursue his or her passion in a field of experts. In performing this injustice, society is sets the standard for excellence through a perfection that is to be found only in the most critical eye. Bryan Waller Procter [Barry Cornwall] was not considered perfect in his craft, nor was he even regarded as one of the greatest poets from the nineteenth century, but he did have a well-respected reputation which carried far beyond the literary world. Our society may have missed such a contribution to history.

Even though he was considered a second class poet, Procter went on to live a completely satisfying life in respect to love and friendship. He was born at Leeds, Yorkshire, on November 21, 1787. His family had been farmers for over three hundred years and took a great amount of pride in their lineage. His father was one of several children and considered "the best among the males." This could be attributed to the fact that he left the farm to go to London to make his fortune; which he found rather than made. His mother was considered simply "the kindest and tendererest mother in the world."

Procter was sent to a boarding school near London at the age of five. He seemed to have to fight to gain respect from the older boys. At the age of thirteen, he was sent to the public school of Harrow where he was recognized as a good learner and fist fighter. At Harrow, he was in popular company with future statesmen of England Robert Peel and highly recognized poet Noel Byron. Procter did not recognize Peel much in recollection, but he stated that he could not believe Byron became a poet because he was loud and coarse, although very capable and played sports.

Procter used to vacation in a large house of his mother's uncle. It was at this hideaway where he began to discover himself, his natural surroundings of this residence, and a passion for literature he had not had since he was four. It was here that a female servant who "was a daughter of a man who had failed in profession or business," turned out to be the most literate person at the mansion. She narrated to this eager boy many of England's historians, novelists, and poets. Richardson and Fielding were among the many, but above all Shakespeare was the most respected and loved in her eyes. This experience with Shakespeare led Proctor to study the whole dramatic literature of the Elizabethan age, and the result was evident when he came to publish "Dramatic Poems."

After Harrow, Procter was not sent to Oxford because his father, "a saving soul" stated to a friend that he had "never learned much at Oxford," and that his boy, "has learned nothing — nothing except extravagant habits." Procter was sent directly to study law in Wiltshire village under a solicitor. In preparation for this profession, he read all the English poets, including the romantics, and began to write verses. At the age of twenty, he went to London to write and use his legal trade. In 1815, he started contributing poems to the Literary Gazette, and by this he gained some attention.

In 1816, Procter's father died and left him with a modest amount of money, especially for a bachelor. He choice was to spend it freely and as a result he soon suffered monitary embarrassment. Another contributing factor to this economic decline was a failed partnership with a solicitor named Slaney. At this point, he was disgusted to be forced to depend on his literary earnings. These years of freedom were the main contributing force behind the poet who began to use the alias of "Barry Cornwall" at this time. Most of his work was done in this period (see Bibliography). He also became great friends with many other literary leaders (Leigh Hunt, Charles Lamb, and Keats) of his day.

In 1820, he was introduced to the family of Basil Montague. He fell in love with the step-daughter of Basil Montague and was engaged to Miss Skepper in 1821; they married in 1824. Procter then knew had obtained the "greatest prize of his life." He ensured his domestic happiness by marring a noble woman whose great gifts, both social and intellectual, made him the envy of others. They went on to have three daughters and three sons. The eldest was Adelaide Anne Procter who was a poetess of her time. One of their sons was a soldier India. The others died young.

Upon his happy marriage, Procter resumed his profession as a conveyancer and worked steadily to provide for his family. He also took in around forty or fifty pupils to add further to his income. Procter made his London home one of the greatest centers of literary and intellectual society. At this point, he was content was his success and only secretly wrote poetry upon impulse. In 1832, he was appointed to the office of Metropolitan Commissioner of Lunacy. In 1853, his prose was published in America. In 1861, Procter resigned his office as of the Commissioners of Lunacy due to failing health conditions. He spent the last years of his life oppressed by the infirmities of age. He died on October 4th, 1874.

Proctor apparently had the most amiable disposition in the history of literature. He was a model of kindly sympathy and generous appreciation. His secret good deeds were innumerable and his love for his family was a top priority. It was later recorded by his wife that he took great pride in his literary work and that he accumulated clients to his practice from his literary popularity. He may not have been recognized as a top rate poet, but society nevertheless saw him as a first class person. The true self of Bryan Waller Procter was perhaps not seen in himself, but in the words of others close to him. Leigh Hunt states his appreciation of this person in this quote, "The saw host of writers, of less ability than himself, outstripping him on the road to future success, yet I never heard from him a word that could be construed into jealously or envy, not even a murmur."

Bryan Waller Procter spoke of what he knew in life and love. This is what he wrote, leaving us the timeless words of truth. He had great appreciation for the gifts given to him in life and did not take for granted a moment spent on this earth. He said, "If life itself were not a pleasure, the utility even of its necessaries might very well be questioned." From his life, he learned to appreciate every step in the path to his end. He was a great man who stood alone in comparison to the rest of the world.

Sources

Barry Cornwall. 8 Dec. 2004. http://47.1911encyclopedia.org/P/PR/PROCTER_BRYAN_WALLER.htm
Fields, James T. Yesterdays with Authors. 24th ed. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin-Co. (1883). 357-419.
Garnett, Richard. "Procter, Bryan Waller." Dictionary of National Biography. 46. (1896). 416-418.
Simcox, G.A. "Barry Cornwall." The Fortnightly Review 20[new series], 26[old series]. (1876): 708-718.
Whipple, Edwin P. Recollections of Eminent Men. Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Co. (1892). 305-343.