Description

Admin History:

William Mason was poet, cleric, author and garden designer. He was born in Hull on 12 February 1725. He was educated at Hull Grammar School and St. John’s College Cambridge. It was whilst at St. John’s Collage, Cambridge that he developed his love of literature under his tutor Dr. Powell. It was also at St. John’s College where he met the poet Thomas Gray of whom he developed a lifelong admiration.

In 1745 he took his bachelor’s degree, and around the same time he composed his Musaeus, a Monody on the death of Mr. Pope which was published to acclaim in 1747. In 1751 he published the historical tragedies of Elfrida and Caractacus (1759).

He was ordained in 1754 and held a number of posts in churches, including precentor and canon of York Minster (1762). The same year in which he was ordained, Mason went abroad as Chaplin to the Earl of Holderness and upon his return spent the remainder of his life in Aston, South Yorkshire.

In 1765 he married Maria Sherman, daughter of the storekeeper at Hull Garrison, but she died within twelve months of their marriage. After this Mason shared his attention between the charge of his parish of Aston, his garden and poetry. As a garden designer his work included that for the Viscount Harcourt. He acted as editor of his friend and biographer Thomas Gray and went on to compose the ‘The English Garden’, a long poem in four books, completed in 1782. In 1785 he was then Prime Minister, William Pitt the younger choice to become Poet Laureate, but refused.

He aspired to be a great dramatic writer by adapting the ancient Greek forms for the modern stage. Elfrida was his first attempt but was seen as a failure. Mason was also regarded as a notable artist and his work was shown at the Royal Academy 1782-1786.

Mason died in 7th April 1797, the result of an injury to his leg, sustained when stepping out of his carriage. A monument to Mason can be found in poet’s corner in, the South Transept of Westminster Abbey.

Description:

Deposited with Hull's Local Studies Library and containing works written by William Mason or about William Mason and/or his works, catalogued as a running number of books in chronological order (L DFMW/1-57).