Poet Laureate - Revision history

Pankratz at 19:03, 23 November 2021

2021-11-23T19:03:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:03, 23 November 2021
Line 35:		Line 35:
	* Simon Armitage (2019-)		* Simon Armitage (2019-)

			Since 1999, a poet laureate stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

Pankratz at 19:01, 23 November 2021

2021-11-23T19:01:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:01, 23 November 2021
Line 32:		Line 32:
	* [[Ted Hughes]] (1984-98)		* [[Ted Hughes]] (1984-98)
	* [[Andrew Motion]] (1999-2009)		* [[Andrew Motion]] (1999-2009)
	* [[Carol Ann Duffy]] (2009 -)		* [[Carol Ann Duffy]] (2009-2019)
			* Simon Armitage (2019-)

	~~Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. Since 1999, a poet laureate stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.~~

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

WikiSysop at 18:26, 11 January 2017

2017-01-11T18:26:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:26, 11 January 2017
Line 11:		Line 11:
	== Payment ==		== Payment ==
	It was customary to pay the Laureate a small fee, plus some material rewards. The patents specifically name “a butt of sack”, a barrel of sherry (=150 bottles or 572,796 litres). In the 18th century, this was seen as an anachronism and since 1790, at the behest of Henry James Pye, the sherry was turned into money. John Betjeman asked for the reintroduction of the “butt of sack” in 1972. Since then every laureate gets a delivery of sherry on top of the annual fee.		It was customary to pay the Laureate a small fee, plus some material rewards. The patents specifically name “a butt of sack”, a barrel of sherry (=150 bottles or 572,796 litres). In the 18th century, this was seen as an anachronism and since 1790, at the behest of Henry James Pye, the sherry was turned into money. John Betjeman asked for the reintroduction of the “butt of sack” in 1972. Since then every laureate gets a delivery of sherry on top of the annual fee.


	== List of Official Laureates ==		== List of Official Laureates ==
Line 17:		Line 16:
	* [[Thomas Shadwell]] (1689-92)		* [[Thomas Shadwell]] (1689-92)
	* [[Nahum Tate]] (1692-1715)		* [[Nahum Tate]] (1692-1715)
	* Nicholas Rowe (1715-18)		* [[Nicholas Rowe]] (1715-18)
	* Laurence Eusden (1718-30)		* [[Laurence Eusden]] (1718-30)
	* [[Colley Cibber]] (1730-57)		* [[Colley Cibber]] (1730-57)
	* William Whitehead (1757-85)		* [[William Whitehead]] (1757-85)
	* Thomas Warton (1785-90)		* [[Thomas Warton]] (1785-90)
	* Henry James Pye (1790-1813)		* [[Henry James Pye]] (1790-1813)
	* Robert Southey (1813-43)		* [[Robert Southey]] (1813-43)
	* [[William Wordsworth]] (1843-50)		* [[William Wordsworth]] (1843-50)
	* [[Alfred Tennyson\|Alfred, Lord Tennyson]] (1850-92)		* [[Alfred Tennyson\|Alfred, Lord Tennyson]] (1850-92)
	* Alfred Austin (1896-1913)		* [[Alfred Austin]] (1896-1913)
	* Robert Bridges (1913-1930)		* [[Robert Bridges]] (1913-1930)
	* John Masefield (1930-67)		* [[John Masefield]] (1930-67)
	* Cecil Day-Lewis (1968-72)		* [[Cecil Day-Lewis]] (1968-72)
	* Sir John Betjeman (1972-84)		* [[Sir John Betjeman]] (1972-84)
	* Ted Hughes (1984-98)		* [[Ted Hughes]] (1984-98)
	* Andrew Motion (1999-2009)		* [[Andrew Motion]] (1999-2009)
	* Carol Ann Duffy (2009 -)		* [[Carol Ann Duffy]] (2009 -)

	Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. Since 1999, a poet laureate stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.		Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. Since 1999, a poet laureate stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.

WikiSysop: /* Duties */

2017-01-11T18:22:34Z

Duties

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, 11 January 2017
Line 7:		Line 7:

	== Duties ==		== Duties ==
	The patent for John Dryden remained vague about his duties. It merely stipulated him to “diligently attend [his] employment” (quoted in Broadus 61). Dating from Nicholas ~~Rowe’s~~ appointment in 1715, the laureates were obliged to write at least one birthday ode and one New Year’s ode for the monarch. During the 18th century this became a very mechanical exercise for the poets (in the bigger picture, the quality of the odes did not really matter, because they were performed to music). Hence satirists like Alexander Pope attacked the poets laureate as nonentities, idiots and sycophants. According to Pope, [[Nahum Tate]] wrote "prose run mad" (quoted in Hopkins 52). And ''The Dunciad'' of 1743 attacks “King Colley” (I, 321) as the most nonsensical dunce of them all. A bit later, Lord Byron also attacked both the office and the office holder. In "A Vision of Judgment" (1820), Robert Southey had lambasted the "Satanic school" (with Byron implicitly as chief member) as "men of diseased hearts and depraved imaginations" and praised [[George III]] as saint, Byron struck back in "The Vision of Judgment": George is represented as "an old man/With an old soul, and both extremely blind" and Southey as a boring, incompetent busybody. After regular laureate bashing by some of Britain's most talented poets and after some renowned authors were offered the post and declined it (most famous is Thomas Gray's refusal to become the "rat catcher" of the king), regular duties were abolished when William Wordsworth became poet laureate in 1843. Since then, the laureate does not have any official obligations connected with his (or her) office. Most of the laureates do write about official events, usually connected with the Royal family, sometimes also referring to political events (Andrew Motion, for example, wrote poems against the war in Iraq).		The patent for John Dryden remained vague about his duties. It merely stipulated him to “diligently attend [his] employment” (quoted in Broadus 61). Dating from [[Nicholas Rowe]]’s appointment in 1715, the laureates were obliged to write at least one birthday ode and one New Year’s ode for the monarch. During the 18th century this became a very mechanical exercise for the poets (in the bigger picture, the quality of the odes did not really matter, because they were performed to music). Hence satirists like [[Alexander Pope]] attacked the poets laureate as nonentities, idiots and sycophants. According to Pope, [[Nahum Tate]] wrote "prose run mad" (quoted in Hopkins 52). And ''The Dunciad'' of 1743 attacks “King Colley” (I, 321) as the most nonsensical dunce of them all. A bit later, [[Lord Byron]] also attacked both the office and the office holder. In "A Vision of Judgment" (1820), [[Robert Southey]] had lambasted the "Satanic school" (with Byron implicitly as chief member) as "men of diseased hearts and depraved imaginations" and praised [[George III]] as saint, Byron struck back in "The Vision of Judgment": George is represented as "an old man/With an old soul, and both extremely blind" and Southey as a boring, incompetent busybody. After regular laureate bashing by some of Britain's most talented poets and after some renowned authors were offered the post and declined it (most famous is [[Thomas Gray]]'s refusal to become the "rat catcher" of the king), regular duties were abolished when [[William Wordsworth]] became poet laureate in 1843. Since then, the laureate does not have any official obligations connected with his (or her) office. Most of the laureates do write about official events, usually connected with the Royal family, sometimes also referring to political events ([[Andrew Motion]], for example, wrote poems against the war in Iraq).

	== Payment ==		== Payment ==

Pankratz at 18:31, 23 November 2010

2010-11-23T18:31:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:31, 23 November 2010
Line 25:		Line 25:
	* Robert Southey (1813-43)		* Robert Southey (1813-43)
	* [[William Wordsworth]] (1843-50)		* [[William Wordsworth]] (1843-50)
	* Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850-92)		* [[Alfred Tennyson\|Alfred, Lord Tennyson]] (1850-92)
	* Alfred Austin (1896-1913)		* Alfred Austin (1896-1913)
	* Robert Bridges (1913-1930)		* Robert Bridges (1913-1930)
Line 35:		Line 35:
	* Carol Ann Duffy (2009 -)		* Carol Ann Duffy (2009 -)

	Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. A poet stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.		Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. Since 1999, a poet laureate stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

WikiSysop at 16:30, 18 April 2010

2010-04-18T16:30:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:30, 18 April 2010
Line 24:		Line 24:
	* Henry James Pye (1790-1813)		* Henry James Pye (1790-1813)
	* Robert Southey (1813-43)		* Robert Southey (1813-43)
	* William Wordsworth (1843-50)		* [[William Wordsworth]] (1843-50)
	* Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850-92)		* Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850-92)
	* Alfred Austin (1896-1913)		* Alfred Austin (1896-1913)
Line 33:		Line 33:
	* Ted Hughes (1984-98)		* Ted Hughes (1984-98)
	* Andrew Motion (1999-2009)		* Andrew Motion (1999-2009)
			* Carol Ann Duffy (2009 -)

	Today's English poet laureate is ~~Andrew Motion~~. ~~This position is now given by the prime minister and a~~ poet stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated~~. The new laureate elect is the first woman ever: Carol Ann Duffy~~.		Today's English poet laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman ever to hold this post. A poet stays in office for ten years until the next one is nominated.

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

Frauke at 21:44, 20 July 2009

2009-07-20T21:44:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:44, 20 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The idea of the crown originates from a Greek myth: the nymph Daphne ~~was fleeing~~ from Apollo and ~~therefor~~ was transformed into a bay tree (in Latin: "Laurus Nobilis"). Apollo who wanted to show that she still belonged to him created a crown out of the branches.		''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The idea of the crown originates from a Greek myth: the nymph Daphne fled from Apollo and was therefore transformed into a bay tree (in Latin: "Laurus Nobilis"). Apollo who wanted to show that she still belonged to him created a crown out of the branches.
	The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British poet laureate is a member of the Royal household, expected (but not obliged) to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, since 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.		The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British poet laureate is a member of the Royal household, expected (but not obliged) to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, since 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.

Frauke at 21:42, 20 July 2009

2009-07-20T21:42:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:42, 20 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British poet laureate is a member of the Royal household, expected (but not obliged) to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, since 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.		''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The idea of the crown originates from a Greek myth: the nymph Daphne was fleeing from Apollo and therefor was transformed into a bay tree (in Latin: "Laurus Nobilis"). Apollo who wanted to show that she still belonged to him created a crown out of the branches.
			The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British poet laureate is a member of the Royal household, expected (but not obliged) to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, since 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.

	The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The poet laureate in this sense, had to pass an examination and afterwards was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. The custom of crowning a poet laureate was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[Francesco Petrarca]] as most famous laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.		The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The poet laureate in this sense, had to pass an examination and afterwards was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. The custom of crowning a poet laureate was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[Francesco Petrarca]] as most famous laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.

Pankratz at 14:26, 15 July 2009

2009-07-15T14:26:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:26, 15 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British ''poet laureate'' is a member of the Royal household, expected to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, ~~from~~ 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.		''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British poet laureate is a member of the Royal household, expected (but not obliged) to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, since 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.

	The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The ~~Poet Laureate~~ in this sense, had to pass an examination and ~~then~~ was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. ~~This~~ custom was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[Francesco Petrarca]] as famous ~~poet~~ laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.		The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The poet laureate in this sense, had to pass an examination and afterwards was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. The custom of crowning a poet laureate was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[Francesco Petrarca]] as most famous laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.

	The office of poet laureate proper (i.e. regular employment, orderly succession of laureates, legal basis and Royal patents) started in 1668 with John Dryden. Dryden lost the office after the [[Glorious Revolution]]. He had converted to [[Catholicism]] when [[James II]] came to the throne and this did not go down well with the new monarchs [[William III\|William]] and [[Mary II\|Mary]] and the [[Whigs]]. Therefore the office went to his Whig rival Thomas Shadwell. From then on until 2009, all poets laureate held the post for life.		The office of poet laureate proper (i.e. regular employment, orderly succession of laureates, legal basis and Royal patents) started in 1668 with John Dryden. Dryden lost the office after the [[Glorious Revolution]]. He had converted to [[Catholicism]] when [[James II]] came to the throne and this did not go down well with the new monarchs [[William III\|William]] and [[Mary II\|Mary]] and the [[Whigs]]. Therefore the office went to his Whig rival Thomas Shadwell. From then on until 2009, all poets laureate held the post for life.

	== Duties ==		== Duties ==
	The patent for John Dryden remained vague about his duties. It merely stipulated him to “diligently attend [his] employment” (quoted in Broadus 61). Dating from Nicholas Rowe’s appointment in 1715, the laureates were obliged to write at least one birthday ode and one New Year’s ode for the monarch. During the 18th century this became a very mechanical exercise for the poets (in the bigger picture, the quality of the odes did not really matter, because they were performed to music). Hence satirists like Alexander Pope attacked the poets laureate as nonentities, idiots and sycophants. Nahum Tate wrote "prose run mad" (quoted in Hopkins 52)~~, according to Pope~~. And ''The Dunciad'' of 1743 attacks “King Colley” (I, 321) as the most nonsensical dunce of them all. A bit later, Lord Byron also attacked both the office and the office holder. In "A Vision of Judgment" (1820), Robert Southey had lambasted the "Satanic school" (with Byron implicitly as chief member) as "men of diseased hearts and depraved imaginations" and praised [[George III]] as saint, Byron struck back in "The Vision of Judgment": George is "an old man/With an old soul, and both extremely blind" and Southey a boring, incompetent busybody. After regular laureate bashing and after some renowned authors were offered the post and declined it (most famous is Thomas Gray's refusal to become the "rat catcher" of the king), regular duties were abolished when William Wordsworth became ~~Poet Laureate~~ in 1843. Since then, the ~~Laureate~~ does not have any official obligations connected with his office. Most of the laureates do write about official events, usually connected with the Royal family.		The patent for John Dryden remained vague about his duties. It merely stipulated him to “diligently attend [his] employment” (quoted in Broadus 61). Dating from Nicholas Rowe’s appointment in 1715, the laureates were obliged to write at least one birthday ode and one New Year’s ode for the monarch. During the 18th century this became a very mechanical exercise for the poets (in the bigger picture, the quality of the odes did not really matter, because they were performed to music). Hence satirists like Alexander Pope attacked the poets laureate as nonentities, idiots and sycophants. According to Pope, [[Nahum Tate]] wrote "prose run mad" (quoted in Hopkins 52). And ''The Dunciad'' of 1743 attacks “King Colley” (I, 321) as the most nonsensical dunce of them all. A bit later, Lord Byron also attacked both the office and the office holder. In "A Vision of Judgment" (1820), Robert Southey had lambasted the "Satanic school" (with Byron implicitly as chief member) as "men of diseased hearts and depraved imaginations" and praised [[George III]] as saint, Byron struck back in "The Vision of Judgment": George is represented as "an old man/With an old soul, and both extremely blind" and Southey as a boring, incompetent busybody. After regular laureate bashing by some of Britain's most talented poets and after some renowned authors were offered the post and declined it (most famous is Thomas Gray's refusal to become the "rat catcher" of the king), regular duties were abolished when William Wordsworth became poet laureate in 1843. Since then, the laureate does not have any official obligations connected with his (or her) office. Most of the laureates do write about official events, usually connected with the Royal family, sometimes also referring to political events (Andrew Motion, for example, wrote poems against the war in Iraq).

	== Payment ==		== Payment ==

Pankratz at 13:55, 15 July 2009

2009-07-15T13:55:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 15 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British ''poet laureate'' is a member of the Royal household, expected to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, from 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.		''laureate'' originates from Latin ''laureatus'' meaning "crowned with laurel" (Kahan, Jeffrey). The title was adopted from the Greek and Roman custom of crowning successful men with a wreath of laurel. Nowadays, the British ''poet laureate'' is a member of the Royal household, expected to write poems for official occasions, for example for Royal weddings, birthdays or funerals. The British Poet Laureate was originally awarded the position for life, however, from 1999 the post is limited to 10 years.

	The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The Poet Laureate in this sense, had to pass an examination and then was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. This custom was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[~~Petrarch~~]] as famous poet laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.		The British poet laureate developed from two strands of tradition. In the [[Renaissance]] it became customary to award the laurel to writers who not only wrote poems, but who were also well-versed in ancient (i.e. classical) traditions and authors. In other words: they embodied the ideal of a ''poeta doctus'', a learned poet. The Poet Laureate in this sense, had to pass an examination and then was awarded the laurel and the title as an honorary university degree. This custom was not restricted to England (far from it). It originated in Italy (with [[Francesco Petrarca]] as famous poet laureate) and spread all over (Renaissance) Europe. A completely different strand of tradition pertinent for the British laureate was the post of "court poet" (or ''versificator regis''). Medieval and Renaissance monarchs sometimes paid someone to write poetry. This could be a post held for life or only an occasional stipend plus "a degree of political protection" (Kahan, Jeffrey). In the Renaissance, there was a gradual institutionalisation of the office, and a host of writers are associated with it: e.g., John Skelton, [[Edmund Spenser]], [[Ben Jonson]] or William Davenant. There is no documentary evidence that they actually held the post, though.

	The office of poet laureate proper (i.e. regular employment, orderly succession of laureates, legal basis and Royal patents) started in 1668 with John Dryden. Dryden lost the office after the [[Glorious Revolution]]. He had converted to [[Catholicism]] when [[James II]] came to the throne and this did not go down well with the new monarchs [[William III\|William]] and [[Mary II\|Mary]] and the [[Whigs]]. Therefore the office went to his Whig rival Thomas Shadwell. From then on until 2009, all poets laureate held the post for life.		The office of poet laureate proper (i.e. regular employment, orderly succession of laureates, legal basis and Royal patents) started in 1668 with John Dryden. Dryden lost the office after the [[Glorious Revolution]]. He had converted to [[Catholicism]] when [[James II]] came to the throne and this did not go down well with the new monarchs [[William III\|William]] and [[Mary II\|Mary]] and the [[Whigs]]. Therefore the office went to his Whig rival Thomas Shadwell. From then on until 2009, all poets laureate held the post for life.