John Davies of Hereford
John Davies of Hereford, born around 1565 in Hereford, England, was a notable figure primarily recognized for his expertise in calligraphy and his religious poetry. Of Welsh descent, he came from a Roman Catholic family, which may have contributed to the scarcity of information about his early life. Although he did not receive formal higher education, he gained recognition as a master of handwriting, even teaching Prince Henry and other affluent students. His most significant work, *The Writing Schoole-Master*, was influential in the art of fair writing and was frequently reprinted.
Davies's poetry, while voluminous, is largely overlooked today, although his sonnet sequence *Wittes Pilgrimage* has garnered some interest. He married three times, each marriage being socially advantageous but financially precarious. His later life was spent in London, where he continued to write and publish until his death on July 6, 1618. Despite being on the periphery of the literary circles dominated by figures like John Donne and Ben Jonson, Davies managed to sustain himself through his writings and connections, leaving behind a legacy that reflects both his artistic pursuits and the challenges he faced.
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John Davies of Hereford
Writer
- Born: c. 1565
- Birthplace: Hereford, England
- Died: July 6, 1618
- Place of death: Probably London, England
Biography
The John Davies who was born in Hereford, England, around 1565 was usually known as John Davies of Hereford to distinguish him from the contemporary poet and lawyer, Sir John Davies. Little is known of his family except that he was of Welsh descent and had two brothers and two sisters. This dearth of information probably derived from the fact that his family was Roman Catholic, a hazardous social situation in the Elizabethan era. Davies’s abundant religious poetry, however, shows no obvious sign of Catholic sympathies.
Davies received no higher education, but he briefly resided at Oxford University while working as a teacher of handwriting, and some commentators wrongly assumed that he attended one of its colleges. He was probably educated in handwriting in London and perfected that art to the extent that Thomas Fuller described him in his book The History of the Worthies of England (1662) as “the greatest master of the pen that England in her age beheld.” Samples of Davies’s calligraphy are reproduced as engravings in his frequently reprinted textbook, The Writing Schoole-Master: Or, The Anatomie of Faire Writing, Wherein Is Exactly Expressed Each Several Character, Together with Other Rules and Documents Coincident to the Art of Fair and Speedy Writing.
Davies taught handwriting to Prince Henry and other wealthy students, and these contacts put him in touch with influential literary patrons, including Mary Herbert, countess of Pembroke. However, he was not regarded as a talented poet and remained on the periphery of the circle that included John Donne and Ben Jonson. He married three times, always above his station, thus preserving his ever-precarious economic situation. His first wife, Mary Croft, was a relative of the family that owned Croft Castle in Shropshire; she bore his only child, his son Sylvanus, before she died in 1611. In 1613, he married Dame Juliana Preston, the widow of naval commander Sir Augustus Preston, but she died the following year. The origins of his third wife, Margaret, are unknown, but he thanked her in his will for the assets the union had brought him.
The didactic poetry that Davies churned out in vast quantities is mostly forgotten, although the sonnet sequence, Wittes Pilgrimage (by Poeticall Essaies): Through a World of Amorous Sonnets, Soule-Passions, and other Passages, Divine, Philosophicall, Morall, Poeticall, and Politicall, inspired by an unhappy love affair, is now considered more interesting than such tedious treatises as Microcosmos: The Discovery of the Little World, with the Government Thereof, which deals with the passions and affections in a far more ponderous fashion. The epigrams in The Scourge of Folly: Consisting of Satyricall Epigramms, and Others in Honor of Many Noble and Worthy Persons of Our Land; Together with a Pleasant (Though Discordant) Descant upon Most English Prouerbes, and Others, perhaps his most meritorious work, are all addressed to famous people, by no means of all of whom were personally known to him. However, his careful diplomacy can hardly be held against him, given that it enabled him to support and sustain himself without any of the advantages that almost all of his notable contemporaries enjoyed.
Davies died on July 6, 1618, and was buried in the church of St Dunstan-in-the-West in London.