James Thomson
British, 1666 - 1716
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyJames Thomson, a poet, was born in September 1700, the fourth child of the minister Thomas Thomson (1666-1716) of Ednam, Scotland, and his wife Beatrix Trotter, a daughter of Margaret Home and Alexander Trotter of Fogo. In 1715 Thomson commenced studies at Edinburgh University and in 1720 he published three poetic compositions in the Edinburgh Miscellany. Abandoning plans to enter the ministry, he journeyed to London in February 1725 to pursue a literary career. His poem "Winter," published in March 1726, garnered immediate acclaim from such influential literary figures as Aaron Hill and Thomas Rundle, who appreciated its freedom from artificial conventions and its truthful yet imaginative evocation of nature. "Summer" (1727) and "Spring" (1728) followed, and in 1730 the three poems were published along with "Autumn" under the title "The Seasons." In the same year Thomson's play "Sophonisba" was produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the author embarked on a year-long tour of continental Europe. On his return, Thomson devoted himself to the poem "Liberty" (1734-36), and in 1740 he published "Rule Britannia," which became one of his most famous compositions. From 1738 to 1748 Thomson received an annual pension of £100 from the Prince of Wales, to whom he had been introduced by his friend and patron, George, 1st Lord Lyttelton. In 1744 Lord Lyttelton bolstered Thomson's income by appointing him to the sinecure post of surveyor-general of the Leeward Islands. The following year David Garrick produced "Tancred and Sigismunda," the last of Thomson's plays, at Drury Lane. Following a boat ride to Kew, Thomson caught a chill and died on August 27, 1748.