Who was George Crabbe?
Poet and prose writer. Date and Place of Birth: 24th December 1754, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England. Family Background: Eldest son of George Crabbe, a local customs official, parish clerk and schoolmaster. Education: Schools in Bungay and Stowmarket in Norfolk. Apprenticed to a Surgeon at age 14. Chronology/Biography of George Crabbe: 1767: Takes a job with his father as a labourer at the docks at Slaughden Quay to the South of Aldeburgh. 1768: Becomes apprenticed to two apothecaries and surgeons in Suffolk. Becomes interested in botany and poetry. 1772: Meets Sarah Elmy in Woodbridge, Suffolk and begins a long courtship. Publishes his first poems. 1775: The poem “Inebriety” is published anonymously at Ipswich. Returns to Aldeburgh to work briefly at the docks and then sets himself up as a “doctor”. Continues to study natural history and poetry. 1776: Studies obstetrics and medicine. 1777: Visits London. 1779: First Draft of “The Library” 1780: Lives Aldeburgh for London. (August) “The Can
