Background
Ben Boucher was born in 1769 at Horseley Heath and was a collier by trade.
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Ben Boucher
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He wrote a poem in 1827 describing in detail Dudley Market. A number of his poems are included in the book The Curiosities of Dudley and the Black Country by C.F.G. Clarke published in 1881. According to Clarke, he was commemorated with the rhyme: Oh! rare Ben Boucher, Boucher Ben.
The best of Poets, but worst of mentor
Clarke also adds: "the greater part of his singular and irregular life was spent in Dudley, at certain favourite public house haunts, where his talents were appreciated, and his songs admired and read by the curious." He died in the workhouse in 1851. As part of the refurbishment of Dudley Market, a bronze statue of Ben Boucher, designed by artist Steve Field, was placed on a bench near the fountain at one end of the marketplace in 2015.
