Born at Wigan, Lancashire, on 21 June 1808, Primce was the son of a poor reed-maker for weavers. He learned to read and write at a Baptist Sunday school, and at age 9 of age was set to help his father, with whom he worked for ten years, living in Wigan, Manchester and Hyde, Cheshire.
Towards the end of 1826 or beginning of 1827, before he was 19, Prince married. In 1830 he went to Saint Quentin in Picardy to look for work. But the revolution of July 1830 disrupted his plans, and after two months he made his way via Paris to Mülhausen, where again he was disappointed.
In 1840 Prince brought out Hours with the Muses, with the help of a prominent patron. attracted attention.
At that time he was a factory operative at Hyde. He gave up that work, and for a time kept a small shop in Manchester.
His life from that point did not go well, however: he tried to lived mainly by selling his poems, and took to drink. He had a grant from the royal bounty, and from 1845 to 1851 he was salaried editor of the Ancient Shepherd"s Quarterly Magazine, published at Ashton-under-Lyne.
Prince died at Hyde on 5 May 1866, and was buried at Saint George"s Church there.
One daughter survived him.
