Background
Graves was born in Wigton, Cumberland, England, the son of Joseph Graves, a plumber, glazier and ironmonger and his wife Ann, née Matthews. His father died when he was nine years old and he had comparatively little education.
Graves was born in Wigton, Cumberland, England, the son of Joseph Graves, a plumber, glazier and ironmonger and his wife Ann, née Matthews. His father died when he was nine years old and he had comparatively little education.
At 14 he began to work for an uncle in Cockermouth who was a house, sign, and coach painter, but he learnt little from him. Graves afterwards said of Falder "he fixed in me a love of truth, and bent my purpose to pursue it". Graves did some drawing, and at one time wished to study art, but his circumstances did not allow of this, and he became a woollen miller at Caldbeck.
There he was friendly with John Peel (1776-1854), with whom he hunted.
The pen and ink being on the table, the idea of writing a song to this old air forced itself upon me, and thus was produced, impromptu, "Doctorate"ye ken John Peel with his coat so grey".. I well remember saying in a joking style, "By jove, Peel you"ll be sung when we"re both run to earth"."
Graves neglected his woollen mills and lost a court case concerning lieutenant
Except for a short period at Sydney he remained in Tasmania for the rest of his life. Graves was inventive and "brought to considerable perfection several machines--especially one for preparing the New Zealand flax".
Graves died at Hobart.
In 1958 a memorial to him was erected in Street David"s Park. Sidney Gilpin"s The Songs and Ballads of Cumberland includes six poems by Graves. Foreign a while he was an inmate in Lachlan Park Hospital (later the Royal Derwent Hospital).