Background
Thornton, Robert Kelsey Rought was born on August 12, 1938 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Son of Harold and Mildred Rought (Brooks) Thornton.
(Clare records that it was 'a very old custom among villag...)
Clare records that it was 'a very old custom among villagers in summer time to stick a piece of greensward full of field flowers and place it as an ornament in their cottages which ornaments are called Midsummer Cushions.' This 'cottage custom'suggested the title to him for this collection. The texts of the poems are those which Clare himself wanted to publish in 1832, but for which he could not find a sufficient number of subscribers. Almost a third of the book's 391 poems were published for the first time when this collection first appeared in 1978. These poems, edited by Anne Tibble, a Yorkshire-born scholar and biographer of John Clare, finally cement the poet's long-deserved reputation as our foremost naturalist poet of the English countryside.
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Thornton, Robert Kelsey Rought was born on August 12, 1938 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Son of Harold and Mildred Rought (Brooks) Thornton.
Bachelor, University Manchester, England, 1960. Master of Arts, University Manchester, England, 1961. Doctor of Philosophy, University Manchester, England, 1971.
Lecturer University Newcastle, England, 1965-1975, senior lecturer England, 1975-1984, professor England, 1984-1989, University Birmingham, since 1989, head school of english, 1989-1997. President Friends of the Dymock Poets, since 1999.
(Clare records that it was 'a very old custom among villag...)
Chairman John Clare Society, 1986-1989.
Married Sarah Griffiths, August 3, 1963 (divorced 1975). Children: Jason, Ben. Married Eileen Valerie Davison, September 22, 1989.
Children: Amy, Tom.