John Masefield

John Masefield
John Masefield in 1936
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
In office
9 May 1930  12 May 1967
MonarchsGeorge V
Edward VIII
George VI
Elizabeth II
Preceded byRobert Bridges
Succeeded byCecil Day-Lewis
Personal details
Born
John Edward Masefield

(1878-06-01)1 June 1878
Ledbury, Herefordshire, England
Died12 May 1967(1967-05-12) (aged 88)
Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
OccupationPoet, writer
AwardsShakespeare Prize (1938)
Writing career
GenresPoetry, children's novels

John Edward Masefield OM (/ˈmsˌfld, ˈmz-/; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon-on-Thames. Among his best known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and the poems "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever". Shortly after his death his house (Burcote Brook) burned down and was later replaced by a Cheshire Home named after him.