Poet Laureate who thought he'd die early lived to be 83

Tennyson was born in Lincolnshire in 1809. He had a troubled childhood as his father and a brother were both epileptic and alcoholic, his brother being confined to a mental institution. Throughout his life Tennyson believed that he was going to die early.

In 1827 he escaped home to join his brothers at Cambridge University where he later published his first book of poetry. He continued to publish poems gaining more and more public attention which was acknowledged in 1845 when he received a government pension of 200 per year.

In 1850 Tennyson became the Poet Laureate and the same year married his childhood sweetheart Mary Sellwood. Their first son died in childbirth but their second, Hallum, was born in 1851.

Fellow writer George Meredith took summer lodgings in Seaford and maybe he told Tennyson of the benefits of staying in the quiet seaside town as in the autumn of 1852 Tennyson with his wife and baby moved to Seaford

The Tennyson family leased Seaford House for 2 per week. The house in Crouch Lane had previously been the home of Lord Howard de Walden, Baron of Seaford, and later of Prime Minister George Canning. Seaford artist HH Evans drew a picture of the house on which he added the information 'Lord Tennyson was a frequent visitor and wrote the Funeral Ode to the Duke of Wellington here'.

Wellington's funeral was on November 18, 1852 and on the 27th of that month, the poet wrote to a friend from Seaford House mentioning the poem and also saying 'we have been here for some weeks'. It is therefore likely that one of Tennysons most famous poems was written in Seaford.

The poet was paid the sum of 200 for the poem of nine verses.

Tennyson was at the peak of his career at this time and such a famous family moving into the town must have caused a stir in Victorian Seaford. However, he never intended to stay in Sussex and early in 1853 he moved to the Isle of Wight where a short time later Albert, the Prince Consort, made an unannounced visit. Queen Victoria admired Tennyson's work and insisted that he accept his title even though he had previously turned down the honour when it was offered by his friend, the Prime Minister William Gladstone.

Despite his earlier gloomy predictions Tennyson died in 1892 having lived to the ripe old age of 83.

KEVIN GORDON