WATERMAN POET

See Also: WATERMEN

John Taylor was a native of Gloucestershire. He was apprenticed to a Thames waterman and took to the richness of London life. In time, he became an active member of the Watermen's Company. His geniality, courtesy, and wit made him stand out amongst the practitioners of his trade. The distinction of being one of the King's Watermen was conferred upon him. This involved his participation in a number of state ceremonies.

A large element of the ferrying traffic consisted of taking people to and from the leisure district of Southwark, which lay on the river's southern bank. In the mid-1610s a number of theatres were built on the northern one. The watermen appreciated that this development might have a negative impact upon their earnings. A delegation was appointed to petition King James I about the matter. Taylor was one of its spokesmen.

Through his work the waterman came to know a number of actors and writers. Exposure to their company led to him developing a taste for reading and study. He took to writing poetry. He collected together some of his verses and published them as The Sculler, Rowing From Tiber To Thames (1612). He dubbed himself 'The Water Poet'. He proved to have a natural talent for self-publicity. He chose to project a comic persona.

In the tradition of literary self-advancement, Taylor engaged in a number of public spats. One of these was with the travel writer Thomas Coryate. During the late 1610s the waterman made a number of trips abroad. These, he wrote up in a mock, heroic manner. He went on to author other works in a number of different styles.

The Civil War and the English Revolution of the 1640s unleashed reformist forces. The waterman found that he was not attuned to them. He became an object of suspicion to those who supported Parliament against King Charles I. An incident occurred in which he only just avoided being assaulted by a mob. Therefore, he chose to make his way to Oxford, which had become the Royalist capital. There, he was given a warm reception by the monarch. He was employed to compose propaganda for the Royalist war effort.

Parliament won the struggle. Taylor returned to London where he became the landlord of The Crown, a tavern in Covent Garden. Following the monarch s execution, the waterman renamed the establishment The Mourning Crown. It was soon made clear to him that the authorities regarded this moniker as being inappropriate. Therefore, he redubbed the premises The Poet's Head. He continued to write. Given that he was out-of-step with the prevailing political orthodoxy, much of his output took the uncontroversial form of nonsense poetry.

Location: Hanover Place (formerly Phoenix Alley), WC2E 9JP. The site of The Poet's Head. (purple, blue)

The Watermens Hall, 16-18 St Mary-at-Hill, EC3R 8EF (orange, grey)

See Also: LONDON UNDERGROUND Poetry On The Underground

David Backhouse 2024