Tennyson , Alfred , 1809-1892 , 1st Baron Tennyson , poet

Alfred Tennyson was born on 6 August 1809 at Somersby, Lincolnshire. At the age of seven he was sent to live with his grandmother at Louth where he attended Louth Grammar School. He returned home in 1820 to be educated by his father. In 1827 he entered Trinity College Cambridge, where he won the Chancellor's Gold Medal in 1828 for his poem Timbuctoo. Tennyson published Poems Chiefly Lyrical in 1830 and Poems in 1832, which were given a mixed reception by several periodicals. In 1842 he published another volume of poems which established his popularity. Tennyson received a Civil List pension of £200 per year in 1845 and he was appointed Poet Laureate in 1850. In June 1855 Tennyson received the degree of DCL from Oxford University. Tennyson continued writing poetry until the last year of his life. He died on 5 October 1892 at the age of 83.