JOHN BROWN.
John Brown, the “Poet Laureate” of Horncastle, has already been mentioned; he is chiefly known by the volume Literæ Laureatœ, published in 1890, dedicated to Lord Tennyson, by permission, and containing most of his poetical productions. These are remarkable for his knowledge of Lincolnshire dialect and local folk-lore. The volume was published, after his death, on behalf of his widow.
He was born in the first workhouse, adjoining St. Mary’s churchyard, his parents being in charge of that institution. Being first apprenticed to a cabinet maker, Mr. J. Williams, when only just “in his teens,” he ran away to Hull, and took service on a vessel, the Margaret, bound for Cronstadt. His first voyage, however, was sufficient to disgust him with marine life. When about 15 he found employment with a theatrical scene painter from London, who settled in Horncastle. He afterwards went to London to learn his trade as a house decorator. He married in 1833 a Miss Gainsborough, of Alford. In 1838 he went to Lincoln, and for some years carried on his trade there. In 1848 he returned to Horncastle, and still carrying on his trade, became a member of a literary coterie, who used to hold meetings in the coffee room of the Bull Hotel. In 1860 he bought a house on the Louth Road, which he opened as the Globe Inn, and which became the resort of his literary friends. Literature, however, did not conduce to business. In 1872 his health failing, and his savings
having evaporated, he was granted a residence in the Whelpton Almshouses, where he continued to employ his pen, in comfort, until his death in 1890. [159]