Alfred Bruce Douglas was born on 22 October 1870 at Ham Hill House, near Powick in Worcestershire, into a family whose rank, wealth, volatility, and theatrical public reputation would shape his life almost as powerfully as his literary gifts. He was the third son of John Sholto Douglas, ninth Marquess of Queensberry, and Lady Sybil Montgomery, daughter of the first Baron of Abergavenny. The boy was known from childho…
“Up till the time when I became a Catholic the guiding principle of my life was the desire to be loved and admired.”
Neighbourhood:
Decadent Poets, Edwardian Poets, LGBTQ+ Poets, Symbolist Poets
Emotional landscape: Sorrow, Longing, Despair
On the eastern coast of Scotland, where the North Sea meets the fertile lands of Angus, stands the House of Dun—a Georgian mansion that witnessed the birth of one of Scotland's most distinctive literary voices. It was here, on 1 September 1863, that Violet Augusta Mary Frederica Kennedy-Erskine entered the world, destined to become the poet and novelist who would capture the very essence of Scottish rural life in ver…
“It will never leave me while I live. He is so near me often …”
Neighbourhood:
Folk & Ballad Poets, Scottish Poets, Women Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Wonder, Tenderness
