Author: Crabbe, George
Biography:
Crabbe, George (1754-1832: ODNB)
He was born in Aldeburgh, son of George and Mary (Lodwick) Crabbe. His father introduced him to periodical magazines and had him attend grammar schools until it was time for him to be apprenticed to an apothecary. He began to publish verse in 1772. After his apprenticeship and some medical training in London, he practised as an apothecary in Aldeburgh but could not make a success of it. Back in London, he struggled to find a patron and make his mark as a writer until he made a final appeal to Edmund Burke. Burke encouraged and advised him: he saw to the publication of The Library (1781), counselled Crabbe to become a clergyman, and when he did, recommended him as chaplain to the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle. Crabbe married Sarah Elmy (d 1813) in 1783, after a long courtship: they had several children but only two sons, both clergymen, survived their parents. From 1785 to 1807, Crabbe did not publish under his own name though he contributed to Nichols's topographical collections. He burnt some manuscripts (including three novels) that he was not satisfied with, before finally returning to verse. He spent almost twenty years (1814-1832) as rector of Trowbridge in Wiltshire, earning a sound reputation as a good churchman as well as a popular writer. (ODNB 27 May 2018)
Other Names:
- Crabbe
- G. Crabbe