Author: Hayley, William
Biography:
Hayley, William (1745-1820: ODNB)
Wealthy and well educated, Hayley had mixed success as a writer and patron of the arts. His parents were Thomas and Mary (Yates) Hayley. He was born in Chichester and attended Eton and Cambridge; if he left the university without a degree, it seems to have been merely because he had no use for one. When his first efforts as a writer for theatre failed, he turned to poetry and published prolifically. His greatest success was The Triumphs of Temper (1781), which went into many editions and was a common gift to girls. He declined the offer of the Poet Laureateship in 1790. Among the artists and writers whom he encouraged with friendship and financial support were Romney, Cowper, and Blake. His one novel, The Young Widow, or, the History of Cornelia Sedley (1789) did not do well, but his biographies--of Milton (1796), Cowper (1803), and Romney (1809)--fared better. He also left his own memoirs for posthumous publication (1823). He married twice but both marriages ended in separation. His son Tom, from an extramarital affair, died young. (ODNB 1 Mar. 2019)