Author: Potter, Robert
Biography:
POTTER, Robert (1721-1804: ODNB)
Nearly all of Potter's original poetry was published before 1770, but all of the verse translations that made his name were published after then. He was a clergyman and the son of a clergyman: his father John Potter (d 1723) was prebendary of Wells Cathedral. The name of his mother is not known. Robert was born in Podimore, Somerset, graduated from Cambridge in 1742 (MA 1788), and was ordained by the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The date of his marriage to Elizabeth Colman is not clear, but the couple had nine children. Unfortunately, the small livings that came his way were not enough to support a growing family, so Potter was also a schoolmaster for many years in Norfolk, where they settled. Potter made the most of his literary talents in poems and pamphlets, courting favour in the hope of better conditions. His edition of Aeschylus in 1777 was very well received--the beginning of a distinguished career as a translator, and a move that brought him friends among London critics and writers. But it was not until 1788, after the death of his wife in 1786, that an old schoolfellow, the Chancellor Lord Thurlow, offered him a prebend's stall at Norwich and a secure income. This was followed independently by the presentation of a living at Lowestoft, where Potter lived in comfort from 1790 to the end of his life. (ODNB 4 Jul. 2020; Chalmers)
Other Names:
- Potter