Author: Poulson, James
Biography:
POULSON, James (fl 1775-92)
Over a period of seventeen years, Poulson published a number of books and pamphlets. The documentary record for his life is, however, very sparse. He styled himself “the Rev. James Poulson” on some of his title pages, including his poems, and two of his works are religious. He published in Cork (1775), Belfast (1776-77), Glasgow (1779), and Strood (1792). Lyrick Poems is dedicated to Francis Drew of M’Collup, County Cork, the preface states that the poems were written during a visit to M’Collup in 1778 before his move to Glasgow. A prose passage in the book praises the Irish, and says that he had lived in Ireland for seven years. A number of his other works are argumentative, even vituperative. This is particularly true of the series of pamphlets published at Strood in 1792; in these he reflects on aspersions cast on his character by a number of individuals including Gregory Warner and J. Simpson of Hox Academy, London; presumably this refers to Hoxton Evangelical Academy. Poulson operated a school at Strood “where Youth are taught English Grammar, Writing, and Arithmetic.” SR