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Lord Alfred Tennyson: England’s Celebrated Poet Laureate and His Connection to My Family

Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892) was one of the most renowned poets of 19th-century England and served as Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during Queen Victoria’s reign. His literary brilliance and enduring works, such as The Charge of the Light Brigade and In Memoriam A.H.H., continue to captivate readers today.

Tennyson was the father of Lionel Tennyson, who married my cousin, Eleanor Bertha Mary Locker. Eleanor was the daughter of Frederick Locker—later known as Frederick Locker-Lampson—and Charlotte Christian Bruce (Lady Locker).

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The Literary Circle of Frederick Locker

Frederick Locker was deeply passionate about literature and counted among his friends many of the leading writers of his time, including Lord Alfred Tennyson himself. Through this literary friendship, it is likely that Frederick introduced his daughter Eleanor to Tennyson’s son, Lionel—thus connecting our family to one of England’s greatest poets.

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The Early Career of Lord Alfred Tennyson

Tennyson began his literary journey in 1827 with Poems by Two Brothers, a collection co-written with his brother Charles. While studying at Cambridge, he befriended fellow poets Arthur Henry Hallam and William Henry Brookfield—relationships that would profoundly shape his life and work.

In 1833, Tennyson published his second collection, which included the now-famous The Lady of Shalott. However, the book received poor reviews, and a disheartened Tennyson paused his publishing career for nearly a decade.

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Rising Fame and the Poet Laureate Appointment

Tennyson returned to the literary scene in 1842 with his two-volume work Poems. The first volume reprinted earlier works, while the second introduced new masterpieces such as Ulysses, Tithonus, and Locksley Hall. The collection earned him critical acclaim and established him as a major voice in Victorian poetry.

Following the death of William Wordsworth in 1850, Tennyson was appointed Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland, a position he held until his own death in 1892—the longest tenure in history. Prince Albert supported his appointment, and Queen Victoria herself became an admirer of his poetry. She often found comfort in In Memoriam A.H.H., especially after Prince Albert’s death.

Queen Victoria met Tennyson twice. In her diary, she described him as “tall, dark, with a fine head, long black flowing hair & beard—oddly dressed, but there is no affectation about him.” Their second meeting, nearly twenty years later, reaffirmed her admiration for his poetry’s emotional depth.

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Enduring Legacy and Famous Quotations

One of Tennyson’s best-known works, The Charge of the Light Brigade (1855), immortalized the bravery of soldiers in the Crimean War. His poetry also gave the English language many enduring phrases still quoted today, including:

• “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

• “Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die.”

• “My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”

• “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

• “Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers.”

Tennyson remains the most frequently quoted writer in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, a testament to his lasting impact on English literature.

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Family and Personal Life

Tennyson married Emily Sarah Sellwood, a woman he had known since childhood. They had two sons: Hallam Tennyson, who became the 2nd Baron Tennyson, and Lionel Tennyson, who married my cousin Eleanor Bertha Mary Locker. Through this marriage, the legacy of Lord Alfred Tennyson became forever intertwined with our family’s history.