author
Barry Cornwall
1787–1874
A poet once admired for his graceful, songlike verse, he moved easily through the literary world of early nineteenth-century England. Writing as Barry Cornwall, he balanced a legal career with a lasting reputation for lyrical, approachable poetry.
1 Audiobook
Charles Lamb: A Memoir
by Barry Cornwall
About the author
Born Bryan Waller Procter in Leeds on November 21, 1787, he wrote under the pen name Barry Cornwall. He was educated at Harrow and later pursued the law, eventually becoming a barrister.
Alongside his legal work, he built a literary life and became known for poems and dramatic works that appealed strongly to readers of his time. Reliable biographical sources also note that he served as a Commissioner in Lunacy, showing how closely his public career and writing life ran side by side.
He was part of a lively circle of major literary figures, with sources linking him to friends and contemporaries such as Charles Lamb, Leigh Hunt, and William Hazlitt. Although tastes changed after his lifetime, he remains an interesting figure from the Romantic and early Victorian literary world, remembered for clear, musical verse and for the memorable name Barry Cornwall.