author
Francis Noel Clarke Mundy
1738–1815
An English poet and Derbyshire landowner, he is best remembered for writing in praise of the landscape around him, especially Needwood Forest. His life also linked him to a lively circle that included Anna Seward, Erasmus Darwin, and the painter Joseph Wright of Derby.
1 Audiobook
Needwood Forest
by Francis Noel Clarke Mundy
About the author
Born in 1739, Francis Noel Clarke Mundy was an English poet, landowner, magistrate, and Sheriff of Derbyshire. He was associated with Markeaton in Derbyshire and became known for verse that reflected both local pride and a strong feeling for the natural world.
Mundy moved in prominent Midlands literary and artistic circles. He published alongside Anna Seward and Erasmus Darwin, and he sat for a portrait by Joseph Wright of Derby, which hints at the cultural company he kept. His best-known writing defended Needwood Forest at a time when enclosure was changing the landscape.
Although he is not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, Mundy remains an appealing figure for readers interested in eighteenth-century provincial literary life: a country gentleman who wrote with feeling about place, friendship, and the world around him.