author
John Pagen White
d. 1868
A Liverpool surgeon with a deep love for the English Lake District, he spent years turning local history and legend into richly detailed verse. His best-known book was published after his death, preserving a long, careful labor of affection for Cumbria.
1 Audiobook
Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country With Copious Notes
by John Pagen White
About the author
John Pagen White was an English writer and surgeon, born in 1812. He studied at King's College Hospital, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1837 and a Fellow in 1868, and practiced throughout his professional life in Liverpool.
Alongside his medical work, he devoted years of spare time to writing about the landscapes, folklore, and history of the English Lake District. His best-known work, Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country, reflects that long interest, blending poetry with extensive historical notes.
The book appeared in 1873, several years after his death on September 29, 1868. Its introduction explains that the manuscript was published by his brother from the form in which he left it, after his sudden death prevented a final revision. No suitable confirmed portrait image was found from the sources reviewed.