author
Robert Stephen Hawker
d. 1875
Remembered as "Parson Hawker," he was a lively 19th-century Cornish poet, clergyman, and antiquarian whose writing is steeped in local history and legend. He is still best known for "The Song of the Western Men," one of the most famous patriotic poems linked with Cornwall.
1 Audiobook
Footprints of Former Men in Far Cornwall
by Robert Stephen Hawker
About the author
Born in Plymouth in 1803, Robert Stephen Hawker became an Anglican priest and spent much of his life at Morwenstow in Cornwall. His name is closely tied to the rugged north Cornish coast, which shaped both his poetry and his reputation as a collector of local traditions, folklore, and historical curiosities.
Hawker wrote verse, prose, and historical pieces, but his lasting fame rests above all on "The Song of the Western Men", with its memorable refrain about Sir Jonathan Trelawny. He was also known in his own time as an eccentric and colorful village clergyman, a public image that helped keep interest in his life and work alive long after his death in 1875.
For listeners drawn to place-rich writing, Hawker offers a strong sense of Cornwall's landscape, memory, and identity. His work blends literary flair with antiquarian enthusiasm, making him an appealing figure for readers interested in 19th-century regional writing.