b. 3 December 1766. d. 19 August 1823. Nationality: English. VIAF.
Working-class poet, trained as a cobbler. Born in Suffolk. Father was the village
tailor and died when Bloomfield was an infant. Bloomfield’s mother, a school teacher,
educated him at home. Around 1878 went to live with his paternal uncle, who worked
as a labourer on the Duke of Grafton’s farm. The duke subsequently became Bloomfield’s
patron. In 1781 Bloomfield moved to London and was apprenticed to a shoemaker. He
also began to make aeolian harps. Married Mary-Anne Church on 12 December 1790. Author
of *The Farmer’s Boy* (1800), which made him a celebrity although he continued to
experience severe financial difficulties. Also author of *Rural Tales, Ballads, and
Songs* (1801), *Wild Flowers, or, Pastoral and Local Poetry* (1806), *The Banks of
the Wye: a Poem* (1811), *May-Day with the Muses* (1820). Bloomfield moved to Shefford,
Bedfordshire, in 1812, but continued to make visits to London. Strongly influenced
by John Clare’s poetry towards the end of his life. Biographical information: *ODNB*.
(AC)