A Brief Biography of Thomas Hardy

Milo
9 min readApr 26, 2024

Thomas Hardy is probably most well-known for his novels such as The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), and Under the Greenwood Tree (1872). However, he considered himself more a poet than a novelist, writing over 900 poems throughout his life, yet not publishing his first book of poetry until 1898.

Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, Bain News Service via Wikimedia Commons

Early Life

Thomas Hardy was born one of four children on June 2nd, 1840, in Higher Bockhampton, an area just east of Dorchester, UK. His father, Thomas Hardy senior, was a builder and stonemason. Jemima, his mother, was regarded as a forward-thinking woman for her era, where it was believed that a woman’s role was to find a man to take care of her and have children. She discouraged her children from marrying or have children of their own.

Thomas was often ill as a child and spent much of his time reading. A passion encouraged by his mother. When Thomas was 8 years old, he was sent to school in Bockhampton, then at 10 he was sent to nearby Dorchester, where he would walk three miles to school every day. Instead of following into his father’s business, he was sent to apprentice as an architect when he was 16, eventually moving to London. In 1862, to work as an architect. While he was in London, he wrote poetry and submitted it to publishing houses, but he was unable to find a publisher. According to Thomas…

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Milo

Freelance project manager, content writer, and podcast producer. His most recent book “How to Manage Your Manager” is out now www.milodenison.com/books