What is George Crabbe?
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Infobox writer | image = George Crabbe by Henry William Pickersgill.jpg | image_size = 240px | caption = Portrait of Crabbe by Henry William Pickersgill | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1754|12|24}} | birth_place = [[Aldeburgh]], [[Suffolk]], England | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1832|2|3|1754|12|24}} | death_place = [[Trowbridge]], [[Wiltshire]], England | nationality = English | period = 1770s to 1830s | genre = Poetry | subject = Rural life | signature = Crabbe Signature.jpg }} '''George Crabbe''' (born [[Aldeburgh]], [[Suffolk]], 24 December 1754; died [[Trowbridge]], [[Wiltshire]], 3 February 1832) was an English poet and [[natural history|naturalist]]. His poem ''The Borough'' which describes life in a small town in [[Suffolk]], inspired [[Benjamin Britten]] to compose his opera ''[[Peter Grimes]]''. ==Life== George Crabbe was born in [[Aldeburgh]], Suffolk. His father was a [[tax collector]]. As a child he loved poetry. In 1768, he was apprenticed to a local doctor, but he did not learn much from him. In 1771, he changed masters and moved to [[Woodbridge]]. There he met Sarah Elmy, who was to become his wife. She had the patience to wait until he had finished his medical studies before marrying him. She encouraged him in his verse writing. In 1775, he published his first work: ''Inebriety''. In 1780, he decided to give up being a doctor. He borrowed some money and went to London, where he tried to become known as a poet. It took several years, during which time he became a clergyman. He became chaplain to the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle in [[Leicestershire]]. Crabbe became well-known when he wrote a poem called ''The Village'' (1783). It was a long poem which described life in the country as he had known it. In 1783, he married Sarah. In 1814, he became Rector of [[Trowbridge]] in Wiltshire, where he stayed. Now that he had a family he did not feel any more