Somerset Characters
| T.S.Eliot Thomas Stearns (TS) Eliot was born in Saint Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888. Eliot's poetry and critical works helped shape modern literature, and in 1948 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Eliot received his education at Smith Academy (closed in 1917) in Saint Louis, at Milton Academy in Massachusetts, and at Harvard University, where he obtained a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy. After studying at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Oxford University, he settled in London in 1914. Eliot worked first as a teacher, then as a clerk for Lloyd's Bank, while writing poetry in his spare time. In 1917, with the encouragement of his friend and mentor, American poet Ezra Pound, he published his first major poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. "Prufrock" revealed Eliot's early style, mixing humor and pessimism. The Waste Land (1922) expressed his horror at the spiritual turmoil of modern Europe. Eliot's Ash Wednesday (1930) is more traditional, and with its religious emphasis, more hopeful than his previous work. Eliot also wrote several plays including Murder in the Cathedral, (1935), The Family Reunion (1939), The Cocktail Party (1950), The Confidential Clerk (1954), and The Elder Statesman (1958).  In 1922 Eliot founded, and for seventeen years, edited the literary journal, Criterion. He also served as director of London publisher, Faber & Faber, from 1925 until his death in 1965. He chose to be buried in East Coker, Somerset, with his ancestors. |
Robert Blake Robert Blake (1599 – August 17, 1657) was one the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century.  Blake was one of thirteen siblings born to a merchant in Bridgwater, Somerset, UK, where he attended grammar school. After attending Oxford University, he had hoped to follow an academic career, but failed to secure a fellowship to Merton College, probably because of his political and religious views. Having returned to Bridgwater, probably because of the death of his mother in 1638, he decided to stand for Parliament.A series of ships in the Royal Navy have carried the name HMS Blake in honour of the Admiral. The bell of the last HMS Blake, scrapped in 1982, is on display in Saint Mary's Church, Bridgwater. |
| John Cleese He made his name in Monty Python, created the comedy classic Fawlty Towers (voted the most popular tv program of all time by the British Film Institute), wrote and starred in many block-buster movies, authored self-help books and is a highly successful business man - award-winning John Cleese has had a remarkable career.  Born in Weston-Super-Mare, England on October 27, 1939, Cleese was educated at Clifton College, Bristol, England, and went on to Cambridge University to study Law.A keen supporter of Amnesty International, Cleese has worked throughout his career organizing and appearing in many benefit concerts from 1975 to this day including the famous The Secret Policeman's Ball in 1979. Cleese is also a highly successful businessman. In 1972 he founded Video Arts, a corporate training company. He has also written self-help books including Families (1984) and Life and How to Survive It (1993). |
Kate Lynch Kate Lynch is an artist whose own work originally inspired the Local Heritage Initiative to celebrate Somerset’s willow. She is also a trained teacher, and worked with children in schools’ workshops as part of the project. “At the beginning, we moved from Castle Cary to a house where we could both have studios for our painting.  So I found myself living on a hill above the Somerset Levels, and it’s a really very different landscape around here from the Somerset/Dorset border where we were before, even though it’s only fifteen miles further west.LHI is a really important source of funding, because it responds directly to people within the community who want to protect and celebrate what’s important to them locally. And that includes encouraging and inspiring the children so that they will feel really interested and involved in their own heritage.” |
| William Rees-Mogg In January, 1967, William Rees-Mogg was appointed Editor of the best known newspaper in the world and the oldest paper in the English language with a record of continuous daily publication. The Times was first published in January, 1785, by one John Walter and was associated with his descendents until 1966, at which time it became part of the Thomson Newspaper group. 
William Rees-Mogg was born in Temple Cloud, Somerset, and educated at Charterhouse where he was a scholar, leaving exhibitioner and Head of School. He attended Balliol College, Oxford where he obtained a Master of Arts degree and he was President of the Oxford Union, 1951. He joined The Financial Times in 1952 and was Chief Lead Writer from 1955 to 1960, and Assistant Editor from 1957 to 1960. He was City Editor of The Sunday Times from 1960 to '61, and in 1964 was appointed Deputy Editor, which post he held until his appointment to his present position. He contested a by-election and a general election as a Conservative. His biographical notes do not indicate with what success. He was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party's National Advisory Committee on Political Education in 1961. He also served for two years in the Royal Air Force. He is an author, having published two books, His Majesty Preserved in 1954 and Sir Anthony Eden in 1956. He is, in addition, a collector of books. |
Jenson Button Button was born on January 19, 1980, in Frome, Somerset. Jenson is the son of former British rallycross ace John Button (well-known for his so-called Colorado beetle Volkswagen), whose best overall result was to become the runner-up in the RAC British Rallycross Championship of 1976. Button junior began karting at age eight, generally dominating every race in which he took part. In 1991, he won the British Cadet Kart Championship, taking first place in all 34 races. In 1997, he became the youngest driver ever to win the European Super A Championship.  He switched from karts to cars in 1998, winning the British Formula Ford Championship that same year for Haywood Racing. Button entered Formula Three in 1999, winning two races and placing third in the British Championship.One of the more popular F1 drivers, Jenson Button began F1 racing in 2000 with the Williams team. He moved to the Benetton/Renault team in 2001, where he stayed until 2003, when he signed with BAR. |