Person DS/UK/255 Wheatcroft; Leonard (1627-1707); poet, craftsman, tailor, publican and Ashover parish clerk Wheatcroft Leonard Male poet, craftsman, tailor, publican and Ashover parish clerk 1627-1707 The Black Poet 1627 born, Ashover 1657 married Elizabeth Hawley of Winster 1707 died, Ashover

Lived most of his life in Ashover

Described as the laureate of Ashover, Leonard was one of nine children born to Leonard Wheatcroft and Anne. His original trade was as a tailor. He became parish clerk in 1650 and then a soldier in 1653. In 1657 he married Elizabeth Hawley of Winster after a two year courtship he described in manuscript verse known as The Art of Poetry, or, Come ye Gallants Look and Buy, here is Mirth and Melody. Wheatcroft turned his hand to many things to make a living including gardening, orchard planting and carpentry with stints as an alehouse keeper and maltser. His compositions reflect the social events within the rural life such as hunting, bellringing and include elegies for notable local worthies. In 1696 he presented birthday verses to the Earl Of Rutland at Haddon Hall. He died in January 1707 and is buried at Ashover. Parents: Leonard and Anne Wheatcroft Father of Titus Wheatcroft. DS/UK/256 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-57645 https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/daj/contents.cfm?vol_id=1010 https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/leonard-wheatcroft/ Peter 12/04/2001 DERBYSHIRE\a7005277 02/08/2021 1f011aad-3e53-11db-b891-00d0b7bbf63a