Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855) was an English writer and diarist, the sister and lifelong companion of William Wordsworth. Her Grasmere and Alfoxden journals, published long after her death, record nature with a precision that inspired her brother's poems.
Genres
letters and other genres
An orphaned family
Dorothy Wordsworth was born on 25 December 1771 in Cockermouth, Cumberland. After her mother's death in 1778 she was separated from her brothers and brought up by relatives in Halifax and elsewhere.
In 1795 she and William set up house together, first at Racedown in Dorset, then at Alfoxden in Somerset, near Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Grasmere
In December 1799 they settled at Dove Cottage in Grasmere, in the Lake District. Dorothy kept a journal there from 1800 to 1803, recording walks, weather, people met on the roads, and household life.
William's poems often drew on her observations; the journal entry about daffodils seen near Ullswater in April 1802 underlies his famous poem. She also wrote accounts of tours in Scotland and on the Continent.
Later years
Dorothy lived with William and his wife Mary all her life, at Dove Cottage, Allan Bank and Rydal Mount. From 1835 she suffered from a severe illness affecting her mind and body.
She died at Rydal Mount on 25 January 1855. Her journals were published in part in 1897 by William Knight, and more fully in the twentieth century.
Anecdotes
Daffodils by the lake
On 15 April 1802, walking near Ullswater with William, Dorothy noted the daffodils dancing in the wind by the lake. William wrote his poem about them two years later.
A diary to please William
Dorothy began the Grasmere journal, she wrote, because she wanted to give William pleasure by it when he came home again.
Frequently asked questions
What are Dorothy Wordsworth's journals?
Diaries she kept at Alfoxden (1798) and Grasmere (1800–1803), and accounts of travels, recording nature and daily life.
Where did she live?
With her brother William at Racedown, Alfoxden, Dove Cottage in Grasmere and Rydal Mount.
When were the journals published?
In part in 1897, and in full only in the twentieth century.