William McGonagall: The Worst Poet in History?

“The chicken is a noble beast,

The cow is much forlorner,

Standing in the pouring rain,

With a leg in every corner.”

Perhaps by just reading that short stanza, you’ve made up your mind and don’t feel the need to learn more about the author of this rather awful prose. Is there anybody else that could offer up such a competitive race in appalling verse and tortuous doggerel?

Here is a brief resume of one of the most curious characters in the literary history of Scotland — William Topaz McGonagall.

Early Life and Upbringing

McGonagall was born in Edinburgh in 1825, and lived in Orkney until he was 11. His parents were both Irish, and his father was a hand-loom weaver. In search of work, the family moved around Scotland before settling in Dundee in 1840, the city that he is most associated with.

McGonagall followed in his father’s footsteps and also became a weaver. He married Jean King in 1846, and together, they had seven children — five sons and two daughters.

The middle name “Topaz” was not a birth title — somewhat unsurprisingly, given his character. This arrived late in his life during the 1890s when he was the target of a prank letter.