John Milton 1608 – 1674

Born in London into a prosperous family, Milton was educated at Christ’s College Cambridge and began writing poetry from an early age. Puritan and Parliamentarian, his formidable intellectual and linguistic abilities proved invaluable during the years of Cromwellian rule when he served in the government. In addition to his political role he wrote on social issues, including the right to challenge tyranny, freedom from censorship, and divorce. But he remained at heart a poet.

His masterwork, Paradise Lost, perhaps the greatest epic poem in the English language, was completed at the Cottage. By 1654 he was blind and forced to rely on assistance. Thomas Ellwood, to whom Milton had been introduced by Isaac Pennington, a Quaker, had become an amanuensis and friend. When the plague of 1665 forced Milton to flee from London, it was Ellwood who procured the Cottage for him and his family.

John Milton died in 1674 and is buried in St Giles Cripplegate in the City of London.