Richard John Jefferies, journalist, novelist, essayist, was born on 6 November 1848 at his family farm at Coate, near Swindon in Wiltshire in the southwest of England. His father, James Luckett Jefferies (1816-1896), had received the farm when he married Elizabeth Gyde (1817-1895), the daughter of a printer. The family had connections with the printing trade: his paternal and maternal grandfathers had both worked for Richard Taylor, who was a leading nineteenth-century printer of natural history and scientific books. They relinquished this position in order to operate the family mill and bakery in Swindon. The family also possessed a small estate in the hamlet of Coate. Mismanagement and lack of business acumen on the part of James resulted in bankruptcy, with James finishing his life as…
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Citation: Baker, William. "Richard Jefferies". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2352, accessed 24 November 2024.]
