Thomas Hardy's Life

Sources

1840
• Hardy is Born to Thomas and Jemima (Hand) Hardy on June 2 at Higher Bockhampton, Dorset.
1848
• Hardy attends village school in Lower Bockhampton
1849
• Hardy transfers to school in Dorchester.
• He learns Latin, plays fiddle for dances and weddings.
1856-61
• Hardy is articled to John Hicks, a Dorchester architect.
• He meets Horace Moule, who helps him study Greek and write poetry.
• He witnesses a woman's public execution, an episode which later figures in the ending of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
1862-7
• Hardy moves to London to work as an architect.
• While in London, he becomes involved with the city's cultural life, but is disenchanted with society and rigid class structure.
• He also reads widely in modern poets and writes poetry, but is rejected by publishers.
1867
• In ill health, Hardy returns to Dorset to work for Hicks.
• He begins The Poor Man and the Lady, but the novel is rejected by publishers.
1869
• Hardy works for architect G. R. Crickmay.
1870
• Hardy is sent by Crickmay to work on restoration of St. Juliot, Cornwall.
• In Cornwall, he meets his future wife, Emma Gifford.
• He visits Boscastle, Tintagel, and Beeny Cliff.
1871
• Desperate Remedies is published.
1872
• Under the Greenwood Tree is published and received well.
1873
• A Pair of Blue Eyes is published.
• Hardy is invited to write a serial for Cornhill magazine.
• While working in Higher Bockhampton, he begins Far From the Madding Crowd.
1874
• Hardy marries Emma Gifford on September 17.
• Far From the Madding Crowd is published.
1875
• The Hardys move to London, Swanage and Yeovil in the same year.
1876
• The Hand of Ethelberta is published.
• The Hardys move to Riverside Villa in Sturminster Newton.
1878
• Return of the Native is published.
• The Hardys move to Tooting.
• He begins his study of the Napoleonic Wars and joins literary and social circles.
1880
• The Trumpet Major is published.
• Hardy falls seriously ill, forcing him to dictate A Laodicean to his wife.
1881
• A Laodicean is published.
• The Hardys move to Wimborne Minster.
1882
• Two on a Tower is published.
1883
• The Hardys move to Dorchester.
1885
• Hardy and Emma Move into their own home, Max Gate.
1886
• The Mayor of Casterbridge is published.
1887
• The Woodlanders is published.
• Hardy takes a tour of Italy.
• He also visits the graves of Shelley and Keats.
1888
• Hardy's first collection of short stories Wessex Tales is published.
• He begins Tess of the d'Urbervilles with the title Too Late Beloved.
1889
• Conflicts with editors force Hardy to Bowdlerize the text of Tess.
1890
• Hardy is a pet lover
1891
• Tess of the d'Urbervilles is finally published.
• The novel is well received but also heavily criticized.
1892
• The Well-Beloved is published serially.
• Hardy's father dies on July 20.
• Hardy's marriage begins to become difficult.
1893
• Hardy meets Florence Henniker in Dublin.
1894
• Hardy is working on Jude
• Life's Little Ironies is published.
1895
• Jude the Obscure is published.
• The novel receives harsh criticism prompting Hardy to give up novel writing
1897
• The Well Beloved , which was written prior to Jude is published
• Hardy visits Switzerland and the West Country.
1898
• Hardy's First volume of poetry, Wessex poems, is published.
1899
• Hardy is an avid cyclist.
1901
• Poems of the Past and Present is published.
1904
• Hardy's mother dies on April 3.
• The first part of his epic, The Dynasts is published.
1907
• Hardy begins his relationship with Florence Dugdale.
1908
• Hardy completes The Dynasts.
1909
• Time's Laughingstocks is published.
• Hardy accepts governorship of the Dorchester Grammar School and presidency of the Society of Authors.
1910
• Hardy is presented with the Order of Merit.
1912
• Emma Hardy dies suddenly on November 27.
• The Wessex novels are published.
1913
• Hardy re-visits St. Juliot's Church, Cornwall, and begins writing the series of poems which would become "The Poems of 1912-13".
• A Changed Man and Other Tales is published.
1914
• Hardy marries Florence Dugdale on February 10 at St. Andrew's, Enfield.
• WWI begins.
• Hardy pledges allegiance to Allies along with other writers.
• Satires of Circumstance is published.
1915
• Hardy's sister Mary dies.
1917
• Moments of Vision is published.
• Hardy begins to become reclusive, but starts work on The Life with Florence.
1922
• Late Lyrics and Earlier is published.
• Hardy visits Stinford.
1923
• The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall is published.
• Hardy entertains the Prince of Wales at Max Gate.
1925
• Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs, and Trifles is published.
1926
• Hardy entertains Virginia Woolf at Max Gate.
• His dog 'Wessex' dies.
• Hardy pays a final visit to Higher Bockhampton.
1927
• Hardy makes his final public appearance with an address at the Dorchester Grammar School stone-laying.
• He becomes ill in December.
1928
• Hardy dies at the age of 87 on January 10.
• His heart is buried in Stinsford Churchyard, while his remains rest in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey.
• His final volume of poetry, Winter Words is published posthumously.

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