Poems by Thomas Hardy

Inspired by Thomas Hardy: An Anthology of Students' Poems 2019 [News]
A beautiful collection of original works by students passionate about emulating Hardy

'Love, praise, indifference, blame' [Event]
Phillip Mallett, University of St Andrews. This talk looks at some of the 150 or so poems Hardy wrote about his first wife, Emma, after her death in 1912.

The Face At The Casement [Event]
?Readings and Poems to be recited outside St. Clether Vicarage, the 17thC cottage which was home to William Sergant, Hardy's love rival for Emma Gifford.

Exploring Egdon Heath [Event]
Led by Joy Wallace and Wendy Barter Smee this is an opportunity to get into the countryside beyond Hardy's Cottage and listen to Hardy's poems

Meet the Author at Waterstones [Event]
Giles Keating, Author of Thomas Hardy: 10 Lovers, 50 Poems

Thomas Hardy Poetry Group Goes Online [News]
A successful move from physical to virtual appreciation.

Tatterdemalion and Tim Laycock - 'Satires of Circumstance' [Event]
A Musical Performance of a Treasured Volume of Hardy Poetry for the Thomas Hardy Society Conference and Festival 2021

Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs and Trifles [News]
2025 marks the 100th Anniversary of this anthology

Woman Much Missed - Book Launch at Waterstones [Event]
The New Book by Professor Mark Ford on Hardy, Emma and Poetry

Hardy's Wessex [Page]
Hardy's Wessex

Hardy's Birthday Weekend Celebrations [Event]
A celebration of Hardy's 179th birthday

'Great Things' and 'The Oxen' [Page]
Original Settings of Two Hardy Poems by John Whittaker

Culture Club – Thomas Hardy in Words and Music [Event]
For this month’s Culture Club, we’re joined by the Hardy Annuals for an evening of Thomas Hardy in Words and Music. Come and enjoy readings from Hardy’s poems and novels,

Dead Poets Live return to Wilton's to tell the ghost story of Thomas Hardy's love poetry. [Event]
Every bereavement is a kind of ghost story. When Thomas Hardyâ€™s wife Emma died unexpectedly in 1912, her loss unstoppered a flood of poetry in Hardy.

'A Dorset Year: The Poetry and Prose of William Barnes and Thomas Hardy' [Event]
Beckley and Area Community Benefit Society

New Thomas Hardy book on his 'problematic' marriage [News]
A NEW book on Thomas Hardy asks why his marriage was so 'problematical'

Thomas Hardy Poetry Workshops in Schools [News]
THS Academic Director Dr Faysal Mikdadi leads Hardy poetry workshops in schools across England

Fare Thee Well, Cold Winter [News]
Upwey Music presents the Ridgeway Singers & Band, led by Phil Humphries and Tim Laycock, in 'Fare Thee Well, Cold Winterâ€™, a special programme of Dorset music, stories and poems to celebrate the coming of spring.

Men Who March Away [Event]
Men Who March Away

The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry [Event]
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry

â€˜Woman much missedâ€™: The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry [Event]
An Online Talk for Wessex Museums

William Barnes and Thomas Hardy: Study Day [Event]
The Barnes Society and the Thomas Hardy Society are pleased to present a joint study day on Saturday 26th October

SOLD OUT: Jude the Obscure Study Day [Event]
BOOKINGS ARE NOW CLOSED

The Longing of Thomas Hardy and Edward Thomas [Event]
A Lecture by Suzanne Conway

'Hardy's Subjunctive Mood' [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Lecture by Professor Tim Armstrong

Reading the Signs by Jim Potts [News]
A new book of poetry featuring Dorset

Resources [Page]
Resources

'Thomas Hardy Sends an Email' [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Evening of Poetry with Alison Brackenbury

Wareham Choral Society Presents 'Dorset Jubilate' [Event]
Featuring Hardy's 'The Oxen' and 'The Darkling Thrush'

The Mellstock Band Performance [Event]
The Mellstock Band Performing for the Victorian Fayre

Thomas Hardy and Art [Event]
From the National Gallery’s Collection in 1861 to Hardy’s exploration of artistic themes in his poetry and prose

THS Birthday Weekend [News]
It was an extremely successful weekend - the weather was glorious. Richard delivered a brilliant sermon regarding Hardy at the service at Stinsford.

The Folio Society - Collected Poems by Thomas Hardy [News]
Selected and introduced by Robert Macfarlane, Illustrated by Stanley Donwood

WW1: Hardy at Athelhampton [Event]
Join Hardy at Athelhampton as WW1 is announced

THS London Lecture 2021 - Professor Mark Ford [Event]
Professor Mark Ford - 'Four Poems About London by Hardy'

The Strange House [Event]
A walk from the United Church, Dorchester, to Max Gate where John Hayes (National Trust house manager) will give a talk about the house

Thomas Hardy: A Haunted Man [News]
BBC Four TV is running a short Thomas Hardy 'Season' starting, Wednesday, October 30th, at 9 pm

Annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Thomas Hardy's Tomb [News]
In a poignant annual tradition, a gathering of some dozens assembled at Westminster Abbey on the 13th of January to pay homage to Thomas Hardy, whose ashes, along with a sprinkling of Wessex soil, rest in Poetsâ€™ Corner.

The Spell of the Rose [News]
The Spell of the Rose by Thomas Hardy

Ring Out Christmas Bells! [Event]
Ridgeway Singers & Band Christmas Concerts December 2024. Once again The Ridgeway Singers & Band invite you to join them for an evening of West Gallery carols, Dorset songs, dance tunes, and local poems and stories to celebrate the coming of midwinter and the festive season.

Thomas Hardy Songs [Page]
Original Compositions by Thorium Star

Where the Picnic Was with a Musical Accompaniment by Gary Cunliffe [Page]
A sublime poetry reading experience

Hardy Women – a new biography of Thomas Hardy [News]
Seen through the eyes of women. We asked Mark Chutter, chair of the Thomas Hardy Society (and Head of English at Wey Valley School) to interview Dr Paula Byrne FRSA.

Pascale Petit - Tiger Girl [News]
A new poetry collection

Timeline [Page]
Timeline

Hardy Perennials by Brenda Sharp [Page]
An original dedication

THS Competition 2025 [News]
Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs and Trifles

Ridgeway Singers & Band 10th Anniversary Concert - Bridport [Event]
Ridgeway Singers & Band 10th Anniversary Concert

A Review of the Inspired By Thomas Hardy Poetry Anthologies [News]
By Richard House - Self & Society: An International Journal for Humanistic Psychology

Edward Bourne - Drawing Hardyland [Event]
A Presentation of Drawings Inspired by Hardy's Wessex

PUTTING HARDY TO MUSIC - JON BLAKE [Page]
Iâ€™d always liked the carols that evoked a winter landscape, such as â€œThe Holly and the Ivyâ€, â€œGood King Wenceslasâ€ and â€œIn the Deep Midwinterâ€, so began to think about poems that were also redolent of the season.

Best and Worst Poems of Thomas Hardy [Page]
A Blog by Thomas Tyrrell on Hardy's Poetic Oeuvre

Ridgeway Singers & Band 10th Anniversary Concert - Ansty [Event]
Ridgeway Singers & Band 10th Anniversary Concert

A Portrait of Tess/Mr Hardy's War [Event]
The portrait is of Agatha Cox 'Her on whom I thought when I wrote Tess'. She married Hamo Thorneycroft, the sculptor, in 1884 and thus became the aunt of Sigfried Sassoon.

In Praise [Page]
An Original Poem by Jon B. Stobbart

Thomas Hardy talk at Puddletown [News]
The Novel, the Novelist and Puddletown

Hardy’s Purbeck: Eliza Nicholls & Ethelberta [Event]
The Hand of Ethelberta & A Pair of Blue Eyes

William Barnes - Region and Nation [News]
The William Barnes Society Summer Talk

Ridgeway Singers and Band present â€˜To Keep Old Christmas Up!â€™ [Event]
Ridgeway Singers and Band present â€˜To Keep Old Christmas Up!â€™

Word Takes Wing by Wyvern [Event]
Word Takes Wing - an original folk-drama taken from Hardy's notebooks

A Hardy Walk Around Fordington [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Event

Wessex and Hardy [News]
Wessex and Hardy. A new play written for our venues by Ann Davidson with traditional music and costume, well-loved works and hidden gems, our players bring to life this onward march.

Hardy's Budmouth [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Event

Shaftesbury Fringe, Hardy Annuals - Jan Wyld, Richard Willetts, Richard Hall [News]
Shaftesbury Fringe, Hardy Annuals - Jan Wyld, Richard Willetts, Richard Hall. Thomas Hardy was fascinated with music

Hardy and Costume: An Interactive Workshop [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Workshop with Lucy Brown

Thomas Hardy: A Beginner's Guide [Page]
Thomas Hardy: A Beginner's Guide

Short stories [Page]
Short stories

'Wessex Heights â€“ Thomas Hardy and Romanticism' [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Lecture by Dr Tony Fincham

'Voices From Home: A Poetry Performance in Dialect' [Event]
A THS Conference/Festival Presentation by Dr Alan Chedzoy

When I set out for Lyonnesse [Event]
When I set out for Lyonnesse, One hundred and fifty years ago. A celebration of Thomas Hardy’s first visit to Cornwall in March 1870

Hardy and the Classroom [News]
Two recent events by Thomas Hardy Society members for teachers and students of nineteenth-century texts at GCSE Level

2016 THS Conference [Page]
Celebrating 130 years since the publication of The Mayor of Casterbridge

THS STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION 2022 - DEADLINE EXTENDED! [News]
â€˜HARDY AND TRAVELâ€™

Bardic Seat Competition 2024 [Event]
Who will be the next Bard of Caer Dur / Dorchester - This wonderful community event is a must for all ages. Take part or be an audience member. Celebrate the poets of Dorset.

Thomas Hardy Confidential [Event]
A fascinating fresh appreciation of a great writer and the people and places he immortalised.

An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Professor Mark Ford [Event]
An Event for the Thomas Hardy Society 2021 Conference and Festival

Going The Rounds 2021 [Event]
A Biennial THS Event in Conjunction with Tim Laycock and Dorset Musicians

Students Seek to Emulate Hardy [News]
The National Trust presents awards to student winners of the Thomas Hardy Young Poetry Prize

Dorchester Through the Lens of Thomas Hardy [Event]
A Talk by THS Chairman Mark Chutter Hosted by Dorset Museum

Wyvern - Word Takes Wing [Event]
An original folk drama drawing on the notebooks of Thomas Hardy

2021 THS Student Essay Competition [News]
Hardy and Religion

Thomas Hardy: Wessex Love Songs [Event]
Music in Country Churches - Minchinhampton

Dorchester Vintage Bus and Coach Running Day [Event]
WHOTT Celebrates Under the Greenwood Tree

Inspired by Thomas Hardy - An Anthology of Students’ Works 2020 [News]
The latest anthology of work inspired by Hardy - edited by Dr Faysal Mikdadi

The Coppice Gate [Page]
An original poem by Brenda Sharp

Inspired by Thomas Hardy - Students' Poetry Workshops [News]
An article published in Dorset Year Book 2020

The Thomas Hardy Birthday Weekend [News]
A report and pictures by Richard Franklin

Patrick Tolfree Essay Competition 2025 [News]
‘Hardy and Marriage’ - Essay contributions sought

To Yollow Autumn Turn’d [News]
An evening of traditional folk songs and music, readings and storytelling

Wey Valley Academy find out about Hardy poetry project [News]
Giles Keating, Athelhampton House, talks about 10 Lovers, 50 Poems

A Thomas Hardy Christmas Quiz! [News]
Hardy 100 Years Ago - by Rod Drew

THE THOMAS HARDY SOCIETY FAYSAL MIKDADI POETRY COMPETITION [News]
A competition in honour of one who tirelessly promoted education and personal creativity

THS Call for Papers [News]
The 27th International Thomas Hardy Conference & Festival

Thomas Hardy Memorial Service 2025 [News]
THS members met at Poets' Corner on the anniversary of Hardy's death on 11th January for the Annual Wreath-laying Service at Westminster Abbey

Christmas with the Ridgeway Singers & Band [Event]
A Traditional Dorset Celebration!

Call For Papers: The Twenty-Sixth International Thomas Hardy Conference & Festival [News]
The deadline for the 2024 Thomas Hardy International Conference and Festival Call for Papers has been extended to February 1st. Please note that any postgraduate student whose proposal is successful will be able to apply to the Society for a bursary.

On the Cusp of Change [Event]
Ann Davidson with Newbury Dramatic Society - WESSEX AND HARDY: on the cusp of change. The essence of Hardy’s loves and passions, his regrets and melancholy is captured here in a skilfully written new play by Ann Davidson

The New Hardy Tree [News]
On Friday 12 April 2024 at about 11am a small group of people gathered in Old St Pancras churchyard in north London. The event, organised by Camden Council, was the planting of a replacement for the famous Hardy Tree which collapsed overnight on 27 December 2022.

Life [Page]
Thomas Hardy

Christmas in Mellstock [Event]
A weekend of Music and Song from the West Country as immortalised in the Poems and Novels of Thomas Hardy

Mr Hardy - Stories That Take You Into the Heart of Nature [News]
The Rites of Way With Mr Hardy Project

Tea with William Barnes [News]
Our Annual Celebration of the Dorset Dialect Poet! Dialect poet William Barnes relished the huge variety of country dances

Thomas Hardy Society Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Westminster Abbey [News]
A Review by Mark Chutter

Westminster Abbey Anniversary Wreath-Laying 2023 [News]
A review by THS Chairman Mark Chutter

McCarthy Stone Thomas Hardy Poetry Competition [News]
Win £150 Book Vouchers!

Hardy and the Titanic by Tracy Hayes [Page]
On 15 April 1912, the RMS TITANIC sank in the early hours of the morning after colliding with an iceberg in the Atlantic ocean.

One hundred letters sent to Thomas Hardy made public for the first time [News]
Thomas Hardy’s position as one of Britain’s preeminent writers meant he received thousands of letters from fans, friends and members of the public to express their admiration or enlist his support.

Great Things [Page]
An original musical score by Wasyl Sydorenko, with words by Thomas Hardy

Important Thomas Hardy Correspondence Purchase [News]
Important letter will guarantee long-term access to Archives

'Great Things' by Mark Chutter [Page]
Revisiting THS Memories During Lockdown

A THS Message [News]
News from the Chairman and Secretary

FAQ [Page]
Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy Society Birthday Weekend 2021 [News]
Celebrating Hardy's 181st Birthday!

The Thomas Hardy Society Conference and Festival 2022 [Event]
Registration is Open!

Thomas Hardy Society Conference 2010 Report by Brenda Parry [Page]
Brenda's highlights of the 2010 Conference

2019 [Page]
Minutes from the 2019 AGM and details of Accounts

A Beautiful Thread - A Review [News]
Commemorating Thomas Hardy's Birthday

Links [Page]
Links to Societies promoting Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy Birthday Weekend 2023 [Event]
Hardy, Dorchester and World War I

Unsung Heroes of HardyLand - Margaret Marande [Page]
A series celebrating the individuals who work behind the scenes to provide us with unique Hardyan experiences.

Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Townsend Warner: Wessex Writers [Event]
Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Townsend Warner: Wessex Writers

Hardy and Valentine's Day by Tracy Hayes [Page]
The most famous instance of a Valentine appearing in Hardy's works is of course the chapter 'Sortes Sanctorum' in Far From the Madding Crowd.

PETER TAIT, THOMAS HARDY'S WOMEN: IN LIFE AND LITERATURE [News]
A Thomas Hardy Society Book Review by Dr Tracy Hayes

Thomas Hardy Birthday Weekend 2025 [News]
Celebrating 185 years of Hardy

The Dynasts Study Day [Page]
The Dynasts is indeed both a rattling good history by a melioristic pacifist and a work of epic proportions!

Hardy and Lockdown by Tracy Hayes [Page]
Hardy and Lockdown

SYLVIA TOWNSEND WARNER STUDY WEEKEND [News]
THOMAS HARDY AND SYLVIA TOWNSEND WARNER STUDY WEEKEND IN DORCHESTER, 10-11 FEBRUARY 2024. The study weekend organised jointly by the Thomas Hardy Society and Sylvia Townsend Warner Society, led off on Saturday 10th Feb with a day-long mini-conference in the Learning Room of Dorchester Library

Celebrating 150 Years Since Hardy Met Emma Gifford [Page]
A trip to Cornwall in the footsteps of Hardy and Emma

Our Partners [Page]
Learn more about the Hardy Country initiative partners

Call for Papers: 'Green Hardy' [News]
FATHOM (French Association for Thomas Hardy Studies) Seeks Submissions

STAND and Thomas Hardy Society Walk Report [News]
A walk to discover how much beautiful Wessex countryside will be lost

Purchase of New Hardy Letter [News]
The Thomas Hardy Society in conjunction with the Dorset History Centre have purchased a newly discovered letter by Hardy

Hardy/Larkin Conference Weekend [News]
A conference held at Kingston Maurward to celebrate Philip Larkin's birthday and the 70th anniversary of his Hardy pilgrimage

Save Our Dorchester, Save Your County Town! [News]
Stop the development of 4000 on the Water Meadows!

Thomas Hardy Society visit to Stourhead [News]
The Thomas Hardy Society visited Stourhead on Saturday, 28th September, with a private viewing of the original letters

A Tribute to Professor Rosemarie Morgan [News]
R.I.P. Colleague, Mentor, Friend

Twenty-Fourth International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival - 2021 [Event]
The rescheduled conference IS STILL GOING AHEAD!

Time, Memory and Emotion in The Trumpet-Major - Andrew Hewitt [Page]
Time, Memory and Emotion in The Trumpet-Major

The 26th International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival [Event]
The 26th International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival

The Trumpet-Major: A Happy Wessex Pastoral Romance or a Clumsy Historical Narrative? - Faysal Mikdadi [Page]
The Trumpet-Major: A Happy Wessex Pastoral Romance or a Clumsy Historical Narrative?

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2025/2026 THS Dates for your diary

From 27/09/2025 until 01/08/2026
Starts 13:00 until 18:00

Dorchester Book Fair 2025

On 25/10/2025
Starts 10:00 until 16:00

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From 31/10/2025 until 02/11/2025
Starts 12:00 until 14:00

Meet the Author at Waterstones

On 06/11/2025
Starts 18:00 until 20:00