Sterling, John, 1806-1844

John Sterling (1806-1844) was a writer, curate, and poet. Diagnosed with consumption, or tuberculosis, in his twenties, he resigned his position as curate of Hurstmonceaux and devoted himself to writing. His works include the historical novel Arthur Coningsby; a collection of poems; The election, a verse narrative; Strafford, a tragedy; and several short stories. His writings were very well-regarded among his contemporaries and close friends, who included Thomas Carlyle, John Stuart Mill, Alfred Tennyson, and Samuel Coleridge. In 1841, he moved with his wife Susannah and their children to Falmouth, where they became close friends with Caroline, Barclay, and Anna Maria Fox, the children of the Quaker geologist and natural philosopher Robert and Maria Fox. After his wife's death in 1843, Sterling moved to the Isle of Wight, where he died in 1844.

English author.