The origins of the British
poet laureateship date back to 1616 when
James I of England granted a pension to the writer
Ben Jonson. Although there were subsequent court poets it was not until 1668, and the appointment of
John Dryden by
Charles II, that the post was made an established royal office within
the royal household. Dryden, who had been appointed following the success of his 1667 poem
Annus Mirabilis, was dismissed from office in 1689 following the accession of the Protestant
William III and
Mary II to the throne. Dryden, a Catholic convert, refused to take the
Oath of Allegiance to the new monarchs and he was dismissed from the laureateship—the only holder to have been removed from office. Dryden's successor,
Thomas Shadwell, was appointed in 1689 for life. He introduced the custom of producing poems for the new year and the monarch's birthday, which became one of the key duties of the position. After the appointment of
William Wordsworth in 1843 the duties settled into an expectation, not requirement, for major court and national occasions.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson held the post between November 1850 and October 1892. According to
Andrew Motion and Hilary Laurie, Tennyson "gave the poet laureateship new status and significance" with works such as "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and "
The Charge of the Light Brigade". On his death the post was left vacant as a mark of respect; a new laureate was not appointed until four years later, with the appointment of
Alfred Austin in January 1896. As at 2015 the position is an honorary one, and the office holder is left to decide on which occasions they will produce poetry. Following Dryden's dismissal from the post, the laureateship was held for life by all successors until Motion was appointed in 1999 for a fixed term of ten years; his successor,
Carol Ann Duffy, was also appointed on the same fixed term. Duffy was the first female poet to hold the role, and the first Scot. After Shadwell's selection the laureate was appointed by the
Lord Chamberlain, on the monarch's instructions. Since the appointment of
Henry James Pye in 1790, the
prime minister has recommended which candidate to appoint. For the appointment of Duffy the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) undertook a consultation of academics and literary organisations to draw up a short list of recommendations which they presented to the prime minister. He, in conjunction with the
Cabinet Office, then submitted the name to the Queen for approval. Dryden's salary for the laureateship was £200 per year. In 1630
Charles I added an annual "
butt of
Canary wine", although this was later discontinued in place of the monetary equivalent. When
Ted Hughes was appointed, he rekindled the tradition, and received 720 bottles of sherry. Since Motion's appointment the DCMS provided an annual honorarium of £5,750; Motion also received an additional £19,000 for his work in education. With Duffy's appointment, the salary returned to £5,750 and the barrel of sherry. ==Poets laureate==