Anglo-Irish poet Cecil Day-Lewis was third-choice UK poet laureate in 1968, archives show

The Anglo-Irish poet Cecil Day-Lewis was put forward to be the UK’s poet laureate in 1968 after two other frontrunners were dismissed as ineligible for the prestigious position.

New documents released by the British National Archives in London show that Day-Lewis, who was born in Co Laois, was the third choice for the post he was subsequently appointed to.

John Hewitt, the secretary of appointments to the then prime minister Harold Wilson, asked prominent bodies and individuals about who should be appointed as the new poet laureate, following the death of John Masefield in 1967.

The position of poet laureate has been called the highest literary honour in the UK with the government of the day appointing a person to the role. When he was appointed in 1968, Day-Lewis said that he was the first Anglo-Irishman to be given the job.

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He was the father of actor Daniel Day-Lewis and Tamasin Day-Lewis, a chef and food critic, and at 63 was seen as being the most established poet being considered.

But when Hewitt had drawn up his preferred choices from a shortlist of 11, two other names were ahead of him – WH Auden and Robert Graves – but neither were suitable.

“The outstanding names in this list are WH Auden and Robert Graves. But Auden is an American citizen and this effectively rules him out of consideration. Robert Graves lives mainly in Majorca and his attitude towards the laureateship has been so offensive that it virtually rules him out for appointment. He has expressed violent views about poets receiving awards from the State,” wrote Hewitt.

“In view of his foreign domicile and the views he has expressed publicly, it would appear that his name ought not to be considered further.”

The position carried with it a salary of £70 a year and involved making appearances, giving lectures and making speeches. Along with Day-Lewis, John Betjeman was also in consideration, according to Hewitt.

“Day-Lewis would be a safe appointment. He is a good administrator, a profound analyst of poetry and a fine verse speaker. In his readings he has treated poetry as a means of communication in a way which has benefited the younger generation. One or two of his publications are brilliant, not so much for their poetic content as for their ability to teach poetry,” he wrote.

The documents in the National Archives include one note, the author of which is unclear, which raises concern about whether the status of Day-Lewis as a divorcee might be a problem as the poet laureate is a member of the royal household.

However, Day-Lewis was subsequently chosen for the position with Wilson asking him for permission to put his name forward to the queen. When news of his appointment became public, he said “there’s a feather in the cap for the old country” while eating chocolate pudding in his study at home in Greenwich in London.