Arthur Caddick

Arthur Bruce Caddick (1911–1987) was an English poet, satirist, novelist, and memoirist associated with Cornwall and the St Ives artistic community. Often referred to as the "Poet Laureate of West Cornwall", his work drew heavily on the landscapes, people, pubs, artists, and nationalist politics of Cornwall. His poetry combined humour, satire, regional identity, and bohemian social commentary.

Early life and education Arthur Bruce Caddick was born in 1911 in Chatham, Kent. He was educated at Sedbergh School before studying jurisprudence at Wadham College, where he graduated in law. He remained there for thirty-six years, raising five children and developing a literary career inspired by the landscapes and communities of West Cornwall.

Caddick became associated with the artistic and literary circles of St Ives and West Penwith, mixing with painters, writers, publicans, and members of the Cornish nationalist movement. His work both celebrated and satirised aspects of Cornish identity and bohemian culture.

In 1949 he won first prize at the Inter-Celtic Festival held in St Ives.

The Ballad of Michael Joseph, the Captain of Cornwall (1947) Alphabet of West Cornwall (1963) A Croft in Cornwall (1968) Broadsides from Bohemia, in Praise of Painters, Publicans and Other Cornish Saints (1973)

Death and legacy After a period of ill health, Caddick moved from Cornwall to North Devon, where he died in 1987.

Arthur Caddick has been remembered as an important regional literary figure in Cornwall, particularly for his depictions of West Penwith life and the mid-20th century artistic culture of St Ives. His papers, including diaries from 1980 to 1985, are held in the Special Collections of the University of Exeter.