Cecil Day-Lewis

Irish-born British poet (1904–1972)
Person human Q954383
Cecil Day-Lewis
William Rothenstein · Public Domain · Wikimedia
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Cecil Day-Lewis was an Irish-born British poet, novelist, and literary critic who served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972 . Born on April 27, 1904, in County Laois, he held dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and Ireland [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. His career spanned multiple literary fields including poetry, literary criticism, and detective literature [13], and he worked as a novelist, writer, screenwriter, university teacher, and literary critic [14][15].

Day-Lewis was educated at Sherborne School and Wadham College [15][16]. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contributions to literature . He was married first to Mary King from 1928 to 1951, and then to Jill Balcon from 1951 until his death [17]. He had three children: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tamasin Day-Lewis, and Sean Day-Lewis [15]. He died on May 22, 1972, in Lemmons and was buried in Dorset [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][15]. His parents were Frank Day-Lewis and Kathleen Blake Squires [17][17].

Cecil Day-Lewis

Summary

Cecil Day-Lewis is a human[1]. Born in County Laois[2], he… he was born on April 27, 1904[3]. He died in Lemmons[4]. He died on May 22, 1972[5]. He worked as a poet[6], novelist[7], writer[8], screenwriter[9], and university teacher[10]. He ranks in the top 0.63% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (1,144 views/month, #6,286 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Cecil Day-Lewis's place of birth was County Laois[2].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis died in Lemmons[4].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis was born on April 27, 1904[3].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis was born on 1904[12].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis died on May 22, 1972[5].
  • Burial took place at Dorset[13].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's father was Frank Day-Lewis[14].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's mother was Kathleen Blake Squires[15].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis was married to Mary King[16].
  • Among Cecil Day-Lewis's spouses was Jill Balcon[17].
  • A child of Cecil Day-Lewis was Daniel Day-Lewis[18].
  • A child of Cecil Day-Lewis was Tamasin Day-Lewis[19].
  • A child of Cecil Day-Lewis was Sean Day-Lewis[20].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis held citizenship in United Kingdom[21].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis held citizenship in Ireland[22].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis worked as a poet[6].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's professions included novelist[7].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's professions included writer[8].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's professions included screenwriter[9].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis worked as a university teacher[10].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis worked as a literary critic[23].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's field of work was poetry[24].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's field of work was literary criticism[25].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis's field of work was detective literature[26].
  • Cecil Day-Lewis held the position of Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in County Laois[2], Cecil Day-Lewis… Recorded date of birth include April 27, 1904[3] and 1904[12]. His father was Frank Day-Lewis[14]. His mother was Kathleen Blake Squires[15].

Education

Educated at Wadham College[28], a college of the University of Oxford[29], in United Kingdom[30], founded in 1610[31], headquartered in Oxford[32] and Sherborne School[33], an independent school[34], in United Kingdom[35], founded in 1550[36], headquartered in Sherborne[37].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include poet[6], novelist[7], writer[8], screenwriter[9], university teacher[10], and literary critic[23]. Fields of work include poetry[24], a literary form[38]; literary criticism[25], a literary genre[39]; and detective literature[26], a literary genre[40]. Employers include Harvard University[41], a private university[42], in United States[43], founded in 1636[44], headquartered in Cambridge[45]; Gresham College[46], an educational institution[47], in United Kingdom[48], founded in 1597[49]; and University of Cambridge[50], a collegiate university[51], in United Kingdom[52], founded in 1209[53], headquartered in Cambridge[54]. Cecil Day-Lewis held the position of Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom[27].

Recognition

Cecil Day-Lewis received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire[55].

Personal Life

Spouses include Mary King[16], 1902–1975[56] and Jill Balcon[17], an actor[57], 1925–2009[58], of United Kingdom[59], awarded the honorary master's degree[60]. Children include Daniel Day-Lewis[18], a film actor[61], b. 1957[62], of Ireland[63], awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor[64], specialised in film acting[65]; Tamasin Day-Lewis[19], a chef[66], b. 1953[67], of United Kingdom[68]; and Sean Day-Lewis[20], a journalist[69], 1931–2022[70], of United Kingdom[71].

Death and Burial

Cecil Day-Lewis died on May 22, 1972[5]. He passed away in Lemmons[4]. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer[72]. He is buried at Dorset[13].

Why It Matters

Cecil Day-Lewis ranks in the top 0.63% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (1,144 views/month, #6,286 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 18 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[73] He is known by 29 alternative names across languages and contexts.[74]

FAQs

Where was Cecil Day-Lewis born?

Born in County Laois[2], Cecil Day-Lewis…

Where did Cecil Day-Lewis die?

Cecil Day-Lewis died in Lemmons[4].

Who were Cecil Day-Lewis's parents?

Cecil Day-Lewis's father was Frank Day-Lewis[14]. Cecil Day-Lewis's mother was Kathleen Blake Squires[15].

Who was Cecil Day-Lewis married to?

Cecil Day-Lewis's spouses include Mary King[16] and Jill Balcon[17].

What did Cecil Day-Lewis do for work?

Cecil Day-Lewis worked as poet[6], novelist[7], writer[8], screenwriter[9], and university teacher[10].

Where did Cecil Day-Lewis go to school?

Cecil Day-Lewis was educated at Wadham College[28] and Sherborne School[33].

What awards did Cecil Day-Lewis receive?

Honors received include Commander of the Order of the British Empire[55].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  3. [14] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  4. [15] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  5. [16] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  6. [17] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  7. [21] . wikidata.org.
  8. [22] . wikidata.org.
  9. [27] . wikidata.org.
  10. [18] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  11. [19] . wikidata.org.
  12. [20] . wikidata.org.
  13. [28] . wikidata.org.
  14. [33] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  15. [24] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [25] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [26] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [6] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [7] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  20. [8] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [9] . wikidata.org.
  22. [10] . wikidata.org.
  23. [23] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [41] . wikidata.org.
  25. [46] . wikidata.org.
  26. [50] . wikidata.org.
  27. [13] . wikidata.org.
  28. [55] . wikidata.org.
  29. [72] . wikidata.org.
  30. [3] . IMDb. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [12] . wikidata.org.
  32. [5] . IMDb. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [73] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [74] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Cecil Day-Lewis. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/cecil-day-lewis
MLA “Cecil Day-Lewis.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/cecil-day-lewis.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_cecil-day-lewis_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Cecil Day-Lewis}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/cecil-day-lewis}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Cecil Day-Lewis — https://4ort.xyz/entity/cecil-day-lewis (retrieved 2026-04-10)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cecil-day-lewis · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 13d ago · Magnus Manske · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nukat id n2003097572, n2019203346
    Cantic id 981058511794906706
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9984]]: 981058515331406706, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257405|batch #257405]]"
  2. 20d ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-04-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Prabook id ['3736993', '3721602', '625126']
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3368]]: 625126, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257026|batch #257026]]"
  3. 21d ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-04-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Prabook id ['3736993', '3721602', '625126']
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3368]]: 3736993, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257026|batch #257026]]"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.