Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by
Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem’s origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray’s thoughts following the death of the poet
Richard West in 1742. Originally titled
Stanzas Wrote in a Country Church-Yard, the poem was completed when Gray was living near St Giles'
parish church at
Stoke Poges. It was sent to his friend
Horace Walpole, who popularised the poem among London literary circles. Gray was eventually forced to publish the work on 15 February 1751, to pre-empt a magazine publisher from printing an unlicensed copy of the poem.