John Milton

Soon after this he started a family, marrying Sara Jeffrey (c.1572–1637) and living in Bread Street, London, with her parents. Records show the couple had six children, three of whom reached adulthood. The three surviving children were Anne, John Milton (the poet) and Christopher Milton (a judge who was later awarded a knighthood).

Similar to his first son of the same name, Milton wrote poetry. Two poems are known to have existed: a sonnet and a poem dedicated to John Lane - both unpublished. Milton's main creative outlet, however, was composing music. Twenty musical compositions are verified as belonging to Milton. All but one of his compositions contained a religious theme. Milton succeeded in publishing his works in Thomas Morley's The Triumphs of Oriana (1601), William Leighton's The Tears or Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soul (1612) and Thomas Ravenscroft's The Whole Book of Psalms (1621), amongst others. Other works survived as manuscripts under the care of John Browne, a Parliamentary clerk, and Thomas Myriell, a personal friend of the composer. Read Less