Editing William Cowper (section)

==Death and memorials==
[[File:St Nicholas Church, Dereham, Norfolk - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1084704.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Stained-glass window depicting Cowper in St Nicholas's Church, [[Dereham|East Dereham]], Norfolk]]
Cowper was seized with [[edema]], or dropsy, in the spring of 1800 and died on 25 April. He is buried in the chapel of [[St Thomas of Canterbury]], St Nicholas's Church in East Dereham, and a [[stained-glass]] window there commemorates his life.<ref name="poetsgraves.co.uk"/>

In St Peter's Church in [[Berkhamsted]] there are two windows in memory of Cowper: The east window by [[Clayton & Bell]] (1872) depicts Cowper at his writing desk accompanied by his pet hares, and bears the inscription "Salvation to the dying man, And to the rising God" (a line from Cowper's poem "The Saviour, what a noble flame"); and in the north aisle, an [[glass etching|etched glass]] window is inscribed with lines from "Oh! for a closer walk with God" and "The Task". In the same church there is also a memorial tablet to the poet's mother, Ann Cowper.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interactive Guide |url=https://www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/heritage/guide/ |website=stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk |publisher=St Peter's Great Berkhamsted |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Birtchnell |first1=Percy Charles |title=A Short History of Berkhamsted |date=1988 |publisher=Book Stack |isbn=978-1-871372-00-7 |page=24 |language=en}}</ref> Cowper is also commemorated (along with [[George Herbert]]) by another Clayton & Bell stained-glass window in St George's Chapel, [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref name = "world and its people">{{cite book |last = Dunton |first = Larkin
  |title = The World and Its People
  |url = https://archive.org/details/worldanditspeop01duntgoog |publisher = Silver, Burdett
  |year = 1896
  |page = [https://archive.org/details/worldanditspeop01duntgoog/page/n41 35]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Commemorations: William Cowper |url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-cowper |website=westminster-abbey.org |publisher=Westminster Abbey |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1823, Cowper's correspondence was published posthumously from the original letters in the possession of his kinsman John Johnson.<ref>{{cite book|title=Private correspondence of William Cowper, Esq., with several of his most intimate friends, now first published from the originals in the possession of his kinsman, John Johnson|location=London|publisher=H. Colburn|year=1824|edition=2nd|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007686651}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Review of ''Private Correspondence of William Cowper''|journal=The Quarterly Review|date=October 1823|volume=30|pages=185–199|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d00153858c;view=1up;seq=195}}</ref>

Near the village of [[Weston Underwood, Buckinghamshire]], where Cowper once resided, is a [[folly]] named Cowper's Alcove. The folly was built by the Lord of the Manor of Weston House, a member of the Throckmorton family in 1753.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm519Y_Cowpers_Alcove_Wood_Lane_Weston_Underwood_Buckinghamshire_UK |title=Cowper's Alcove – Wood Lane, Weston Underwood, Buckinghamshire, UK – Best Kept Secrets on |publisher=Waymarking.com |date=2008-10-25 |access-date=2022-05-03}}</ref> Cowper was known to visit there frequently for inspiration for his poetry. The alcove is mentioned in Cowper's "The Task".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3698/3698-h/3698-h.htm|title=The Task, by William Cowper}}</ref> The folly was dedicated to Cowper by the Buckinghamshire county council green belt estate, and a plaque with the verse from "The Task" referencing the alcove was installed.