Edward Ellerker Williams Paintings

Edward Ellerker Williams was an English naval officer, adventurer, and diarist who is best known for his close association with the famed Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Williams was born in India in 1793 where his father was serving as a colonial official. He pursued a career in the navy and became a lieutenant but later resigned from his commission.

Despite his naval background, Williams is most prominently remembered for his friendship with Shelley, whom he met in 1818. He became an integral part of the Shelley–Byron circle of English expatriates living in Italy. Williams was also a close friend of Lord Byron, another leading figure of the Romantic movement. He was not known for his own literary or artistic works, but rather for his participation in the lives of these more famous contemporaries.

Williams shared many of Shelley's ideals and interests, including a passion for sailing. This shared interest ultimately led to tragedy. In July 1822, Williams was sailing with Shelley on the latter's schooner, the Don Juan, when they were caught in a storm and both drowned off the coast of Viareggio in Italy. Williams' body was found and, in accordance with quarantine laws, cremated on the beach near Viareggio. The untimely death of Williams alongside Shelley added to the mythos surrounding the Romantic poets, and he is often mentioned in biographies and studies of Shelley's life and work.

Although Williams did not leave a significant mark on history through his own creative output, his diaries and letters provide valuable insights into the lives of the Romantic poets and the social and cultural milieu in which they moved. His life and death are reflective of the Romantic era's fascination with emotion, nature, and the tragic hero. Williams' association with figures like Shelley and Byron ensures his continued mention in discussions of this period in English literary history.