In A New Miscellany , which is presumed to have been published in that year, 1726 , there appeared Dyer 's ‘ Grongar Hill ’ in octosyllabics; also in 1726 it came out in a pindaric version in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations , ed. Savage ; and finally, in Miscellaneous Poems , ed. D . Lewis , yet another version in octosyllabics was printed this year. A manuscript version was in lady Hertford 's possession. Both Dyer and Thomson belonged to her circle, and they were excellent friends. A poem deploring their separation may have originated in an attempt on Dyer 's part to become ‘a practical agriculturist ’ at Mapleton in Herefords. However, his plans were changed. He m. a Miss Ensor and was ordained. From 1741 onwards he held various livings in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire . He took up his duties at Coningsby in 1751 , and there he was buried on 15 Dec. 1757 .

His most famous poem, ‘ Grongar Hill ,’ was inspired by the scenery near Aberglasney . A Welsh rendering by Thomas Davies of Crickhowell , Brecknock , was published at Llandovery in 1832 . Other notable poems of Dyer 's are ‘ The Ruins of Rome ,’ 1740 , and ‘ The Fleece ,’ 1757 , the last being full of memories of Wales . As a painter-poet Dyer is of some importance. His study of Claude affected his poetic work, and there are grounds for regarding him rather than Thomson as the pioneer of descriptive landscape poetry . Wordsworth paid tribute to him in his sonnet ‘ To the poet, John Dyer .’