How did a friend’s legacy change William Wordsworth’s life in 1795?

In 1795, William Wordsworth’s life was transformed when a friend’s legacy provided him with the financial means to end a period of rootlessness and poverty. This inheritance enabled him to reunite with his beloved sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, with whom he subsequently moved to Alfoxden House in 1797.1

This reunion was pivotal for his development as a poet, as Dorothy provided the emotional support and "quickening influence" he required to pursue his artistic identity. Together, they established a home that allowed for the close companionship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge that eventually led to the publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798, marking the beginning of the Romantic movement.2