Gothic novelist and politician
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, was born on September 24, 1717 in London,
England. He was the youngest son of British
Prime Minister Robert Walpole and was educated at Eton College and King's
College, Cambridge. Following his father's politics, he was a devotee of King
George II. In 1764, he published the Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. From 1762 on, he published his Anecdotes of Painting in England, based
on George Vertue's manuscript notes. His memoirs of the Georgian social and
political scene, though heavily biased, are a useful primary source for
historians. He also created with coining the term Serendipity. Walpole died on
March 2, 1717 in London and was buried within the family tomb at St. Martin’s
Churchyard in New Houghton, Norfolk, England.
Michael
Thomas Barry is the author of Literary
Legends of the British Isles. His book can be purchased from Amazon
through the following links:
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