Person    | Male  Born 1717  Died 1797

Horatio ('Horace') Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford

Writer and collector. Youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole. His gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto"' was published in 1764. But his passion was his gothic creation, his house at Strawberry Hill, which is open to the public and well worth a visit.
His parents separated before his birth and he was brought up in Arlington Street by his much loved mother. Weak and effeminate he became an MP and used politics as an easy way to fund his life of leisure. This involved friendships with many other young men with similar aesthetic interests. His relationship with Thomas Gray was particularly jealous and difficult. He never married but did invent the word 'serendipity'.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Horatio ('Horace') Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford

Commemorated ati

George Pub

The George The George was founded in 1723 as a coffee house, became Georges ...

Read More

Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole, 1717-1797, man of letters, lived here.

Read More

Robert & Horace Walpole

Greater London Council Sir Robert Walpole, 1676 - 1745, Prime Minister, and ...

Read More

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Horatio ('Horace') Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford

Creations i

King of Corsica

The weather-worn stone above this plaque is, we guess, the original graveston...

Read More

Other Subjects

Blackheath Literary Institution

Blackheath Literary Institution

It was built by public subscription, but was very small as an auditorium and failed within 20 years. By 1858 the building had become a newpspaper reading room and lecture hall. It was damaged by a ...

Group, Literature

1 memorial
Dr. John William Polidori

Dr. John William Polidori

This entry has kindly been written for us by Franklin Bishop, expert on Polidori, and editor of "John William Polidori ‘The Vampyre’ and other writings", 2005. Polidori wrote The Vampyre, a novell...

Person, Literature, Italy, Scotland, Switzerland

1 memorial
Henry Buxton Forman

Henry Buxton Forman

Born Camden Place, Southampton Street, Camberwell. Bibliographer and forger. An authority on the lives and works of Shelley and Keats. He also had a lifelong career in the Post Office and was award...

Person, Journalism / Publishing, Literature, Museums / Libraries, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Saki

Saki

Hector Hugh Munro was born on 18 December 1870 in Akyab, Burma (now called Sittwe, Myanmar). He adopted the pen name of Saki in 1900. He travelled widely and was in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 when t...

Person, Literature, Burma, Serbia

1 memorial
Rose Macaulay

Rose Macaulay

Born Rugby. Died at home, 20 Hinde House, Hinde Street. Her novels include The Towers of Trebizond (1956).

Person, Literature

1 memorial