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

Piotr Ouspensky

Piotr Ouspensky

Philosopher. Born in Moscow. He became a pupil of George Gurdjieff who taught that most humans live their lives in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep", but that it is possible to transcend to a high...

Person, Literature, Philosophy, Russia

1 memorial
James Boswell

James Boswell

Born Edinburgh, died London. Known for his two-volume biography 'The Life Of Samuel Johnson' (1791).

Person, Literature, Scotland

5 memorials
John Bunyan

John Bunyan

Born Elstow, Bedfordshire. A tinker by trade he became a travelling preacher. Unlicensed he was imprisoned 1660-1672. Wrote The Pilgrim's Progress. Died of a fever at Snow Hill, Holborn and is buri...

Person, Literature, Religion, Seriously Famous

2 memorials
Dositey Obradovich

Dositey Obradovich

Author, philosopher, linguist, polyglot (knew 10 languages) and first minister of education of Serbia. Often referred to by just his first name. Died Belgrade. Pictured on Yugoslavian 5,000 dinara ...

Person, Education, Literature, Philosophy, Serbia

1 memorial
Thomas de Quincey

Thomas de Quincey

Born Manchester. Author, best known for "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater" (1821). Was as addicted to books as much as to drink or opium, sometimes renting an extra lodging (which he could not...

Person, Journalism / Publishing, Literature, Scotland

1 memorial