Richard Glover (Poet)
Encyclopedia
Richard Glover was an English
poet
and politician.
merchant, was born in London
. He was educated at Cheam
in Surrey
.
In 1739 he became one of the founding governors for the Foundling Hospital
, a charity dedicated to saving children from the plight of abandonment. The success of Glover's Leonidas led him to take an interest in politics, and in 1761 he entered parliament as member for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
. Glover was one of the reputed authors of the Letters of Junius; but his claims, advocated in 1825 by Richard Duppa
, are slight.
to his View of Newton's Philosophy, published in 1728.
In 1737, he published an epic poem in praise of liberty, Leonidas, which was thought to have a special reference to the politics of the time; it was commended by the prince of Wales
and his court, it soon passed through several editions. In 1739, Glover published a poem entitled London, or the Progress of Commerce; and in 1740 he published a ballad, Admiral Hosier's Ghost, popular in its day. The ballad's real target was not the Spanish but Sir Robert Walpole.
He was also the author of two tragedies, Boadicea (1753) and Medea (1761), written in close imitation of Greek models. The Athenaid, an epic in thirty books, was published in 1787, and his diary, entitled Memoirs of a distinguished literary and political Character from 1742 to 1757, appeared in 1813.
In May 1774, shortly after the death of Oliver Goldsmith
, Glover published his "Authentic Anecdotes" on the poet in The Universal Magazine. Edmund Burke
included the piece in The Annual Register for that year, and when Edmond Malone
in 1776 worked on a biographical memoir
for Poems and Plays by Oliver Goldsmith (1777) he based it on Glover's Anecdotes as well as first-hand information from Dr. Thomas Wilson, Senior Fellow
at Trinity College, Dublin
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and politician.
Life
The son of Richard Glover, a HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
merchant, was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was educated at Cheam
Cheam School
Cheam School is a preparatory school in Headley in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in the English county of Hampshire. It was founded in 1645 by the Reverend George Aldrich in Cheam, Surrey and has been in operation ever since....
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
In 1739 he became one of the founding governors for the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
, a charity dedicated to saving children from the plight of abandonment. The success of Glover's Leonidas led him to take an interest in politics, and in 1761 he entered parliament as member for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...
. Glover was one of the reputed authors of the Letters of Junius; but his claims, advocated in 1825 by Richard Duppa
Richard Duppa
-Life:He was the son of William Duppa of Culmington, Shropshire. He studied art in Rome in his youth, and showed himself a skilful draughtsman. He matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford, 9 November 1807, aged 37 and became a student of the Middle Temple, 7 February 1810. He graduated LL.B...
, are slight.
Works
He wrote in his sixteenth year a poem to the memory of Sir Isaac Newton, which was prefixed by Henry PembertonHenry Pemberton
Henry Pemberton was an English physician and man of letters. He became Gresham Professor of Physic, and edited the third edition of Principia Mathematica.-Life:...
to his View of Newton's Philosophy, published in 1728.
In 1737, he published an epic poem in praise of liberty, Leonidas, which was thought to have a special reference to the politics of the time; it was commended by the prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
and his court, it soon passed through several editions. In 1739, Glover published a poem entitled London, or the Progress of Commerce; and in 1740 he published a ballad, Admiral Hosier's Ghost, popular in its day. The ballad's real target was not the Spanish but Sir Robert Walpole.
He was also the author of two tragedies, Boadicea (1753) and Medea (1761), written in close imitation of Greek models. The Athenaid, an epic in thirty books, was published in 1787, and his diary, entitled Memoirs of a distinguished literary and political Character from 1742 to 1757, appeared in 1813.
In May 1774, shortly after the death of Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
, Glover published his "Authentic Anecdotes" on the poet in The Universal Magazine. Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
included the piece in The Annual Register for that year, and when Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
in 1776 worked on a biographical memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
for Poems and Plays by Oliver Goldsmith (1777) he based it on Glover's Anecdotes as well as first-hand information from Dr. Thomas Wilson, Senior Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.