Robert Eyres Landor
Encyclopedia
Robert Eyres Landor was an English writer, dramatist, poet
, and Anglican clergyman.
Landor was the third son of Dr Walter Landor a physician and his wife Elizabeth Savage, and thereby the brother of Walter Savage Landor
. He was born at Warwick
and went to Bromsgrove School, then as a scholar, to Worcester College, Oxford
in 1797. He became a Fellow of Worcester College and a clergyman. In 1815 Landor went to Italy and met his brother Walter and his wife as they made their temperamental journey through France. He became vicar of Hughenden
Buckinghamshire
in 1817 until 1825, and was also Chaplain in ordinary to the Prince Regent
. He became Rector of Nafford in Birlingham
in 1829 and remained there until his death. Birlingham is situated at the foot of the Bredan Hills and within sight of the Malverns
. He is noted as never having been absent from Sunday Duty and the church at Birlingham was restored with money left by him.
He was somewhat reluctant to claim credit for his own work. The drama The Count Arezzi of 1824 was at the time attributed to Byron
and the story The Fawn of Sertorius (1846) to Walter Savage Landor. He is also said to have tried to destroy copies of the dramas The Earl of Brecon, Faiths Fraud and The Ferryman from 1841.
It was said that he greatly resembled his eldest brother, Walter Savage Landor, in his genius and classical knowledge, but in nothing else. His cousin's daughter Lucy Landor recalled "Once only I recall his visiting my father and he then struck me as the most wonderful and delightful talker I ever heard. He spoke of his early travels in Italy and brought every scene before one. If he 'talked like a book', it was because his language was so beautiful and his descriptions so vivid and striking. His conversation made far more impression on me than did that of [his brother] W.S.L., whose tremendous laughs I recall much better than his saying."
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 Anglican clergyman.
Landor was the third son of Dr Walter Landor a physician and his wife Elizabeth Savage, and thereby the brother of Walter Savage Landor
Walter Savage Landor
Walter Savage Landor was an English writer and poet. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem Rose Aylmer, but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not matched by public popularity...
. He was born at Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
and went to Bromsgrove School, then as a scholar, to Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
in 1797. He became a Fellow of Worcester College and a clergyman. In 1815 Landor went to Italy and met his brother Walter and his wife as they made their temperamental journey through France. He became vicar of Hughenden
Hughenden Valley
Hughenden Valley is an extensive village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, just to the north of High Wycombe...
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in 1817 until 1825, and was also Chaplain in ordinary to the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. He became Rector of Nafford in Birlingham
Birlingham
Birlingham is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, about three miles south of Pershore. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 325...
in 1829 and remained there until his death. Birlingham is situated at the foot of the Bredan Hills and within sight of the Malverns
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
. He is noted as never having been absent from Sunday Duty and the church at Birlingham was restored with money left by him.
He was somewhat reluctant to claim credit for his own work. The drama The Count Arezzi of 1824 was at the time attributed to Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
and the story The Fawn of Sertorius (1846) to Walter Savage Landor. He is also said to have tried to destroy copies of the dramas The Earl of Brecon, Faiths Fraud and The Ferryman from 1841.
It was said that he greatly resembled his eldest brother, Walter Savage Landor, in his genius and classical knowledge, but in nothing else. His cousin's daughter Lucy Landor recalled "Once only I recall his visiting my father and he then struck me as the most wonderful and delightful talker I ever heard. He spoke of his early travels in Italy and brought every scene before one. If he 'talked like a book', it was because his language was so beautiful and his descriptions so vivid and striking. His conversation made far more impression on me than did that of [his brother] W.S.L., whose tremendous laughs I recall much better than his saying."
Works
- Guy's Porridge Pot (1808)
- The Count Arezzi (1824)
- The Impious Feast. A Poem in ten books (1828)
- The Earl of Brecon
- Faiths Fraud
- The Ferryman (1841)
- The Fawn of Sertorius (1846)
- The Fountain of Arethusa (1848)