Horace Walpole (1717 - 1797)

Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English writer, founder of the Gothic romance, bibliophile, and collector.

Born into an aristocratic family, Walpole received a classical education worthy of a young aristocrat at Eton College, then studied at Cambridge University and traveled widely in Europe.

Later he settled in his castle Stroberry Hill, where he gradually amassed one of the largest and richest art galleries in England. Here Walpole also wrote the first Gothic novel, Ontario Castle (1764), which became a prototype of horror literature that made him famous. Walpole also left an extensive private correspondence of some 4,000 letters, a most interesting survey for scholars of the history, manners, and tastes of his era.