Thomas Gray (1716-12-26–1771-07-30): English poet and classical scholar | 2Day Wiki

Thomas Gray (1716-12-26–1771-07-30) — English poet and classical scholar, best known for 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'. Explore chronological milestones, 3-act biography, and historical legacy on 2Day Wiki.

Thomas Gray (1716-12-26–1771-07-30): English poet and classical scholar | 2Day Wiki

Thomas Gray

English poet and classical scholar, best known for 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'

Chronology: 1716-12-26 – 1771-07-30

Origins & Early Life

Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and classical scholar at Cambridge University, being a fellow first of Peterhouse then of Pembroke College. He is widely known for his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, published in 1751. Gray was a self-critical writer who published only 13 poems in his lifetime, despite being very popular. He was even offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1757 after the death of Colley Cibber, though he declined.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Thomas Gray was born in Cornhill, London. His father, Philip Gray, was a scrivener and his mother, Dorothy Antrobus, was a milliner. He was the fifth of twelve children, and the only one to survive infancy. An 1803 newspaper article including a biography of Gray suggests that Gray almost died in infancy due to suffocation from a fullness of blood. However, his mother "ventured to open a vein with her own hand, which instantly removed the paroxysm", saving his life.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He lived with his mother after she left his abusive and mentally unwell father. Gray's mother paid for him to go to Eton College, where his uncles Robert and William Antrobus worked. Robert became Gray's first...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

Source: Wikipedia