Walpole, Horace

The British author Horace Walpole was the youngest of the first Prime Minister’s, Sir Robert Walpole, three sons. Walpole’s parents were separated, and while his father supported his eldest son, the sickly and lonely Horace lived with his mother who constantly moved from one London address to another. Even though he was close to his mother, he was sent to live with his cousin's family in Kent when he was eight, and was taught by the family tutor until he was sent to Eton the following year. There he befriended the poet Thomas Gray. The two of them and the poet William Mason went to Cambridge together where Walpole spent three years at King’s College without graduating. He stayed in touch with his friends, and in 1739–1741, he took the Grand Tour, travelling through France and Italy, with Thomas Gray. On his return, he was elected to Parliament, but never visited his constituency.