Richard Bagot was an English

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...

 novelist and essayist with a prominent Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 background. He was known most widely for his articles and reviews of Italian art and letters. His best known works of fiction were Donna Diana, Love's Proxy, and The Passport. To many, however, he was known solely as the writer of My Italian Year and of other books and articles on the land he visited many times. He held high honors in Italy, and was a member of the more important Italian clubs.

Family history

Bagot was the member of a well-known family-line of Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

. He was the fourth child of Col.

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 Charles (1801-1881) and Sophia Louisa (Percy; d. 1908) Bagot, the daughter of Vice-Admiral Josceline Percy, son of Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley

Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley

Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley, FSA was a British peer, known as Lord Algernon Percy from 1766–86....

. His great grandfather was William Bagot

William Bagot, 1st Baron Bagot

William Bagot, 1st Baron Bagot , known as Sir William Bagot, 6th Baronet from 1768 to 1780, was a British politician.Bagot was the son of Sir Walter Bagot, 5th Baronet, and his wife Lady Barbara Legge...

, 1st Baron Bagot

Baron Bagot

Baron Bagot, of Bagot's Bromley in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created on 12 October 1780 for Sir William Bagot, 6th Baronet.-Bagot family:...

. His great uncle, also named Richard Bagot (1782-1854), was Dean of Canterbury

Dean of Canterbury

The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The office of dean originated after the English Reformation, and its precursor office was the prior of the cathedral-monastery...

 and Bishop of Oxford

Bishop of Oxford

The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford...

. His father was a Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for the county, and also the Assistant Master of Ceremonies to HM Queen Victoria.

Awards and recognition

In 1917, Bagot was presented with an illuminated addresss of appreciation from the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 nation signed by the Cabinet, Senate, and Chamber of Deputies and leaders of Italian science, literature, art and industry . He was invested as a Grand Officer in the Order of the Crown of Italy

Order of the Crown of Italy

The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...

, and as a Knight in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Bagot died at his home in Milnthorpe

Milnthorpe

Milnthorpe is a large village within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Straddling the A6 road, the town contains several old hostelries and hosts a market in The Square every Friday...

, Westmorland

Westmorland

Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...

, England

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...

.

Works

• A Roman Mystery (1899)
• The Just And The Unjust (1901)
• Casting Of Nets (1901)
• Donna Diana (1902)
• Love's Proxy (1904)
• The Passport (1905)
• Temptation (1907)
• Anthony Cuthbert (1908)
• Lakes Of Northern Italy (1908)
• The House Of Serravalle (1910)
• My Italian Year (1911)
• Italians Of To-day (1912)
• Darneley Place (1912)
• The Gods Decide (1919)