Richard Graves
Encyclopedia
Richard Graves was an English
minister, poet
, and novelist.
Born at Mickleton Manor, Mickleton, Gloucestershire
, to Richard Graves, gentleman, and his wife, Elizabeth, Graves was a student at Abingdon School
and Pembroke College, Oxford
. He was a Fellow
of All Souls College, Oxford
, until January 1749, when the college revoked his fellowship because of his marriage to Lucy Bartholomew, a yeoman's daughter from Aldworth
. Lucy was much younger than Graves and uneducated but he sent her to a private school in London before the marriage so that she would acquire the accomplishments considered important for women in the nineteenth century. His friends did not accept his marriage at first, but they eventually liked and respected Lucy. (At the time, All Souls College automatically withdrew funding from any fellow who married.) He also served as rector of Claverton
, near Bath, and was an enthusiastic collector of poems, a translator, essayist and correspondent. His best-known work is the picaresque novel
, The Spiritual Quixote (1773). The Spiritual Quixote was a satire of John Wesley
, George Whitefield
, and Methodism
in general, which he saw as a threat to his Anglican congregation. He also wrote numerous poems and several plays.
He served as chaplain to Mary Townshend, Countess Chatham and as private tutor to Prince Hoare and Thomas Malthus
. He was a close friend of William Shenstone
, Anthony Whistler, lowborn Ralph Allen
, and William Warburton
.
He and Lucy had five children, including a son of the same name who was vicar
of Great Malvern
.
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...
minister, poet
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 novelist.
Born at Mickleton Manor, Mickleton, Gloucestershire
Mickleton, Gloucestershire
Mickleton, with a population of 1551 , is the northernmost village in Gloucestershire, England.- Location :Mickleton lies close to the county border with Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, to Richard Graves, gentleman, and his wife, Elizabeth, Graves was a student at Abingdon School
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a British day and boarding independent school for boys situated in Abingdon, Oxfordshire , previously known as Roysse's School. In 1998 a formal merger took place between Abingdon School and Josca's, a preparatory school four miles to the west at Frilford...
and Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
. He was a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
, until January 1749, when the college revoked his fellowship because of his marriage to Lucy Bartholomew, a yeoman's daughter from Aldworth
Aldworth
Aldworth is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, close to the modern northern county boundary with Oxfordshire. It is in the rural area between Reading, Newbury and Streatley. The parish includes the neighbouring hamlet of Westridge Green.Aldworth is on the high...
. Lucy was much younger than Graves and uneducated but he sent her to a private school in London before the marriage so that she would acquire the accomplishments considered important for women in the nineteenth century. His friends did not accept his marriage at first, but they eventually liked and respected Lucy. (At the time, All Souls College automatically withdrew funding from any fellow who married.) He also served as rector of Claverton
Claverton, Somerset
Claverton is a small village and civil parish about east of Bath at the southern end of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Somerset, England...
, near Bath, and was an enthusiastic collector of poems, a translator, essayist and correspondent. His best-known work is the picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
, The Spiritual Quixote (1773). The Spiritual Quixote was a satire of John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
, and Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
in general, which he saw as a threat to his Anglican congregation. He also wrote numerous poems and several plays.
He served as chaplain to Mary Townshend, Countess Chatham and as private tutor to Prince Hoare and Thomas Malthus
Thomas Malthus
The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularized the economic theory of rent....
. He was a close friend of William Shenstone
William Shenstone
William Shenstone was an English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening through the development of his estate, The Leasowes.-Life:...
, Anthony Whistler, lowborn Ralph Allen
Ralph Allen
Ralph Allen was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. He was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on 24 July 1693. As a teenager he worked at the Post Office. He moved in 1710 to Bath, where he became a post office clerk, and at the age...
, and William Warburton
William Warburton
William Warburton was an English critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759.-Life:He was born at Newark, where his father, who belonged to an old Cheshire family, was town clerk. William was educated at Oakham and Newark grammar schools, and in 1714 he was articled to Mr Kirke, an...
.
He and Lucy had five children, including a son of the same name who was vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
.