Richard Owen Cambridge (14 February 1717 – 17 September 1802) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

Life

Cambridge was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He was educated at Eton and at St John's College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Leaving the university without taking a degree, he took up residence at Lincolns Inn in 1737. Four years later he married, and went to live at his country seat of Whitminster,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. In 1751 he removed to Twickenham Meadows, where he enjoyed the society of many notable persons. Horace Walpole in his letters makes many humorous allusions to Cambridge in the character of newsmonger. Cambridge died in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

and is buried at

St Mary's Church, Twickenham St Mary's Church, Twickenham, also known as St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham, is a Grade II* listed Church of England place of worship dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin. It is on Church Street, Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon T ...

Works

Cambridge's major work was the ''Scribleriad'' (1751), a mock epic poem, the hero of which is the Martinus Scriblerus of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

, John Arbuthnot and

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...

. The poem is preceded by a dissertation on the mock heroic, in which he avows

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

as his master. It is full of literary in-jokes. The ''Account of the War in India on the Coast of Coromandel'' (1761) from the year 1750 to 1760.

Robert Orme The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, who had promised Cambridge the use of his papers, limited the work carried out in favour of a project of his own. ''The Works of Richard Owen Cambridge'' included several pieces never before published. It contained an ''Account of his Life and Character'' by his son, George Owen Cambridge (1803), the ''Scribleriad'', some narrative and satirical poems, and about twenty papers originally published in Edward Moore's paper, ''The World''. Cambridge's poems were included in

Alexander Chalmers Alexander Chalmers (29 March 1759 – 29 December 1834) was a Scottish writer. He was born in Aberdeen. Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the ''Morning Herald''. Besides editions of the wo ...

' ''English Poets'' (1816).

References

External links

Richard Owen Cambridge
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Richard Owen 1717 births 1802 deaths British poets People educated at Eton College Alumni of St John's College, Oxford British male poets People from Whitminster