Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray, portrait by John Giles Eccart, c. 1747-1748
Thomas Gray (1716–1771), a renowned English poet, letter-writer, and scholar of the University of Cambridge, is best remembered for Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751) – a masterpiece of 18th-century poetry addressing themes of mortality, memory, and nature. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, Gray published only thirteen poems during his lifetime, yet his refined style and classical learning made him one of the most influential Graveyard Poets. In 1757 he was offered the title of Poet Laureate, which he declined. Today, Thomas Gray remains a pillar of English literary heritage and Enlightenment scholarship.
