Thomas Moore

MOORE, Thomas. b. Dublin, 28 May 1779; d. Calne, Wiltshire, 25 February 1852. He was the son of a grocer and wine merchant. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he showed early promise as a poet and man of letters, and became a popular and much admired member of London and Dublin society. After graduating from Trinity in 1795, he went to London to study for the Bar at the Middle Temple, but turned to the writing of poetry, helped by some influential patronage from Irish people in England. He accepted the post of Registrar of the Naval Prize Court in Bermuda (which decided whether or not a naval prize was legal). He was there only briefly, from 1803 to 1804, after which he nominated a...