Thomas Love Peacock
1785–1866 (age 81)
Biography
Thomas Love Peacock, born in 1785, became known for his witty satirical novels such as Nightmare Abbey and Headlong Hall, which gently skewered the reforming ideas of his time while celebrating the friendships he kept with the leading Romantics of his day. After establishing a literary reputation, he served for many years at the India Office, where his precise mind and gentle humour found useful employment in public service.
Later in life he retired to Surrey with his family, continuing to write and correspond with former friends, and was laid to rest there in 1866, leaving behind a unique blend of satire and sweetness in English letters.