Chronology
This chronological table records landmark dates in Gray's life and work. It is intended as a means of contextualizing Gray's literary and scholarly efforts. It must be noted that some of the dates are approximate, and, unless indicated to the contrary, reference is to date of publication, not composition, of literary works. The chronology makes no claim to be exhaustive. The reader should consult the list of works cited and the bibliography section of full-length biographies for more detailed information. Please send your suggestions, corrections, and additions to the editor.
Early Years (1716 - 1741)
| Date | Age | Life and Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1716 | 26 DecemberThomas Gray born in Cornhill, London, where his mother, Dorothy (1685-1753, nee Antrobus), kept a milliner's shop in partnership with her sister, Mary (1683-1749). His father, Philip Gray (1676-1741), was a "money scrivener" by profession. Thomas was the only survivor of twelve children. |
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| 1725 | 8 | Gray sent to Eton College, under the care of his uncle, Robert Antrobus (1679-1729), who was assistant master there. He met and formed the 'Quadruple Alliance' with Richard West (1716-42), Horace Walpole (1717-97), and Thomas Ashton (1715-1775), his closest friends. A few Latin exercises date from the time at Eton. |
| 1734 | 17 | 4 JulyEntered as pensioner at Peterhouse, Cambridge. 11 AugustThomas Ashton entered King's College, Cambridge. 9 OctoberGray fully admitted at Peterhouse. Gray met Thomas Wharton, a pensioner at Pembroke College, Cambridge. 8 DecemberGray had written his first extant English poem, "Lines Spoken by John Dennis at the Devil Tavern", and sent it to Walpole. |
| 1735 | 18 | 11 MarchGray joined in Cambridge by his friend Horace Walpole, who entered at King's College. 22 MayWest entered at Christ Church, Oxford. 22 NovemberGray admitted at Inner Temple. |
| 1736 | 19 | 12 FebruaryInherited the small property of his paternal aunt, Sarah Gray. MayGray's "Hymeneal" on the marriage of the Prince of Wales published in the Cambridge Gratulatio. |
| 1737 | 20 | MarchWrote Tripos Verses, i.e. the Latin verses printed with the list of Cambridge Tripos candidates each year, Luna habitabilis. |
| 1738 | 21 | 14 SeptemberLeft Cambridge for his father's house in London without having taken a degree, intending to read for the Bar at the Inner Temple in London. |
| 1739 | 22 | 29 MarchAccompanied Horace Walpole on a two-year Grand Tour through France and Italy. April - JuneStayed in Paris. June - SeptemberStayed at Reims. September - OctoberOctoberOn the way to Geneva, visited the Grande Chartreuse. Crossed the Mont Cenis. 7 NovemberArrived at Turin. WinterBy Genoa and Bologna to Florence, where he spent the winter at the house of Horace Mann. |
| 1740 | 23 | March - JulyVisited Rome. JuneExcursion to Naples. 7 JulyReturned to Florence. During this period sent several Latin poems to West. Second half of the yearBegan writing De Principiis Cogitandi in Florence. |
| 1741 | 24 | AprilLeft Florence for Venice. 3 MayQuarrelled with Walpole at Reggio and proceeded to Venice. May - JulyStayed at Venice with John Chute. Returned to England alone through Padua, Verona, Milan, Turin, Lyon, and Paris. 21 AugustVisited the Grande Chartreuse again and wrote an Alcaic Ode in the Visitors' Book of the Monastery. 1 SeptemberArrived back in England, went to London. 6 NovemberGray's father, Philip, died, leaving the family financially insecure. WinterGray began his only tragedy, the fragmentary Agrippina. |
Middle Years (1742 - 1758)
| Date | Age | Life and Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1742 | 25 | Planned to study law in London with West. Regular correspondence with West, exchanging Latin verses and translations with him. MarchWrote the "Hymn to Ignorance" (fragment). 28 May - 15 OctoberVisited his uncle Jonathan Rogers at Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire. Gray wrote the "Ode on the Spring", which he sent to Richard West on 3rd June. 1 JuneRichard West, Gray's closest friend, died. Mid-June - Mid-JulyGray briefly returned to London. AugustGray wrote the "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College", "Sonnet on the Death of Richard West", and the "Ode to Adversity". 15 OctoberReturned to Peterhouse, as a Fellow-commoner, resided permanently at Cambridge, with a few protracted absences, for the rest of his life. Gray's chief friends at Cambridge were Thomas Wharton, Fellow of Pembroke till his marriage in 1747, James Brown, afterwards Master of Pembroke, and William Mason (1724-97). 21 OctoberGray's uncle Jonathan Rogers, died. DecemberGray's mother and her sister, Mary Antrobus, retired from Cornhill and settled with their third sister, Anne (1676-1758), the widow of Jonathan Rogers, at West End House at Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire. Gray accordingly divided his summers between Stoke and London in the following decade. |
| 1743 | 26 | DecemberGranted a Bachelor of Laws degree. |
| 1744 | 27 | Spent the year in Cambridge, with summer visits to Stoke and London. |
| 1745 | 28 | 8 NovemberReconciled with Horace Walpole. |
| 1746 | 29 | AutumnGray shared some of his earlier poetry and probably the beginning of the "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard", which he had recently started, with Horace Walpole who had begun living in an apartment within the precincts of Windsor Castle. |
| 1747 | 30 | 1 MarchSent the "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes" to Walpole. 30 May"Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" published anonymously by Robert Dodsley. Walpole leased the estate in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, which he began turning into a Gothic castle. |
| 1748 | 31 | 15 January"Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College", "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes", and "Ode on the Spring" published anonymously in R. Dodsley's Collection of Poems, vol. II January / FebruaryMet and befriended Rev. William Mason who was to become a fellow of Pembroke College in 1749 and eventually served as Gray's literary executor. 25 MarchGray's childhood home in Cornhill burned down. August |
| 1749 | 32 | William Mason elected Fellow of Pembroke, partly through Gray's influence. 5 NovemberGray's aunt and his mother's former business partner, Mary Antrobus, died. |
| 1750 | 33 | 12 JuneCompleted the "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" at Stoke Poges and sent it to Walpole who circulated it in MS among his friends and acquaintances. August - OctoberWrote "A Long Story" for Lady Cobham, a neighbour at Stoke Poges. Met Henrietta Jane Speed (1728-1783). |
| 1751 | 34 | 15 FebruaryAn Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard published anonymously by Dodsley. Unauthorized versions appear almost immediately in a variety of publications. |
| 1752 | 35 | Planned to collaborate with William Mason on a "History of English Poetry". JulyBegan "The Progress of Poesy". |
| 1753 | 36 | 11 MarchGray's mother, Dorothy, died at Stoke Poges. 29 MarchDesigns by Mr. R. Bentley for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, the first authorized collected edition of Gray's poetry, published by Dodsley. July - September |
| 1754 | 37 | During this and the two following years Gray was engaged with the Pindaric Odes "The Progress of Poesy" and "The Bard". Probably began "Ode on the Pleasure arising from Vicissitude". June - SeptemberMade a tour in Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. December"The Progress of Poesy" finished. |
| 1755 | 38 | Winter 1754 / 55Declined offer to become Secretary to the Earl of Bristol at Lisbon. JulyTravelled in Hampshire, visited Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester etc. |
| 1756 | 39 | 5 MarchMoved from Peterhouse to Pembroke College. |
| 1757 | 40 | MayAttended a concert by harper Mr. Parry. Completed "The Bard". 8 AugustOdes by Mr. Gray ("The Progress of Poesy" and "The Bard") published by Walpole at his new Strawberry Hill press. 15 DecemberWas offered, but refused, the post of Poet Laureate, vacant through the death of Colley Cibber. |
| 1758 | 41 | JanuaryWrote "[Epitaph on Mrs. Clerke]" for John Clerke. June or JulyWrote "Epitaph on a Child" for Thomas Wharton. 1 SeptemberGray's aunt, Mrs. Jonathan Rogers, died in Stoke Poges. Gray's connection with the place ended the following year. Hereafter Gray usually spent his summers visiting friends in different parts of the country. |
Later Years (1759 - 1771)
| Date | Age | Life and Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1759 | 42 | 9 JulyTook lodgings in Southampton Row, London, in order to study at the British Museum, which was opened to the public in January. Collected materials for his planned "History of English Poetry". |
| 1760 | 43 | MarchLady Cobham died. 28 June - 21 JulyVisited Henrietta Jane Speed at the home of her friend Mrs Jennings at Shiplake, in Oxfordshire. AutumnRead and studied the works of James Macpherson and later the Rev. Evan Evans. |
| 1761 | 44 | 5 MayGray had completed "The Fatal Sisters", "The Descent of Odin", and the other imitations of Welsh and Norse poems (including "The Triumphs of Owen"), expression of his culminating interest in early Welsh and Icelandic poetry. Intended to include them in his "History of English Poetry", which he had first projected in 1752. AugustWrote "Epitaph on Sir W. Williams". OctoberWrote "Song" for Miss Speed. 12 NovemberHenrietta Jane Speed married to Baron de la Perriere. 19 NovemberGave up London residence and returned to Pembroke College. |
| 1762 | 45 | 11 JuneMade the acquaintance of Norton Nicholls, an undergraduate at Cambridge, who became a close friend. 1 July - 11 NovemberVisited Mason in York and Wharton in Durham, and made a tour of places of interest in the north. NovemberGray made overtures for the post of Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, vacant through the death of Dr. Turner, but Lord Bute, George III's chief minister, gave it to Lawrence Brockett. |
| 1763 | 46 | Spent the year in Cambridge, with brief excursions to Epsom, Boxhill, and London. |
| 1764 | 47 | January - MarchGray wrote "The Candidate", a satire on the Earl of Sandwich's application for the High Stewardship of Cambridge University. 25 September - 22 OctoberVisited Southampton, Salisbury, etc. |
| 1765 | 48 | 27 May - 18 August18 August - 17 OctoberMade a tour in the Scottish Highlands with Lord Strathmore. Met Robertson and "other literati" at Edinburgh. Stayed at Glamis castle, where he met James Beattie (1735-1803). |
| 1766 | 49 | 16 May - 4 JulyTravelled in Kent. |
| 1767 | 50 | 15 June - 2 NovemberStayed at Durham, Hartlepool, York. First visit to the Lake District. |
| 1768 | 51 | 12 MarchCollected edition of Poems published by Dodsley in London. 4 MayPoems published by R. and A. Foulis in Glasgow. 7 April - 15 JulyStayed in Kent. JulyWrote verses "On L[or]d H[olland']s Seat Near M[argat]e, K[en]t". 28 JulyAppointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, and made Fellow of Pembroke College. October |
| 1769 | 52 | AprilCompleted the "Ode for Music". 1 JulyOde for Music performed at the installation of the Duke of Grafton, Chancellor of the University. 18 July - 15 OctoberVisited York, Durham, and the Lakes. Wrote his Journal on his tour DecemberMet and befriended Charles Victor de Bonstetten (1745-1832), a young Swiss scholar, in Cambridge. |
| 1770 | 53 | MarchDe Bonstetten left England. 2 JulyGray made his will, left all his works to William Mason. 2 July - 3 AugustGray made an excursion through the Western Counties in company of Norton Nicholls. |
| 1771 | 54 | 24 JulyTaken ill suddenly while dining at Pembroke College. 30 JulyGray died of suppressed gout. 6 AugustHe was buried beside his mother and aunt in the churchyard at Stoke Poges. |
| 1775 | MarchPublication of William Mason's The Poems of Mr Gray, to which are prefixed Memoirs of His Life and Writings. |
Works cited
- Gray: Poetry and Prose. With essays by Johnson, Goldsmith and others. With an Introduction and Notes by J. Crofts. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1948 [1st ed. 1926].
- Golden, Morris: Thomas Gray. Updated edition. Twayne's English authors series, TEAS 6. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988 [1st ed. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1964].
- The Poems of Thomas Gray, William Collins, Oliver Goldsmith. Edited by Roger Lonsdale. Longman Annotated English Poets Series. London and Harlow: Longmans, 1969.
- Thomas Gray. Edited by Robert L. Mack. Everyman Paperback Classics. Everyman's Poetry Library. London: Everyman, 1996.
- The Poems of Gray and Collins. Edited by Austin Lane Poole. Revised by Leonard Whibley. Third edition. Oxford editions of standard authors series. London: Oxford UP, 1937, reprinted 1950 [1st ed. 1919].
- Correspondence of Thomas Gray. Ed. by the late Paget Toynbee and Leonard Whibley, in 3 vols., v. 1 1734-1755, v. 2 1756-1765, v. 3 1766-1771. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971 [1st ed. 1935].
- Selected poems of Thomas Gray, Charles Churchill and William Cowper. Ed. with an introduction and notes by Katherine Turner. Penguin English poets series. London [etc.]: Penguin Books, 1997.
Other chronologies
- Synopsis of British Literature and Culture 1000-2000, ed. by Hartmut Ilsemann, Englisches Seminar, Universität Hannover, 1994. Extract for the "long 18th century" (roughly 1660-1830) kindly provided by and used with permission of the author. Each page of the survey covers 20 years: 1660-1679, 1680-1699, 1700-1719, 1720-1739, 1740-1759, 1760-1779, 1780-1799, 1800-1819, 1820-1839. [PDFs]
- "Chronological Table (1716-1797)". Correspondence of Gray, Walpole, West and Ashton (1734-1771), in two volumes, chronologically arranged and edited with introduction, notes, and index by Paget Toynbee. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1915, vol. ii, 327-336.
- "Literature in Context: A Chronology, c. 1660-1825" [PDF], part of the printed guide to Poetic Commonplace Books and Manuscripts of Thomas Gray, 1716-1771, from Pembroke College, Cambridge, published on microfilm by Adam Matthew Publications Ltd.
- A Time-Line of English Poetry: Early Modern English: Augustans (1667-1780) from Representative Poetry On-line, ed. by Ian Lancashire, University of Toronto
- Eighteenth-Century Chronology (1660-1800) by Jack Lynch, Rutgers University
- 18th-Century chronology (1700-1784) from the Romantic Chronology, ed. by Alan Liu, UCSB, and Laura Mandell, Miami University
- Chronology of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries at the Department of English, University of Pennsylvania