author

Richard Edgcumbe

1843–1937

Best remembered as a courtier, editor, and literary biographer, he moved comfortably between royal service and the world of nineteenth-century letters. His books on Byron and Edward Trelawny, along with his edition of Frances, Lady Shelley’s diary, helped preserve a lively corner of Romantic literary history.

1 Audiobook

Byron: The Last Phase

Byron: The Last Phase

by Richard Edgcumbe

About the author

Born in 1843, Richard John Frederick Edgcumbe came from the Mount Edgcumbe family and was the grandson of Frances, Lady Shelley, whose diary he later edited. Sources also describe him as having served in the military before going on to become a British courtier.

He is chiefly known as a writer and editor connected with the Romantic era. Among the works linked to him are Edward Trelawny: A Biographical Sketch, Byron: The Last Phase, History of the Byron Memorial, and his edition of The Diary of Frances Lady Shelley, 1787–1817. His literary interests seem to have centered especially on Byron, Shelley, and their circle.

Edgcumbe lived a long life, dying in 1937. Although he is not a widely read name today, his books and editorial work remain useful to readers interested in literary biography, family memoir, and the afterlife of the Romantic movement.