author
Sir Herbert Croft
1751–1816
Best known for the sensational novel Love and Madness, this eighteenth-century English writer built a reputation on sharp, lively prose and a taste for dramatic real-life stories. He also moved through several worlds at once, working as a barrister, clergyman, biographer, and lexicographer.
1 Audiobook
The love-letters of Mr. H. & Miss R., 1775-1779
by Sir Herbert Croft
About the author
Born at Dunster Park, Berkshire, on November 1, 1751, Herbert Croft studied at University College, Oxford, and later entered Lincoln's Inn. He first trained for the law, but his career did not stay in one lane for long: over the years he wrote fiction and biography, took Anglican orders, and became known as a versatile man of letters.
Croft is best remembered for Love and Madness (1780), an epistolary novel inspired by the murder of Martha Ray by James Hackman. The book drew readers with its mix of romance, scandal, and psychological intensity, and it remains the work most closely associated with his name. He also wrote lives of major figures including Samuel Johnson and Edward Young, and worked on lexicographical projects, showing a strong interest in literary culture beyond fiction.
In 1797 he succeeded to the Croft baronetcy, becoming the 5th Baronet, though the title did not bring great wealth. His life seems to have been marked by ambition, literary energy, and recurring financial strain. He died in Paris on April 26, 1816.