Cumberland Calvary Bio

— The Corvey Poets Project at the University of Nebraska —

British Poetry of the later Eighteenth and Earlier Nineteenth Centuries

Bibliographical and Contextual Apparatus

Richard Cumberland

Calvary; or, The Death of Christ. New ed. 2 vols. London: Lackington and Allen, 1800.

Biographical Information

Richard Cumberland who was an English Dramatist was born on February 19, 1732 in the Masters lodge of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was the great-grandson of the Bishop of Peterborough and the son of Dr. Denison Cumberland who was successfully the Bishop of Kilmore and of Clonfert. Richard's mother's name was Joanna who was the youngest daughter of the great scholar, Richard Bentley. According to the website that I found, during Cumberland's seventh year, he was sent to the grammar school at Bury St Edmunds. During this time, he was rising to the head of his school. There he was trying out his strength in writing with several attempts toward drama. It was then that he was sent to Westminster and from there he passed in his fourteenth year to Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1750, Cumberland received his degree as tenth wrangler.

Although, his projects of work as a classical scholar had been interspersed with attempts at imitating Spenser. During this time, Cumberland was offered the post of private secretary by the earl of Halifax and first Lord of Trade and Plantations in the duke of Newcastles Ministry when he had just begun to read for his fellowship. Richard's family had managed to persuade him to accept the office position. In 1759, he resigned his Trinity fellowship on his marriage to his cousin Elizabeth Ridge. Two years later, he accompanied his patron to Ireland as Ulster secretary and because of his good services was afterwards offered a Baronetcy. He had declined this position. Cumberland thought that he had offended people because in 1762, he tried to apply for the post of under-secretary but could only obtain the position of Derksbip of reports at the Board of Trade under Lord Hillsborough.

In 1775, Cumberland was appointed secretary to the Board of Trade and Plantations on the accession to office of Lord George Germaine. In 1780, Cumberland had been sent to Spain on a secret mission to negotiate a separate treaty of peace with that power. When he returned in 1781, he was not reimbursed all of the money he spent while he was away. He was only given £1000 and he then found himself £4500 out of pocket. He held the position of secretary until it was abolished in 1782 by Burke's Economical Reform so he was forced to retire on half-pay. With his retirement, he moved to Tunbridge Wells, but during the last years of his life, he lived mostly in London. Although Cumberland's numerous literary productions are spread over the course of his life, he is probably remembered from his Memoirs and his contributions to drama. Cumberland was also the author of a version of fifty of the Psalms of David. Richard Cumberland died May 7, 1811 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Sources

"RICHARD CUMBERLAND." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified November 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cumberland_%28dramatist%29