Portrait of a Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), in a blue coat, with white frills

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish playwright and politician. He came to England in 1759 with his parents, and was sent to Harrow School when they moved to France in the early 1760s. He began studies at Middle Temple, but geve them up in 1774 to focus on writing plays, with The Rivals, A Trip to Scarborough, The School for Scandal, and The Critic some of his most successful. He became the major stakeholder in Drury Lane Theatre, and was elected as M.P. for Stafford in 1780, supported by the Duchess of Devonshire. He bought Polesden Lacey, Surrey in 1796.