Thomas Gray was one of the most important poets of the eighteenth century. This scholar and poet was the most famous for his poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. " Thomas Gray was born on December 26, 1716. He was the only child in his family of eight to survive infancy. His father was Philip Gray, a scrivener and exchange broker who treated his wife with cruelty. Dorothy Antrobus Gray left him, however, because of her love for him, she managed to return. It was Gray's mother who saw to her son's education. She, therefore, conducted a millinery business to earn money for Gray's education. At the age of eight, he was sent to Eton. It was here where he and his three friends--Horace Walpole, Thomas Ashton, and Richard West--formed the Quadruple Alliance. Soon after entering Peterhouse College, he left without a degree for a three-year Continental tour with Walpole. In 1741 Gray returned to London and faced a tragic moment. I:n November Gray's father died. His mother, aunt, and he moved to the Village of Stoke Poges where "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" was written. Not getting a chance to overcome the grief of his father's death, he was once again stricken with the lost of his best friend. Richard West died the following year. Soon after, he achieved his degree of Bachelor of Civil Law in 1743 at Cambridge. Throughout the years, he spent most of his time writing poetry and had them published. It was these poems that solidified his reputation. In 1768 he became a professor of modern history at Cambridge. It was in Cambridge where his life ended on July 30, 1771. He was buried at Stoke Poges churchyard, the scene of the "Elegy."