Richard Warburton Lytton

Richard Warburton Lytton (1745–1810) was an English landowner and Fellow of the Royal Society.

He was the son of William Warburton, of Yarrow, Queen's County, Ireland, and his wife Barbara Lytton. He was educated at Harrow School under Robert Carey Sumner, where he knew Sir William Jones and formed a friendship with Samuel Parr, associating also with William Bennet.

In early life known as Richard Warburton, he inherited Knebworth House in 1762 from his uncle John Robinson-Lytton, and added Lytton to his own name. The inheritance was the subject of a chancery case of 1793, in which it was stated that it was only on the death in 1790 of Leonora Lytton (née Brereton), widow of his uncle, that Lytton came into full possession of Knebworth House and Park.

Lytton was admitted to University College, Oxford, as Richard Warburton (rather than Christ Church, Oxford, as tentatively suggested in his grandson's memoir). There he knew Richard Paul Jodrell. Lytton fell for Jodrell's young sister Elizabeth, and they were married.

Lytton was elected to the Royal Society in 1772. A letter he wrote in 1774 to Samuel Parr stated that he had been canvassing for Thomas Halsey, the Hertfordshire Member of Parliament. He attended the Greek tragedy presented by Parr's pupils at Stanmore in 1775/6, an innovation.Thomas Maurice may have known of him, as Bulwer-Lytton suggests, but was at University College some time later. He was another connection of Parr, and translator of Oedipus Rex, still at university at that time.

According to a surviving journal, Lytton associated in the 1780s with Granville Sharp and Andrew Kippis.Thomas Day the abolitionist was a university friend.

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