William Beckford

English slaver, art collector, and novelist (1760–1844)

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Lived 1760–1844, aged 84

WritersWriter / Author

Wikipedia
31 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1760–1844
Aged 84

Summary

Updated 2026-06-18

William Thomas Beckford was a British writer and politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. Beckford was the son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, the daughter of George Hamilton. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784–1790 and Hindon in 1790–1795 and 1806–1820. Beckford is best known for writing the 1786 Gothic novel Vathek, for building Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Beckford's Tower in Bath, and for his extensive art collection.