Surname: Rowe Forename(s): Nicholas b. 20 June 1674. d. 6 December 1718. Nationality: English. VIAF.
Poet and playwright. Born in Little Barford, Bedfordshire. Son of John Rowe and Elizabeth
Edwards. Friends with Alexander Pope. Educated at Westminster School and Middle Temple.
Called to the bar afterwards but neglected to pursue a legal career. Worked as a dramatist,
living off an annuity from his father’s death. Married Antonia Parsons on 6 July 1693,
and following her death, married Anne Devenish in 1716. Appointed poet laureate in
1715. Author of the first biography of Shakespeare, Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear (1709), as well as a number of original plays that achieved mixed success. Biographical
information: ODNB. (BGL)