Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Sheridan was born in Dublin in 1751 and became famous in London through comedies including The Rivals and The School for Scandal. In 1776 he acquired an interest in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and remained closely associated with its management, finances and productions during a period when the theatre stood at the centre of London cultural life.

He also served for many years in Parliament and became an important Whig orator, notably during the impeachment proceedings against Warren Hastings. The Cat Royal novels use the real Sheridan and Drury Lane as anchors for Cat's adventures, but his guardianship of the fictional heroine and involvement in her investigations belong to the novels.

In Julia Golding’s Den of Thieves, Richard Brinsley Sheridan sends her to Paris as part of a theatre company, where her dancing and street knowledge make her useful in gathering information during the first years of the French Revolution. Julia Golding’s The Diamond of Drury Lane places Richard Brinsley Sheridan within a narrative shaped by art, learning and intellectual life, court politics and dynastic power, and family, marriage and personal loyalty. Other novels featuring Richard Brinsley Sheridan include Julia Golding’s Cat Among the Pigeons, Julia Golding’s Cat O'nine Tails, Julia Golding’s Black Heart of Jamaica, and Julia Golding’s Cat's Cradle.