Jethro Tull (1680-1741), a well-known writer on agriculture, was born at Basildon, and farmed land first near Wallingford, then in Oxfordshire, and finally near Hungerford. About the year 1701 he invented a horse-drill for sowing seed. He is buried at Basildon. Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), of the Commentaries, was buried in St Peter's, Wallingford, at which place he had spent much of the latter part of his life. John Shute, first Viscount Barrington (1678-1734), author of the History of the Apostles, lived at Beckett House, Shrivenham, which was left to him by Sir John Wildman. Several poets were connected with Berkshire, but chief of them all was Alexander Pope (1688-1744), whose father owned a small property at Binfield. Here the poet lived for much of the early part of his life. His poem Windsor Forest contains many lines dealing with the district around Binfield. Sir William Trumbull (1639-1716), the friend of Pope, and Secretary of State in 1695, lived at Easthampstead, not far from Binfield; and Elijah Fenton (1683-1730), another of Pope's friends, himself a poet, lived with the Trumbull family during his last years. Henry James Pye (1745-1813), though Poet Laureate, wrote but poor verses. He commuted the tierce of canary to which the Poet Laureate was entitled for £27 a year. He was a son of Henry Pye of Faringdon, and at one time was M.P. for Berkshire. Joshua Sylvester (1563-1618), also a poet, is said to have lived at Lambourn as steward to the ancient family of Essex, and one of his volumes is dedicated to Mistress Essex of Lambourn. Mrs Elizabeth Montague (1720-1800), whose London house was a centre of intellect and fashion, where the term "Blue-stocking" was first applied to her conversation parties, lived a good deal at Sandleford Priory, near Newbury, and built a large house there from plans by Wyatt. She cannot, however, claim the close connection with Berkshire, both as regards life and writings, which is so characteristic of Mary Russell Mitford (1787-1855) who lived for a time at Reading, then at Three Mile Cross, and finally at Swallowfield, in the churchyard of which place she lies buried. Her best known work is Our Village, the scenes in which are laid in the district at and around Three Mile Cross. Thomas Day (1748-1789), the author of Sandford and Merton, was the owner of Bear Hill, Wargrave.