Thomas Adolphus Trollope (1810-1892), historian and writer, was born into a literary family. His mother Frances was a travel writer and his brother Anthony the renowned novelist. Thomas led an eventful life, partly due to his family’s precarious financial situation. His father was forced to flee to Bruges in 1834 to escape the debtor’s prison and after her husband’s death Fanny had to support her dependent children through her writing. She was aided by Thomas who became her literary agent whilst pursuing his own writing. They moved to Italy in 1843 where Thomas published books concerning Italian history and entertained guests including George Eliot. His three-volume memoir, published after the death of his mother and his first wife Theodosia, contains an intimate account of his life.