Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of a successful brewer. He was educated at Hendon and at the Reading grammar school. At age 18 he moved to London to study law under Joseph Chitty. He also worked for the London Magazine and wrote occasionally for several other periodicals. In 1821 he was called to the bar and joined the Oxford circuit and became the law reporter for The Times. In 1835 he was won the MP seat for the Borough of Reading. Also in 1835 he was created a serjeant-at-law and in 1849 he became judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1836 his play Ion was produced, with productions following in the United States. In 1837 he introduced a copyright bill into the House of Commons, which finally passed in 1842, after he had left Parliament. In the meantime, he had continued to write successful plays and other works.
