One of the most influential English Romantic poets of the 19th century was Percy Bysshe Shelley. He was born on 4 August 1792 to Sir Timothy and Elizabeth Pilford Shelley in Field Place, Horsham, Sussex, England. (Crook) Shelley was the eldest of six children. He had one brother, John and four sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, Hellen and Margaret. Her family lived a very comfortable lifestyle, especially her father's father, Bysshe Shelley, who owned quite a few properties. Shelley's father was also a member of parliament. "Young Shelley was educated at Syon House Academy from 1802 to 1804 and then attended Eton College from 1804 to 1810, where he resisted physical and mental bullying by indulging in imaginative evasions and literary pranks." (Reiman) “His experiences at Syon House and Eton helped inspire his passionate hatred of oppressive power and these were also the years in which he developed his passion for science and literature.” (O'Conner)He enrolled at University College in Oxford, England, after leaving Eton, where he met his good friend and roommate Thomas Hefferson Hogg. They remained good friends for a long time, even after they were both expelled for writing and distributing the pamphlet “The Necessity of Atheism” on March 25, 1811 (O'Conner). Sir Timothy, due to his position in parliament, had developed a way for the college to reinstate Shelley. All that was necessary for Shelley to be readmitted was for him to disavow the pamphlet and proclaim that he was a Christian. Shelley refused to do so, which in return “aggravated the difficulties which already existed between him and his father, and finding himself unwelcome at home, Shelley settled in London, where he became acquainted with Harri… paper middle… Wollstonecraft Shelley.” PoetryFoundation.org. nd Web. nd October 8, 2011. Means, Richard. "Percy Bysshe Shelley." Percy Bysshe Shelley (2006): 1-3. Literary reference center. EBSCO. Network. October 23, 2011. O'Conner, Robert H. and Richard D. McGhee. "Percy Bysshe Shelley." Critical Survey ofDrama, second revised edition (2003): 1-9 Literary Reference Conter. EBSCO. Network. 30 Oct. 2011."Percy Bysshe Shelley." Biography.com. Reiman, Donald H. Web. October 22, 2011. "Percy Bysshe Shelley." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2011): 1. AcademicSearch Premier. EBSCO. Network. October 29, 2011. “Percy Bysshe Shelley.” Department of English. Pennsylvania U and Web. October 8, 2011. Shmoop editorial team. “Percy Bysshe Shelley Timeline of Important Dates” Shmoop.com.Shmoop University, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. October 29. 2011.