CROFT, SIR HERBERT, BART. (1751-1816), English author, was born at Dunster Park, Berkshire, son of Herbert Croft of Stifford, Essex, and was educated at University college, Oxford. In I780 he published Love and Madness, a Story too true, in .a series of letters between Parties whose names could perhaps be mentioned were they less known or less lamented. In Love and Madness Croft inserted, among other miscellane ous matter, information about Thomas Chatterton gained from letters which he obtained from the poet's sister, Mrs. New ton, and used without payment, a proceeding for which he was attacked by Southey in the Monthly Review. In 1790 Croft pro posed a revised edition of Johnson's Dictionary, but subscribers were lacking and his 200 volumes of ms. remained unused. Croft was a good scholar and linguist, and the author of some curious books in French.