Robert Walpole , 1st Earl of Orford was born in Houghton , Norfolk on 26 August 1676 . He died on 18 March 1745 . Robert Walpole , 1st Earl of Orford , KG , KB , PC ( 26 August 1676 â `` 18 March 1745 ) , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole , was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain .