Roger North (biographer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger North
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North, 1680 portrait after Peter Lely
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| Born | 3 September 1653 |
| Died | 1 March 1734 (aged 80) Rougham, Norfolk, England
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| Occupation | Lawyer, biographer |
Roger North (born September 3, 1653, died March 1, 1734) was an English lawyer, a writer who wrote about people's lives (a biographer), and a musician who played for fun. He was also known as a King's Counsel, which is a special title for experienced lawyers.
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Life of Roger North
Roger North was born in Tostock, Suffolk, England. He was the sixth son of Dudley North, 4th Baron North. His brothers included Francis North, 1st Baron Guildford and Dudley North (economist). His sister was Elizabeth Wiseman.
Roger went to Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and then Thetford Grammar School. After that, he studied at Jesus College, Cambridge and the Middle Temple. The Middle Temple is one of the places in London where lawyers are trained.
In 1674, he became a lawyer, which is called being "called to the bar." He worked as a Steward for the Diocese of Canterbury in 1678. Later, in 1682, he became a King's Counsel and a Bencher of Middle Temple. A Bencher is a senior member of a legal society.
Roger North became a successful lawyer. His older brother, Francis, who became a very important judge called the Lord Chancellor, helped him a lot. Another important person, Henry Hyde, said Roger was one of the few honest lawyers he knew.
During a time called the Popish Plot, many people were very worried about Catholics. Roger North, however, stayed calm and didn't believe all the rumors. He later said that even wise people acted foolishly during this time.
In 1684, Roger became the Solicitor-General for the Duke of York. This was a high legal position. However, his career faced a challenge when his brother Francis died in 1685. Francis was replaced by a very tough judge named Lord Jeffreys. Roger found Lord Jeffreys difficult to work with, and his law practice became less busy.
Despite this, Roger continued his career. In 1685, he was chosen to be a Member of Parliament for Dunwich. He also became a Recorder of Bristol, which is a type of judge. In 1686, he was promoted to be the Attorney General for Queen Mary of Modena.
In 1686, Roger helped his sister, Elizabeth Wiseman. She was a wealthy widow, and her brother Charles tried to arrange a marriage for her without her consent. Roger and two other brothers helped Elizabeth in a legal case to stop this. Roger kept many letters about this case, which helps us understand what happened.
The Glorious Revolution in 1688 changed things in England. After this, Roger North stopped his work in London and moved to his home in Rougham, Norfolk. He also became wealthier by marrying the daughter of Sir Robert Gayer.
Roger North passed away at Rougham on March 1, 1734. His family, the Norths of Rougham, continued to live there.
Roger North's Writings and Interests
Roger North loved books and spent a lot of time writing. He is most famous for his book called Lives of the Norths. This book was published after he died. It tells the stories of his brothers and includes his own life story. It is a very important source of information about that time in history.
Roger also wrote a lot about music. He wrote about how music was played during the Baroque period in England. This has been very helpful for musicologists, who are people who study music history. He also wrote about how music makes us feel, how to teach music, and how to tune musical instruments. One of his big achievements was creating a detailed system for tuning instruments before modern tuning methods were common.
Another well-known book he wrote is Examen. In this book, he defended King Charles II's actions as a ruler. Roger North was also interested in architecture, which is the design of buildings. He designed a new entrance for the Middle Temple in London and an addition to his house at Rougham.
Roger North's Family
Roger North married Mary Gayer. She was the daughter of Sir Robert Gayer. Roger and Mary had two sons and five daughters. Some of their famous descendants include Marianne North, who was a well-known artist who painted plants, and Frederick North, who was a politician.
Roger North's Thoughts
Roger North wrote down many of his thoughts. Here are a few:
- On lawyers: "It is a wonderful accomplishment, and, without it, a lawyer cannot be accounted learned in the law." This means a lawyer needs to know the history of legal ideas to be truly smart.
- On the Popish Plot: "Wise men behaved like stark fools, and good and honest men like the veriest fourbs (fraudsters) that ever came out of Newgate." He also said, "People's passions would not allow them to attend to any reason or deliberation in the matter.. one might have denied Christ with more content than this Plot." He felt people were too emotional to think clearly.
- On a judge named Sir William Scroggs: "His course of life was scandalous and his discourse violent and intemperate. His talent was wit...he had a fluent expression and many good terms of thought and language, but he could not avoid extremities." Roger thought Scroggs was clever but often went too far.
- On Lord Jeffreys: "His friendship and conversation lay much among the good fellows and humourists, and his delights were accordingly drinking, laughing, singing, kissing and all the extravagances of the bottle...no friendship....could be so great in private which he would not use ill ....in public. No one that had any expectation from him was safe from his public contempt and derision." Roger felt Jeffreys was not a good friend in public, even if he was fun in private.
- On power: "The rising sun hath a charming effect, but not upon courtiers as upon larks: for it makes these (larks) sing and the others (courtiers) silent." He meant that power makes birds sing, but it can make people in power quiet and careful.
