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Famous British Personalities
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William Laud
(1573 - 1645)
Profession: Statesman
English priest; archbishop of Canterbury from 1633.
William Laud (October 7, 1573 – January 10, 1645) was Archbishop of Canterbury and a fervent supporter of King Charles I of England, whom he encouraged to believe in divine right. His support for Charles, absolute monarchy, and his persecuting of opposing views led to his beheading in the midst of the English Civil War. The beheading of Charles occurred four years later.
Laud was born in Reading, Berkshire, of comparatively low origins, his
father having been a cloth merchant (a fact of which he was to remain
sensitive throughout his career). He was educated at Reading School and,
through a White Scholarship, St. John's College,
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Oxford.
On April 5, 1601, he entered the Church, and his Catholic tendencies and antipathy
to Puritanism, combined with his intellectual and organizational brilliance, soon
made him a name. At that time, the Calvinist party was strong in the Church, and
Laud's affirmation of Apostolic succession was unpopular in many quarters. In
1605, somewhat against his will, he obliged his patron, Charles Blount, 1st Earl
of Devon, by performing his marriage service to a divorcée.
He continued to rise through the ranks of the clergy, becoming President of St
John's College in 1611; Prebendary of Lincoln in 1614, and Archdeacon of Huntingdon
in 1615. He was consecrated Bishop of St David's in 1622, translated Bishop of
Bath and Wells in 1626, and Bishop of London in 1628. Thanks to patrons who included
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and the king himself, he reached the
highest position the Church of England had to offer, Archbishop of Canterbury,
in 1633. At the same time, he was prominent in government, taking the king's line
and that of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford in all important matters. It is
believed that he wrote the controversial Declaration of Sports issued by King
Charles in 1633.
In 1630, Laud was elected as Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and became
much more closely involved in the running of the university than many of his predecessors
had been. His most significant contribution was the creation of a new set of statutes
for the university, a task completed in 1636. Laud served as the fifth Chancellor
of Trinity College, Dublin between 1633 and 1645.
The famous phrase "give great praise to God, and little Laud to the devil" is
a warning to Charles attributed to the official court jester or "fool" Archie
Armstrong.
Laud was a sincere Anglican and loyal Englishman, who must have been frustrated
at the charges of Popery levelled against him by the Puritan element in the Church.
Whereas Strafford saw the political dangers of Puritanism, Laud saw the threat
to the episcopacy. But the Puritans themselves felt threatened: the Counter-Reformation
was succeeding abroad, and the Thirty Years' War was not progressing to the advantage
of the Protestants. It was inevitable that in this climate, Laud's aggressive
high church policy was seen as a sinister development.
Laud's policy was influenced by another aspect of his character: his desire to
impose total uniformity on the Church. This, too, was driven by a sincere belief
that this was the duty of his office, but to those of even slightly differing
views it came as persecution. Perhaps this had the unintended consequence of garnering
support for the most implacable opponents of the Anglican compromise. In 1637,
William Prynne and two others were sentenced to mutilation (removal of ears and
branding on both cheeks) for the crime of seditious libel.
His intolerance towards the Presbyterians extended to Scotland, where it led to
the Covenanter movement and the Bishops' Wars. The Long Parliament of 1640 accused
him of treason, resulting in his imprisonment in the Tower of London, where he
remained throughout the early stages of the English Civil War. In the spring of
1644, he was brought to trial, but it ended without being able to reach a verdict.
The parliament took up the issue, and eventually passed a bill of attainder under
which he was beheaded on January 10, 1645 on Tower Hill, notwithstanding being
granted a royal pardon.
Oliver Cromwell
(1599 - 1658)
Profession: Statesman
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Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire. He studied at Cambridge, and in 1628 he was first elected to Parliament.
Cromwell opposed the absolute power of the crown, and when war broke out he became a military organizer for the Parliamentary forces. Realizing the inferior quality of the rebel troops, he organized a 'godly' regiment - the 'Ironsides'. The Ironsides were men of strong convictions who fought with religious enthusiasm.
After the Civil War and the execution of king Charles I, Cromwell became
first chairman of the the new republic. He suppressed an insurrection
in Ireland (1650) with a severity remembered by the
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Irish
Catholics with bitterness. In the same year he defeated a Royalist army
in Scotland, and he fought the Dutch in several naval battles.
In 1653 Cromwell dissolved Parliament and he became Lord protector of
the new puritanical republic. As Lord protector he concluded the Anglo-Dutch
War, sent an expeditionary force to the Spanish West Indies and destroyed
the Spanish fleet at Teneriffe.
In the fall of 1658 Cromwell died, and England fell away from his attempt
to realize a puritanical commonwealth of free men
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John Milton
(1608 - 1674)
Profession: Writer
English poet
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Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608, and educated at Saint Paul's School and Christ's College, University of Cambridge. He intended to become a clergyman in the Church of England, but growing dissatisfaction with the state of the Anglican clergy together with his own developing poetic interests led him to abandon this purpose.
He became totally blind in about 1652 and thereafter carried on his literary
work helped by an assistant; with the aid also of the poet Andrew Marvell.
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John
Milton's work is marked by cosmic themes and lofty religious idealism;
it reveals an astonishing breadth of learning and command of the Greek,
Latin, and Hebrew classics. His blank verse is of remarkable variety and
richness, so skillfully modulated and flexible that it has been compared
to organ tones.
Paradise Lost is considered Milton's masterpiece and one of the greatest
poems in world literature. In its 12 cantos he tells the story of the
fall of Adam in a context of cosmic drama and profound speculations. The
poet's announced aim was to "justify the ways of God to men." The poem
was written with soaring imagination and far-ranging intellectual grasp
in his most forceful and exalted style. Paradise Regained, which tells
of human salvation through Christ, is a shorter and lesser work, although
still one of great richness and strength. Milton is often considered the
greatest English poet after Shakespeare
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John Bunyan
(1628 - 1688)
Profession: Writer
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A
Baptist, he was imprisoned in Bedford in 1660-72 for unlicensed preaching
and wrote Grace Abounding in 1666, which describes his early spiritual
life. During a second jail sentence 1676-77 he started to write The Pilgrim's
Progress, the first part of which was published in 1678. This allegorical
story of Christian's spiritual quest is written in straightforward language
with fervour and imagination. Bunyan was born in Elstow, near Bedford.
At 16, he was drafted into the Parliamentary army to fight in the Civil
War. His military career was brief, and in 1647 he returned to Elstow.
In 1649 he married a religious woman. One of the books she
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brought
with her, The Plaine Mans Path-way to Heaven, exerted a powerful influence on
Bunyan; the origin of specific images, such as the Man with the Muck Rake in
The Pilgrim's Progress, have been traced to it. At this period Bunyan experienced
religious doubts and struggles. He suffered a strong conviction of sin, which
attached itself to his mild vices of swearing, dancing, and Sunday games, but
after his conversion experience and joining the Baptists 1653 he became more
cheerful and began preaching in neighbouring villages and publishing religious
pamphlets.
In 1660 he was committed to Bedford county jail for unlawful preaching, where
he remained for 12 years, refusing all offers of release conditional on his
not preaching again. Set free 1672, he was elected pastor of the Bedford congregation,
but in 1676 he was again arrested and imprisoned for six months in the jail
on Bedford Bridge, where he began The Pilgrim's Progress. The book was an instant
success, and a second part followed 1684. Other works include The Life and Death
of Mr Badman 1680 and The Holy War 1682.
John Locke
(1632 - 1704)
Profession: Statesman
English Philosopher
Locke was born in Wrington, Somerset, SW England. He studied at Oxford, and in 1667 he became am adviser to Lord Ashley, later first Earl of Shaftesbury. He retired to France, but after Shaftesbury's death in 1683 he fled to Holland, returning to England in 1689, where he became commissioner of appeals until 1704.
Locke's philosophical and political theories widely influenced the thinkers
of his day, and are still considered important. To secure the personal
liberties of the citizens Locke provided the theoretical justification
for the separations of the powers of the state into
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legislative and executive branches.
In his major philosphical work 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', he accepted the possibility of rational demonstration of moral principles and the existence of God, but he insisted that all beliefs depend for their justification ultimately upon experience - a doctrine that was the real starting point of British Empiricism.
Sir Christopher Wren
(1632 - 1723)
Profession: Architect
English architect, scientist, and mathematician
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Wren
was born in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, on October 20, 1632, the son of a
clergyman. He was a precocious child with remarkable talent for science
and mathematics and had already invented numerous scientific devices before
the age of 14, when he was admitted to Wadham College, University of Oxford.
While still a student, he made several original contributions in mathematics,
winning immediate acclaim. In 1657, after serving as a fellow of All Souls
College at Oxford, he was appointed professor of astronomy at Gresham
College in London. Three years later he returned to Oxford to accept the
post of Savilian professor of astronomy.
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Already
famous as a scientist and mathematician, Wren started his career as an
architect at the age of 29. Until then he had displayed no practical interest
in architecture, but his reputation brought him an unsolicited court appointment
as assistant to the surveyor general in charge of the repair and upkeep
of public buildings. Thereafter Wren devoted himself to the study of architecture
with increasing enthusiasm. His earliest work included designs for several
new structures at Oxford and at Cambridge.
The fire of 1666 burned the oldest part of London. Within a few days Wren
submitted a brilliant plan for rebuilding the area. The plan anticipated
many of the features of modern city planning, but it was rejected because
of property disputes. In 1667 he was appointed deputy surveyor general
for the reconstruction of Saint Paul's Cathedral, numerous parish churches,
and other buildings destroyed by the fire. Two years later he received
the coveted post of surveyor of the royal works, a position that gave
him control of all government building in Britain. He held this position
for the following 50 years.
Wren's designs for St. Paul's Cathedral were accepted in 1675, and he
superintended the building of the vast baroque structure until its completion
in 1710. It ranks as one of the world's most imposing domed edifices.
He also designed more than 50 churches, many of them, such as Saint Mary-le-Bow
(1671-77) in London, famous for their towers and graceful spires. They
include Saint Stephen's, Walbrook; Saint Clement Dane's, the Strand; and
Saint James's, Picadilly. Among his secular buildings still in existence
are the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford (1664-69), the Trinity College library
at Cambridge (1677-92), and the facade for Hampton Court Palace (1689-94).
He also built the Chelsea Hospital (1682), the Greenwich Observatory (1675),
and the Greenwich Hospital (1696).
Wren's architectural achievements have obscured his extraordinary contributions
in science. Among his inventions were a weather clock comparable to the
modern barometer and new methods of engraving and etching. His biological
experiments, in which he injected fluids into the veins of animals, were
important in developing blood transfusion.
Wren was knighted in 1673; he subsequently served for many years as a
member of Parliament. One of the founders of the Royal Society of London
for Improving Natural Knowledge, he became its president in 1680. He died
in London, on February 25, 1723, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Near his tomb is a tablet inscribed with his epitaph, which ends with
the following famous words: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice ("If you
seek his monument, look about you").He is considered England’s foremost
architect. His work, in a simple version of the baroque style, displayed
great inventiveness in design and engineering. The Wren style strongly
influenced English architecture in the Georgian period and its colonial
version in America.
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Samuel Pepys
(1633 - 1703)
Profession: Writer
English naval administrator and diarist.
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His Diary 1660-69 is a unique record of the daily life of the period, the historical events of the Restoration, the manners and scandals of the court, naval administration, and Pepys's own interests, weaknesses, and intimate feelings. Written in shorthand, it was not deciphered until 1825.
Pepys entered the Navy Office 1660 and was secretary to the Admiralty
1672-79. He was imprisoned 1679 in the Tower of London on suspicion of
being connected with the Popish Plot. In 1684 he was reinstated as secretary
to the Admiralty, but finally resigned his post after the 1688 Revolution.
He published Memoires of the Navy 1690. Pepys abandoned writing his diary
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because
he believed, mistakenly, that his eyesight was about to fail - in fact,
it continued to serve him for 30 or more years of active life.
The original manuscript of the Diary, preserved in Cambridge together
with other papers, is in six volumes, containing more than 3,000 pages.
It is closely written in cipher (a form of shorthand). Highlights include
his accounts of the Great Plague of London 1665, the Fire of London 1666,
and the sailing up the Thames of the Dutch fleet 1667.
Pepys was born in London, the son of John Pepys, a tailor. He was educated
at St Paul's School, London, and Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1659,
he entered the Exchequer as a clerk, becoming clerk of the council the
same year. In 1660 he became a clerk of the Privy Seal and `clerk of the
King's ships´. He rose to become secretary of the Admiralty 1672-79, where
he carried out drastic and far-reaching reforms. He was also a member
of Parliament for Castle Rising 1673, exchanging his constituency for
that of Harwich 1679.An Admiralty minute of 1805 spoke of Pepys as `a
man of extraordinary knowledge, of great talent and the most indefatigable
in industry
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Sir Isaac Newton
(1642 - 1727)
Profession: Scientist
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Isaac Newton is one of the greatest names in the history of human thought.
Newton was born in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, UK. He studied at Cambridge.
Legend has it that the fall of an apple initiated the train of thought
that led to the law of gravitation. As professor of mathematics at Cambridge
he worked on his famous Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica,
which supplied a complete proof of the law of gravitation. This law explained
celestial motions, the tides, and terrestial gravitation, and is regarded
as one of the
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greatest
scientific achievements.
He deveolped a new kind of mathematics known as the calculus. He also
invented the reflecting telescope, and discovered that white light is
a combination of all colors by using prisms. Newton sat in parliament
on two occasions, was elected President of the Royal Society in 1703,
and was knighted in 1705.
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Samuel Johnson
(1709 - 1784)
Profession: Writer
English lexicographer, author, and critic
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Dr
Johnson was a brilliant conversationalist and the dominant figure in 18th-century
London literary society. His Dictionary, published 1755, remained authoritative
for over a century, and is still remarkable for the vigour of its definitions.
In 1764 he founded the Literary Club, whose members included the painter
Joshua Reynolds, the political philosopher Edmund Burke, the dramatist
Oliver Goldsmith, the actor David Garrick, and James Boswell, Johnson's
biographer.
Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, the son of a bookseller, Johnson was
educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he distinguished himself but
was prevented by lack of money from taking a degree. He is buried in Westminster
Abbey and his
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house
in Gough Square, London, is preserved as a museum.
James Brindley
(1716 - 1772)
Profession: Engineer
British canal builder.
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He
was the first to employ tunnels and aqueducts extensively, in order to
reduce the number of locks on a direct-route canal. His 580 km / 360 miles
of canals included the Bridgewater (Manchester-Liverpool) and Grand Union
(Manchester-Potteries) canals.
Brindley was born near Buxton, Derbyshire. He set up a machine shop in
Staffordshire and began constructing flint and silk mills. He was virtually
illiterate and made all calculations in his head.
In 1759 Brindley was engaged by the Duke of Bridgewater to
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construct a canal to transport coal to Manchester from the duke's mines
at Worsley. Brindley's revolutionary scheme for this included a subterranean
channel and an aqueduct over the river Irwell. He constructed impervious
banks by puddling clay, and the canal simultaneously acted as a mine drain.
The success of this project established him as the leading canal builder
in the UK.
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