Frank Crisp
Encyclopedia
Sir Frank Crisp, 1st Baronet (25 October 1843 in London - 29 April 1919) was an English
lawyer
and microscopist
.
and at 16 was articled to a firm of solicitor
s. He also studied at the University of London
obtaining the degrees of B.A.
in 1864 and LL.B. in 1865. In 1867 he married Catherine Howes.
He qualified as a solicitor in 1869 and his reputation soon grew, acting in many important commercial contracts. He counted several foreign railroad companies and the Imperial Japanese Navy
among his clients, and drew up the contract for the cutting of the Cullinan diamond
. He received his baronet
cy in 1913 for services as legal advisor to the Liberal Party
.
In 1895, he bought Friar Park
in Henley-on-Thames
where he entertained the great and the good. He was a keen horticulturalist
and developed spectacular public gardens there, including an alpine
garden featuring a 20 foot (6 m) replica of the Matterhorn
. He published an exhaustive survey of medieval gardening
titled Mediaeval Gardens.
Crisp was an enthusiastic member, and sometime officer, of the Royal Microscopical Society
. He was generous in his support of the Society, donating furniture, books and instruments in addition to his work on technical publications.
George Harrison
purchased Friar Park
, where Frank Crisp had lived, as his new home in 1970. He also wrote a song called "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
", which appears on the album All Things Must Pass
(and later, being included on and inspiring the title of his career-spanning compilation, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
). In addition, Harrison released a hit single called "Ding Dong, Ding Dong
" on his Dark Horse LP in 1974 which contains the lyrical refrain: "Ring out the old - Ring in the new. Ring out the false - Ring in the true." for which Harrison credited Crisp as the author of that and several other quotes that Harrison found engraved in several places around Friar Park (it is actually from Ring Out, Wild Bells
, a section of Tennyson's poem In Memoriam). The lyrics and title of another Harrison track, "The Answer's at the End," from his 1975 album Extra Texture, were also inspired by the writings of Frank Crisp: "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass. You know his faults now let his foibles pass. Life is one long enigma my friend. So read on, read on, the answer's at the end."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and microscopist
Microscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye...
.
Life
Crisp's mother died when he was three years old and as a result he was brought up by his grandfather, John Filby Childs. He resolved to take up the lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and at 16 was articled to a firm of solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s. He also studied at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
obtaining the degrees of B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1864 and LL.B. in 1865. In 1867 he married Catherine Howes.
He qualified as a solicitor in 1869 and his reputation soon grew, acting in many important commercial contracts. He counted several foreign railroad companies and the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
among his clients, and drew up the contract for the cutting of the Cullinan diamond
Cullinan Diamond
The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at .The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, , also from the...
. He received his baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy in 1913 for services as legal advisor to the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
.
In 1895, he bought Friar Park
Friar Park
Friar Park is the 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion previously owned by the eccentric Sir Frank Crisp in Henley-on-Thames and bought by the musician George Harrison in 1970, as he left his former home Kinfauns, in Esher.-History:...
in Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
where he entertained the great and the good. He was a keen horticulturalist
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and developed spectacular public gardens there, including an alpine
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
garden featuring a 20 foot (6 m) replica of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
. He published an exhaustive survey of medieval gardening
Medieval gardening
Medieval gardening, or gardening during the medieval period, had a primary purpose of providing food for households. For the purposes of this article, the European medieval era will be considered to span from 400 to 1400 CE, though appropriate references may be made to earlier and later times. ...
titled Mediaeval Gardens.
Crisp was an enthusiastic member, and sometime officer, of the Royal Microscopical Society
Royal Microscopical Society
The Royal Microscopical Society is an international scientific society for the promotion of microscopy. RMS draws members from all over the world and is dedicated to advancing science, developing careers and supporting wider understanding of science and microscopy through its Science and Society...
. He was generous in his support of the Society, donating furniture, books and instruments in addition to his work on technical publications.
George Harrison and Friar Park
Former BeatleThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
purchased Friar Park
Friar Park
Friar Park is the 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion previously owned by the eccentric Sir Frank Crisp in Henley-on-Thames and bought by the musician George Harrison in 1970, as he left his former home Kinfauns, in Esher.-History:...
, where Frank Crisp had lived, as his new home in 1970. He also wrote a song called "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
"Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp " is a song written by George Harrison from his 1970 album All Things Must Pass, and a tribute to Frank Crisp, a 19th century lawyer that had been a previous owner of Harrison's Victorian residence Friar Park....
", which appears on the album All Things Must Pass
All Things Must Pass
All Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison, recorded and released in 1970. The original vinyl release featured two LPs of rock songs as well as Apple Jam, a third LP of informal jams...
(and later, being included on and inspiring the title of his career-spanning compilation, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is the third compilation of George Harrison's music, and the first to span his entire solo career after The Beatles era...
). In addition, Harrison released a hit single called "Ding Dong, Ding Dong
Ding Dong, Ding Dong
"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by George Harrison, released 6 December 1974 on Apple Records.-Background:"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" was George Harrison's holiday song for New Year's Day...
" on his Dark Horse LP in 1974 which contains the lyrical refrain: "Ring out the old - Ring in the new. Ring out the false - Ring in the true." for which Harrison credited Crisp as the author of that and several other quotes that Harrison found engraved in several places around Friar Park (it is actually from Ring Out, Wild Bells
Ring Out, Wild Bells
"Ring Out, Wild Bells" is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published in 1850, the year he was appointed Poet Laureate, it forms part of In Memoriam, Tennyson's elegy to Arthur Henry Hallam, his sister's fiancé who died at the age of twenty-two....
, a section of Tennyson's poem In Memoriam). The lyrics and title of another Harrison track, "The Answer's at the End," from his 1975 album Extra Texture, were also inspired by the writings of Frank Crisp: "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass. You know his faults now let his foibles pass. Life is one long enigma my friend. So read on, read on, the answer's at the end."