John Kyrle
Encyclopedia
John Kyrle known as "the Man of Ross", was an English
philanthropist
, born in the parish of Dymock
, Gloucestershire
but best remembered for his time in Ross-on-Wye
in Herefordshire
.
, a barrister
and MP
. The family had lived at Ross for many generations. He was educated at Balliol College
, Oxford
, and studied Law, but did not qualify and having succeeded to the family property looking over the market square at Ross he lived there.
In everything that concerned the welfare of the small town of Ross in which he lived he took a lively interest; in the education of the children and in improving and embellishing the town. He planted trees in and around the town, with two or three workmen to assist with the manual work. He delighted in mediating between those who had quarrelled and in preventing costly lawsuits between prominent townspeople. He was generous to the poor and spent all he had in good works.
He was behind the establishment of 'The Prospect' in Ross-on-Wye in 1700, a public garden on the hilltop just above Ross town centre where a viewpoint and walkways were set out and a public fountain provided clean water for town residents. The park is still there today, alongside the churchyard of St Mary's churchhttp://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/347880, with ornate stone gates and mature trees interspersed with benches and a walk. The Prospect commands excellent views over the River Wye
and the surrounding countryside.
He lived a great deal in the open air, working with the labourers on his farm. He died on 7 November 1724, living well into his eighties, and was buried in the chancel of Ross Church.
His name is commemorated throughout Ross-on-Wye, not only in The Prospect but in the 'Man of Ross' public house on Wye Street and his market square townhouse.http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5884 The town's secondary school
carries his name.
His memory was also preserved by the Kyrle Society, founded in 1876 by Miranda
and Octavia Hill
, to better the life of working people, by laying out parks, encouraging house decoration, window gardening and flower growing. The Society was one of the first civic amenity bodies and a progenitor of the National Trust
.
in the third of his Moral Essays
"Of the Use of Riches" (1734);
Who taught that heav’n directed Spire to rise?
The Man of Ross, each lisping babe replies.
Behold the Market-place with poor o'erspread!
He feeds yon Alms-house, neat, but void of state,
Where Age and Want sit smiling at the gate;
Him portion’d maids, apprentic’d orphans blest,
The young who labour, and the old who rest.
Is any sick? the Man of Ross relieves,
Prescribes, attends, the med’cine makes, and gives,
Is there a variance? enter but his door,
Balk’d are the Courts, and contest is no more.
Despairing Quacks with curses fled the place,
And vile Attornies, now a useless race.
and by Coleridge
in an early poem of 1794.
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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...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, born in the parish of Dymock
Dymock
Dymock is a small village in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England about four miles south of Ledbury, with a population of approx. 300 people....
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
but best remembered for his time in Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
.
Education & Legal Background
Kyrle was the son of Walter KyrleWalter Kyrle
Walter Kyrle was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648.Kyle was the son of Robert Kyle of Walford, Herefordshire. He matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford on 11 April, 1617, aged 17...
, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The family had lived at Ross for many generations. He was educated at Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and studied Law, but did not qualify and having succeeded to the family property looking over the market square at Ross he lived there.
Ross Philanthropist
From his early twenties he adopted a frugal lifestyle and instead of utilising his wealth for himself, he sought to invest in the greater good of his locality and community that lived there.In everything that concerned the welfare of the small town of Ross in which he lived he took a lively interest; in the education of the children and in improving and embellishing the town. He planted trees in and around the town, with two or three workmen to assist with the manual work. He delighted in mediating between those who had quarrelled and in preventing costly lawsuits between prominent townspeople. He was generous to the poor and spent all he had in good works.
He was behind the establishment of 'The Prospect' in Ross-on-Wye in 1700, a public garden on the hilltop just above Ross town centre where a viewpoint and walkways were set out and a public fountain provided clean water for town residents. The park is still there today, alongside the churchyard of St Mary's churchhttp://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/347880, with ornate stone gates and mature trees interspersed with benches and a walk. The Prospect commands excellent views over the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
and the surrounding countryside.
He lived a great deal in the open air, working with the labourers on his farm. He died on 7 November 1724, living well into his eighties, and was buried in the chancel of Ross Church.
His name is commemorated throughout Ross-on-Wye, not only in The Prospect but in the 'Man of Ross' public house on Wye Street and his market square townhouse.http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5884 The town's secondary school
John Kyrle High School
John Kyrle High School is a secondary school situated in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England. It is named after the philanthropist John Kyrle , known as "The Man of Ross".- History :...
carries his name.
His memory was also preserved by the Kyrle Society, founded in 1876 by Miranda
Miranda Hill
Miranda Hill was an English social reformer. She worked closely, from 1891, with her more famous sister Octavia Hill on major housing reform projects in England. She was the daughter of James Hill, corn merchant and banker, and Caroline Southwood Smith, the daughter of Dr Thomas Southwood Smith,...
and Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a family with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty, she herself grew up in straitened circumstances owing...
, to better the life of working people, by laying out parks, encouraging house decoration, window gardening and flower growing. The Society was one of the first civic amenity bodies and a progenitor of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
Commemorated in Verse by Pope & Coleridge
Ross and John Kyrle were eulogised by Alexander PopeAlexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
in the third of his Moral Essays
Moral Essays
Moral Essays is a series of four poems on ethical subjects by Alexander Pope, published between 1731 and 1735...
"Of the Use of Riches" (1734);
Who taught that heav’n directed Spire to rise?
The Man of Ross, each lisping babe replies.
Behold the Market-place with poor o'erspread!
He feeds yon Alms-house, neat, but void of state,
Where Age and Want sit smiling at the gate;
Him portion’d maids, apprentic’d orphans blest,
The young who labour, and the old who rest.
Is any sick? the Man of Ross relieves,
Prescribes, attends, the med’cine makes, and gives,
Is there a variance? enter but his door,
Balk’d are the Courts, and contest is no more.
Despairing Quacks with curses fled the place,
And vile Attornies, now a useless race.
and by Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
in an early poem of 1794.
External links
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