William Roscoe
William Roscoe was a notable British historian, poet, and art collector, born on March 8, 1753, in Liverpool, England. The only son of taverners and market gardeners, he received a basic education before leaving school at the age of twelve. Encouraged by his mother to read widely, he developed a strong literary foundation, studying law informally while working as an apprentice. Roscoe made significant contributions to the arts, founding a society in Liverpool and becoming an early advocate against the slave trade through his writings.
He gained recognition as a historical writer with his biography of Lorenzo de'Medici, published in 1795, which marked a turning point in his career. After retiring from law, he pursued interests in botany and politics, eventually serving as a Member of Parliament for Liverpool. Despite a promising start, Roscoe faced financial difficulties later in life, culminating in the failure of his bank in 1816, which impacted his circumstances significantly. He passed away on June 30, 1831, after suffering from ill health, leaving behind a legacy of literary and historical contributions.
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William Roscoe
Writer
- Born: March 8, 1753
- Birthplace: Liverpool, England
- Died: June 30, 1831
Biography
William Roscoe was born at the Old Bowling Green House in Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, England, on March 8, 1753. The only son of William and Elizabeth Roscoe, taverners and market gardeners, he had to leave school at the age of twelve after receiving a basic education. His mother encouraged him to read and surrounded him with quality literature, such as the works of William Shakespeare, even after his formal education ended, and he was briefly apprenticed to a carpenter and a china painter. He read the law with two Liverpool attorneys, a typical path for becoming an attorney before law schools were common. In addition to studying legal commentaries after office hours, he also studied Latin, French, and Italian.
In 1773 he founded a society for the arts in Liverpool. After he was admitted to the bar, he continued to read widely. He also published his first poems and several attacks on the slave trade. However, his early works were pedestrian and showed no particular distinction. On February 27, 1781, he married Jane Griffies, with whom he had seven sons and three daughters. Roscoe collected rare books, amassing a sizeable collection of early printed books and Italian literature.
At the start of the French Revolution, Roscoe wrote several poems and songs praising the aspirations of the French people. In 1795, he published at his own expense his biography of Lorenzo de’Medici, which quickly established him as a historical writer. In 1796, Roscoe was able to retire from legal practice and become a gentleman of leisure, acquiring Allerton Hall as his country house and adding to it an extensive wing to house his substantial library.
However, his retirement from worldly affairs did not last long, for in 1799 he was prevailed upon to manage the affairs of a failing bank. Even so, he found time to develop an interest in botany and wrote several books of a fairly technical nature on plant classification. In 1806, he entered politics and was elected a member of Parliament for Liverpool, although his opposition to slavery and his support of Catholic emancipation won him many enemies. During this period of his life he also began to write poetry for children, attracting the interest of King George III and the queen, who wanted to set his verse to music for their young daughters.
In 1816, Roscoe’s bank failed, and he was forced to sell most of his library. For a period he was forced to hide at his home to avoid being imprisoned for debt, and he spent his later years in much reduced circumstances. He died on June 30, 1831 after a period of ill health which had made it impossible for him to write.