Roger Gale (27 September 1672 – 25 June 1744) was an English scholar and
antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
as well as a Whig politician who sat in the
English
English usually refers to:
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* English people
English may also refer to:
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* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
from 1705 to 1713. His father was an ecclesiastic and professor at Cambridge, which the younger Gale also attended. After his graduation, Gale briefly served as a diplomat in France, as well as holding a position as a reader at Oxford University's
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
. On his father's death in 1702, Gale retired to his family estate, but was elected to Parliament in 1705, where he served until 1713. He then continued in public service until 1735, when he once more retired to his estates.
Besides his governmental career, Gale was a member of the
Society of Antiquaries and the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, where he served as treasurer. Gale was known as a collector of manuscripts and other antiquarian items, writing a few published works on those subjects. He donated his manuscript collection to his alma mater in 1738, and died in 1744. Although contemporaries felt he was one of the foremost scholars of his age, later historians have been less convinced, contrasting his learning unfavourably with his father's.
Early life
Roger Gale was the eldest son of
Thomas Gale
Thomas Gale (1635/1636?7 or 8 April 1702) was an English classical scholar, antiquarian and cleric.
Life
Gale was born at Scruton, Yorkshire. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, of which he became a fellow. ...
and Barbara Pepys. His father was
Dean of York
Dean may refer to:
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as well as a professor of Greek at Cambridge University, while his mother was a cousin of the diarist
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
. Roger was born on 27 September 1672 at
Impington
Impington is a settlement and civil parish about 3 miles north of Cambridge city centre, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It forms part of the Cambridge built-up area. In 2011 the parish had a populat ...
, Cambridgeshire. Thomas and Barbara had a younger son,
Samuel Gale
Samuel Gale (17 December 1682 – 10 January 1754) was an English antiquary, and a founder of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Early life
Samiel Gale was born in the parish of St Faith's, London, on 17 December 1682, the youngest son of Th ...
, who also became an antiquary, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who became
William Stukeley
William Stukeley (7 November 1687 – 3 March 1765) was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric ...
's second wife.
[Doggett "Gale, Thomas" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''][Clapinson "Gale, Roger" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'']
Gale was educated at
St Paul's School in London,
where his father was in charge from 1672 to 1697.
He then went on to attend
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, starting in 1691, earning his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1695 and a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1698.
[ He then became a reader at the ]Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
at Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 6 March 1699. Soon after this, probably in the later part of 1699, he went with Charles Montagu, then the Earl of Manchester
Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named af ...
, on a diplomatic mission to France.[Clapinson "Roger Gale" ''Bodleian Library Record'' p. 107] His father died in 1702, and Gale retired to his newly inherited estates at Scruton
Scruton is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is west of Northallerton. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 442, decreasing to 424 at the 2011 census.
History
The nam ...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
.
Public service
Gale was returned in a contest as Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...
in a by-election on 3 December 1705 but was inactive in Parliament until 1708 when he was a teller for a bill to encourage trade with America, and carried a bill to allow two Russian built ships to trade with Russia. At the 1708 British general election
The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.
The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...
, he was returned unopposed as a Whig MP for Northallerton. He was a teller for the Whigs in an election dispute in December 1708. In 1709 he supported the naturalization of the Palatines and in March 1710 he reported on and carried up a bill for regulating servants’ wages. Later in 1710, he voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. He was returned again in a contest for Northallerton at the 1710 British general election
The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto.
...
. He voted against the French commerce bill, and was classed as a Whig. He did not stand at the 1713 British general election
The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, b ...
being 'resolved for the future to decline that troublesome post'. After leaving Parliament, he was appointed to a commission dealing with stamp duties from 1714 to 1715, and in 1715 was appointed a commissioner of excise. He remained in that position until 1735, when Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
had him removed to free the post for one of Walpole's friends.
Gale also served as the first vice-president of the Society of Antiquaries, which was established in 1707. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
on 28 March 1717Complete List of Royal Society Fellows 1660-2007
in pdf format and was the treasurer of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
for a number of years.
In 1736 he returned to his estates and retired from public life.
Antiquary and writer
Gale inherited his father's library of manuscripts and books, which he eventually donated to his alma mater, Trinity College,
[ in 1738.] Included in Gale's donation was one of only two complete manuscripts of the ''Liber Eliensis
The ''Liber Eliensis'' is a 12th-century English chronicle and history, written in Latin. Composed in three books, it was written at Ely Abbey on the island of Ely in the fenlands of eastern Cambridgeshire. Ely Abbey became the cathedral of a ...
'', now known as Trinity College MS O.2.1.[Staff "Liber Eliensis" ''Trinity Library Catalogue''][Blake "Introduction" ''Liber Eliensis'' pp. xxiii–xxiv] Gale also collected coins, and donated his collection to Cambridge University.[
In 1697 Gale translated Louis Jobert's ''La science des medailles'' into English, with the title of ''The Knowledge of Medals''.] This was designed as an instruction to the beginning coin collector, and also contained information to protect the new collector from fraud. Gale then, in 1709, published his father's work on the Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary ( la, Itinerarium Antonini Augusti, "The Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is a famous ''itinerarium'', a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly ...
, which Gale supplemented with his own notes and commentary. His last major published work was as the editor of a 12th-century manuscript register of the Honour of Richmond
The Honour of Richmond (or English feudal barony of Richmond) in north-west Yorkshire, England was granted to Count Alan Rufus (also known as Alain le Roux) by King William the Conqueror sometime during 1069 to 1071, although the date is uncertai ...
that was contained in the Cotton library
The Cotton or Cottonian library is a collection of manuscripts once owned by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton MP (1571–1631), an antiquarian and bibliophile. It later became the basis of what is now the British Library, which still holds the collection. ...
. He also contributed a number of essays on antiquarian topics to the ''Philosophical Transactions'' journal put out by the Royal Society.
Gale's letters survive, and some were first published in the third volume of John Nichols's '' Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica'' in 1790. Later more appeared in Nichols' ''Literary Anecdotes'', and then finally his complete letters were published in three volumes by the Surtees Society
The Surtees Society is a text publication society and registered charity (No. 1003812) based in Durham in northern England. The society was established on 27 May 1834 by James Raine, following the death (on 11 February) of the renowned County D ...
along with letters from his brother Samuel and brother-in-law William Stukeley. Nichols in 1781 declared that Gale was "one of the most learned men of his age",[Quoted in Clapinson "Gale, Roger" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] but later scholars have been less full of praise. D. C. Douglas, writing in the 1950s, contrasted Gale with his father, and felt that the younger Gale was given a greater reputation than he deserved. Notwithstanding Douglas' opinion, Gale's work did much to preserve important historical information, as he was a member of the new style of antiquary, who instead of working just with manuscripts, turned to the topography and other relics in the countryside. This group of antiquaries did much to record information that has since disappeared.
Death and family
Gale married Henrietta Roper, the daughter of Henry Roper of Cowling, Kent. She died in 1720. They had one son, Roger Henry Gale, who was born in 1710. Gale himself died on 25 June 1744 at his estates in Scruton, and was buried near the church there. There is no monument in the churchyard, as he stipulated in his will that he be buried in such a manner that no one would know exactly where he was buried.[Clapinson "Roger Gale" ''Bodleian Library Record'' p. 116] There are portraits of Gale at Trinity College, and St Paul's School.[
]
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Roger
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
1672 births
1744 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Society
English antiquarians
17th-century antiquarians
18th-century antiquarians
18th-century English historians
17th-century English historians
People educated at St Paul's School, London
English MPs 1705–1707
British MPs 1707–1708
British MPs 1708–1710
British MPs 1710–1713
English expatriates in France
English book and manuscript collectors
People from Histon and Impington