John Russell, Viscount Amberley
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John Russell, Viscount Amberley (10 December 1842 – 9 January 1876), was a British politician and writer. He was the eldest son of John Russell, who twice served as
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
, and father of the philosopher
Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...
. Amberley is known for his unorthodox views on religion and for his active support of
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
and
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
, which contributed to the end of his short career as Liberal Member of Parliament.


Childhood and education

John Russell was born on 10 December 1842 at Chesham Place, London, the first son of
Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...
, himself the son of the 6th Duke of Bedford. His mother was Lord Russell's second wife, Lady Frances, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Minto. In 1846, his father became
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
and served as such twice. Due to Lord John's elevation to peerage as
Earl Russell Earl Russell, of Kingston Russell in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 July 1861 for the prominent Liberal politician Lord John Russell. He was Home Secretary from 1835 to 1839, For ...
in 1861, his son and
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
became known as
Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
Amberley. After a
home education Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...
, he was sent to
Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...
. He was an exceptionally studious boy and his performance at school pleased his father. He later attended the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
. At Cambridge, he formed a close and lasting friendship with T. J. Cobden-Sanderson, who shared his irreligious views. Both left Cambridge without taking a degree; Amberley's departure in February 1863 was due to his dislike for Cambridge's social tone and focus on mathematics.


Views and politics

Rejecting the
divinity of Christ In Christianity, Christology is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would be in the freeing of ...
in the early 1860s, Amberley wrote on his 21st birthday, "I am therefore at the present moment what is called a '
Deist Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin term '' deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge and asserts that empirical reason and observation ...
'." In 1864, he embarked on a comparative study of religions and started writing ''An Analysis of Religious Belief''. He published the first part of an article on "The Church of England as a Religious Body" in December 1866 and the second in February 1867, arguing that the clergy should consider all theological doctrines equally because the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
was a
national church A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...
and
tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques or via onli ...
were paid by all citizens, regardless of their personal convictions. Amberley was pressured by his father to take up politics, and his friend, the philosopher
John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...
MP, expected him to become his political heir. Following an unsuccessful 1865 candidature at
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, he was elected Member of Parliament for
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
on 11 May 1866. A progressive Liberal, he served until 17 November 1868. Amberley's religious views presented a great obstacle to his political career, with even Liberal clergymen angered by his refusal to observe
Sunday Sunday (Latin: ''dies solis'' meaning "day of the sun") is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Sunday is a Christian sabbath, day of rest in most Western countries and a part of the Workweek and weekend, weekend. In some Middle Ea ...
. He also advocated
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
as means of countering
overpopulation Overpopulation or overabundance is a state in which the population of a species is larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale migr ...
and public health issues, for which he was accused of depreciating marriage, supporting abortion, and insulting physicians. This stance cost him a seat in the
South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower s ...
election in 1868. Following this defeat, he gave up his parliamentary career, but continued to write and speak in favour of
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
. Quitting politics left Amberley with more time to spend researching religions and publishing articles. His parents and siblings tolerated his unorthodox ideas but disagreed with them. They did, however, denounce his affiliation with
Positivism Positivism is a philosophical school that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positivemeaning '' a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, ''Soci ...
. He joined the Workmen's Peace Association, formed in 1870, but opposed the idea of
disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing Weapon, weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, ...
, stating that it "would most likely lead to war".


Personal life

In November 1860, the black-haired and short statured Lord Amberley met and fell in love with Janet Chambers, daughter of the publisher Robert Chambers. The affection remained strong until her death in 1863, but it does not appear probable that Amberley ever contemplated marrying her. He met Katharine Stanley in early 1864. Lord and Lady Russell disliked her parents, the politician Lord Stanley of Alderley and the
women's education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...
campaigner Lady Stanley of Alderley. The couple was thus prohibited from seeing each other for six months, but married immediately after the separation on 8 November 1864 at
Alderley, Cheshire Alderley was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire, England. It included the following townships: * Over Alderley * Nether Alderley * Great Warford Under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1886, these townships became ...
. In sharp contrast to her serious and shy husband, Lady Amberley was remarkably vivacious, and their brief marriage was very happy. Amberley had two sons and twin daughters, one of whom was stillborn. The eldest child, Frank, was born nine months after their marriage. Rachel Lucretia and her stillborn sister were born prematurely on 2 March 1868, at St. Martin, London, shortly after the couple's return from a tour of North America; the surviving daughter was named after
Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (née Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quakers, Quaker, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position ...
, the social reformer whom the couple had met in Boston. In 1870, Lord and Lady Amberley bought Ravenscroft, a country home near
Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...
in
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
, where he was a
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
, and spent their time enjoying nature and domestic life. Their youngest and most prominent child, Bertrand, was born in 1872. Amberley asked John Stuart Mill to be Bertrand's secular godfather, and Mill accepted. Through Mill, Lord Amberley met
Douglas Spalding Douglas Alexander Spalding (14 July 1841 – 1877) was a British biologist who studied animal behaviour and worked in the home of Viscount Amberley. Biography Spalding was born in Islington in London in 1841, the only son of Jessey Fraser and ...
, a lawyer by profession and amateur biologist who he employed as a tutor for his sons. Amberley encouraged him to continue his research on imprinting at his home, although his guests were terrified to see chickens roaming around the drawing-room and library. Spalding suffered from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and was thus considered unfit for marriage. Lord Amberley felt that there was nevertheless no reason to condemn Spalding to celibacy and, after a discussion with his wife, allowed them to engage in a sexual relationship.


Widowerhood and death

Amberley experienced his first
epileptic seizure A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...
in 1873. Concerned for his health, Lord and Lady Amberley decided to spend the winter in Rome and took Spalding and Frank with them. When they returned to England, in May 1874, Frank was diagnosed with
diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
, but was nursed back to health by Lady Amberley and her sister Maude. Rachel contracted the disease on their return to Ravenscroft, and was soon followed by Lady Amberley. On 27 June, Lord Amberley informed his mother-in-law that his wife's life was in danger. The next day, he wrote again to Lady Stanley, "You will know from the doctor that all is over. I cannot say more. It ended this morning early. I am too wretched to write more." Rachel, his favourite, lived until 3 July. When she died, Amberley wrote to his mother that he had lost "two greatest treasures in this world". Amberley, by nature physically weak and sombre, was left without a wish to live. He had Lady Amberley's body
cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
and her ashes interred in the grounds of their home without a religious ceremony, a decision that was seen as outrageous. Deeply depressed, he left their surviving children in the care of Spalding and the servants, and decided to finish ''An Analysis of Religious Belief'' in honour of his wife. He died of
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
at their home on 9 January 1876. According to his wishes, he was buried alongside his wife and daughter on 13 January. His parents, however, had all the remains moved to the Russell family vault at
St Michael's, Chenies St Michael's Church at Chenies, Buckinghamshire, is a Grade I listed Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Oxford in England. It is not of great architectural interest but stands in an attractive position in the Chess Valley near the Chenies ...
. In his will, Amberley named Douglas Spalding and T. J. Cobden-Sanderson as Frank and Bertrand's guardians, not wishing his children to be raised as Christians, but Lord and Lady Russell successfully contested the stipulation and assumed full guardianship. The deeply pious Lady Russell, notwithstanding her undoubted disapproval of its content, made sure that her son's book was published a month after his death. She wrote in her introduction to ''An Analysis of Religious Belief'', that while some would find "their most cherished beliefs questioned or contempted" by the book, they should recognise that her son wrote it in what to him was "the cause of goodness, nobleness, love, truth, and of the mental progress of mankind." Both of Amberley's sons eventually succeeded to the earldom.


References


External links


Pictures of Viscount Amberley
at the Bertrand Russell gallery *
An analysis of religious belief by viscount John Russell Amberley
(Project Gutenberg eBook)
Pieces of John Russels ''Nachlass'' in the State and University Library Bremen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amberley, John Russell, Viscount 1842 births 1876 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British birth control activists Amberley Heirs apparent who never acceded Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1865–1868 Bertrand Russell
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
British deists Residents of Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park