Henry John Roby
Encyclopedia
Henry John Roby was an English
classical scholar and writer on Roman law
, and a Liberal
Member of Parliament
.
in 1849. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts
in 1853, and was the "Senior Classic" or top classics student of that year. He was made a fellow of St John's College in the following year. He worked as a lecturer and private tutor in Cambridge from 1854 to 1861. He was, however, highly critical of the administration of the university. In particular he felt that the constituent colleges were prone to pursue policies in complete isolation from each other, leading to frequent conflicts. This he likened to the collision of "17 bodies in a confined space moving vagueley in the dark".
. On 13 August 1861 he married Mary Ann Mathilda Ermen, the daughter of Peter Albert Ermen, a Dutch
-born Manchester
cotton spinner. Finding the teaching of Latin
at Dulwich in need of reform, he wrote An Elementary Latin Grammar in 1862. He remained at Dulwich until 1865.
s. In December 1864 he was appointed secretary of the Schools Inquiry Commission, which examined some 800 institutions. He was the author of much of the final report of the commission, which led to the enactment of the Endowed Schools Act 1869
. The 1869 Act established an Endowed Schools Commission of which Roby was the first secretary, serving in that office until 1872, when he became a commissioner. The commission was dissolved at the end of 1874. From 1866 to 1868 he was professor of jurisprudence
at University College, London, lecturing on Roman Law. In 1877 he was made life governor and a member of the Council of Owens College, and a governor of Manchester Grammar School
.
to Suetonius
, described by Encyclopædia Britannica
as "a storehouse of illustrative quotations from Latin literature". In 1884 he published Introduction to Justinian's Digest and Commentary, for which he was awarded the honorary degree
of LL.D by the University of Edinburgh
. This was followed in 1902 by Roman Private Law in the Time of Cicero and the Anotinines.
near Manchester. Soon afterwards the firm changed its name to Ermen and Roby.
, serving variously as chairmen of the Manchester Liberal Executive, the Executive for the North-West Manchester Liberal Association and of the Manchester Liberal Union, and as president of the Eccles Liberal Association.
In 1890 the member of parliament for the Eccles
division of Lancashire
died, and Roby was chosen to contest the seat at the ensuing byelection. He successfully won the seat from the Conservatives
, holding it at the subsequent general election of 1892
. He was a Deputy Chairman of Committees of the House of Commons.
in the Lake District
. He died at Lancrigg in January 1915 aged 84.
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...
classical scholar and writer on Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
, and a Liberal
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...
Member of Parliament
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,...
.
Early life and Cambridge
Roby was the son of a solicitor and was born in Tamworth, and was educated at Bridgnorth Grammar School. He won a scholarship to St John's College, CambridgeSt John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in 1849. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts
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 1853, and was the "Senior Classic" or top classics student of that year. He was made a fellow of St John's College in the following year. He worked as a lecturer and private tutor in Cambridge from 1854 to 1861. He was, however, highly critical of the administration of the university. In particular he felt that the constituent colleges were prone to pursue policies in complete isolation from each other, leading to frequent conflicts. This he likened to the collision of "17 bodies in a confined space moving vagueley in the dark".
Dulwich
In 1860 he left Cambridge, becoming under master of the Upper School at the College of God's Gift, DulwichDulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
. On 13 August 1861 he married Mary Ann Mathilda Ermen, the daughter of Peter Albert Ermen, a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
-born Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
cotton spinner. Finding the teaching of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at Dulwich in need of reform, he wrote An Elementary Latin Grammar in 1862. He remained at Dulwich until 1865.
Educational reform
Roby was involved in reforming the governance of public and grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s. In December 1864 he was appointed secretary of the Schools Inquiry Commission, which examined some 800 institutions. He was the author of much of the final report of the commission, which led to the enactment of the Endowed Schools Act 1869
Endowed Schools Act 1869
The Endowed Schools Act 1869 was introduced in Britain during William Ewart Gladstone’s first ministry.An Endowed Schools Commission was created to draw up new schemes of distribution for schools which received funding from the government; previous endowments had been seen as poorly distributed and...
. The 1869 Act established an Endowed Schools Commission of which Roby was the first secretary, serving in that office until 1872, when he became a commissioner. The commission was dissolved at the end of 1874. From 1866 to 1868 he was professor of jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at University College, London, lecturing on Roman Law. In 1877 he was made life governor and a member of the Council of Owens College, and a governor of Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
.
Later publications
Between 1871 and 1874 Roby expanded his 1862 publication into a two volume Grammar of the Latin Language, from PlautusPlautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
to Suetonius
Lives of the Twelve Caesars
De vita Caesarum commonly known as The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.The work, written in AD 121 during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, was the most popular work of Suetonius,...
, described by Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
as "a storehouse of illustrative quotations from Latin literature". In 1884 he published Introduction to Justinian's Digest and Commentary, for which he was awarded the honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of LL.D by the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. This was followed in 1902 by Roman Private Law in the Time of Cicero and the Anotinines.
Industry
With the ending of his work as a schools commissioner in 1874, Roby became a partner in his father in law's firm of Ermen and Engels, sewing cotton manufacturers of PatricroftPatricroft
Patricroft is a district of Eccles, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.-History:Patricroft may derive its name from 'Pear-tree croft', or more likely, 'Patrick's Croft'. In 1836, James Nasmyth, in partnership with Holbrook Gaskell, built the Bridgewater Foundry in...
near Manchester. Soon afterwards the firm changed its name to Ermen and Roby.
Parliament
Roby was an active member of the Liberal PartyLiberal 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...
, serving variously as chairmen of the Manchester Liberal Executive, the Executive for the North-West Manchester Liberal Association and of the Manchester Liberal Union, and as president of the Eccles Liberal Association.
In 1890 the member of parliament for the Eccles
Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)
Eccles was a parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom, centred on the town of Eccles in Greater Manchester, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :The constituency...
division of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
died, and Roby was chosen to contest the seat at the ensuing byelection. He successfully won the seat from the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, holding it at the subsequent general election of 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
. He was a Deputy Chairman of Committees of the House of Commons.
Retirement
In 1894 Roby retired from business and in the following year from parliament. He spent the last twenty years of his life in at his residence Lancrigg, GrasmereGrasmere
Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets...
in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. He died at Lancrigg in January 1915 aged 84.