Roger Gale (antiquary)
Encyclopedia
Roger Gale was an English scholar and antiquary as well as a Member of Parliament
for Northallerton
. 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
. 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
, 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.
and Barbara Pepys. His father was Dean of York
as well as a professor of Greek at Cambridge University, while his mother was a cousin of the diarist Samuel Pepys
. Roger was born on 27 September 1672 at Impington, Cambridgeshire. Thomas and Barbara had a younger son, Samuel Gale
, who also became an antiquary, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who became William Stukeley
's as second wife.
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
starting in 1691, earning his Bachelors of Arts in 1695 and a Masters of Arts in 1698. He then became a reader at the Bodleian Library
at Oxford University on 6 March 1699. Soon after this, probably in the later part of 1699, he went with Charles Montagu
, then the Earl of Manchester, on a diplomatic mission to France. His father died in 1702, and Gale retired to his newly inherited estates at Scruton, Yorkshire.
(MP) for Northallerton
in a by-election
. He remained an MP until 1713, usually voting with the Whigs and working on committees concerned with regulating servant wages and the naturalization of foreigners. After leaving Parliament, he was appointed to a commission dealing with stamp duties, then later was a commissioner of excise. He remained in that position until 1735, when Robert Walpole
had him removed in order to free the post for one of Walpole's friends.
Gale also served as the first vice-president of the Society of Antiquaries
, and was the treasurer of the Royal Society
for a number of years. In 1736 he returned to his estates and retired from public life.
, now known as Trinity College MS O.2.1. 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 itinerary of the Antonine emperors, 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
that was contained in the Cotton library
. He also contributed a number of essays on antiquarian topics to the Philosopical 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
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", 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.
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,...
for Northallerton
Northallerton
Northallerton is an affluent 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 has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...
. 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
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
. 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
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
and the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, 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 GaleThomas Gale
Thomas Gale was an English classical scholar, antiquarian and cleric.-Life:He was born at Scruton, Yorkshire...
and Barbara Pepys. His father was Dean of York
Dean of York
The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral.-11th–12th centuries:* 1093–c.1135: Hugh* c.1138–1143: William of Sainte-Barbe...
as well as a professor of Greek at Cambridge University, while his mother was a cousin of the diarist Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
. Roger was born on 27 September 1672 at Impington, Cambridgeshire. Thomas and Barbara had a younger son, Samuel Gale
Samuel Gale
Samuel Gale was an English antiquary, a founder of the Society of Antiquaries of London.-Life:The youngest son of Thomas Gale, dean of York, and brother of Roger Gale, he was born in the parish of St Faith's, London, on 17 December 1682. He was baptised on 20 December, Samuel Pepys being one of...
, who also became an antiquary, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who became William Stukeley
William Stukeley
William Stukeley FRS, FRCP, FSA was an English antiquarian who pioneered the archaeological investigation of the prehistoric monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, work for which he has been remembered as "probably... the most important of the early forerunners of the discipline of archaeology"...
's as second wife.
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
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
starting in 1691, earning his Bachelors of Arts in 1695 and a Masters of Arts in 1698. He then became a reader at the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
at Oxford University on 6 March 1699. Soon after this, probably in the later part of 1699, he went with Charles Montagu
Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester
Charles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, 4th Earl of Manchester , son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1683...
, then the Earl of Manchester, on a diplomatic mission to France. His father died in 1702, and Gale retired to his newly inherited estates at Scruton, Yorkshire.
Public service
In 1705 he was elected a Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
(MP) for Northallerton
Northallerton (UK Parliament constituency)
Northallerton was a parliamentary borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire, represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1640 to 1832, and by one member from 1832 until 1885....
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. He remained an MP until 1713, usually voting with the Whigs and working on committees concerned with regulating servant wages and the naturalization of foreigners. After leaving Parliament, he was appointed to a commission dealing with stamp duties, then later was a commissioner of excise. He remained in that position until 1735, when Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
had him removed in order to free the post for one of Walpole's friends.
Gale also served as the first vice-president of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, and was the treasurer of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
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 EliensisLiber 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 newly formed bishopric in 1109...
, now known as Trinity College MS O.2.1. 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 itinerary of the Antonine emperors, 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
Honour of Richmond
The Honour of Richmond in north-west Yorkshire was granted to Count Alan Rufus by William the Conqueror in 1071AD. The honour, which was assessed for the service of 60 knights, was one of the most important fiefs in Norman England. - Territory :...
that was contained in the Cotton library
Cotton library
The Cotton or Cottonian library was collected privately by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. , an antiquarian and bibliophile, and was the basis of the British Library...
. He also contributed a number of essays on antiquarian topics to the Philosopical Transactions journal put out by the Royal Society.
Gale's letters survive, and some were first published in the third volume of John Nichols
John Nichols (printer)
John Nichols was an English printer, author and antiquary.-Early life and apprenticeship:He was born in Islington, London to Edward Nichols and Anne Wilmot. On 22 June 1766 he married Anne Cradock daughter of William Cradock...
'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
Surtees Society
The Surtees Society is a learned society based at Durham in northern England. The society was established on 27 May 1834 by James Raine, following the death of renowned County Durham antiquarian Robert Surtees...
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", 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.