The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition
by W.C. Lubenow
Queer Places:
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
Huntington Court B&B, Huntington, Kington HR5 3PZ, United Kingdom
St. Thomas à Becket Churchyard, Huntington, Kington HR5 3PY, United Kingdom
Henry Romilly (October 21, 1805 – December 25, 1884) was born on October 21, 1805, as the fourth son of the prominent English legal reformer and Solicitor-General Sir Samuel Romilly and Anne Garbett, the daughter of Francis Garbett of Knill Court, Herefordshire. He grew up in an intellectually and socially distinguished family environment, surrounded by siblings who would also make their mark in various spheres, including his brothers John, Edward, and Charles.
Romilly received his early education at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School in Suffolk. Following his time there, he matriculated at Christ's College, Cambridge, in October 1824. During his university years, he distinguished himself academically as a scholar, earning his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1828 and later his Master of Arts (MA) in 1831. His intellectual and social circles at Cambridge were notably elite, as he became a member of the prestigious Cambridge Apostles, an intellectual secret society that also counted his brother Edward among its members. Although his early education and personal inclinations drew him toward literature and jurisprudence—with records placing him residing in Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1829—circumstances ultimately directed his career down a different path.
Moving away from a traditional legal practice, Romilly established himself as a merchant in Liverpool. While building his commercial career, he remained active in public and civic affairs, serving as a magistrate on the Liverpool bench. Despite his commercial pursuits, he maintained a deep engagement with political philosophy and writing. He authored the notable treatise Public Responsibility and Vote by Ballot, published in London in 1865, which served as a robust defense of secret voting.
On May 15, 1850, Romilly married Rosa Gardiner Morris, an American woman and descendant of early Quaker settlers in Pennsylvania, who was the daughter of James Pemberton Morris of Bolton, Pennsylvania. Following his commercial career, he became associated with Huntington Park in Huntington, Herefordshire.
Henry Romilly passed away on December 25, 1884, at the age of 79, leaving no children. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Thomas à Becket in Huntington, Herefordshire. Posthumously, his work on electoral reform was recognized and reissued, and in 1886, his treatise on secret voting was reprinted alongside his papers concerning The Punishment of Death.
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The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow |
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