Froude, James Anthony, 1818-1894

Distinguished historian James Anthony Froude was born at Dartington rectory, Devon, in 1818. He was the brother of William Froude (1810-1879), engineer and naval architect, and of Richard Hurrell Froude (1803-1836), divine. The younger Froude was educated at Westminster School from 1830, and then privately in the village of Merton. He studied at Oriel College, Oxford, from 1835, and graduated B.A. in 1842, and took his M.A. in 1843. After briefly writing on the life of St. Neot for the Lives of the English saints by John Henry Newman (1801-1890), Froude devoted himself to the study of modern history and literature. His work Nemesis of faith (1849) was denounced at Exeter College and burnt. He became acquainted with Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) and he submitted much of his work to Carlyle for review. When Carlyle died, Froude was his sole literary executor. Froude's History of England, published 1856-1870, rivalled that of Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859). He was elected rector of St. Andrews University in 1868. In 1874 he went to South Africa on behalf of the Earl of Carnarvon, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to ascertain what the obstacles to confederation might be among the different states there. His conclusion was that Britain should leave the states to work out their own future and retain control only of the Table Bay peninsula as a military and naval station. He returned to South Africa in 1875 this time as a member of the conference assembled to deliberate on a scheme for South African federation. This came to nothing as did another conference held in London in 1876. In 1876, Froude was a member of the Scottish universities commission. In 1892 he was offered the Regius Professorship of Modern History at Oxford University. He retired in 1894. Froude's other works include The influence of the Reformation on the Scottish character ! (1869), The English in Ireland in the eighteenth century (1872-1874), History of the first forty years of Carlyle's life (1882), History of Carlyle's life in London (1884), Luther: a short biography (1883), the poem Romsdal fiord (1883) written after a visit to Norway, The science of history (1884), Oceana, or England and her colonies (1886) written after a visit to Australia, The English in the West Indies, or, the bow of Ulysses (1888), and The divorce of Catherine of Aragon (1891). Froude had also been editor of Fraser's magazine . James Anthony Froude died on 20 October 1894.

From the guide to the Correspondence of James Anthony Froude (1818-1894), 1862-1893, (Edinburgh University Library)

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