John Home was a Scottish clergyman and playwright. He was born in 1722 at Leith and died in 1808. He studied for the church, and was appointed to the parish of Athelstaneford, vacant by the death of Blair, author of the Grave. His tragedy of Douglas was performed at Edinburgh in 1756, and attained a. wonderful popularity, which was srill popular one hundred years later. The production gave great offence to the church as a body; the author was threatened with ecclesiastical censures, and in consequence resigned his living, and ever after acted and appeared as a layman. He retired into England, obtained the protection of the Earl of Bute, and received a considerable pension. His other plays, the Siege of Aquileia, the Fatal Discovery, Alonzo, and Alfred, are absolutely forgotten, a fate which their mediocrity deserves. His History of the Rebellion of 1745-1746 also disappointed public expectation. Research John Home
John Stuart, Earl of Bute was a British statesman. He was born in 1713 in Scotland and died in 1792. He acquired great influence over Frederick, Prince of Wales, and was appointed chamberlain to his son, afterwards George III, through whose favour he became secretary of state, and ultimately, in 1762, primeminister. For a time Pitt and Newcastle alike had to give way to his influence, but though possessing the full confidence of the king he was unpopular with the people, and in 1763 he suddenly resigned his office, and retired from public affairs to spend his leisure in literary and scientific pursuits, particularly in botany. Research John Stuart
William Pitt (Earl of Chatham) was an English politician. He was born in 1708 and died in 1778. The son of Robert Pitt of Boconnoc, in Cornwall, he was educated at Eton and Oxford. He entered parliament as Whig member for the borough of Old Sarum (which was the property of his family), and soon attracted notice as a powerful opponent of Walpole. In spite of the king's dislike William Pitt was powerful enough to win a place in the administration of 1746, first as vice-treasurer of Ireland, and afterwards as paymaster-general.
In 1756 he became secretary of state and real head of the government. Dismissed in 1757 on account of his opposition to the king's Hanoverian policy, no stable administration could be formed without him, and he returned to power the same year in conjunction with the Duke of Newcastle. It was under this administration and entirely under the inspiration of William Pitt that Britain rose to a place amongst the nations she had not before occupied. Wolfe and Clive, both stimulated and supported in their great designs by William Pitt, won Canada and India from the French, and the support the Great Commoner gave Frederick of Prussia contributed not a little to the destruction of French predominance in Europe.
The accession of George III brought LordBute into power, and William Pitt, disagreeing with Bute, resigned in 1761. In 1766 he strongly advocated conciliatory measures towards the American colonies, and undertook the same year to form an administration, going to the House of Lords as Earl of Chatham. But the ministry was not a success, and in 1768 he resigned. After this his principal work was his appeals for a conciliatory policy towards the colonies. But his advice was disregarded, and the colonies declared themselves independent in 1776. After his death, William Pitt received a public funeral and a magnificentmonument in WestminsterAbbey. The character of William Pitt was marked by integrity, disinterestedness, and patriotism. With great oratorical gifts and the insight of a great statesman he had liberal and elevated sentiments; but he was haughty and showed too marked a consciousness of his own superiority.
William Pitt was an English politician. He was born in 1759 and died in 1806. The second son of the Earl of Chatham, he became Prime Minister of England in 1783. He enforced the English navigation acts against the United States with great severity, yet his policy was liberal in the main. He resigned office in 1801. Research William Pitt
Abbreviations
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