A. L. Rowse

Alfred Leslie Rowse (December 4, 1903 – October 3, 1997), known professionally as A. L. Rowse and to his friends and family as Leslie, was a British historian best known for his poetry about Cornwall and his work on Elizabethan England. He was also a Shakespearean scholar and a biographer. He developed a widespread reputation for irascibility and intellectual arrogance.

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Alfred Leslie Rowse was born in Tregonissey near St Austell, Cornwall, the son of Dick Rowse, a china clay miner, and Annie (n?e Vaston). His parents were very poor and virtually illiterate. Despite this handicap and fragile health, he attended St. Austell grammar school and won a scholarship to Christ Church College, Oxford in 1921. He had planned to study literature, having developed an early love of poetry, but was persuaded to read modern history. Whilst an undergraduate he developed a reputation for his devotion to speaking precisely correct English and for his candour about his homosexual behaviour. He was a popular student and made many friendships that lasted for life. He graduated with first class honours in 1925 and was made a Fellow of All Souls' College; the first such Fellow from a working class background. was awarded his Master of Arts degree in 1929. In 1927 he became a lecturer at Merton College and stayed there until 1930. In 1931 contested the parliamentary seat of Penryn and Falmouth for the Labour Party but he was unsuccessful and became a lecturer at the London School of Economics until the next election (in 1935). He was again unsuccessful and returned to Oxford as Sub-Warden of the All Souls but was defeated in his election as Warden in 1952, shortly after which he retired to Trenarren, his Cornish home, for the remainder of his life. He received a doctorate (D. Litt.) from the university in 1953. After delivering the British Academy's 1957 Raleigh Lecture on History about Sir Richard Grenville's place in English history he became a Fellow of the Academy in 1958. Despite his academic and social success, he remained proud of his working-class origins.

1903: 1903 has the latest occurring solstices and equinoxes for 400 years, because the Gregorian calendar hasn't had a leap year for seven years or a century leap year since 1600. See 1696....

October 3: :3rd October Organization is also the name of a Marxist terrorist group....

1997: 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar....