George Greenwood
Encyclopedia
Sir George Greenwood was a British lawyer
, politician
, cricketer
, animal welfare
reformer and Shakespearean
scholar.
, London
, he was the second son of John Greenwood, Q. C.
and Fanny Welch. Educated at Eton
he was in the "select" for the Newcastle scholarship and then matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge
. As a foundation scholar, he took his degree with a first class in the classical tripos in 1873. Having been called to the Bar by the Middle Temple
in 1876, he joined the Western Circuit. He married in 1878 Laura, daughter of Dr. Cumberbatch and had one son and three daughters.
He contested Peterborough
in 1886 and Central Hull
in 1900. In 1906 he won Peterborough for the Liberal Party
and held it till December 1915, when forced by rheumatism
to retire. He was knighted in 1916.
He was an ardent supporter of all measures for the protection of animals, and was on the Council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
, and was President of many similar societies. While he was in Parliament his consistent vigilance and practical knowledge were of great service. He was an outspoken advocate for the independence of India
at a time when the Indian cause lacked effective voices within England.
Greenwood was also a cricketer and made a single first-class appearance, against Kent
, in one of Hampshire's heaviest first-class defeats. Greenwood scored a single run in each innings of the match. His father and brother, Charles Greenwood, had equally brief first-class careers.
Greenwood was also one of the most persistent and effective fighters in the Shakespeare authorship question, and published many books on the subject. He was a frequent correspondent to The Times
, both on Shakespearean subjects and on the protection of animals.
to establish The Shakespeare Fellowship
, the organization which subsequently carried forward public discussion of the authorship question up to the 1940s.
His major publications include:
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, cricketer
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, animal welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
reformer and Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
scholar.
Life and work
Born George Granville Greenwood, in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was the second son of John Greenwood, Q. C.
John Greenwood (cricketer, born 1800)
John Greenwood was an English lawyer and cricketer, who played cricket for Cambridge University....
and Fanny Welch. Educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
he was in the "select" for the Newcastle scholarship and then matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge
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...
. As a foundation scholar, he took his degree with a first class in the classical tripos in 1873. Having been called to the Bar by the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1876, he joined the Western Circuit. He married in 1878 Laura, daughter of Dr. Cumberbatch and had one son and three daughters.
He contested Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
in 1886 and Central Hull
Kingston upon Hull Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Kingston upon Hull Central was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Kingston upon Hull in East Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1900. In 1906 he won Peterborough for the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and held it till December 1915, when forced by rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
to retire. He was knighted in 1916.
He was an ardent supporter of all measures for the protection of animals, and was on the Council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. In 2009 the RSPCA investigated 141,280 cruelty complaints and collected and rescued 135,293 animals...
, and was President of many similar societies. While he was in Parliament his consistent vigilance and practical knowledge were of great service. He was an outspoken advocate for the independence of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
at a time when the Indian cause lacked effective voices within England.
Greenwood was also a cricketer and made a single first-class appearance, against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, in one of Hampshire's heaviest first-class defeats. Greenwood scored a single run in each innings of the match. His father and brother, Charles Greenwood, had equally brief first-class careers.
Greenwood was also one of the most persistent and effective fighters in the Shakespeare authorship question, and published many books on the subject. He was a frequent correspondent to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, both on Shakespearean subjects and on the protection of animals.
Publications
Greenwood is the author of twelve books and numerous articles on the authorship question, all published 1908-1924. A prolific and entertaining writer, he engaged in a series of well-known public debates, carried on in books and in public forums of exchange such as newspapers and literary journals, with Sir Sidney Lee, the leading Shakespearean biographer of his generation. Although the most effective anti-Stratfordian of the early decades of the 20th century, Greenwood refused to endorse an alternative author of the Shakespearean canon, preferring instead to remain agnostic on the identity of the author while steadfastly maintaining that the traditional view of authorship was ultimately indefensible. In 1922 he joined with J. Thomas LooneyJ. Thomas Looney
John Thomas Looney . was an English school teacher who is best known for having originated the Oxfordian theory, which claims that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the true author of Shakespeare's plays.-Life:Looney was born in South Shields...
to establish The Shakespeare Fellowship
The Shakespeare Fellowship
The Shakespeare Fellowship is an organization devoted to promoting Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of William Shakespeare....
, the organization which subsequently carried forward public discussion of the authorship question up to the 1940s.
His major publications include:
- The Shakespeare Problem Restated (1908)
- In re Shakespeare: Beeching vs Greenwood (1909)
- The Vindicators of Shakespeare (1911)
- Is There a Shakespeare Problem? (1916)
- Letters to The Nation and the Literary Guide (1915–1916)
- Shakespeare's Law and Latin (1916)
- Shakespeare's Law (1920)
- Shakspere's Handwriting (1920)
- Ben Johnson and Shakespeare (1921)
- Baconian Essays (Introduction and two essays) (1922)
- Lee, Shakespeare and a Tertium Quid (1923)
- Shakespeare's Signature and "Sir Thomas More" (1924).