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The Late Thomas William Coke,* Earl Of Leicester,
The name of Coke is of high antiquity ; indeed we find that one of them held several manors in the county of Norfolk so far back as 1206 ; and even before that remote period there are historical evidences to prove that the Cokes of Doddington were persons of considerable note . This illustrious family has produced a number of characters , distinguished alike for their talents and virtues , amongst whom may be numbered that great constitutional lawyer and true patriotSir Edward
, Coke , who filled , in succession , the important offices of Solicitor-general to Queen Elizabeth and Speaker of the House of Commons . He was subsequently chosen Attorney-general , in which office he was continued under King James , by whom he was successively appointed Chief Justice of both the benches .
Mr . Coke ' s first appearance in public life was in 1776 , when he was returned to parliament , where he soon became—from the decided tone of his politics—his station as a leading commoner of the realm—and the undeviating consistency of his principles—a formidable opponent to the various administrations to which he was opposed ; indeed , so keenly was his opposition felt and resented by Mr . Pitt , that he persuaded George the Third to confer the earldom of Leicester upon the Marquis of Townshendin order to tas he thoughtthe possibility of that
, preven , , high dignity reverting to its only legitimate claimant ; this conduct was unworthy of so distinguished a statesman . The peculiar character of our Review will not permit us more than a brief outline of Mr . Coke ' s political career ; we will merely add that he was returned in 1807 , 1812 , 1818 , 1826 , by the county of Norfolk as one of its representatives in parliament , without opposition , and only retired from the scene of his useful labourswhen his friendEarl Grey
, , , succeeded in carrying the reform bill . It is with pleasure that we turn from the political character of our noble Brother , where our sentiments and opinions are bound by the line of Masonic principle , and view him in the light of the first agriculturist of the age—the benefactor , not only of his native county , but of the kingdom . It is not the least claim to the gratitude of his countrymen
which Mr . Coke ( for by that name we still speak of him ) possesses , that he was the first to free agriculture from the fetters of antiquated systems . The old custom of letting the land lie idle one year in every three , for the advantage of what is called fallowing , he was , after many experiments , enabled to explode , the necessity of it being superseded by a judicious course of cropping , so that one crop may fertilize as another exhausts . About half a century ago , Norfolk might have been called a
rabbit and rye country : in its northern parts wheat was rarely seen , indeed it was scarcely believed that it would grow in that large sandy tract lying between Lynn and Holkham , though now the most abundant crops of wheat and barley wave over the entire district ; an improvement entirely owing to the exertions and example of our worthy Brother , who continued to fertilize the soil while drawing from it the most exuberant supplies . His various plans and scientific improvements have been
successfully followed by the occupants of his own extensive farms , many of them from a thousand to fifteen hundred acres each ; these are let at moderate rents , and long leases and liberal covenants , affording every encouragement for the employment of capital and industry in the culture of the soil ; which is yet further stimulated by agricultural societies offering annual prizes to those who effect the greatest improvement in the various branches of husbandry .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Late Thomas William Coke,* Earl Of Leicester,
The name of Coke is of high antiquity ; indeed we find that one of them held several manors in the county of Norfolk so far back as 1206 ; and even before that remote period there are historical evidences to prove that the Cokes of Doddington were persons of considerable note . This illustrious family has produced a number of characters , distinguished alike for their talents and virtues , amongst whom may be numbered that great constitutional lawyer and true patriotSir Edward
, Coke , who filled , in succession , the important offices of Solicitor-general to Queen Elizabeth and Speaker of the House of Commons . He was subsequently chosen Attorney-general , in which office he was continued under King James , by whom he was successively appointed Chief Justice of both the benches .
Mr . Coke ' s first appearance in public life was in 1776 , when he was returned to parliament , where he soon became—from the decided tone of his politics—his station as a leading commoner of the realm—and the undeviating consistency of his principles—a formidable opponent to the various administrations to which he was opposed ; indeed , so keenly was his opposition felt and resented by Mr . Pitt , that he persuaded George the Third to confer the earldom of Leicester upon the Marquis of Townshendin order to tas he thoughtthe possibility of that
, preven , , high dignity reverting to its only legitimate claimant ; this conduct was unworthy of so distinguished a statesman . The peculiar character of our Review will not permit us more than a brief outline of Mr . Coke ' s political career ; we will merely add that he was returned in 1807 , 1812 , 1818 , 1826 , by the county of Norfolk as one of its representatives in parliament , without opposition , and only retired from the scene of his useful labourswhen his friendEarl Grey
, , , succeeded in carrying the reform bill . It is with pleasure that we turn from the political character of our noble Brother , where our sentiments and opinions are bound by the line of Masonic principle , and view him in the light of the first agriculturist of the age—the benefactor , not only of his native county , but of the kingdom . It is not the least claim to the gratitude of his countrymen
which Mr . Coke ( for by that name we still speak of him ) possesses , that he was the first to free agriculture from the fetters of antiquated systems . The old custom of letting the land lie idle one year in every three , for the advantage of what is called fallowing , he was , after many experiments , enabled to explode , the necessity of it being superseded by a judicious course of cropping , so that one crop may fertilize as another exhausts . About half a century ago , Norfolk might have been called a
rabbit and rye country : in its northern parts wheat was rarely seen , indeed it was scarcely believed that it would grow in that large sandy tract lying between Lynn and Holkham , though now the most abundant crops of wheat and barley wave over the entire district ; an improvement entirely owing to the exertions and example of our worthy Brother , who continued to fertilize the soil while drawing from it the most exuberant supplies . His various plans and scientific improvements have been
successfully followed by the occupants of his own extensive farms , many of them from a thousand to fifteen hundred acres each ; these are let at moderate rents , and long leases and liberal covenants , affording every encouragement for the employment of capital and industry in the culture of the soil ; which is yet further stimulated by agricultural societies offering annual prizes to those who effect the greatest improvement in the various branches of husbandry .