Roger Ascham

1515-1568, Renaissance writer and tutor of Elizabeth I.

Biography

Roger Ascham was born in 1515 in Yorkshire. His father worked as a housesteward in the family of Lord Scroop. He was sent to live in the family of Sir Anthony Wingfield when he was still very young. Wingfield paid for his education. Roger Ascham was tutored together with Wingfield's two sons. In 1530, at the age of 15, Ascham entered St John`s College in Cambrige. Only one year later he took his bachelor degree and in March of the same year he was elected as fellow of the college. He then took his master degree in 1537. In January 1548 he was appointed as Royal Tutor for the then Princess Elizabeth. He stayed in this position for almost two years, until he left the court. From 1559 until his death in 1568 Ascham lived at the Court of Elizabeth I.

Works

Texophilus (1545)

Ascham presented this book on archery to Henry VIII in the picture-gallery at Greenwich. The King was very fond of his work and gave him a pension of ten pounds a year as a reward.

The Schoolmaster (1570)

Ascham's most famous work was published two years after his death. He started to write in 1563 and only finished it shortly before his death in 1568. In the book he states the importance of a classical education to ensure England’s leading position in Europe. One of his main points is that every pupil should learn to read and write Latin as well as English. This is already stated in the original title page of the book, which reads:

THE SCHOLEMASTER
Or plaine and pefite way of teachyng children, to understand, write, and speak, the Latin tong, but specially purposed for the private brynging up of youth in Gentlemen and Noble mens houses, and commodious also for all such, as have forgot the Latin tonge, and would, by themselves, without a Scholemaster, in short tyme, and with small paines, recover a sufficient habilitie, to understand, write and speak Latin.

Sources

• Ascham, Roger, The Scholemaster. Ed. R. C. Alsten. Menston: The Scolar Press Limited, 1967.
• Ascham, Roger, Whole Works.
• Erlebach, Peter, Bernhard Reitz und Thomas Michael Stein, Geschichte der englischen Literatur. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.