Sir Roger L'Estrange

Born at Hunstanton in Norfolk in 1616, Sir Roger L'Estrange was an English pamphleteer, translator, and journalist whose life was deeply tied to the political struggles of the seventeenth century. A committed Royalist during the English Civil War, he was imprisoned for his involvement in plots on behalf of the king, and after the Restoration he emerged as a powerful defender of the crown in print.

He is often remembered as one of the first notable English writers to make journalism a profession. During the Restoration era he wrote tirelessly on political affairs and became closely associated with government-backed news and commentary, especially through The Observator. His style was combative, quick, and unmistakably partisan, which made him influential as well as controversial.

L'Estrange also had a long life as a literary translator and adapter. He worked on classical authors and is still widely noted for his versions of Aesop’s fables, bringing older texts into lively English prose for new readers. He died in 1704, leaving behind a body of work that captures both the sharp arguments and the restless energy of his age.