author
William Roscoe
1753–1831
A self-taught writer from Liverpool, he became known as an early voice against the slave trade and as the author of the lively children's poem The Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast. His life also ranged across history, politics, art collecting, and botany, making him one of the most wide-ranging literary figures of his time.
3 Audiobooks
The Peacock 'At Home' AND The Butterfly's Ball AND The Fancy Fair
by Catherine Ann Turner Dorset, William Roscoe
The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast
by William Roscoe
The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast
by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne, William Roscoe
About the author
Born in Liverpool in 1753, William Roscoe left school young and largely educated himself through reading. He trained in law, worked as an attorney, and built a reputation as a thoughtful writer with unusually broad interests.
Roscoe is remembered above all as one of England's early abolitionists. He wrote powerfully against the slave trade at a time when that position was deeply unpopular in Liverpool, and he also served briefly as a Member of Parliament. Alongside his political work, he became well known for historical studies of Renaissance Italy, especially his books on Lorenzo de' Medici and Pope Leo X.
He also wrote poetry, including The Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast, a children's poem that remained popular long after his lifetime. In his day he was respected not just as an author, but also as an art collector, botanist, and supporter of culture in Liverpool, helping shape the city's intellectual life before his death in 1831.