Frank Crisp

Frank Crisp, by Leslie Ward, 1891.

Sir Frank Crisp, 1st Baronet (October 25, 1843 in London - April 29, 1919) was an English lawyer and microscopist.

Life

Crisp's mother died when he was three years old and as a result he was brought up by his grandfather, John Filby Childs. He resolved to take up the law and at 16 was articled to a firm of solicitors. He also studied at the University of London obtaining the degrees of B.A. in 1864 and LL.B. in 1865. In 1867 he married Catherine Howes.

He qualified as a solicitor in 1869 and his reputation soon grew, acting in many important commercial contracts. He counted several foreign railroad companies and the Imperial Japanese Navy among his clients, and drew up the contract for the cutting of the Cullinan diamond. He received his baronetcy in 1913 for services as legal advisor to the Liberal Party.

In 1895, he bought Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames where he entertained the great and the good. He was a keen horticulturalist and developed spectacular public gardens there, including an alpine garden featuring a 20 foot (6 m) replica of the Matterhorn. He published an exhaustive survey of medieval gardening titled Mediaeval Gardens.

Crisp was an enthusiastic member, and sometime officer, of the Royal Microscopical Society. He was generous in his support of the Society, donating furniture, books and instruments in addition to his work on technical publications.

Memorial in song

Former Beatle George Harrison purchased Friar Park, where Frank Crisp had lived, as his new home in 1970. He also wrote a song called "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)", which appears on the album All Things Must Pass. In addition, Harrison released a song called "Ding Dong Ding Dong" on his Dark Horse lp in 1974 which contains the lyrical refrain: "Ring out the old - Ring in the new. Ring out the false - Ring in the true." for which Harrison credited Crisp as the author of that and several other quotes that Harrison found engraved in several places around Friar Park.

Bibliography

• Obituaries:
  • The Times, 1 May 1919; 5 May 1919;
  • Solicitors' Journal, 63 (1918–19), 484.

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• Buchan, U. (2000) "Frank's fame", The Spectator, 22 January
• Insley, J. (1982). "Court, Crisp and Clay - some notes on collectors and collections of antique microscopes". Quekett Journal of Microscopy. 34: 345–353, 376.
• — (1984) "Sir Frank Crisp, baronet (1843–1919)", Microscopy, 35 (Jan–June), pp10-24
• McConnell, A. (2007) "Crisp, Sir Frank, first baronet (1843–1919)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, online edn, Jan 2007, accessed 17 September 2007 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
• Sternberg, I. (2002) "Eccentric enthusiasts — stories from the far side of the garden", Plants and Gardens News, 17(3)

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