John Kyrle

John Kyrle (22 May 1637 – 7 November 1724), known as "the Man of Ross", was an English philanthropist, remembered for his time in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire.

Born in the parish of Dymock, Gloucestershire, he was the son of Walter Kyrle, a barrister and MP. The family had lived at Ross for many generations. His grandfather, James Kyrle of Walford Court, had been High Sheriff of Herefordshire and whose father, Walter, had spelled the surname Crull which had been a common surname among the Norman aristocracy that had dominated England and a name which gradually disappeared with the Anglo-French aristocracy's anglicisation. James Kyrle's wife, Ann, was the sister of Edmund Waller, the poet and her maternal uncle was the statesman John Hampden.

John Kyrle was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and studied Law, but did not qualify and, having succeeded to the family property looking over the market square at Ross, he lived there.

From his early twenties he adopted a frugal lifestyle and instead of utilising his wealth for himself, he sought to invest in the greater good of his locality and community that lived there.

In everything that concerned the welfare of the small town of Ross in which he lived he took a lively interest; in the education of the children and in improving and embellishing the town. He planted trees in and around the town, with two or three workmen to assist with the manual work. He delighted in mediating between those who had quarrelled and in preventing costly lawsuits between prominent townspeople. He was generous to the poor and spent all he had in good works.

He was behind the establishment of 'The Prospect' in Ross in 1700, a public garden on the hilltop just above Ross town centre where a viewpoint and walkways were set out and a public fountain provided clean water for town residents. This piece of land was rented off the Marquess of Bath in 1696 and turned into a garden and walking area. The park is still there, alongside the churchyard of St Mary's church [1], with ornate stone gates and mature trees interspersed with benches and a walk. The Prospect commands excellent views over the River Wye and the surrounding countryside.

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