The Baconian Club of St. Albans – meeting on March 15th 2008

James North represented the Francis Bacon Society at this meeting of the Club held at the Church of St. Michael, St. Albans, which is the burial place of Francis Bacon. This was one of the regular meetings held throughout the year by the Club.  Previous topics included: The European Union, Metaphysical Poets of the 17th Century, Terrorism and Civil Liberties and The Serious Organised Crime Agency.

The meeting was entitled “A Symposium on Francis Bacon” and the speakers were drawn from the membership of the Club.

The symposium was opened by the Chairman, Mr. James Evans CBE, who introduced the speakers.

Ms. Joanne Laws spoke on Francis Bacon and his gardens, describing the many changes and improvements he made on the Gorhambury estate and at Grey’s Inn. She also spoke on his “ideal” garden designs, including a water garden modelled on one newly built at Hatfield by the Cecils, and which they corresponded about. One grand design covered 30 acres and included a summer dining house in the middle of an artificial lake.

Mr. Gerald Bevan spoke about the Baconian Club and about the biography of Francis Bacon, asking whether the Club would admit him as a member were he alive today. In particular, he sketched the personality of Bacon – something which is missed out in strictly historical biography.  Bacon’s ideologies were also touched on, and with reference to his life and works: he was a metaphysician but also a realist, though seemingly very private, he spent most of his life in the public realm. He gave much sound advice to others but seemed incapable of following it himself. After a brief discussion on the merits of Lord Verulam as a candidate for membership of the Baconian Club – the “yea”  faction were in the ascendant!

Mr. Mike Cooper spoke about the legacy of Francis Bacon in the philosophical, scientific, and academic areas. He reiterated Bacon’s call for a renewal of knowledge, also touching on the Baconian method of induction as opposed to deduction. His philosophical contribution is underacknowledged, but the Royal Society owes a great debt to him. The work of Robert Hooke in particular shows strong Baconian influence through his use of imagination, experiment and observation.

Mr. James North introduced the Francis Bacon Society and its history to a very receptive audience. He described the authorship question in a very even-handed way and sketched some of the early Baconians and their theories. He also outlined the methodological approaches to the authorship question, starting with hidden messages and ciphers and finished with the future possibilities of quantatitive linguistics and the Labbé method.

The Chairman of the Club, Mr. James Evans wound up the proceedings, expressing a wish that some closer connection might be made between the two organisations in the future.