John Russell Amberley
From Philosopedia
Amberley, John Russell [Viscount] (1843—1876)
Amberley, a viscount and eldest son of Earl Russell, entered Parliament in 1866 as a Radical member for Nottingham. In his heretical Analysis of Religious Belief (1876), he examines, compares, and criticizes the various faiths of the world.
Viscount Amberley lived and died a Freethinker. According to Foote’s “Infidel Deathbeds,” his will, which stipulated that Bertrand Russell, his son, should be educated by a skeptical friend, was set aside by Earl Russell, “the law of England being such that Freethinkers are denied the parental rights which are enjoyed by their Christian neighbors. Lady Frances Russell, who signs with her initials the Preface to Lord Amberley’s book, which was published after his death, writes, ‘Ere the pages now given to the public had left the press, the hand that had written them was cold, the heart—of which few could know the loving depths—had ceased to bat, the far-ranging mind was forever still, the fervent spirit was at rest. Let this be remembered by those who read, and add solemnity to the solemn purpose of the book.’ ”
