John Kyrle was born in Gloucestershire in 1637. He was educated at Gloucester and Balliol College Oxford. He was trained as a lawyer, and though he never officially practiced as one, he did settle local disputes. He came to the attention of Alexander Pope for his great philanthropic works in his local community. Pope's third ‘Moral Epistle' is a eulogy of Kyrle published some eight years after his death.
Kyrle acquired the Clevefield in Ross, Herefordshire on a 500 year lease. He laid out the site as an ornamental promenade, which was made accessible to the public. He also planted around the churchyard, showing a precocious taste for what would later be termed the picturesque. He died in Ross in 1724.
Bibliography
Whitehead, David, ‘Kyrle, John [called the Man of Ross] (1637-1724)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006) http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15831?docPos=2 [accessed 25 June 2009]