Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 49.djvu/306

 vocation in 1774, and he was a trustee of Lord Crewe's charity.

His health declining after the death of his brother Thomas at Houghton in 1782, he was struck by palsy at Bamburgh Castle, when visiting Archdeacon Sharp, and died there on 16 July 1789. His remains were laid near the grave of his brother, in the chancel of Houghton church, and a marble tablet was erected to his memory.

Besides the two works noticed and single sermons, Rotheram published: 1. ‘An Apology for the Athanasian Creed’ (anon.), 1760; 2nd edit. with his name in 1762. This was answered anonymously in 1773, probably by the Rev. William Adams (1706–1789) [q. v.] 2. ‘An Essay on Faith and its Connection with Good Works,’ 1766 (4th edit. corrected, 1772; new edit. 1801), the substance of a course of sermons before the university of Oxford; the portion dealing with ‘The Origin of Faith’ was published separately in 1761 and 1763. 3. ‘Three Sermons on Public Occasions before the University of Oxford,’ 1766, all previously published separately. 4. ‘An Essay on Establishments in Religion, with Remarks on the Confessional’ (anon.), 1767; reprinted in the ‘Churchman Armed,’ 1814, i. 183–276, and answered by the Rev. Caleb Fleming and others (Gent. Mag. 1780, p. 508). 5. ‘An Essay on the Distinction between the Soul and Body of Man,’ 1781. 6. ‘An Essay on Human Liberty,’ 1782.

[Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Nichols's Lit. Anecd. viii. 193–5, ix. 247–9, 687; Gent. Mag. 1789, ii. 764; Radcliffe Letters (Oxford Hist. Soc. ix.) p. 27; Surtees's Durham, i. 177–8, 271.] 

ROTHERAM, JOHN (1750?–1804), professor of natural philosophy at St. Andrews, son of John Rotheram, M.D., and elder brother of Edward Rotheram [q. v.], was probably born at Hexham about 1750. He received the rudiments of his education at Newcastle grammar school, his mathematical and philosophical studies being directed by his father, assisted by Charles Hutton [q. v.], who was then a tutor in the school. He pursued his education at the university of Upsala, Sweden, graduating there, and becoming a pupil of Linnæus and Bergmann. He returned to Newcastle previous to 1770, and some years afterwards he settled in Edinburgh. When William Smellie published his ‘Philosophy of Natural History’ (2 vols. 1790–5), he attacked the botanical system of Linnæus, and Rotheram replied to Smellie's strictures in a pamphlet which attracted some notice. In 1793 he became coadjutor to Professor Joseph Black in the chemistry chair at Edinburgh University. In November 1795 he was elected professor of natural philosophy at St. Andrews University. Here he discharged his duties with diligence and credit. He died at St. Andrews of apoplexy on 6 Nov. 1804. He is described as ‘a man of very extensive learning.’ His published works were: 1. ‘A Philosophical Inquiry into the Nature and Properties of Water,’ 1770. 2. ‘Sexes of the Plants Vindicated, against William Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History,’ 1790. 3. ‘Edinburgh New Dispensatory,’ 1794. He edited in 1797, from a manuscript in St. Andrew's University Library, George Martine's ‘Reliquiæ Divi Andreæ.’

[Gent. Mag. 1804 ii. 1079, 1830 ii. 565; Scots Mag. lvii. 750, lxvi. 888; Allibone's Dict. ii. 1877; Dundee Advertiser, 23 Nov. 1804.] 

ROTHERHAM, JOHN (1630–1696?), lawyer, son of Thomas Atwood Rotherham, vicar of Pirton, Hertfordshire, and of Boreham, Essex, was baptised at Luton, Bedfordshire, on 21 Oct. 1630. He belonged to the ancient house of Rotherham of Farleigh, near Luton, and was admitted fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, as of kin to its second founder, Archbishop Rotherham, in 1648. He matriculated on 9 Feb. 1648–9, graduated B.A. on 5 June 1649, and proceeded M.A. on 6 May 1652. In 1653 he was incorporated at Cambridge.

On 2 Aug. 1647 Rotherham was admitted a member of Gray's Inn, where he was called to the bar on 18 May 1655, was elected ancient in November 1671, and treasurer in 1685–6. Rotherham was the draughtsman of the plea put in by Algernon Sidney [q. v.] on his trial for high treason, 7 Nov. 1683; and was one of the counsel retained by Henry Ashurst [q. v.] for the defence of Richard Baxter [q. v.] on 30 May 1685. The indictment was for seditious libel, grounded on the animadversions on episcopacy contained in the ‘Paraphrase of the New Testament.’ Rotherham attempted to argue that Baxter's attack was directed exclusively against the prelates of the church of Rome, but the absurd contention was laughed out of court by Jeffreys. In January 1687–8 he was made high steward of Maldon, under the new charter granted by James II; he was made serjeant-at-law on 18 June, and baron of the exchequer on 7 July of the same year. He was knighted six days later, and on 23 Oct. following he took the oath and test.

He carried his hatred of episcopacy on to the bench, and on the acquittal of the seven bishops sneered at them as writers of bad