Sir Roger de Coverley
Preserved but no longer current.
The simple, good, and altogether delightful country squire created by Steele as the chief character in the club that was supposed to write for the Spectator. He was developed by Addison, and it is to the latter that we are indebted for this portrait of a simple English gentleman. He has left his name to a popular country dance which, he tells us, was invented by his great-grandfather. Coverley is intended for Cowley, near Oxford.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Sir Roger de Coverley” mean?
The simple, good, and altogether delightful country squire created by Steele as the chief character in the club that was supposed to write for the Spectator. He was developed by Addison, and it is to the latter that we are indebted for this portrait of a simple English gentleman. He has left his name to a popular country dance which, he tells us, was invented by his great-grandfather. Coverley is intended for Cowley, near Oxford.
Is “Sir Roger de Coverley” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.