Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11 Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.

Part 4

Chapter 43,427 wordsPublic domain

This place gave birth to John Opie, whose persevering genius advanced him to the highest rank in his profession. He was born at Harmony Cot, in May 1761. The opening years of his existence indicated that he must plod through life in the dull occupation of a carpenter, as successor to his father and grandfather. He distinguished himself at a very early period, for originality and strength of mind, and at twelve years of age commenced an evening school in St. Agnes, teaching arithmetic and writing, and reckoning amongst his scholars some who had nearly doubled his years. His first humble attempts at portrait painting were with a smutty stick, against the white-washed wall of his paternal cottage, where he exhibited, in _dark colours_, very striking likenesses of the whole family. His next step was to draw with ochre on cartridge paper. He was apprenticed to his father, but from some unascertainable cause was turned over to a sawyer; and it was literally in the bottom of a saw-pit that Dr. Walcot, better known by the appellation of Peter Pindar, (who had previously seen and admired some of Opie's rude drawings,) first beheld this untutored child of genius, under whose patronage he was protected, and his fame promoted. After visiting Exeter, (where he was persuaded to change his surname, which originally was Hoppy, to that of Opie,) finding his success was commensurate with his abilities, it was soon determined they should be brought to act in a wider sphere; and, in 1780, the Doctor and his pupil repaired to London, where not agreeing as to the mode of living together, they separated, and although their attachment had been cemented by long-continued kindness, subsequently to this period, yet they were never after cordially united. The opinion Opie entertained of the services which he had received from the Doctor, may be gathered from the following curious _note of hand_, which was said to be in the possession of the latter: "I promise to paint, for Dr. Walcot, any picture or pictures, he may demand, as long as I live; otherwise, I desire the world will consider me as a ... ungrateful son of a ..., John Opie." It is not certain that he ever deviated from this voluntary obligation, but it is matter of pleasant remark, that he always made his friend pay eighteen-pence for the canvass! Opie was as fortunate in London as he had been at Exeter. To Pindar, however, he was indebted for his introduction to public notice. Through him his pictures were shown to Mrs. Boscawen, by whom Opie was introduced to the late Mrs. Delaney, who procured for him the notice of King George III. An opportunity was contrived for the royal family to see his picture of the _The Old Beggar Man_; soon after which, Opie was honoured with a command to repair to Buckingham House. The artist's account of this interview was given in the following characteristical manner to Walcot, who has often been heard to relate it with great humour. "There was Mr. West," said Opie, "in the room, and another gentleman. First, her majesty came in; and I made a sad mistake in respect to her, till I saw her face, and discovered by her features that she was the queen. In a few minutes his majesty came hopping in. I suppose," said Opie, "because he did not wish to frighten me. He looked at the pictures and liked them; but he whispered to Mr. West--'tell the young man I can only pay a gentleman's price for them.'" The picture which his majesty bought was that of _A Man Struck by Lightning_. The price given was £10, with which Opie returned to the Doctor full of spirits. His friend, when he heard the story, said, "Why, John, thou hast only got £8. for thy picture." "Indeed, but I have though," cried Opie, "for I have got the £10. safe in my pocket." On this he showed him the money. "Aye," rejoined the Doctor, "but dost thou know his majesty has got the frame for nothing, and that is worth £2." "D--- it, so he has," cried Opie--"I'll go back and knock at the door, and ask for the frame; D--- it, I will." He was actually about to put his resolve into execution, till dissuaded by the Doctor. Popularity naturally followed this notice of royalty. The ladies, however, soon deserted him, as his likenesses were not flattering; for where Nature had been niggardly, Opie refused to be liberal. He afterwards became better acquainted with the art of pleasing them; a change which has been attributed to Mrs. Opie, who used to stand over him, and endeavour to make him sensible of the graces of the female form. It was in the year 1786, that Mr. Opie became known as an exhibitor at Somerset House; soon after which he aspired to academical honours, and ultimately attained the rank of Royal Academician, and afterwards succeeded Fuseli, in the professorship of painting. He was twice married, but at what period his first hymeneal union occurred we are not informed--it was inauspicious. His second marriage, which took place on May 8, 1798, was more fortunate; and in the society of the late Mrs. Opie, the amiable author of many beautiful and interesting literary compositions, he enjoyed a delightful relief from the toilsome duties of his profession. Mr. Opie was in the daily acquisition of wealth and fame, and rapidly advancing to the very zenith of popularity, when his mortal career was suddenly closed by death, on Thursday, April 9, 1807, in the forty-sixth year of his age. "As a portrait painter he has great claims to praise, particularly in his men, which are firm, bold, and freely delineated, and occasionally well coloured. His women are heavy, inelegant, and chiefly accompanied with a hardness that destroys all beauty."

[Sidenote: Very high and strong light-house.]

[Sidenote: St. Agnes' beacon.]

[Sidenote: Birth-place of John Opie, the painter.]

[Sidenote: First attempts at portrait painting.]

[Sidenote: Genius fostered by Dr. Walcot.]

[Sidenote: Anecdotes of Opie.]

[Sidenote: Introduction to the King.]

[Sidenote: Opie's relation of his interview with royalty.]

[Sidenote: Royal economy.]

[Sidenote: First known as an exhibitor at Somerset House, 1786.]

[Sidenote: Died in 1807.]

[A] St. ALBANS is situated on the river Ver, or Muss, and consists of three parishes; parts of two of which, extend beyond the limits of the borough. It is said to have been the site of the ancient British metropolis of Cassibelanus, and is very near that of the ancient Roman Verulam, mentioned by Tacitus, being the same as the Saxon Watlingceaster, so called because seated on the road called Watling-street. It was here that Queen Boadicea made her celebrated assault on the Romans, and failed, after an immense slaughter of seventy thousand men. In 795, Offa, king of Mercia, erected an abbey here, in memory of St. Alban, the British protomartyr, who was born here in the third century. He served in the Roman army, but was converted to Christianity by a monk, named Amphilabus, and suffered during the Dioclesian persecution, A.D. 303. The abbey subsequently obtained great privileges, and became very rich, the revenues at the dissolution amounting to upwards of £2500. per annum. Monastic foundations had their origin in this country, about the time of St. Augustine, who came from Rome, to convert the Pagan Saxons to Christianity; and when Offa ascended the throne of Mercia, about twenty great monasteries had been founded in England, and about the same number of episcopal sees established. Offa's zeal prompted him to do what many of his crowned predecessors had done; but being undetermined whom to select as the patron saint of his establishment, it is recorded that, while at the city of Bath, an angel appeared to him in the silence of the night, desiring him to raise out of the earth the body of Alban, the first British martyr, and place his remains in a suitable shrine. Even the memory of Alban had been lost for three hundred and forty years; but the king assembling his clergy and people at Verulam, an active search was made for his body with prayer, fasting, and alms; when it is said a ray of light was seen by all to stand over the place of burial, similar to the star that conducted the magi to Bethlehem. The ground was therefore opened, and, in the presence of the king, the body of Alban was found. Offa is said to have placed a golden circle round the head of the deceased, with an inscription, to signify his name and title, and immediately caused the remains of the saint to be conveyed to a small chapel, without the walls of Verulam, as the town was then called, until a more noble edifice could be raised for its reception. This is said to have occurred on the 1st day of August, 791, four hundred and ninety-four years after the martyrdom of Alban. Offa afterwards made a journey to Rome, and obtained the desired privileges of his intended foundation, with great commendations for his zeal and piety, from the pope, when he undertook to build a stately church and monastery, to the memory of St. Alban. From this abbey the town originated, which early obtained considerable importance. The abbey church, which claims particular attention for its size, beauty, and antiquity, is constructed of Roman brick, to which age has given the appearance of stone. A stone screen, erected before the communion table, in 1461, is much admired for the richness and lightness of its sculpture. The tombs of the founder, Offa, and that of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, are shown here; and, not many years ago, the leaden coffin, containing the body of the latter, was opened, and the corpse found nearly entire. The Roman antiquities discovered on the site have been very numerous. The effect of the venerable abbey, when seen from a distance, is extremely imposing; situated upon an eminence, its massive towers rise majestically above the houses of the ancient town, which is well, known to have derived its first importance from the Romans, since which, it has increased chiefly under the protecting influence of successive abbots of this rich and powerful monastery. The prospect of its mouldering ruins, forces upon the mind a melancholy train of reflection on the instability of all human institutions.

_Market_, Saturday.--_Fairs_, March 25 and 26; October 10 and 11, for horses, cows, sheep, and hiring servants.--_Inns_, Angel, and White Hart.--_Mail_ arrives 10.15 P.M. Departs 4.30 A.M.

[Sidenote: Originally the British metropolis.]

[Sidenote: King Offa's extraordinary vision, which induced him to build the abbey.]

[Sidenote: St. Alban's body found after a lapse of 494 years; a golden circle placed round his head.]

[Sidenote: Duke of Gloucester's body found nearly entire.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From | +--+---------------------+---------+----------------+------------+ 18 |Albury pa|Herts |Bp Stortford 5|Standon 4| 37 |Albury pa|Surrey |Guildford 6|Dorking 7| 27 |Alby pa|Norfolk |Aylesham 6|Cromer 5| 12 |Alcester lib|Dorset |Shaftesbury 1|Sherborne 16| 39 |Alcester[A] m.t. & pa|Warwick |Warwick 16|Stratford 8| 38 |Alciston pa|Sussex |Seaford 5|Hailsham 5| 19 |Alconbury pa|Hunts |Huntingdon 4|Kimbolton 8| 19 |Alconbury Weston chap|Hunts | ... 5| ... 8| 27 |Aldborough pa|Norfolk |Aylesham 5|Cromer 6| 43 |Aldborough to|N.R. York|Richmond 7|Darlington 5| 46 |Aldborough to & pa|E.R. York|Hull 11|Hornsea 6| 45 |Aldborough[B] pa & to|W.R. York|York 18|Thirsk 10| 41 |Aldbourn[C] to & pa|Wilts |Marlboro 7|Ramsbury 3| 18 |Aldbury pa|Herts |Tring 3|Dunstable 7| 22 |Aldcliffe ham|Lancaster|Lancaster 2|Garstang 10| 36 |Aldeburgh[D] m.t.|Suffolk |Orford 5|Saxmundha 7| +--+---------------------+---------+----------------+------------+ |Dist.| Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population. +--+---------------------+--------------------------+-----+------+ 18 |Albury pa|Buntingford 7| 35| 631| 37 |Albury pa|Godalming 7| 29| 929| 27 |Alby pa|N. Walsham 6| 26| 346| 12 |Alcester lib|Salisbury 20| 101| 227| 39 |Alcester[A] m.t. & pa|Bromsgrove 12| 103| 2405| 38 |Alciston pa|Lewes 7| 64| 266| 19 |Alconbury pa|Stilton 9| 63| 765| 19 |Alconbury Weston chap| ... 8| 63| 441| 27 |Aldborough pa|Holt 9| 126| 275| 43 |Aldborough to|Bernard Cas 10| 240| 522| 46 |Aldborough to & pa|Hedon 6| 185| 620| 45 |Aldborough[B] pa & to|Ripon 6| 207| 2447| 41 |Aldbourn[C] to & pa|Swindon 8| 73| 1418| 18 |Aldbury pa|Berkhampst 4| 34| 695| 22 |Aldcliffe ham|Kirk. Londs 17| 238| 96| 36 |Aldeburgh[D] m.t.|Dunwich 10| 94| 1341| +--+---------------------+-------------------------+------+------+

[A] ALCESTER is situated at the confluence of the two small rivers, Alne and Arrow, having a bridge over each. It is supposed to have been a Roman station; Roman coins, urns, and similar relics, having been frequently found here. The Roman way of Icknield Street also passed through it, and from its situation it is deemed the Alana of Richard of Cirencester. It was anciently a borough by prescription, and of some note in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it became the property of the Beauchamps, and afterwards of the Grevilles. The church is a fine gothic structure; the market is well supplied with corn; and the manufacture of needles is very extensive. Here is a Free School, founded by Walter Newport, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and various alms-houses and small charities, originating in different benefactors. Traces of the site of an abbey, founded in the reign of King Stephen, to the north of the town, are still visible.

_Market_, Tuesday.--_Mail_ arrives 9-1/2 A.M., departs 8-1/2 P.M.--_Inn_, Angel.--_Fairs_, March 20, June 23, Tuesday before April 5, May 18, 2nd Tuesday in July, for cheese.

[Sidenote: A Roman station.]

[Sidenote: Many relics of antiquity found.]

[Sidenote: Traces of an abbey founded by King Stephen.]

[B] ALDBOROUGH. _Fair_, September 4.

[C] ALDBOURN. _Market_, Tuesday.

[D] ALDEBURGH is pleasantly situated in the valley of Slaughton, and bounded on the eastern side by the sea, which has made considerable encroachments, and nearly washed a street away. The river Ald runs on the south side, and forms a convenient quay. The town is mean in construction, and chiefly inhabited by fishermen and seafaring people. Soles, lobsters, and other fish are abundant. It is remarkable as the birth-place of the late Rev. George Crabbe, emphatically styled the _Poet of the Poor_, who was born December 24, 1754. His father was an officer in the Customs, and at first gave him an education, merely suitable to follow the same pursuit; but when his prospects brightened, he removed his son to a classical seminary, where he was instructed for a surgeon and apothecary, to which profession he was in due time apprenticed, but relinquished all views of establishing himself in practice. At a very early period he became a versifier; and among his precocious attempts was a prize poem, on _Hope_, which was inserted in the _Lady's Magazine_, then published by Mr. Wheeble. Crabbe came to London, in 1778, with £3. in his pocket, and made versification his chief study. His first published work was _The Candidate_, a poem, in quarto, which came into the world anonymously, in 1780, and was favourably received. A short time afterwards, his poverty and poetry induced him to seek the patronage of Edmund Burke, to whom he submitted a large quantity of miscellaneous composition; he had no introduction to Mr. Burke, excepting his own letter, stating his circumstances; no recommendation but his distress, and yet his application was attended with success. His patron introduced him to some of the first men in the country, and soon after became the means of benefiting his fame and fortune; he selected from young Crabbe's works, _The Library_ and _The Village_, suggesting at the same time certain corrections and improvements. Among the eminent persons to whom he was thus introduced, was the Right Hon. Charles James Fox, Sir Joshua Reynolds, at whose mansion he first beheld, and was made known to, Dr. Johnson, who gave the young poet his opinion of _The Village_. Mr. Burke having directed Mr. Crabbe's views to the church, in 1781 he was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Norwich, and priest by the same dignitary in the following year; he was next appointed domestic chaplain to the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle. As Mr. Crabbe had not received a university education, he was offered a degree by Trinity College, Cambridge, but eventually received the grant from the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth, and thus became a Bachelor of Laws. Burke also introduced Mr. Crabbe to Lord Chancellor Thurlow, who presented him to rectories in Dorset and Lincoln consecutively. He had previously a curacy at Strathorn, a village near Belvoir Castle, where he married and became a father; he was universally respected for his talents and virtues, and died at Trowbridge, at seven o'clock in the morning of the 8th of February, 1832. The publications of Mr. Crabbe have placed him high on the roll of British Poets.

_Market_, Wednesday and Saturday.--_Fairs_, March 1, and May 3, for toys.--_Inn_, White Lion.--_Mail_ arrives at 9-1/2 A.M. departs 5-1/2 P.M.

[Sidenote: Birth place of the Rev. George Crabbe, the poet. Biographical sketch of his life.]

[Sidenote: Crabbe's arrival in London, 1778.]