Francis Brerewood
Encyclopedia
Francis Brerewood was an English
painter, translator and architect. He enjoyed the patronage of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
, painting portraits of Lord Baltimore's son Benedict, and decorating the apartments of the Calvert family seat at Woodcote Park
. He became embroiled in unsuccessful litigation in 1746 following his father's death, and he died in poverty in 1781.
, the son of Thomas Brerewood
(c.1670 - 22 December 1746), and the great-grandson of Sir Robert Brerewood
, a wealthy landowner whose rents at the time of his death amounted to some £8,000 a year, an enormous sum at the time.
By the time Francis was born, the family fortunes were somewhat diminished. His father Thomas Brerewood was a business entrepreneur and fraudster who was involved in the notorious Pitkin Affair of 1705. Along with his partner Thomas Pitkin, Thomas Brerewood plotted a bankruptcy fraud that, when discovered, was only eclipsed by the later financial disaster of the South Sea
Bubble in 1720. Unravelling the scam required three large insolvencies and four acts of Parliament over the course of more than forty years. Despite this, Thomas Brerewood was pardoned in 1709, and he was thus permitted to rebuild his fortunes, which he seems to have done with some success.
Like his older brother Thomas, Francis received a gentleman's education. In 1716 his sister Henrietta was married to the theatre impresario John Rich
, known as the originator of English Pantomime
. In the same year Thomas, then in his early twenties, made a highly advantageous marriage to Charlotte Calvert, the fourteen-year old daughter of the fourth Lord Baltimore, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
. The marriage may not have been sanctioned by her family, for the couple had a clandestine wedding in the Fleet Prison
- a so-called "Fleet Marriage
" - which was not publicly announced until February of the following year.
; Thomas Jr. even translated his aria “Son confusa pastorella” into English.
Francis Brerewood benefited from the patronage of the Calvert family, and painted a number of portraits of British
aristocrats including that of Benedict Leonard Calvert
, the younger son of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
. , which hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art
. He also had a hand in decorating the apartments at the Calvert family seat of Woodcote Park
, Surrey.
Francis evidently was a skilled linguist. In 1716 he translated a work by Abbe Jean Terrasson
, A Discourse on Ancient and Modern Learning, into English. Later, he translated A Critical Dissertation on Homer's Iliad by the same author, publishing the result in 2 volumes from 1723-5.
Neither Francis nor his brother proved adept at managing their financial affairs, and by 1728 Thomas Jr. was in financial difficulty. Fortunately, in July 1731 Thomas's wife Charlotte inherited 10,000 acres in northern Maryland
known as My Lady's Manor. The following month, the couple deeded the land to the elder Thomas Brerewood in order that he might pay off Thomas Jr.’s creditors, of whom the senior Brerewood was likely the largest. The latter sailed to Maryland, by now in his sixties, where he became a successful land manager, and founded a short-lived town called Charlotte Town on the site of present day Monkton, Maryland
. Completing his resurrection as a man of importance, in 1741, the elder Thomas Brerewood became clerk of Baltimore County, a well-remunerated position he held until his death on December 22, 1746.
In 1791 The Gentleman's Magazine
published an account of the family's fortune, and of the straightened circumstances in which Brerewood found himself, quoting the following piece of doggerel verse:
, South Kensington, London in September 2009.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
painter, translator and architect. He enjoyed the patronage of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, 10th Proprietary Governor of Maryland was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore by Jane Lowe. He became his father's heir upon the death of his elder brother, Cecil in 1681...
, painting portraits of Lord Baltimore's son Benedict, and decorating the apartments of the Calvert family seat at Woodcote Park
Woodcote Park
Woodcote Park is a stately home in Surrey, England, currently owned by the Royal Automobile Club. It was formerly the seat of a number of prominent English families, including the Calvert family, Barons Baltimore and Lords Proprietor of the colony of Maryland...
. He became embroiled in unsuccessful litigation in 1746 following his father's death, and he died in poverty in 1781.
Early life
Brerewood was born in ChesterChester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, the son of Thomas Brerewood
Thomas Brerewood
Thomas Brerewood , was a 'Gentleman Entrepreneur & Fraudster'. He was deeply involved in the "Pitkin Affair" of 1705, a bankruptcy fraud that was only surpassed in scale by the South Sea Bubble of 1720...
(c.1670 - 22 December 1746), and the great-grandson of Sir Robert Brerewood
Robert Brerewood
Sir Robert Brerewood was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.Brerewood was the son of John Brerewood who had been Sheriff of Chester. The Brerewood family over several generations filled many public offices in Chester. In 1605 Brerewood was sent to Brasenose...
, a wealthy landowner whose rents at the time of his death amounted to some £8,000 a year, an enormous sum at the time.
By the time Francis was born, the family fortunes were somewhat diminished. His father Thomas Brerewood was a business entrepreneur and fraudster who was involved in the notorious Pitkin Affair of 1705. Along with his partner Thomas Pitkin, Thomas Brerewood plotted a bankruptcy fraud that, when discovered, was only eclipsed by the later financial disaster of the South Sea
South Sea
South Sea or South Seas may refer to:Geographic region of the Pacific* The Pacific Ocean south of Panama* South Sea Islands * Oceania, east of AustraliaOther geographic descriptions...
Bubble in 1720. Unravelling the scam required three large insolvencies and four acts of Parliament over the course of more than forty years. Despite this, Thomas Brerewood was pardoned in 1709, and he was thus permitted to rebuild his fortunes, which he seems to have done with some success.
Like his older brother Thomas, Francis received a gentleman's education. In 1716 his sister Henrietta was married to the theatre impresario John Rich
John Rich (producer)
John Rich was an important director and theatre manager in 18th century London. He opened the New Theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields and then the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and began putting on ever more lavish productions...
, known as the originator of English Pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. In the same year Thomas, then in his early twenties, made a highly advantageous marriage to Charlotte Calvert, the fourteen-year old daughter of the fourth Lord Baltimore, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, 10th Proprietary Governor of Maryland was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore by Jane Lowe. He became his father's heir upon the death of his elder brother, Cecil in 1681...
. The marriage may not have been sanctioned by her family, for the couple had a clandestine wedding in the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
- a so-called "Fleet Marriage
Fleet Marriage
A Fleet Marriage is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England before the Marriage Act 1753 came into force on March 25, 1754...
" - which was not publicly announced until February of the following year.
Career
Francis and Thomas both went into the arts. Thomas is remembered as a minor poet; Francis, as a minor artist and architect. Both sons patronized the composer George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
; Thomas Jr. even translated his aria “Son confusa pastorella” into English.
Francis Brerewood benefited from the patronage of the Calvert family, and painted a number of portraits of British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
aristocrats including that of Benedict Leonard Calvert
Benedict Leonard Calvert
The Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert was the 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore . He was named after his father, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore...
, the younger son of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, 10th Proprietary Governor of Maryland was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore by Jane Lowe. He became his father's heir upon the death of his elder brother, Cecil in 1681...
. , which hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, was founded in 1914. Built in the Roman Temple style, the Museum is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works...
. He also had a hand in decorating the apartments at the Calvert family seat of Woodcote Park
Woodcote Park
Woodcote Park is a stately home in Surrey, England, currently owned by the Royal Automobile Club. It was formerly the seat of a number of prominent English families, including the Calvert family, Barons Baltimore and Lords Proprietor of the colony of Maryland...
, Surrey.
Francis evidently was a skilled linguist. In 1716 he translated a work by Abbe Jean Terrasson
Jean Terrasson
Jean Terrasson , often referred to as the Abbe Terrasson, was a French priest, author, and most notably a member of the Académie française....
, A Discourse on Ancient and Modern Learning, into English. Later, he translated A Critical Dissertation on Homer's Iliad by the same author, publishing the result in 2 volumes from 1723-5.
Neither Francis nor his brother proved adept at managing their financial affairs, and by 1728 Thomas Jr. was in financial difficulty. Fortunately, in July 1731 Thomas's wife Charlotte inherited 10,000 acres in northern Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
known as My Lady's Manor. The following month, the couple deeded the land to the elder Thomas Brerewood in order that he might pay off Thomas Jr.’s creditors, of whom the senior Brerewood was likely the largest. The latter sailed to Maryland, by now in his sixties, where he became a successful land manager, and founded a short-lived town called Charlotte Town on the site of present day Monkton, Maryland
Monkton, Maryland
Monkton is an unincorporated community in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It has a population of about 4,856 people. It is in area, with approximately...
. Completing his resurrection as a man of importance, in 1741, the elder Thomas Brerewood became clerk of Baltimore County, a well-remunerated position he held until his death on December 22, 1746.
Inheritance
Upon his death of his father in 1746, Francis found himself embroiled in litigation with his half-sister over his father's estate, which had been entailed in the male line. The story was recounted by the author and historian James Gill in 1852:- "Francis, the second son of Thomas Brerewood, was now involved in lawsuits in quest of his rights, and that he had right on his side, and the magic of being in the right, is evinced by the statements made in courts of law, and the answers received by the best legal judgments:- but equity failed him, and by destiny he was wedded to calamity, like others who had been in fortune's high lap fed....he it was who was forced from home and all its pleasures, to lodge for fifteen years obscurely in The StrandStrand, LondonStrand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, and was beset by carking care and biting penury."
In 1791 The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
published an account of the family's fortune, and of the straightened circumstances in which Brerewood found himself, quoting the following piece of doggerel verse:
- Nor BlackstoneWilliam BlackstoneSir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke...
any pleasure brings;
his rights of persons and of things,
would make us beggars were we kings
Death
Francis Brerewood died penurious in 1781, having lived in serious financial straits for at least thirty years. In his will, dated 7th July 1781, in which he styled himself as being "of St George The Martyr, London", he left what remained of his possessions to his widow Mary.Legacy
Woodcote Park was gutted by fire in 1934, but some of Brerewood's work remains. A painting attributed him, titled 'Portrait of a young girl', was listed for sale by Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
, South Kensington, London in September 2009.
External links
- Francis Brerewood at www.artnet.com Retrieved August 14 2010