Francis Grose
Encyclopedia
Francis Grose was an English
antiquary, draughtsman
, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose (d. 1769), and his wife, Anne (d. 1773), daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford
in Middlesex
. Grose was baptized on 11 June 1731 in the parish of St Peter-le-Poer.
.
Grose left the army in October 1751, possibly to avoid his regiment's posting to Scotland. In 1755 his father bought him the post of Richmond Herald
but Francis showed little interest in heraldry and was to sell it again in February 1763. In 1757 Grose was elected a member of the Society of Antiquaries, and 1759 he resumed his soldiering career; but this time in the militia, which meant he could avoid distant postings. He was commissioned into the Surrey regiment as a lieutenant, and it was his subsequent promotion to captain in 1765 led to his adoption of the familiar title "Captain Grose". The Surrey militia was disembodied in 1762 but this hardly affected Grose, who continued to received a salary as paymaster and adjutant even in peacetime. With bequests from his parents and from his wife, who died in 1774, added to the salary he drew as a militia captain, Grose at this time was able to live reasonably well despite the demands made on his purse by the need to raise, educate and provide for his children.
His publishing career was interrupted however when the Surrey militia was again called into service between 1778 and 1783. This was not a happy experience for him. Where previously Grose had been able to spend his summers visiting and sketching ancient sites he was now obliged to attend his regiment in various training camps. He did not get on well with his new commanding officer, and he handled regimental finances in a slipshod manner. The result was that he incurred debts towards fellow officers that would take years to straighten out. The financial pressure however forced him to increase both the rate and the range of his publications. The Supplement to The Antiquities was resumed in 1783, this time with a higher proportion of the illustrations being done by other artists. Drawing on his own fieldwork Grose also branched out into producing dictionaries, including the famous A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785) and A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local Proverbs, and Popular Superstitions (1787). Though intended to amuse they give an unusually vivid picture of the speech of the day which would not normally find inclusion in standard dictionaries, and contain in all about 9,000 terms which more scholarly works of the time habitually overlooked. He produced books on military antiquities and armour, as well as satirical essays, and in 1788 began the first of several tours of Scotland in order to produce The Antiquities of Scotland. It was on the second of these tours, in summer 1789, that he met and immediately formed a friendship with the poet Robert Burns
. Burns met him while he was staying with Robert Riddell
at the Friar's Carse
, collecting material for his Scottish work. Burns suggested to him that he should include Alloway Kirk
in his Scottish Antiquities, and Grose agreed on condition that Burns provided a witch tale to go with his drawing. In June 1790, Burns sent Grose a prose tale with a variant in a letter to Grose, following it up with a rhymed version, 'Tam o' Shanter'.
to collect material for yet another volume of antiquities Grose died suddenly in Dublin after an apoplectical stroke
, and was buried there on 18 May 1791 at Drumcondra
cemetery. His nephew Daniel and a Dr.Edward Ledwich
, who had already published a book on Irish antiquities, completed the final volume of Grose's Antiquities of Ireland in 1791.
Additionally, it is noted that he was the (anonymous) author of Advice to the Officers of the British Army: With the addition of some Hints to the Drummer and Private Soldier, which was published in 1783 as a mocking look backwards on the conduct of the war against the American Colonies. Every instance of corruption, disregard and vice are suggested for every rank of the army. Tongue in cheek, but obviously rooted in truth, it is a great companion to Vulgar Tongue. It also contains a satirical portrait of Jeremiah Hodges, Grose's erstwhile commanding officer in the Surrey militia.
Two parodies by Thomas Bridges
, A Travestie of Homer and The Battle of the Genii, were once attributed to Francis Grose.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
antiquary, draughtsman
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose (d. 1769), and his wife, Anne (d. 1773), daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. Grose was baptized on 11 June 1731 in the parish of St Peter-le-Poer.
Early life
The eldest of seven children, Francis probably received a classical education but first aimed at a career in the Army. In 1747 he was in Flanders, apparently as a volunteer in Howard's (later 19th) regiment of foot: later he received a commission as cornet in Cobham's (later 10th) regiment of dragoons. Posted to Kent on excise duties in 1750 he met and married Catherine Jordan of Canterbury. They were eventually to have ten children, six of whom survived to adulthood. Their eldest son was Francis Grose, the Lieutenant Governor of New South WalesLieutenant Governor of New South Wales
The Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales is a government position in the state of New South Wales, Australia, acting as a deputy to the Governor of New South Wales....
.
Grose left the army in October 1751, possibly to avoid his regiment's posting to Scotland. In 1755 his father bought him the post of Richmond Herald
Richmond Herald
Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms of the College of Arms in England. From 1421 to 1485 Richmond was a herald to John, Duke of Bedford, George, Duke of Clarence, and Henry, Earl of Richmond, all of whom held the Honour of Richmond...
but Francis showed little interest in heraldry and was to sell it again in February 1763. In 1757 Grose was elected a member of the Society of Antiquaries, and 1759 he resumed his soldiering career; but this time in the militia, which meant he could avoid distant postings. He was commissioned into the Surrey regiment as a lieutenant, and it was his subsequent promotion to captain in 1765 led to his adoption of the familiar title "Captain Grose". The Surrey militia was disembodied in 1762 but this hardly affected Grose, who continued to received a salary as paymaster and adjutant even in peacetime. With bequests from his parents and from his wife, who died in 1774, added to the salary he drew as a militia captain, Grose at this time was able to live reasonably well despite the demands made on his purse by the need to raise, educate and provide for his children.
Books and publications
Grose had early shown a keen interest in drawing, having attempted sketches of medieval buildings as far back as 1749, and having taken formal instruction at a drawing school in the mid-1750s. He was not a particularly gifted draughtsman but he mixed in the London artistic milieu and began to exhibit, first at the Society of Artists in 1767–8 and then at the Royal Academy. His interest was in the field of medieval remains, which were beginning to exercise an increasing grip on the public imagination. In 1772 he published the first part of The Antiquities of England and Wales, a work which he unashamedly aimed at the popular market. Essentially it targeted those who wanted to know about antiquities but had neither time nor means to visit them in person, and contained small panoramas of medieval ruins, together with an informative text on a separate page. Sometimes the text was taken from books already published, or from information supplied by other antiquaries (both acknowledged); sometimes Grose collated material himself from which he could work up an article. From 1772 onwards he also toured the country to visit and draw sites for inclusion in The Antiquities. The fourth and last volume came out in June 1776, and Grose almost immediately began work on a supplement.His publishing career was interrupted however when the Surrey militia was again called into service between 1778 and 1783. This was not a happy experience for him. Where previously Grose had been able to spend his summers visiting and sketching ancient sites he was now obliged to attend his regiment in various training camps. He did not get on well with his new commanding officer, and he handled regimental finances in a slipshod manner. The result was that he incurred debts towards fellow officers that would take years to straighten out. The financial pressure however forced him to increase both the rate and the range of his publications. The Supplement to The Antiquities was resumed in 1783, this time with a higher proportion of the illustrations being done by other artists. Drawing on his own fieldwork Grose also branched out into producing dictionaries, including the famous A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785) and A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local Proverbs, and Popular Superstitions (1787). Though intended to amuse they give an unusually vivid picture of the speech of the day which would not normally find inclusion in standard dictionaries, and contain in all about 9,000 terms which more scholarly works of the time habitually overlooked. He produced books on military antiquities and armour, as well as satirical essays, and in 1788 began the first of several tours of Scotland in order to produce The Antiquities of Scotland. It was on the second of these tours, in summer 1789, that he met and immediately formed a friendship with the poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. Burns met him while he was staying with Robert Riddell
Robert Riddell
Captain Robert Riddell , was Laird of Friar's Carse, near Dumfries, Scotland, and a friend of Robert Burns, who made him a collection of his poems which later became famous, and wrote a poem 'Sonnet On The Death Of Robert Riddell' in memory of him when he died.The Glenriddell Manuscripts were...
at the Friar's Carse
Friar's Carse
Friars' Carse is a mansion house and estate situated southeast of Auldgirth on the main road to Dumfries, Parish of Dunscore, Scotland. The property is located on the west bank of the River Nith and is known for its strong associations with Robert Burns who lived for a while at the nearby...
, collecting material for his Scottish work. Burns suggested to him that he should include Alloway Kirk
Alloway Kirk
The old Alloway Kirk is a ruin in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland , celebrated as the scene of the witches' dance in the poem Tam o' Shanter by Robert Burns....
in his Scottish Antiquities, and Grose agreed on condition that Burns provided a witch tale to go with his drawing. In June 1790, Burns sent Grose a prose tale with a variant in a letter to Grose, following it up with a rhymed version, 'Tam o' Shanter'.
Death
While undertaking a similar expedition to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to collect material for yet another volume of antiquities Grose died suddenly in Dublin after an apoplectical stroke
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
, and was buried there on 18 May 1791 at Drumcondra
Drumcondra Church
Drumcondra Church is located in Drumcondra, Dublin. It was erected by a Miss Coghill as a memorial to her brother, Dr. Marmaduke Coghill, who died in 1738. It contains a monument to his memory. Dr...
cemetery. His nephew Daniel and a Dr.Edward Ledwich
Edward Ledwich
Edward Ledwich LL.D. F.S.A. was an Irish historian, antiquary and topographer.-Life:He was born in Dublin, the son of John Ledwich, a merchant....
, who had already published a book on Irish antiquities, completed the final volume of Grose's Antiquities of Ireland in 1791.
Other works
In addition to the books above mentioned Grose wrote Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons.Additionally, it is noted that he was the (anonymous) author of Advice to the Officers of the British Army: With the addition of some Hints to the Drummer and Private Soldier, which was published in 1783 as a mocking look backwards on the conduct of the war against the American Colonies. Every instance of corruption, disregard and vice are suggested for every rank of the army. Tongue in cheek, but obviously rooted in truth, it is a great companion to Vulgar Tongue. It also contains a satirical portrait of Jeremiah Hodges, Grose's erstwhile commanding officer in the Surrey militia.
Two parodies by Thomas Bridges
Thomas Bridges (dramatist and parodist)
Thomas Bridges was an English writer of parodies, drama and one novel. He was born in Hull, the son of a physician. He became a wine merchant and a partner in a banking firm....
, A Travestie of Homer and The Battle of the Genii, were once attributed to Francis Grose.
External links
- fromoldbooks.org version with one page per entry, links to examples and another canting (thieving) dictionary.