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Thomas West (clergyman)
Encyclopedia
Thomas West was a Jesuit priest, antiquary and author, significant in being one of the first to write about the attractions of the Lake District
. Partly through his book, A Guide to the Lakes, the Romantic
vision of the scenery and wilderness of the north of England took hold, ushering in a period of continued tourism in the Lakes.
in 1720, and was ordained a Catholic
priest. He visited Europe, and received at least some of his education there, specialising in various branches of natural philosophy. He returned to Britain in his later life, moving to Furness
in 1774 and residing at the seventeenth century Tytup Hall. West dedicated his remaining years to learning and writing about the area's landscape and history, publishing The Antiquities of Furness in 1774. He then embarked on his magnum opus, his Guide to the Lakes.
West had travelled widely throughout continental Europe, and after accompanying various parties visiting the lakes, decided to write a detailed account of the scenery and landscape. Fellow Lakes resident William Brownrigg
may have been a contributing factor in this decision. West set out to create a guide that would be of particular use to artists, writing in his introduction that he aimed
environment. It was particularly influential at a time when Grand Tour
s were popular, as West claimed the Lakes contained much of the scenery that could be enjoyed on the continent, likening it to the Alps
or the Apennines. His book was followed by similar works by William Gilpin
, Uvedale Price
and William Wordsworth
. West's book was the beginning of the era of 'true tourism' in the Lake District. It followed on from Dr John Brown's assessment in 1753 that the 'perfection' of the area rested on 'Beauty, horror and immensity', and challenged Daniel Defoe
's interpretation of it in 1698 as the 'wildest, the most barren and frightful' place he had ever seen. Despite criticism and satirical spoofs of both the prose of the guides and the attitudes of the tourists they attracted to the Lakes from the likes of Thomas Rowlandson
and William Combe
, the book ran to seven editions before the turn of the century.
It was to be West's last work. He collected material for the second edition, but died a year after the book was first published, on 10 July 1779 at Sizergh Castle
, Westmorland
. He was buried in the Strickland family
chapel, at Kendal Parish Church
.
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. Partly through his book, A Guide to the Lakes, the Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
vision of the scenery and wilderness of the north of England took hold, ushering in a period of continued tourism in the Lakes.
Life
West was born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1720, and was ordained a Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
priest. He visited Europe, and received at least some of his education there, specialising in various branches of natural philosophy. He returned to Britain in his later life, moving to Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....
in 1774 and residing at the seventeenth century Tytup Hall. West dedicated his remaining years to learning and writing about the area's landscape and history, publishing The Antiquities of Furness in 1774. He then embarked on his magnum opus, his Guide to the Lakes.
A Guide to the Lakes
William Brownrigg
William Brownrigg M.D. F.R.S. was a doctor and scientist, who practised at Whitehaven in Cumberland. While there, William Brownrigg carried out experiments that won him not only a place in The Royal Society but the prized Copley Medal....
may have been a contributing factor in this decision. West set out to create a guide that would be of particular use to artists, writing in his introduction that he aimed
'To encourage the taste of visiting the lakes by furnishing the traveller with a Guide; and for that purpose, the writer has here collected and laid before him, all the select stations and points of view, noticed by those authors who have last made the tour of the lakes, verified by his own repeated observations. 'To this end he included various 'stations' or viewpoints around the lakes, from which tourists would be encouraged to appreciate the views in terms of their aesthetic qualities. Published in 1778 the book was a major success. As well as being the first guidebook to the lakes, West was amongst the first writers to challenge the view of the wild and savage north, and his book was one of the first to stress the notion of the picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
environment. It was particularly influential at a time when Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
s were popular, as West claimed the Lakes contained much of the scenery that could be enjoyed on the continent, likening it to the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
or the Apennines. His book was followed by similar works by William Gilpin
William Gilpin (clergyman)
The Reverend William Gilpin was an English artist, clergyman, schoolmaster, and author, best known as one of the originators of the idea of the picturesque.-Early life:...
, Uvedale Price
Uvedale Price
Sir Uvedale Price, 1st Baronet , author of the Essay on the Picturesque, As Compared With The Sublime and The Beautiful , was a Herefordshire landowner who was at the heart of the 'Picturesque debate' of the 1790s...
and William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
. West's book was the beginning of the era of 'true tourism' in the Lake District. It followed on from Dr John Brown's assessment in 1753 that the 'perfection' of the area rested on 'Beauty, horror and immensity', and challenged Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
's interpretation of it in 1698 as the 'wildest, the most barren and frightful' place he had ever seen. Despite criticism and satirical spoofs of both the prose of the guides and the attitudes of the tourists they attracted to the Lakes from the likes of Thomas Rowlandson
Thomas Rowlandson
Thomas Rowlandson was an English artist and caricaturist.- Biography :Rowlandson was born in Old Jewry, in the City of London. He was the son of a tradesman or city merchant. On leaving school he became a student at the Royal Academy...
and William Combe
William Combe
William Combe was a British miscellaneous writer. His early life was that of an adventurer, his later was passed chiefly within the "rules" of the King's Bench Prison. He is chiefly remembered as the author of The Three Tours of Dr. Syntax, a comic poem...
, the book ran to seven editions before the turn of the century.
It was to be West's last work. He collected material for the second edition, but died a year after the book was first published, on 10 July 1779 at Sizergh Castle
Sizergh Castle & Garden
Sizergh Castle & Garden is a castle, stately home and garden at Helsington in the English county of Cumbria, about south of Kendal, and in the care of the National Trust.- Details :...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
. He was buried in the Strickland family
Strickland-Constable Baronets
The Strickland, later Cholmley, later Strickland-Constable Baronetcy, of Boynton in the County of York, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 30 July 1641 for the politician William Strickland. He was summoned to Oliver Cromwell's House of Lords as Lord Strickland. The second...
chapel, at Kendal Parish Church
Kendal Parish Church
Kendal Parish Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a Grade I Listed Parish Church of the Church of England in Kendal, Cumbria, England.Visitors to the church are struck by its size and the lightness of the interior...
.