Samuel Egerton Brydges

Samuel Egerton Brydges (1762-1837), from The Autobiography, Times, Opinions, and Contemporaries of Sir Egerton Brydges, 1834. Courtesy The King's School, Canterbury.

Sir Samuel Brydges, Bt
Born	November 30 1762(1762-Template:MONTHNUMBER-30) Wootton, Kent
Died	September 8 1837(1837-Template:MONTHNUMBER-08) (aged 74) Geneva
Occupation	poet, bibliographer, genealogist, Member of Parliament
Nationality	English

Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, 1st Baronet (30 November 1762 - 8 September 1837) was an English poet, prose writer, and genealogist.

Life

Overview

Brydges was educated at Cambridge, and was called to the Bar in 1787. He wrote some novels and poems, now forgotten, but rendered valuable service by his bibliographical publications, Censura Literaria, Titles and Opinions of Old English Books (10 volumes 1805-1809), his editions of E. Phillips's Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanorum (1800) Collin's Peerage of England (1812), and rare works of many Elizabethan authors. He was made a baronet in 1814. He died at Geneva.

Youth and education

Brydges was born at the manor-house of Wootton, Kent (situated between Canterbury and Dover), the 2nd son of Edward Brydges (or Bridges) of Wootton, by Jemima, daughter of William Egerton (prebendary of Canterbury and chancellor of Hereford).

He was educated at Maidstone School, at the King's School, Canterbury, and (from October 1780 till Christmas 1782) at Queens' College, Cambridge. On leaving the university he was entered of the Middle Temple, and was called to the bar in November 1787. He never practised, however, and retired in 1792 to Denton Court, a seat which he had purchased near his birthplace in Kent.

Early career

From his boyhood Brydges had had a passion for reading, and had sacrificed his degree at college by "giving himself up to English poetry." His initial literary venture was made in March 1785, when he published a volume of poems, among which the earliest pieces are some sonnets dated 1782. A 4th and much enlarged edition of his miscellaneous poetry appeared in 1807.

The volume of 1785 was coldly received, and Brydges continued to be much disheartened, even though his novels, Mary de Clifford (1792) and Arthur Fitzalbini (1798), obtained some popularity. He was by nature shy and proud, yet morbidly sensitive and egotistic, and being tormented by an extraordinary thirst for literary fame, he was unhappily led to mistake his delight in reading great works of literature for an evidence of his capacity to produce similar works himself.

Of his useful labors as a bibliographer and editor he is inclined to speak with contempt:

These were unworthy pursuits ... they overlaid the fire of my bosom ... they suppressed in me that self-confidence without which nothing great can be done, and bound my enthusiastic spirits in chains. The fire smouldered within, and made me discontented and unhappy.

At Denton he got on badly with his neighbours, "the book-hating squires," and was embarrassed in his money affairs; yet his life there between the years 1797 and 1810 was not altogether unhappy, and was productive of much literary work. He produced, among other books, an edition of Edward Phillips's Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanorum (1800), with large additions; and began in 1806 a new and augmented edition of Collins's Peerage of England, a work which was eventually published in 1812 in 9 volumes, 8vo. In 1805-1809 he published the 10 volumes of his Censura Literaria: Containing Titles, Abstracts, and Opinions of old English Books, with original Disquisitions, Articles of Biography, and other Literary Antiquities.

Chandos baronetcy

In 1789 Brydges's taste for genealogy was turned to practical account, for in October of that year he persuaded his elder brother, Rev. Edward Tymewell Brydges, to put forward his claim to the barony of Chandos. The case came on for hearing before the committee of privileges of the House of Lords on 1 June 1790, and more than 26 hearings took place at intervals. New evidence was brought forward from time to time, and the matter was not finally settled till June 1803, when a majority of the lords resolved that the claim to the title and dignity of Baron Chandos had not been made out.

Brydges, who was the moving spirit on the claimant's side, was greatly mortified, and never ceased to maintain in his writings that the claim was just. He inserted a special account of the Chandos case in his edition of Collins's Peerage, and in 1831 wrote his Lex Terræ: A discussion of the Law of England regarding Claims of inheritable Rights of Peerage, to prove that by the common law he was not bound to abide by the peers' decision, which did not take from him the right to resort to a legal trial by jury. The Brydges, however, never actually appealed to the law courts, though Egerton, after the death of his brother, was accustomed to style himself Per legem terræ, Baron Chandos of Sudeley.

The Chandos case was in 1834 made the subject of a thorough investigation by G.F. Beltz of the Lancaster Herald, who in his book relating to it conclusively proves that the claim was not well founded.

In 1808, 5 years after the decision of the Chandos case, Egerton Brydges accepted with considerable gratification the knighthood of the Swedish order of St. Joachim. He henceforward wrote after his name the letters K.J., styling himself "Sir." He was not created an English baronet till 1814.

Lee Priory

In October 1810 Brydges moved from Denton to Lee Priory at Ickham, near Canterbury, the residence of his eldest son. In 1812 he was elected M.P. for Maidstone, and sat in parliament till 1818. He seldom spoke in the house, though he took an active part in connection with the poor laws and the Copyright Bill.

During this period he managed to find time for a good deal of literary work. In 1813 a private printing press had been established at Lee Priory by a compositor and a pressman (Johnson and Warwick). Brydges engaged to provide "copy" gratuitously, and the printers undertook to pay all expenses, making what profits they could. The editions of the various works issued from the press were purposely limited to a small number of copies, and were sold by the printers to book-collectors at high prices. In spite of these arrangements, considerable expenses were incurred by Brydges and his son, though the press was not finally given up till about December 1822.

By the works — chiefly reprints — produced at the press under his editorship, Brydges justly claims to have rendered a service to the students of old English literature, particularly literature of the Elizabethan period. Among his productions were many rare and interesting tracts, especially poetical, which had hitherto been unknown, or only accessible to rich collectors, "such as poems of Nicholas Breton and William Browne, Raleigh and Margaret, duchess of Newcastle, Davison's Rhapsody, Robert Greene's Groatsworth of Wit, Lord Brooke's Life of Sir Philip Sydney, and the Duchess of Newcastle's Autobiography.”

Brydges's chief bibliographical works at this period of his life were the 4 volumes of the British Bibliographer (1810–14), in which he was assisted by J. Haslewood, and the Restituta; or, Titles, Extracts, and Characters of Old Books in English Literature revived (4 volumes, 1814-1816). He also compiled Excerpta Tudoriana; or, Extracts from Elizabethan Literature with a critical Preface (2 volumes 1814-1818), and wrote a series of original essays called The Sylvan Wanderer (2 volumes 1813-1817), and a poem called Bertram.

On losing his seat in parliament in 1818 he left England, reportedly to avoid creditors.

Abroad

From June 1818 Brydges lived entirely abroad till the time of his death, with the sole exception of a visit to England from June 1826 to October 1828. In his Recollections of Foreign Travel (2 volumes 1825) he has given an account of his movements and opinions till about November 1824. He lived principally at Geneva, apparently in greater peace of mind, and was still actively engaged in writing.

Among his bibliographical works of this period are his Res Literariæ (3 volumes, Naples, Rome, Geneva, 1821-1822); his Polyanthea Librorum Vetustiorum, Geneva, 1822; and Cimelia, Geneva, 1823. Later on, in 1831, he published the Lake of Geneva, a blank verse poem in 7 books; the Anglo-Genevan Critical Journal for 1831; Lex Terræ (1831), and his book entitled The Autobiography, Times, Opinions, and Contemporaries of Sir Egerton Brydges (2 volumes 1834).

He died at Campagne, Gros Jean, near Geneva, on 8 Sept. 1837.

Family

Brydges was twice married: to Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. William Dejovas Byrche, of the Black Friars, Canterbury, by whom he had 2 sons and 3 daughters; and to Mary, daughter of tRev. William Robinson, rector of Burfield, Berkshire, by whom he had several sons and daughters. His eldest son, Thomas Barrett Brydges (of Lee Priory), entered the army, and died before his father, who was succeeded in his title by his 2nd son (by his 1st wife), John William Egerton Brydges, who served in the Peninsular war, and died 15 February 1858, aged 87. He was unmarried, and his half-brother, F. Hanley Head Brydges, became the 3rd baronet (Ann. Reg. 1858, c. 389; Gent. Mag. March 1858, p. 342).

Writing

Brydges was a most prolific author; he is said to have written 2000 sonnets in a year.

From the extremely naive self-portraiture of his rambling but interesting Autobiography, there can be no doubt that he imagined himself a poet and a man of genius. His poetry, however, is of the most mediocre description, recalling the dullest efforts of Bowles or Thomas Warton.

Recognition

He was made a baronet in 1814.

Publications

Poetry

• Sonnets, and other poems; with a versification of the six bards of Ossian. London: B. & J. White, 1785.
• Verses on the Late Unanimous Resolutions to Support the Constitution, to which are added some other poems. Canterbury, UK: printed by Simmons, Kirkby, & Jones, 1794.
• Poems. London: Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1807.
• Occasional poems, written in the year 1811. Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick at Lee Priory, 1814.
• Verses Written as a Preface to 'The Sylvan Wanderer'.. Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick at Lee Priory, 181
• Select poems. Kent, UK: printed at Lee Priory, 1814.
• Bertram: a poetical tale. in four cantos. 2nd edition, London: T. Bensley, for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1816.

Fragment of a poem, occasioned by a visit to the old mansion of Denton. 1815.

• Five sonnets Addressed to Wootton, the Spot of the Author's Nativity. Kent, UK: printed at Lee Priory, 1819.
• Odo, Count of Lingen: a poetical tale in six cantos. Geneva: W. Fick, 1824.
• Travels of my Nightcap; or, Reveries in rhyme. London: G.B. Whittaker, 1825.
• Modern Aristocracy; or, The bard's reception: The fragment of a poem. Geneva: A.L. Vinier, 1831.
• The Lake of Geneva: A poem moral and descriptive; in seven books. (2 volumes), London: Bossange / Geneva: A. Cherbuliez, 1832
• Human Fate: A poem. Great Totham, UK: Charles Clark's Private Press, 1850.
• Occasional Poems / Bertram ; Five Sonnets addressed to Wootton / Dunluce Castle / Stanzas by the author of Dunluce Castle / Select Poems. New York: Garland, 1978.

Novels

• Mary de Clifford: a story. London: H.D. Symonds, 1792.
• Arthur Fitz-Albini: A novel. (2 volumes), London: J. White, 1798.
• Le Forester: a novel. (3 volumes), London: T. Bensley, for J. White, 1802.
• Lord Brokenhurst; or, A fragment of winter leaves: A tragic tale. Paris: J.-J. Paschoud, 1819.
• Coningsby, a tragic tale. Paris: J.-J. Paschoud, 1819.
• Tragic Tales: Coningsby and Lord Brokenhurst. London: R. Triphook, 1820.
• Sir Ralph Willoughby: an historical tale of the sixteenth century. Florence, Italy: I. Magheri, 1820.
• The Hall of Hellingsley: A tale. (3 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1821.

Non-fiction

• Topographical Miscellanies. London: J. Robson, 1792.
• Reflections on the late augmentations of the English peerage. London: J. Dobson & J. Debrett, 1798.
• Tests of National Wealth and Finances. 1799.
• Censuria Literaria: Containing titles, abstracts, and opinions of old english books, with original disquisitions, articles of biography, and other literary antiquities. (10 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme, 1805-1808, 1815. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV, Volume V, Volume VI, Volume VII, Volume VIII, Volume IX, Volume X
• The British bibliographer. (4 volumes), London: T. Bensley, for R. Triphook. Volume I, 1810; Volume II, 1812; Volume III, 1812; Volume IV, 1814.
• The Sylvan Wanderer: Consisting of a series of moral, sentimental and critical essays. (2 volumes), Kent, UK: Johnson & Newark at Lee Priory, 1813.
• The Ruminator: Containing a series of moral, critical and sentimental essays. (2 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1813. Volume I, Volume II
• Letters on the Poor Laws. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1813.
• Preface to Davison's Poetical Rhapsody. Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick at Lee Priory, 1814.
• Desultoria; or, Comments of a South-Briton on books and men. Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick at Lee Priory, 1815.
• To the Friends and Admirers of Robert Bloomfield. Kent, UK: John Warwick at Lee Priory, 1816.
• Arguments in Favor of the Practicability of Relieving the Able-Bodied Poor. London: Longman, 1817.
• Reasons for a Farther Amendment of the Act 54 Geo. III. c. 156: Being an act to amend the Copyright Act of Queen Anne. London: 1817.
• A Summary Statement of the Great Grievances Imposed on Authors and Publishers; and the Injury Done to Literature, by the Late Copyright Act. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1818.
• A Vindication of the Pending Bill for the Amendment of the Copyright Act. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1818.
• The Population and Riches of Nations, Considered Together. Paris: J.-J. Paschoud, 1819.
• Res literariae: bibliographical and critical. Naples, Italy: C. Beranger, 1821.
• Letters from the Continent. Kent, UK: printed at Lee Priory, 1821.
• What are Riches? or, An examination of the definition of this subject given by modern economists. London: W. Fich, 1821.
• The anti-critic for August 1821 and March 1822. Geneva: W. Fick, 1822.
• Several Private Tracts on a Question of Peerage. 1822, 1823.
• Inquiry into the Laws of Descent of the English Peerage. 1823.
• Gnomica: detached thoughts, sententious, axiomatic, moral and critical. Geneva: W. Fick, 1824.
• Letters on the Character and Poetical Genius of Lord Byron. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1824.
• An Impartial Portrait of Lord Byron as a Poet and a Man. Paris: A. & W. Galignani, 1825..
• Recollections of foreign travel on life, literature and self-knowledge. (2 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1825. Volume I, Volume II
• Anecdotes and singularities of the Chandos claim. Paris: 1826.
• Autobiographical memoir, etc. Paris:1826.
• Lex terrae : a discussion of the law of England regarding claims of inheritable rights of peerage. Geneva: W. Frick, 1831.
• Expositions on the Parliamentary reform bill. Geneva: 1831.
• Imaginative biography. (2 volumes), London: Saunders & Otley, 1834. Volume I, Volume II
• The Autobiography, Times, Opinions and Contemporaries of Sir Egerton Brydges. (2 volumes), London: Cochrane & M'Crone, 1834. Volume I, Volume II
• Four Tracts on Copyright, 1817-1819. New York & London: Garland, 1974.

Juvenile

• Moral Axioms in Single Couplets: For the use of the young. London: John Macrone, 1837.

Collected editions

• Polyanthea; or, A collection of interesting fragments in prose & verse. London: Budd, 1804.

Edited

• The Topographer: Containing a variety of original articles, illustrative of the local history and antiquities of England (edited with Stebbing Shaw). (4 volumes), London: Robson & Clarke / J. Walker, 1789-91.
• Biographical Catalogue of the Peers of Queen Elizabeth. 1799.
• Edward Phillips, Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanorum: Containing the names and characters of all the English poets, from the reign of Henry III to the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Canterbury, UK: Simmons & Kirkby, for J. White, 1800.
• Memoirs of the peers of England. London: Nichols, for J. White, 1802.
• Biographical peerage of the empire of Great Britain. (2 volumes), London: J. Johnson, 1808.
• Arthur Collins, Collins's Peerage of England. (9 volumes), London: Rivington, 1812.
• Restituta; or, Titles, extracts and characters of old books in English literature revived. (4 volumes), London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1814-1815. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV
• Excerpta Tudoriana; or, Extracts from Elizabethan literature, with a critical preface. (2 volumes), Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick at Lee Priory, 1814. Volume I, Volume II
• Archaica: Containing a reprint of scarce old English tracts, with prefaces, critical and biographical. (2 volumes), London: T. Davison, for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1815. Volume I
• Gyles Brydges, Speeches Delivered to Queen Elizabeth, on her visit to Giles Brydges, Lord Chandos. Kent, UK: Johnson & Warwick, at Lee Priory, 1815.
• Select Funeral Memorials. Kent, UK: printed at Lee Priory, 1818.
• William Collins, Poetical works. London: W. Pickering, 1830.
• The Anglo-Genevan critical journal for 1831, in two parts. Geneva: A.L. Vignier, 1831.
• John Milton, The Poetical Works. (6 volumes), London: John Macrone, 1835; (1 volume), William Tegg, 1876.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of British poets

References

•  Wroth, Warwick William (1886) "Brydges, Samuel Egerton" in Stephen, Leslie Dictionary of National Biography 7 London: Smith, Elder, pp. 164-166  Wikisource, Web, Dec. 21, 2017.
• J. Robins, The British Magazine, or Miscellany of Polite Literature, London, 1823, pp. 145–146.
• Gentleman's Magazine 162 (1837), 534–539.

External links

Poems

• Samuel Egerton Brydges at Poetry Nook (2 poems)
• Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges info & 7 poems at English Poetry, 1579-1830

Prose

• "On the Traits and Concomitants of Poetical Genius"
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Samuel Egerton Brydges

Books

• Works by Egerton Brydges at Project Gutenberg
• Samuel Egerton Brydges at Amazon.com

About

• Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, 1st Baronet in the Encyclopædia Britannica
• Egerton Brydges, Autobiography at The King's School, Canterbury
• Brydges, Samuel Egerton (1762-1837), of Lee Priory, nr. Canterbury, Kent at History of Parliament Online

Etc.

• Lee Priory Press

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: Brydges, Samuel Egerton