James Bramston facts for kids

James Bramston (around 1694–1743) was an English poet. He was known for his special skill in writing satire and parody. Satire uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people's foolishness or mistakes. Parody is when you copy someone's style in a funny way to make fun of it. Bramston was also a church leader in the Church of England, holding several church jobs at once.

Who Was James Bramston?

James Bramston was born around 1694. His father, Colonel Francis Bramston, was an officer in the guards. James grew up in a place called Skreens, near Chelmsford, in Essex, England.

He went to school at Westminster School and then studied at Christ Church, Oxford University. His great-grandfather was Sir John Bramston, a very important judge in England.

His Life in the Church

James Bramston became a priest in the Anglican church. In 1721, he became a Chaplain for the 2nd Dragoon Guards, which was a military unit. By 1724, he was married.

He held several church positions at the same time. This was called being a pluralist cleric. For example, he became the Rector of Lurgashall in 1724. The next year, in 1725, he also became the Vicar of Harting, which was a nearby village in West Sussex. Later, in 1739, he was again in charge at Lurgashall. On the same day, he was also named Vicar of Westhampnett, near Chichester. He kept these jobs until he died.

James Bramston helped pay for rebuilding part of the Lurgashall Church. He passed away on December 22, 1743, and was buried in Chalton, Hampshire. His wife, Elizabeth, lived on after him.

His Humorous Poems

James Bramston was famous for his funny and clever poems. He often copied the style of other famous writers to make a point.

• The Art of Politics (1729): This poem was a parody of a famous Roman poem called Ars Poetica by Horace. Bramston used it to make fun of politics. He wrote lines like: "What's not destroy'd by Time's devouring Hand? Where's Troy, and where's the Maypole in the Strand?" This means that everything changes over time.

• The Man of Taste (1733): This poem was a parody of Alexander Pope's work. Bramston made fun of people who pretended to have very fancy tastes. He wrote, "Sur loins and rumps of beef offend my eyes,/Pleas'd with frogs fricasseed and coxcomb pies." This means he was joking about people who preferred strange, expensive foods over simple, good ones.

• Ignorami lamentatio super legis communis translationem ex Latino in Anglicum (1736): This poem has a long, funny title! It means "The Lament of Ignoramus over the Translation of Common Law from Latin into English." Bramston wrote it to make fun of lawyers. He used a funny, made-up Latin called Dog Latin and wrote it in a style called hexameters, which are lines of poetry with a specific rhythm.

• The Crooked Sixpence: In this poem, Bramston parodied another famous poem called "The Splendid Shilling" by John Philips.