William Gilpin (priest) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Gilpin
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An engraving of Gilpin from 1869
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| Born | 4 June 1724 Cumberland, England
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| Died | 5 April 1804 (aged 79) Boldre, Hampshire, England
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| Education | Cheam School |
| Occupation | British artist |
| Relatives | Sawrey Gilpin (brother) William Sawrey Gilpin (nephew) |
William Gilpin (born June 4, 1724 – died April 5, 1804) was an English artist, a Church of England priest, a school teacher, and a writer. He is most famous for his travel books and for helping to create the idea of the "picturesque". This idea was about finding beauty in nature that looked like it belonged in a painting.
Contents
Life Story of William Gilpin
William Gilpin was born in Cumberland, England. His father, Captain John Bernard Gilpin, was a soldier and also enjoyed art. From a young age, William loved to paint, sketch, and collect art prints.
Even though his brother, Sawrey Gilpin, became a full-time artist, William chose a different path. He decided to work for the church. He finished his studies at Queen's College, Oxford in 1748.
Early Ideas on Beauty
While still at Oxford, Gilpin wrote a book called A Dialogue upon the Gardens... at Stow in Buckinghamshire (1748). This book was a guide to the gardens at Stowe. It also shared his early thoughts on what makes something beautiful, a concept called aesthetics.
Gilpin was one of the first to truly appreciate wild and rugged mountain views. This might have come from growing up in the mountainous area of Cumberland. He also believed that beauty could be seen just for its looks, separate from if something was useful or morally good. He helped start the idea of the "picturesque," creating many artworks in this style. The British Museum has many of his drawings.
A Teacher with New Ideas
After working as a curate (a type of assistant priest), Gilpin became a teacher. In 1755, he became the headmaster at Cheam School. He was a very modern teacher for his time. Instead of using physical punishment, he used a system of fines. He also encouraged students to have their own gardens and even run small shops at school.
Gilpin wanted to teach his students to be "upright and useful." He aimed to give them a "miniature of the world" they would enter after school. His teaching methods were similar to those of David Manson. Both tried to make learning fun and less scary, using outdoor activities and peer learning.
Later Life and Family
Gilpin stayed at Cheam School until 1777. Then, he and his wife, Margaret, moved to Boldre in the New Forest, Hampshire. There, he became the Vicar (a type of priest). He even taught the future poet Caroline Anne Bowles when she was a child. His nephew, the painter William Sawrey Gilpin, was also one of his students.
William Gilpin passed away in Boldre, Hampshire, on April 5, 1804. He was buried there a few days later. He had been married to his wife, Margaret, for over 50 years. His older son, John Bernard, became a British Consul in America.
The Picturesque Style
In 1768, Gilpin published a popular book called Essay on Prints. In this book, he said the picturesque was "that kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture." He started to explain his rules for "picturesque beauty," based on his knowledge of landscape painting.
During the late 1760s and 1770s, Gilpin traveled a lot during his summer breaks. He used his ideas to look at the landscapes he saw. He wrote down his thoughts and made quick sketches in notebooks.
Gilpin's travel journals were shared among his friends, including the poet William Mason. Even important people like Thomas Gray, Horace Walpole, and King George III read them. In 1782, Gilpin published Observations on the River Wye. This book had pictures based on his sketches. His nephew, William Sawrey Gilpin, used a new printing method called aquatint to create these pictures. He later published similar books about the Lake District and other parts of England.
What Makes a Scene Picturesque?
Gilpin believed that a "correctly picturesque" scene needed certain things. The texture of objects should be "rough," "intricate," or "broken," not smooth or straight. The whole picture should work together. It should have a dark "foreground" (the part closest to you) and a brighter "middle distance." There should also be a less clear "distance" further away.
Adding a ruined abbey or castle would make the scene more interesting. He also preferred looking at things from a low viewpoint. This made the scene feel more grand or "sublime." Gilpin thought that nature was good at creating textures and colors. However, he felt that nature rarely made a perfect picture on its own. An artist often needed to add a carefully placed tree or other elements to make it just right.
Unlike other travel writers, Gilpin didn't include much history or many facts in his books. His descriptions focused on how scenery fit his picturesque rules. Sometimes, his ideas seemed a bit extreme. For example, he once suggested that a ruined building like Tintern Abbey might look more picturesque if someone used a "mallet" (a type of hammer) to make its gable (the triangular part of a wall) even more ruined. Some writers, like Jane Austen, gently made fun of these extreme ideas in her novels.
Even with some criticism, Gilpin's books became very popular. During the 1780s and 1790s, more people started traveling within Britain. This was because roads were better and travel to Europe was difficult. Many of these travelers wanted to sketch or talk about landscapes like paintings. Gilpin's books were perfect for them. They were written for these new travelers, not as full travel guides.
Gilpin's Legacy
William Gilpin's ideas about the picturesque were very important. He saw it as a way to draw nature. Other thinkers, like Richard Payne Knight and Uvedale Price, took his ideas further. They applied them to how gardens and buildings should be designed.
Gilpin's works remained popular even after his death. He also became the inspiration for a funny but critical story called Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (1809). This story, illustrated by Thomas Rowlandson, follows a poor priest named Dr. Syntax. He rides his horse, Grizzle, looking for picturesque scenery. Often, he's so focused on finding beauty that he misses what's really happening around him.
Besides his "picturesque" writings, Gilpin also wrote many books about moral and religious topics. He wrote biographies of important historical figures like Hugh Latimer and John Wycliffe. He used some of the money he earned from his writing to help his local community. He helped fund a school in Boldre, which is now named after him. Many of his original travel writings are kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Gilpin is also featured in Nicholas Crane's book Great British Journeys, which highlights important travelers in British history.
Works by William Gilpin
On the Picturesque
- Dialogue upon the gardens of the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Cobham, at Stow in Buckinghamshire (1748)
- An essay on prints: containing remarks upon the principles of picturesque beauty; the different kinds of prints; and the characters of the most noted masters (1768)
- 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 (1782)
- Observations, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty, made in the year 1772, on several parts of England; particularly the mountains, and lakes of Cumberland, and Westmoreland (1786)
- Observations, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty, made in the year 1776, on several parts of Great Britain; particularly the High-lands of Scotland (1789)
- Remarks on forest scenery, and other woodland views (relative chiefly to picturesque beauty), illustrated by the scenes of New Forest in Hampshire (1791)
- Three essays: on picturesque beauty; on picturesque travel; and on sketching landscape: to which is added a poem, On landscape painting (1792)
- Observations on the Western parts of England, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty; to which are added a few remarks on the picturesque beauties of the Isle of Wight (1798)
- Observations on the coasts of Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent, relative chiefly to picturesque beauty, relative to Picturesque Beauty, made in the Summer of the year 1774 (1804)
- Two essays: one on the author's mode of executing rough sketches; the other on the principles on which they are composed. To these are added, three plates of figures by S. Gilpin (1804)
- Observations on several parts of the counties of Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Also on several parts of North Wales, relative to picturesque beauty in two tours, the former made in ... 1769, the latter in ... 1773 (1809)
Biographies (Life Stories)
- The life of Bernard Gilpin: collected from his life written by George Carleton, bishop of Chichester, from other printed accounts of the times he lived in, from original letters, and other authentic records (1752)
- The life of Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester (1755)
- The lives of John Wicliff; and of the most eminent of his disciples; Lord Cobham, John Huss, Jerome of Prague, and Zisca (1765)
- The life of Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury (1784)
- Memoirs of Josias Rogers, Esq., Commander of his Majesty's Ship, Quebec (1808)
Religious Works
- Lectures on the catechism of the Church of England (1779)
- Two sermons (1788)
- An exposition of the New Testament, intended as an introduction to the study of the Scriptures, by pointing out the leading Sense and Connection of the sacred writers (1790)
- Three dialogues on the amusements of clergymen (1796)
- Moral contrasts; or, the power of religion, exemplified under different characters (1798)
- Sermons to a country congregation; to which are added, a few hints for sermons, intended chiefly for the use of the younger clergy (1799)
- Dialogues, on various subjects (1807)
