A physician and nonconformist minister who was active in the north of England, Richard Gilpin (1625 1700) was a popular preacher, leading large congregations, yet he faced opposition from Quakers and was ultimately unable to unite various dissenting factions. Including details about his descendants, the present work sets his story within the wider context of the Gilpin family history. First published in 1879, it was written in 1791 by fellow clergyman William Gilpin (1724 1804), an enlightened schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics. As well as covering his ancestors, William appends here his...

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724 1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. His approach as a teacher was enlightened: during his time as headmaster of Cheam School, his aim was to prepare his pupils for life. Moving in 1777 to become vicar of Boldre, Hampshire, where he remained for the rest of his life, he was able to endow two schools there with income from his successful writings. This knowledgeable appraisal of the print as an art form, and of its foremost practitioners, was first published anonymously in 1768 to positive reviews. It...