New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-25
BROVNING'.S PEDIGREE.
A PLEA FOR THE RECOGNITION OF HIS
FOOTMAN ANCESTOR

F. J. Furniran in The London Academy
OF Browning's four known progenitors the one
that takes my fancy most is the first. Robert.
the footman and butler to Sir John Bankes. of
Corfe Castle. He died November %, Tag.
and TO his eldest son, Thomas. on October -,
100. was granted q lease for life Of the little
inn in the little hamlet of East Woodyates, and
parish Of Pentridge nine miles southwest Of
Salisbury. the road 10 Exeter. His eldest
son Robert. got into tie Bank of England-no
doubt by the influence Of his landlord, Lord
Shaftesbury-did fairly well there. and placed
his only by his first wife. the poets father,
in the bank. too.
Tie village publican does not appeal to
/ put down TO the first bank clerk the purchase
from an heraldic seal engraver for couple of
euineas-the advertised charge in former days
of that charm coat-of-arms which was after
ward Haunted so largely on his descenoants
Condoliers arms in Venice. And the second
bank clerks sCrape with Cockburn's discarded
mistress prevents one from having much sym
pathy with him. But the first ancestor, the
footman and butler OF Sir John Bankes. pict-
ure as of those faithful servants" whom
Mr.. Arthur j. Nunby pictures and praises so
highly in his interesting volume of 1891. a class
10 which almost every family in the realm has
owed. and owes. much Of its comfort and
content class which has given US Charles
Lamb, and doubt many another honored
name At any rate, the first known founder OF
the poet Robert Browning's family was the but
Ter and footman of Sir John Bankes. as proved
In my paper Robert Browning's Ancestors
in Part MI OF the Browning Society's Papers,
1890, p. Dab, putting summary OF their sue
cession on p. IL and the full pedigree p. 10.
This being the case. | was surprised on taking
Vol ] OF the dictionary or National blOS-
raphy.' Supplement. Vol ]. the other day. to
find my favorite Browning ancestor, the foot
man. burked by Mr.. Edmund Gosse in the fol-
lowing paragraph
The stock has been traced no further back
than TO the early part OF the eighteenth century.
when the poets maternal great-grandfa Their
owned the Woodgates Inn in the parish Of
Partridge in Dorset"
Against this deliberate suppression OF the real
founder Of the family, the footman butler. who
was the father OF the above named owner, that
IS, lessee OF Woodyates Inn, protest, we'll
as against the misleading entry in Mr. Gosse's
list of authorities:
THE Browning Society's Papers 1SS1-'S4
edited by DR.. F. j. Furnivall. contain certain
data of a biographical kind when the real
additional entry needed TO help readers revive
the butler burked by Mr.. Gosse were;
The Browning Society's Papers. Part XII
1890. y. 26-t5. contains the only authentic de-
tails OF the early Browning family
From this source alone could Mr.. Gosse have
got the before named inn lessee.
The facts of the case were well known at the
Dictionary Office; the late George Smith had
his little joke about them with friend of mine
and the suppression OF the worthy footman
should not have been allowed. For If this kind
Of thing is ccnnived at i'm case. for the sake
CT the contemplate vanity of SUCCESSORS read
cannot help asking in how many other cases
IL has gone on, and unjust suspicion will be
aroused.
That Mr.. Gosse makes Pentridge parish
Partridge" and Woodyates Inn ~Woodgates'
VII not surprise any readers OF Mr.. Churton