Pope, His Descent and Family Connections: Facts and ConjecturesHunter, Joseph
History
Pope, His Descent and Family Connections: Facts and Conjectures
Hunter, Joseph
Poets, English -- 18th century -- Family relationships; Pope family; Pope, Alexander, 1688-1744 -- Family; Turner family
He makes his wife executrix, and desires Thompson and
Tomlinson to assist her, to each of whom he gives a ring. The witnesses
were R. Etherington, James Tennant, and Edward Topham.
This will tends to confirm Pope's representation that two of his mother's
brothers died in early life. Towthorpe, we see, is not mentioned; probably
it had passed from the family: but, on the other hand, there seems to have
been some addition made to what Lancelot the uncle had possessed at
Ruston. This Ruston (for there are two Rustons as well as two Towthorpes
in Yorkshire) is near Scarborough, and Brompton, the ancient seat of the
Cayley family, as this will plainly shows, by mentioning as appurtenances,
Wickham and Marton, in the same neighbourhood. We have already seen that
an interest was possessed here, in 1710, by Alexander Pope, the London
merchant, and his son, who seem to have intended to sell it to the Vanden
Bempd family.[4] It was a valuable property; but we cannot but perceive,
when we compare this will with that of Lancelot Turner, that the
prosperity of the family had meanwhile declined.
Pope speaks rather magniloquently of the cause of the decline, telling us
that "his mother inherited what estate remained after the sequestrations
and forfeitures of her family." We are bound to accept this statement;
but, in the printed list of compounders, the name of this Mr. Turner does
not appear, and I have seen no evidence of any sequestration. In comparing
the wills of Lancelot and William, we must not forget that Lancelot's was
made at the close of a life passed without children, and William's after
he had portioned some of his fourteen daughters, and had others still
remaining in his house.
These children of his grandfather were the only relatives of Pope in the
preceding generation with whom he appears to have kept up much
acquaintance; and after he became distinguished in the world, no
particular intimacy existed between him and them. We must except, however,
his mother, for whom he entertained the highest respect and affection; and
who, he says, had lived with him from the time of his birth, to her death
at the age of ninety-three. She survived, as we may easily believe, all
her brothers and sisters; and of these it now remains to give such an
account as the few memorials of them which have fallen under my notice
enable me. They are in no respect interesting except as they are
connected with the life of Pope, whom it is no exaggeration to designate
one of the greatest names among Englishmen, standing, in his own
department, with Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, and Dryden,--men
of whom, and whose connections, men now desire to know all that can be
known.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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