Bernard Barton (1784 - 1849)

Born 30 Jan 1784 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England

Husband of Lucy (Jessup) Barton — married 6 Aug 1807 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England

Died 19 Feb 1849 at age 65 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England

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Biography

Bernard was a Friend (Quaker)

Bernard Barton is Notable.

Bernard Barton (1784–1849), poet, was born at Carlisle on 31 January 1784, the son of Quaker parents, John Barton (1755–1789) and his wife, Maria Done (1752–1784).^[1]

His mother died a few days after his birth and his father, a manufacturer, soon married another Quaker woman, Elizabeth Holme, and moved to London. His father died in 1789 and his stepmother moved them to Tottenham. After attending the Quaker school at Ipswich and apprenticeship in Essex, Bernard moved to Woodbridge and married his employer's daughter, Lucy, on 6 Aug 1807^[2][3] and formed a partnership with his brother-in-law. Lucy died at the birth of their daughter Lucy. After a brief time as a tutor in Liverpool, Bernard returned to Woodbridge as a clerk in the Alexander bank were he remained until two days before his death.^[4]

Barton developed a close relationship with Charles Lamb. At one point he considered leaving the bank to devote himself exclusively to writing but Lamb and others wrote Barton to keep his secure post at the bank. In 1824, the Society of Friends, at the urging of Joseph John Gurney, raised the sum of £1200 which was invested with the proceeds benefiting Barton. His 1845 Household Verses which was dedicated to the Queen attracted the attention of Sir Robert Peel who arranged a pension of £100 per year for Barton.^[4]

It is written that later in life Barton became quite sedentary and though never suffered extreme ill health, his habits did take a physical toll. He passed away 19 Feb 1849^[5] and is interred at the Quaker Burial Ground, Woodbridge, Suffolk.^[6] That year daughter Lucy published a selection of his letters and poems for which Edward Fitzgerald (translator of Omar Khayyam and Calderon) wrote a biographical introduction.^[4]

There is a tendency of some to belittle the literary efforts of Bernard Barton however he was well-published, of significant interest to the Society of Friends and others, and two centuries later his published works are still sought. Perhaps a just criticism of the work of Barton is that he rarely revised or edited once thoughts had been committed to paper. His ODNB entry concludes with the observation, "Free from all tinge of bigotry, simple and sympathetic, Bernard Barton won the esteem and affection of a large circle of friends, young and old, orthodox and heterodox."

Works

• 1812 - Metrical Effusions
• 1818 - Convict's Appeal (his name does not appear on the title page)
• 1818 - Poems by an Amateur
• 1820 - Poems (ran to multiple editions)
• 1822 - Napoleon and other Poems
• 1822 - Verses on the Death of P.B. Shelley
• 1823 - Poems (of 1821) in the first American edition published by Elisha Bates
• 1826 - Devotional Verses
• 1826 - A Missionary's Memoir or Verses on the death of J. Lawson
• 1827 - A Widow's Tale and Other Verses
• 1828 - A New Year's Eve
• 1836 - The Reliquary...' with daughter Lucy
• 1845 - Household Verses
• 1846 - Seaweeds gathered at Aldborough
• 1847 - A Memorial of J J Gurney
• 1848 - Birthday Verses at Sixty-Four
• 1848 - A Brief Memorial of Major E Moor
• 1848 - Ichabod
• 1849 - Poems and Letters of Bernard Barton, biographical introduction by Edward Fitzgerald.

Sources

1. ↑ England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Name Bernard Barton; Gender Male; Birth Date 30 Jan 1784; Birth Place Middlesex, England; Father John Barton; Mother Mary; FHL Film Number 817386; Household Members Bernard Barton; Mary; John Barton (his brother)
2. ↑ General Register Office: Society of Friends' Registers, Notes and Certificates of Births, Marriages and Burials. Records of the General Register Office, Government Social Survey Department, and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, RG 6. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England. Class: RG 6; Piece: 695
3. ↑ England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973; Name Bernard Barton; Gender Male; Child Lucy Barton; Household Members; Name Age Lucy Barton
   Bernard Barton
   Edward Fitzgerald
   John Fitzgerald
   
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} ODNB, Oxford University Press; 1921-22 Edition, I:1260
5. ↑ U.S. and UK, Quaker Published Memorials, 1818-1919
   Name Bernard Barton
   Est Birth Year abt 1784
   Age 65
   Death Place Woodbridge
   Translated Death Date 19 Feb 1849
   Death Date on Image 19 Second 1849
   Title The Annual monitor for 1850, or Obituary of the members of the Society of Friends in Great Britain and Ireland, for the year 1849, Volume Volume 8
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #6826133

See Also:

• Wikipedia:Bernard_Barton