Personal Blogs

There are lots of potential A223 links with Temple Newsam on the outskirts of Leeds. You could go with the builder of the original house (finished around 1520) - Thomas Lord Darcy - who became embroiled in the Pilgrimage of Grace and was executed for treason as a consequence. Alternatively, you could fast-forward two hundred years to 1720, when Rich, the fifth Viscount Irwin, lost heavily in the South Sea Bubble - the family fortunes went through rocky times, dependent on a mortgage, until the next generation managed to marry into some serious money.

But on a recent visit I was drawn in by the display and story of Edward, fourth Viscount Irwin (brother of Rich, and in fact brother of Viscount Irwins 5 to 8 !!)

Edward is pictured below on the left, aged about 19 - the portrait on the right is his tutor, John Haccius. Apparently the portraits were commissioned as a pair at the start of Edward's Grand Tour when they were in the Netherlands - his trip would last from 1705-1707.  

Edward was supposed to be studying at the University of Leiden, but got himself involved in a duel, and had to get out of town quickly! He was still dependent on his family as trustees for his finances and apparently his correspondence home is largely about trying to get more money out of them. It seems his trustees were unhappy with John Haccius for not having kept better control of his student - and demanded that he was dismissed. Whilst this may have occurred, Haccius continued to travel with Edward as his Grand Tour took in Dusseldorf, Cologne and Augsburg and on into Italy, where he visited Siena, Rome, Lucca, Florence, Genoa and Venice.

Whilst in Venice (where he was recorded as 'making a commotion at Balls and at feasts' with aristocratic friends) Edward came into control of his finances - and had a number of artworks commissioned with the intention of decorating Temple Newsam - many are still displayed there, but Edward never had long to enjoy them - as he died of smallpox in 1714 aged 28.

I think it was the quality of the portraits which initially captured my interest - and then the elements of drama and story-telling in the display (this was presented in small boards and accompanying videos) which was based around examination of correspondence in the family archives. It also gave an opportunity to explore the research tool 'The Grand Tour' which was highlighted in the module - it includes a brief account of Edward's travels and the archival material held about them. 

My own foray into 'man-midwifery' was (mercifully for all concerned 🙂) very brief - eleven deliveries in the late 1980s. Enough to convince me that I wasn't cut out for a career in obstetrics - and to leave me with an enduring respect for midwives. I found the chapter which covered the birth of male obstetrics a really fascinating one.

York has an interesting link with some of the content covered, through the fictional character 'Dr Slop' in the book 'Tristram Shandy' and the character which most authorities think its author Laurence Sterne modelled him on, Dr John Burton (1710-1771).

It's pointless to try and summarise the 'plot' of Tristram Shandy (first published in 1760) - but it does have a lot in it about some 18th century ideas on conception, pregnancy, gender, midwifery and obstetrics. Dr Slop features as the 'scientific' physician and man-midwife chosen by Tristram's father Walter to deliver his child (Tristram's mother has sensibly called for the experienced local midwife). By the point in the story illustrated below, Dr Slop (who is presented as a very argumentative, stunted, Papist) has dragged Tristram into the world with his specially designed forceps -, in the process crushing his nose - the maid has accidently set light to Dr Slop's wig, and they're about to have a fight. 

John Burton in contrast was a successful physician and man-midwife in York - a Tory, but definitely a Protestant rather than a Catholic and apparently 'a tall Well sett Gentleman'. York was largely in the hands of whigs and Burton crossed swords politically with Laurence Sterne's uncle, Jaques Sterne, who held key roles in the Minster and the city authorities - grudges were definitely held! 

Burton wrote An Essay towards a Complete System of Midwifery in something of a hurry in 1751, apparently to try and get to print ahead of William Smellie who we read about in the module. There's no evidence that Burton was a 'sloppy' doctor in any way - his obstetric practice was based on assisting with difficult and obstructed labour, rather than seeking to wholly replace midwives in the care of pregnant women. However, the Sternes (both uncle and nephew) really didn't like him!

He was living in this house, just in sight of the Minster in 1740.

The pictures below show a form of obstetric forceps that Burton designed, along with a photograph of a replica set. As the module discusses, these new technological devices may have played some part in displacing midwives - but certainly aren't the whole story.

In 1745 when the Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, was descending through the North West of England - John Burton apparently took the opportunity to ride across to 'check out his property' in that region. He was then either 'kidnapped' by Highlanders - or scheming to overthrow the monarch. Whatever the truth, on his return to York, Jaques Sterne had him arrested and locked up in York Jail for three months and tried to have him prosecuted for treason (on what might well be fabricated evidence). The jail buildings had been recently constructed - and of course (it being York)......

...... are now part of a tourist attraction. 

 Whilst you can look around the cells in the lower layer of the prison (which once briefly held 'Dick Turpin') I'm sure Burton must have been upstairs in what was normally the debtors' rooms (he was allowed to bring his servant in - so I can't see that happening in the basement lock-ups.)

Although interrogated by the Privy Council in London and eventually tried at York assizes, Burton didn't receive any further punishment as part of a nationwide reprieve for some 'Jacobites'.

Burton carried on living in York, but moved largely from physician to ........ historian, drawing together a classic account of the records of Yorkshire monasteries.

I took the picture below in the York parish church in which he was buried in 1771 - a few months before his wife. 

The satirical character 'Dr Slop' was probably a composite, but it has been enjoyable trying to find some traces of the real Dr Burton in the city.

Thought I'd share some pictures from a trip to the archives [2/4/2025]. Whilst digital access is fantastic I do find the opportunity to interact with original objects is really exciting and motivating.

This is volume two of the Encyclopédie (B to CEZ) from 1751

I'd originally asked if I could see volume one - but as you can see below, the archivist discovered that that hadn't fared quite so well over the last 274 years! They were happy for me to look at it, but I just wasn't brave enough (plus I thought it really ought to be saved for someone who really needed to study it). At least my requesting it meant the conservator cut some boards to better protect it.

Plus there was a chance to see how the binders had originally stitched the pages.

Looking inside took me straight back to being a child, when the 'Reader's Digest Encyclopedic Dictionary' (only 3 volumes 😀) was a fixture on my parents' bookshelf - and the basis for quite a bit of homework! It did feel like the original 'information superhighway'!

I think illustrations came in separate volumes, but the title page does have this fascinatingly enlightening angel, advancing on a foundation of measurement, scholarship and science.

My school French only gets me so far (and there were only words from B to CEZ 🙂) but given chapter 20 of A223 I was pleased to find the entry for cocoa...

Plenty of evidence for interest in that topic - 8 pages (!!) on everything from how to grow and ship it, to using cocoa-butter as a skin cream.

The entries are linked to their author by a letter - so I spent quite a while trying to track down something by (S), M. Rousseau of Geneva.....

Here he is explaining 'cadence' in modern dances (good to see he knew he was 'modern' 😃), and the tricky business of fitting dance steps to the beat! Apparently along with some important entries on political economy he also covered a lot of the music entries.

Whilst I guess it is an indulgence to seek these objects out largely for enjoyment - I do find it adds something to studying (even if it is partly just an excuse to avoid TMA planning 😆).