Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers

by W. E. Winks

LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS
SHOEMAKERS.

BY
WILLIAM EDWARD WINKS.

NEW YORK:
FUNK & WAGNALLS, Publishers,
10 and 12 Dey Street.

---

[PREFACE.]

Time out of mind The Gentle Craft has been invested with an air of romance. This honorable title, given to no other occupation but that of shoemakers, is an indication of the high esteem in which the Craft is held. It is by no means an easy thing to account for a sentiment of this kind, or to trace such a title to its original source. Whether the traditionary stories which have clustered round the lives of Saints Anianus, Crispin and Crispianus, or Hugh and Winifred, gave rise to the sentiment, or the sentiment itself is to be regarded as accounting for the traditions, one cannot tell. Probably there is some truth in both theories, for sentiment and tradition act and react on each other.

Certain it is, that among all our craftsmen none appear to enjoy a popularity comparable with that of “the old Cobbler” or “Shoemaker.” Most men have a good word to say for him, a joke to crack about him, or a story to tell of his ability and “learning,” his skill in argument, or his prominence and influence in political or religious affairs. Both in ancient times and in modern, in the Old World and in the New, a rare interest has been felt in Shoemakers, as a class, on account of their remarkable intelligence and the large number of eminent men who have risen from their ranks.

These facts, and especially the last—which has been the subject of frequent remark—may be deemed sufficient justification for the existence of such a work as this.

Another reason might be given for the issue of such a book as this just now. A change has come over the craft of boot and shoe making. The use of machinery has effected nothing short of a revolution in the trade. The old-fashioned Shoemaker, with his leathern apron and hands redolent of wax, has almost disappeared from the workrooms and streets of such towns as Northampton and Stafford in Old England, or Lynn in New England. His place and function are now, for the most part, occupied by the “cutter” and the “clicker,” the “riveter” and the “machine-girl.” The old Cobbler, like the ancient spinster and handloom weaver, is retiring into the shade of the boot and shoe factory. Whether or no he will disappear entirely may be questionable; but there can be no doubt that the Cobbler, sitting at his stall and working with awl and hammer and last, will never again be the conspicuous figure in social life that he was wont to be in times gone by. Before we bid him a final farewell, and forget the traditions of his humble yet honorable craft, it may be of some service to bring under one review the names and histories of some of the more illustrious members of his order.

Long as is the list of these worthy “Sons of Crispin,” it cannot be said to be complete. Only a few examples are taken from Germany, France, and the United States, where, in all probability, as many illustrious Shoemakers might have been met with as in Great Britain itself. And even the British muster-roll is not fully made up. With only a few exceptions, living men are not included in the list. Very gladly would the writer have added to these exceptions so remarkable a man as Thomas Edward, the shoemaker of Banff, one of the best self-taught naturalists of our time, and, for the last sixteen years, an Associate of the Linnæan Society. But for the Life of this eminent Scotchman the reader must be referred to the interesting biography written by his friend Dr. Smiles.

In writing the longer sketches, free and ample use has been made of biographies already in existence. But this has not been done without the kind consent of the owners of copyrights. To these the writer tenders his grateful acknowledgments. To the widow of the Rev. T. W. Blanshard he is indebted for permission to draw upon the pages of her late husband’s valuable biography of “The Wesleyan Demosthenes,” Samuel Bradburn; to Jacob Halls Drew, Esq., Bath, for his courtesy in allowing a liberal use to be made of the facts given in his biography of his father, Samuel Drew, “The Self-Taught Cornishman;” and to the venerable Thomas Cooper, as well as to his publishers, Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton, for their kind favor in regard to the lengthy and detailed sketch of the author of “The Purgatory of Suicides.” This sketch, the longest in the book, is inserted by special permission of Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton.

The minor sketches have been drawn from a variety of sources. One or two of these require special mention. In preparing the notice of John O’Neill, the Poet of Temperance, the writer has received kind help from Mr. Richard Gooch of Brighton, himself a poet of temperance. Messrs. J. & J. H. Rutherford of Kelso have also been good enough to place at the writer’s service—but, unfortunately, too late to be of much use—a copy of their recently published autobiography of John Younger, the Shoemaker of St. Boswells. In the all-too-brief section devoted to American worthies, valuable aid has been given to the author by Henry Phillips, Esq., jun., A.M., Ph.D., Corresponding Member of the Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, U.S.A.

In all probability the reader has never been introduced to so large a company of illustrious Sons of Crispin before. It is sincerely hoped that he will derive both pleasure and profit from their society.

WILLIAM EDWARD WINKS.

Cardiff, 1882.

---

[CONTENTS.]

	PAGE
Preface	[iii]
CHAPTER I.
Sir Cloudesley Shovel: The Cobbler’s Boy who became an Admiral	[17]
CHAPTER II.
James Lackington: Shoemaker and Bookseller	[29]
CHAPTER III.
Samuel Bradburn: The Shoemaker who became President of the Wesleyan Conference	[53]
CHAPTER IV.
William Gifford: From the Shoemaker’s Stool to the Editor’s Chair	[75]
CHAPTER V.
Robert Bloomfield: The Shoemaker who wrote “The Farmer’s Boy”	[93]
CHAPTER VI.
Samuel Drew: The Metaphysical Shoemaker	[109]
CHAPTER VII.
William Carey: The Shoemaker who Translated the Bible into Bengali and Hindostani	[129]
CHAPTER VIII.
John Pounds: The Philanthropic Shoemaker	[151]
CHAPTER IX.
Thomas Cooper: The Self-educated Shoemaker who “Reared his own Monument”	[165]
CHAPTER X.
A Constellation of Celebrated Cobblers	[189]
Ancient Examples.
The Cobbler and the Artist Apelles	[191]
The Shoemaker Bishops: Annianas, Bishop of Alexandria, and Alexander, Bishop of Comana	[192]
The Pious Cobbler of Alexandria	[193]
“Rabbi Jochanan, The Shoemaker”	[194]
European Examples: France.
SS. Crispin and Crispianus: The Patron Saints of Shoemakers	[197]
“The Learned Baudouin”	[200]
Henry Michael Buch: “Good Henry”	[201]
Germany.
Hans Sachs: “The Nightingale of the Reformation”	[203]
Jacob Boehmen: The Mystic	[205]
Italy.
Gabriel Cappellini: “il Caligarino”	[207]
Francesco Brizzio: The Artist	[208]
Holland.
Ludolph de Jong: The Portrait-Painter	[209]
Sons of Shoemakers	[209]
Great Britain.
“Ye Cocke of Westminster”	[210]
Timothy Bennett: The Hero of Hampton-Wick	[212]
Military and Naval Heroes.
The Souters of Selkirk	[213]
Watt Tinlinn	[214]
Colonel Hewson: The “Cerdon” of Hudibras	[215]
Sir Christopher Myngs, Admiral	[218]
Astrologers and others.
Dr. Partridge	[220]
Dr. Ebenezer Sibly, F.R.C.P.	[222]
Manoah Sibly, Short-hand Writer, Preacher, etc	[224]
Mackey, “the Learned Shoemaker” of Norwich, and two other Learned Shoemakers	[225]
Anthony Purver, Bible Revisionist	[226]
The Poets of the Cobbler’s Stall.
James Woodhouse, the Friend of Shenstone	[228]
John Bennet, Parish Clerk and Poet	[229]
Richard Savage, the Friend of Pope	[230]
Thomas Olivers, Hymn-Writer	[231]
Thomas Holcroft, Dramatist, Novelist	[234]
Joseph Blacket, “The Son of Sorrow”	[236]
David Service and other Songsters of the Shoemaker’s Stall	[242]
John Struthers, Poet and Editor	[243]
John O’Neill, the Poet of Temperance	[244]
John Younger, Fly-Fisher and Corn-Law Rhymer	[246]
Charles Crocker, “The Poor Cobbler of Chichester”	[247]
Preachers and Theologians.
George Fox, Founder of the Society of Friends	[249]
Thomas Shillitoe, the Shoemaker who stood before Kings	[251]
John Thorp, Founder of the Independent Church at Masbro’	[255]
William Huntingdon, S.S.	[257]
Robert Morrison, D.D., Chinese Scholar and Missionary	[258]
Rev. John Burnet, Preacher and Philanthropist	[259]
John Kitto, D.D., Biblical Scholar	[261]
Science.
William Sturgeon, the Electrician	[264]
Politicians.
Thomas Hardy, of “The State Trials”	[265]
George Odger, Political Orator	[266]
American Examples.
Noah Worcester, D.D., “The Apostle of Peace”	[271]
Roger Sherman, the Patriot	[274]
Henry Wilson, the Natick Cobbler	[276]
John Greenleaf Whittier, “The Quaker Poet”	[277]

---