Replies to Minor Queries.
Family of Etty, the Artist (Vol. iii., p. 496.).
—"Mr. Etty, Sen., the architect," mentioned in the passage quoted by your correspondent from Thoresby's Diary, was John Etty, who died Jan. 28th, 1709, at the age of seventy-five. Drake calls him "an ingenious architect," and quotes these lines from his epitaph in the church of All Saints, North Street, in York (Eboracum, p. 277.):—
"His art was great, his industry no less,
What one projected, t'other brought to pass."
Although Thoresby and Drake dignify him with the title of architect, he was in fact a carpenter, or what would now be styled "a builder." Mr. Etty had several sons: Marmaduke, the painter mentioned by Thoresby, was one of them. He was called in those days a painter-stainer. Two others, James and William, were brought up to the business of a carpenter—as their father and grandfather were before then. William had two sons: the eldest of whom, John, was also a carpenter. The other was the Reverend Lewis Etty, clerk; who, about a century ago, was incumbent of one of the York churches. I suspect that no work is now extant which is known to be the production of either the architect or the painter; and, but for the incidental allusion to them in the Diary of the Leeds antiquary, the memory of their very names had long since perished. The fact stated in the Diary, of Grinlin Gibbons having wrought at York with Mr. Etty, the architect, is not mentioned in any of the biographical notices of that skilful artist, although its accuracy may be safely accepted upon Thoresby's authority.
The late William Etty, R.A., never claimed descent from the old York family. Most probably he did not know that such persons ever existed. His father, John Etty, and his grandfather, Matthew Etty, were established as millers at York during the latter part of the last century. To the occupation of a miller, John Etty added that of a ginger-bread baker; and in the house in Feasegate, York, where his distinguished son was born, he carried on an extensive business in supplying the smaller shops and itinerant dealers with gingerbread of all descriptions, when it was a more popular luxury or "folk-cate" than it is now. A characteristic anecdote is told of William Etty, which may not inappropriately be introduced here. In his latter days, when in the zenith of his fame, the large sum he was about to receive for one of his pictures was the subject of conversation at a friend's table. "Ah!" said the artist, with the quiet simplicity of manner for which he was remarkable, "it will serve to gild the gingerbread!"
It is possible that a keen genealogist might succeed in connecting the illustrious artist of our day with the Ettys of Thoresby's time, and thus establish a case of hereditary genius. "Mr. Etty, the painter," had a son called John, who attained man's estate about the year 1710. He does not appear to have settled at York, and it is by no means out of the range of probability, that he was the progenitor of Matthew Etty, the miller; who was, I believe, a native of Hull, and who, by the way, named one of his sons, John.
EBORACOMB.