As far as I know, this Thomas Gent was not related to my family, but I was initially confused by his bearing the same name as the printer of York. He deserves some notice as a minor poet of the period, whose poetry was certainly better than that of the York printer.
Gent, Mrs
HCR diary 10.4.1844 Robinson called "on Mrs Gent (a miniature painter) a friend of Mrs Aders for whom a letter was brought by Stansfeld from Mrs A: and by me strangely forgotten. I lately found it, thinking it had been put in the post - I called on her today and delivered it with an apology. She seems an agreeable person (6 Tavistock Street, Bedford Square)"
This was Sarah Sophia born 10.1.1804 and baptised 13.3.1804 at St Pancras, daughter of William Daniell (DNB 1769-1837) and his wife Mary, sister of Richard Westall (DNB 1765-1836). She married Thomas Gent widower at Hanwell on 9.10.1831. He was buried 11.1832 at St Martin's burial ground, Camden Town, age 52 from St Martins Lane. Mrs Gent had exhibited a portrait of William Godwin at the Royal Academy in 1832 from 100 St Martins Lane. Thomas Gent has a person record on the Godwin Diary website. According to Watkins' Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors (1814) Thomas Gent was born in London 1n 1780 (so was probably the Thomas son of Thomas & Elizabeth Gent born 13.1.1780 bapt 17.4.1780 at St Sepulchre) and was in the Victualling Department of the Navy at Yarmouth for some years from 1803, and he still lived there in 1814. His first book was Poetical Sketches 1807, but he also contributed to newspapers under the names of Thaddeus and G. Barnards Inn. He married at St Nicholas Yarmouth on 12.4.1808 Marthya Norfor, who was born 17.4.1789 bapt 27.4.1789 St Nicholas Yarmouth, dau of William Norfor and Elizabeth nee Amoss who had married at St Andrews Yarmouth on 18.12.1782. She was mentioned in the will of her uncle Benjamin Norfor PCC 1804 as one of the three children of his brother William, ropemaker of Yarmouth. She was buried at St Peter Pauls Wharf London 0n 20.8.1827 aged 38 from Peter's Hill, according to the Morning Post of 11.8.1827 she died in Doctors Commons of a brain fever. She was noted (Gents Mag 1827 ii p 474) for her lectures on the Physiology of the External Senses which began on 6.11.1826. A copy of the syllabus and broadside for these lectures is at Pennsylvania State University Library. John Taylor (DNB 1757-1832) wrote a poem consoling Thomas Gent for the death of his first wife. Gent's poetry is mostly humourous and worth a read. He or his father may have been the Thomas Gent of Homerton whose invention of a crane dated 14.4.1801 won 15 guineas from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. He was probably also the Thomas Gent, owner of a painting by Rubens exhibited at the British Gallery in 1823, though the prefaces to his poems claimed he had limited means. The second Mrs Gent continued to exhibit at the Royal Academy under that name until 1845 from various addresses, the last being 6 Tavistock Street as noted by Robinson. A poem by her on the death of her uncle Richard Westall was published in the Literary Gazette of 21.1.1837 p 43. I have found no record of her death or second marriage. In the 1841 census she was at Warren Street, as Sarah Gent 30 Portrait Painter
https://www.poemhunter.com/thomas-gent/
No comments:
Post a Comment