Ebenezer Rhodes (1762–1839) was an English

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scie ...

, publisher, master cutler and artist. He became a prominent historian of Derbyshire.

Life

Born in

Masborough Masbrough is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was named as the west of Rotherham by the middle of the Industrial Revolution, namely that part on the left bank of River Don, South Yorkshire, Don. Historic counties of England, ...

near

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

, in 1762, Rhodes was educated at The Dinnington School, before serving a seven-year apprenticeship in the

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

trade from 1777, despite a strong interest in reading and the theatre. He became a senior partner in David Champion, a firm making scissors, to which

razors A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors. While the razor has been in existence since before t ...

were added later. Rhodes was elected in 1808 head of

Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a trade guild of metalworkers based in Sheffield, England. It was incorporated in 1624 by an Act of Parliament. The head is called the Master Cutler. Its motto is french: 1=Pour Y Parvenir a Bonne Foi, ...

and became a master cutler. In August, the members gave their president a gold cup to acknowledge his public services in establishing the Institution. Rhodes started to become associated with debating societies, one being called The Society of the Friends of Literature, which met in a public house in Sheffield. Rhodes became a conspicuous speaker and

Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

politician. The groups also included the Rev.

John Pye Smith John Pye-Smith (25 May 1774 – 5 February 1851) was a Congregational minister, theologian and tutor, associated with reconciling geological sciences with the Bible, repealing the Corn Laws and abolishing slavery. He was the author of many ...

, a theological writer, and James Montgomery, a Christian poet and philanthropist. The groups were eventually suspected of

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

and proscribed.

Peak scenery

Rhodes made many excursions with James Montgomery, to

Monsal Dale Monsal Dale is a valley in Derbyshire, England, in the White Peak limestone area of the Peak District National Park. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (1) and part of a Europe-wide network ...

Millers Dale Millers Dale (Ordnance Survey: Miller's Dale) is a valley on the River Wye in Derbyshire, England, where there is also a hamlet of the same name. It is a popular beauty spot in the Peak District of England, much of the area being preserved a ...

and other parts of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He spent days sketching in

Dovedale Dovedale is a valley in the Peak District of England. The land is owned by the National Trust and attracts a million visitors annually. The valley was cut by the River Dove, Central England, River Dove and runs for just over between Milldale ...

with his fellow artist

Thomas Christopher Hofland Thomas Christopher Hofland (1777–1843) was an English artist and teacher. Biography Hofland was born in Worksop and he became a student of John Rathbone. He started teaching at Kew and moved to Derby in 1805, where he worked until 1808. He ...

. In 1818 Rhodes published the first part of a folio edition of his ''Peak Scenery, or the Derbyshire Tourist'', dedicated to the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

and illustrated by F.L.Chantrey. This was followed by the first part of ''Yorkshire Scenery'', although other parts were never published. In 1837 Rhodes issued a small ''Derbyshire Tourist's Guide and Travelling Companion''. All his books involved him in financial loss, but his ''Peak Scenery'' remains a standard work. Apart from these ventures, he turned his attention to journalism, and for several years edited the ''Sheffield Independent''.

Bankruptcy

Meanwhile his business failed and he became a bankrupt. A fund was raised for his support, to which Montgomery subscribed £100, while Chantrey privately gave Rhodes £50 a year. Thereafter he still made a small income preparing steel plates for engravers by a novel process. He died a poor man, on 16 December 1839, at his home in Victoria Street, Sheffield.

Publications

*''Essay on the Manufacture, Choice and Management of a Razor'', by E Rhodes Cutler, Sheffield, 1809 *''Peak Scenery, or the Derbyshire Tourist'', dedicated to the

and illustrated by F.L.Chantrey, 1824 *''Yorkshire Scenery'', Part 1, London, 1826 *''Derbyshire Tourist's Guide and Travelling Companion'', 1837 *''The Poets of Yorkshire'' (Rhodes was included), by William Cartwright Newsam, 1845

Life

Peak scenery

Bankruptcy

Publications

References

Further reading