John Croft (1732–1820) was an English wine merchant in
York and
Oporto. He was known also for antiquarian and literary interests, and as an eccentric.
Life
He was the fifth son of Stephen Croft (1683–1733) and his wife Elizabeth Anderson, daughter of
Sir Edmund Anderson, 4th Baronet
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
, born at
Stillington, North Yorkshire
Stillington is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York to Helmsley road about north of York.
Stillington Mill was the endpoint of the Foss Navigation Act of 1793.
History
The ...
. He went to Oporto and took part in the wine trade, where there were Croft family connections.
Another John Croft, a first cousin, had joined the British firm there in 1736, which then traded as Tilden, Thompson & Croft.
After a period in Oporto, Croft returned to York, where he worked as a partner in the wine merchants Messrs George Suttrell & Co. He gained the
freedom of the city
The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
of York in 1770, and in 1773 was one of its sheriffs. He became a well-known, eccentrically dressed local character, with the nickname "Scrapeana" from one of his works. He died at home on 18 November 1820, and was buried in York Minster on 24 November.
Works
Croft published:
*''A Treatise on the Wines of Portugal; also a Dissertation on the Nature and Use of Wines in general imported into Great Britain'', York 1787, 2nd edition 1788. It was dedicated to William Constable (1721–1791) of
Burton Constable Hall
Burton Constable Hall is a large Elizabethan
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English h ...
.
*''A Small Collection of the Beauties of Shakspeare'', followed by ''Annotations on Plays of Shakespear (Johnson and Steevens's edition)'', York, 1810.
*''Scrapeana, Fugitive Miscellany, Sans Souci'', 1792, jests and anecdotes. Dedicated to
Józef Boruwłaski
Józef Boruwłaski (November 1739–September 5 1837) was a Poland, Polish-born court dwarf, dwarf and musician who toured in European and Turkish courts.
Early life
Józef Boruwłaski was born near Halych, Halicz in Poland in November 1739. ...
.
*''Excerpta Antiqua; or a Collection of Original Manuscripts'', 1797.
*''Rules at the Game of Chess'', 1808, anonymous.
*''Memoirs'' of
Harry Rowe the showman, who died in 1799. This was a charity publication, in support of York Dispensary.
''Scrapeana'' contained an anecdote about Elizabeth Sterne, wife of
Laurence Sterne. Stephen Croft of Stillington (1713–1798) was a friend of Sterne, and John Croft's brother. In 1795, John Croft sent a collection of anecdotes about Sterne to
Caleb Whitefoord; and they were later published by
William Hewins. They constitute what has been called "an inimical character sketch".
Family
Croft married in 1774 Judith Bacon, daughter of Francis Bacon, alderman of York, and his second wife, Catherine Hildrop. There were two sons.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, John
1732 births
1820 deaths
English businesspeople
English antiquarians
18th-century English writers