Joshua Brookes (1754–1821), was an Anglican
divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine ...](_blank)
and English eccentric.
Early life
Brookes was born at
Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme () is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England,. Historically in Cheshire, it is south-west of Stockport and south-east of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley, on the Cheshire Plain ...
, near Stockport, Cheshire, and baptised on 19 May 1754. His father, a shoemaker, who removed soon after his son's birth to Manchester, was a cripple of violent temper, known by the name of ''Pontius Pilate''. He had, however, a genuine affection for his boy, who was educated at the
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...
, where he attracted the notice of the Rev. Thomas Aynscough, M.A., who obtained the aid which, with a school exhibition, enabled him to proceed to
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...
, where he graduated B.A. on 17 June 1778 and M.A. on 21 June 1781.
Religious career and personality
In the following year he became curate of
Chorlton Chapel, and in December 1790 was appointed chaplain of the
collegiate church of Manchester
Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the ...
, a position which he retained until his death on 11 November 1821. He acted for a time as assistant master at the grammar school, but was exceedingly unpopular with the boys, who at times ejected him from the schoolroom, struggling and shrieking out at the loudest pitch of an unmelodious voice his uncomplimentary opinions of them as "blockheads". He was an excellent scholar, and one of his pupils, Dr.
Joseph Allen, bishop of Ely, acknowledged, "If it had not been for Joshua Brookes, I should never have been a fellow of Trinity" - which proved the stepping-stone to the episcopal bench.
Brookes was a book collector; but although he brought together a large library, he was entirely deficient in the finer instincts of the
bibliomania
Bibliomania can be a symptom of obsessive–compulsive disorder which involves the collecting or even hoarding of books to the point where social relations or health are damaged.
Bibliomania is not to be confused with bibliophilia, which is the ( ...
c, and nothing could be more tasteless than his fashion of illustrating his books with tawdry and worthless engravings. His memory was prodigious. In his common talk he spoke the
broad dialect of the county, and his uncouthness brought him frequently into disputes with the townspeople. He would interrupt the service of the church to administer a rebuke or to box the ears of some unruly boy. A caricature appeared in which he is represented as reading the burial service at a grave and saying, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying - knock that black imp off the wall !". The artist was prosecuted and fined. Brookes's peculiarities brought him into frequent conflict with his fellow-clergymen.
As chaplain of the Manchester collegiate church he baptised, married, and buried more persons than any clergyman in the kingdom. He is described in Parkinson's ''Old Church Clock'' as the "Rev. Joseph Rivers", and he appears under his own name in ''
The Manchester Man'' by
Isabella Banks
Isabella Banks (; 25 March 1821 – 4 May 1897), also known as Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks, was an English novelist and poet. Born in Manchester, England, Banks is most widely remembered today for her book '' The Manchester Man'', published in 18 ...
. In 'Blackwood's Magazine' for March 1821 appeared a "Brief Sketch of the Rev. Josiah Streamlet", and that Brookes read it is evident from his annotated copy, which is now in the
Manchester Free Library The Manchester Free Library opened on 5 September 1852 in Manchester, England. It was the first public library in England to be set up under the provisions of the Public Libraries Act 1850, which allowed local authorities to impose a local tax of ...
. The article was incorrectly attributed to Mr.
James Crossley, but was in fact by Charles Wheeler.
In appearance he was diminutive and corpulent; he had bushy, meeting brows (Parr styled him "the gentleman with the straw-coloured eyebrows"), a shrill voice, and rapid utterance. He was careless and shabby in his dress, except on Sundays, when he was scrupulously clean and neat. His portrait, from a drawing taken by Minasi a few weeks before his death, has been engraved. His general appearance gained him the nickname of the "Knave of Clubs", though he was usually styled "St. Crispin". Accounts of his character portray him as unconventional, quick-tempered, amiably eccentric and rather abrupt. His friend
Joseph Aston wrote a tribute to him in the ''Manchester Exchange Herald'' which mentioned his undeviating love of truth and spirit of forgiveness, though "deficient in some of those qualities which are too often the apologies for the absence of more substantial virtues".
Miscellanea
Joshua Brookes is portrayed in Mrs Linnaeus Banks's novel ''
The Manchester Man''.
[Lloyd (1972); pp. 63–64; referring to Thomas Ellwood, ''South Manchester Gazette'', chapter XI.] He is commemorated in the name of a modern
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
the ''Joshua Brooks'' in
Princess Street, Manchester
Princess Street is one of the main streets in the city centre of Manchester, England. It begins at Cross Street and runs approximately eastwards across Mosley Street, Portland Street and Whitworth Street until the point where it continues as Bro ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brookes, Joshua
1754 births
1821 deaths
People from Stockport
18th-century English Anglican priests
19th-century English Anglican priests