Charles Isham
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Edmund Isham, 10th Baronet (16 December 1819 - 7 April 1903) was a landowner and gardener based at Lamport Hall
, Northampton
. He is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom
when he introduced a number of terracotta figures from Germany
in the 1840s.Bruce A. Bailey, ‘Isham, Sir Charles Edmund, tenth baronet (1819–1903)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
Isham was educated at Rugby School
and Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1846, on the death of his elder brother, he succeeded to the baronetcy
.
In 1847, inspired by the writings of John Claudius Loudon
, landscape gardener and horticulturalist, he commenced construction of a large rockery alongside his house. It was in this rockery that he first placed gnomes from Nuremberg
as ornamentation. He is recorded as being the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
in 1851.
Isham died at The Bungalow, Horsham
, Sussex at the age of 83.
Isham married Emily Vaughan, daughter of Sir John Vaughan
and his wife Louisa Boughton on 26 October 1847. She died on 6 September 1898 aged 74. His first child, Vere Isham (later Sir Vere Isham 11th Bt. who married Millicent Vaughan in 1895) was born in 1862.
In 1867 several extremely rare books and manuscripts were rediscovered in the library and loft of his family home. These included a fragment of Thomas Edwards
' Cephalus and Procris; Narcissus which had been lost for 200 years and was the only existing part until a full copy was subsequently discovered at the Cathedral Library at Peterborough.
Also discovered were first editions of Milton's Paradise Lost
and Paradise Regained
in their original sheepskin bindings.
Further discoveries included:
for each of which only one or two other copies were known. The above four works found their way into the Britwell Court Library before being sold in February 1922 to A.S.W. Rosenbach for £3,600.
Lamport Hall
Lamport Hall in Lamport, Northamptonshire is a fine example of a Grade I Listed House. It is open to the public.Lamport Hall was the home of the Isham family from 1560 to 1976. Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom when he...
, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. He is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
when he introduced a number of terracotta figures from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the 1840s.Bruce A. Bailey, ‘Isham, Sir Charles Edmund, tenth baronet (1819–1903)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
Isham was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1846, on the death of his elder brother, he succeeded to the baronetcy
Isham Baronets
The Isham Baronetcy, of Lamport in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 30 May 1627 for John Isham, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. He was succeeded by his son Justinian, the second Baronet. He fought as a Royalist in the Civil War and sat as...
.
In 1847, inspired by the writings of John Claudius Loudon
John Claudius Loudon
John Claudius Loudon was a Scottish botanist, garden and cemetery designer, author and garden magazine editor.-Background:...
, landscape gardener and horticulturalist, he commenced construction of a large rockery alongside his house. It was in this rockery that he first placed gnomes from Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
as ornamentation. He is recorded as being the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
in 1851.
Isham died at The Bungalow, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Sussex at the age of 83.
Isham married Emily Vaughan, daughter of Sir John Vaughan
John Vaughan (puisne judge)
Sir John Vaughan PC was an English judge.Vaughan was born at Leicester, the third but second surviving son of Dr. James Vaughan a physician at Leicester, and his wife, Hester née Smalley. He was called to the bar in June 1791. In 1816 he became King's Serjeant and in 1827 he became Baron of...
and his wife Louisa Boughton on 26 October 1847. She died on 6 September 1898 aged 74. His first child, Vere Isham (later Sir Vere Isham 11th Bt. who married Millicent Vaughan in 1895) was born in 1862.
Isham Collection
Thomas Edwards (poet)
Thomas Edwards was an English poet who published two Ovidian epic poems Cephalus and Procris and Narcissus. Beyond his name, nothing is known with certainty of Edwards...
' Cephalus and Procris; Narcissus which had been lost for 200 years and was the only existing part until a full copy was subsequently discovered at the Cathedral Library at Peterborough.
Also discovered were first editions of Milton's Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
and Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained is a poem by the English poet John Milton, published in 1671. It is connected by name to his earlier and more famous epic poem Paradise Lost, with which it shares similar theological themes...
in their original sheepskin bindings.
Further discoveries included:
- Emaricdulfe (1598) by E.C. Esquire
- Fidessa (1596) by Bartholomew GriffinBartholomew GriffinBartholomew Griffin was an English poet. He is known for his Fidessa sequence of sonnets, published in 1596.-Works:Griffin wrote a series of 62 sonnets entitled Fidessa, more chaste than kinde, London, 1596...
- Laura (1597) by Robert TofteRobert TofteRobert Tofte was an English translator and poet. He is best known for his translations of Ariosto's Satires and his sonnet sequences: Alba, The Months Minde of a Melancholy Lover , and Laura, The Toyes of a Traveller: Or, The Feast of Fancie...
- Cynthia (1598) by Richard BarnfieldRichard BarnfieldRichard Barnfield , English poet, was born at Norbury, Staffordshire, and brought up in Newport, Shropshire.He was baptized on 13 June 1574, the son of Richard Barnfield, gentleman. His obscure though close relationship with Shakespeare has long made him interesting to scholars...
for each of which only one or two other copies were known. The above four works found their way into the Britwell Court Library before being sold in February 1922 to A.S.W. Rosenbach for £3,600.