Stockwell, June 27. 1851.
Replies to Minor Queries.
_Family of Etty, the Artist_ (Vol. iii., p. 496.).--"Mr. Etty, Sen., the
architect," mentioned in the passage quoted by your correspondent from
Thoresby's _Diary_, was John Etty, who died Jan. 28th, 1709, at the age
of seventy-five. Drake calls him "an ingenious architect," and quotes
these lines from his epitaph in the church of All Saints, North Street,
in York (_Eboracum_, p. 277.):--
"His art was great, his industry no less,
What one projected, t'other brought to pass."
Although Thoresby and Drake dignify him with the title of architect, he
was in fact a carpenter, or what would now be styled "a builder." Mr.
Etty had several sons: Marmaduke, the painter mentioned by Thoresby, was
one of them. He was called in those days a painter-stainer. Two others,
James and William, were brought up to the business of a carpenter--as
their father and grandfather were before then. William had two sons: the
eldest of whom, John, was also a carpenter. The other was the Reverend
Lewis Etty, clerk; who, about a century ago, was incumbent of one of the
York churches. I suspect that no work is now extant which is known to be
the production of either the architect or the painter; and, but for the
incidental allusion to them in the _Diary_ of the Leeds antiquary, the
memory of their very names had long since perished. The fact stated in
the _Diary_, of Grinlin Gibbons having wrought at York with Mr. Etty,
the architect, is not mentioned in any of the biographical notices of
that skilful artist, although its accuracy may be safely accepted upon
Thoresby's authority.
The late William Etty, R.A., never claimed descent from the old York
family. Most probably he did not know that such persons ever existed.
His father, John Etty, and his grandfather, Matthew Etty, were
established as millers at York during the latter part of the last
century. To the occupation of a miller, John Etty added that of a
ginger-bread baker; and in the house in Feasegate, York, where his
distinguished son was born, he carried on an extensive business in
supplying the smaller shops and itinerant dealers with gingerbread of
all descriptions, when it was a more popular luxury or "folk-cate" than
it is now. A characteristic anecdote is told of William Etty, which may
not inappropriately be introduced here. In his latter days, when in the
zenith of his fame, the large sum he was about to receive for one of his
pictures was the subject of conversation at a friend's table. "Ah!" said
the artist, with the quiet simplicity of manner for which he was
remarkable, "it will serve to gild the gingerbread!"
It is possible that a keen genealogist might succeed in connecting the
illustrious artist of our day with the Ettys of Thoresby's time, and
thus establish a case of hereditary genius. "Mr. Etty, the painter," had
a son called John, who attained man's estate about the year 1710. He
does not appear to have settled at York, and it is by no means out of
the range of probability, that he was the progenitor of Matthew Etty,
the miller; who was, I believe, a native of Hull, and who, by the way,
named one of his sons, John.