Memoirs of Dr Richard Gilpin, of Scaleby Castle in Cumberland

First published in 1879, this work sheds light on the Gilpin family in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

A physician and nonconformist minister, Richard Gilpin (1625–1700) was active in the north of England. This short work, written up by his descendant and fellow clergyman William Gilpin (1724–1804), was published posthumously in 1879. It offers insights into Richard's life as well as that of the author.A physician and nonconformist minister who was active in the north of England, Richard Gilpin (1625–1700) was a popular preacher, leading large congregations, yet he faced opposition from Quakers and was ultimately unable to unite various dissenting factions. Including details about his descendants, the present work sets his story within the wider context of the Gilpin family history. First published in 1879, it was written in 1791 by fellow clergyman William Gilpin (1724–1804), an enlightened schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics. As well as covering his ancestors, William appends here his own life story, discussing his career as a teacher and his literary calling. He touches on his journeys during summer vacations when, with notebook and sketching materials, he would explore picturesque features of the British landscape. His volumes of Observations, based on these travels, are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.