JOHN HOWARD

CHAPTER I

EARLY YEARS

Howard's Parentage-Date and Place of Birth-Schoc
-Apprenticeship - Howard his own Master-
among the Cabbages" - Foreign Tour
Death of Mrs. Howard.

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F the childhood and early life of Howard but few particulars have down to us. His father was a wealthy uphol in the city of London, residing at one tim Enfield, and later on at Clapton; and the fac he was fined for Sheriff in the year 1742 te to his prosperous circumstances. His mo name is said to have been Cholmley. Acco to his monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, th scription for which was written by his kin Mr. Whitbread, he was born at Hackney on th probable that the inscription is correct. rd's own authority may be claimed for the nent that he was born at Lower Clapton, "in cient house which had been many years in sion of his father and grandfather"; 1 and was accurate in informing a friend in mber 1787 that he was then sixty-one years =, the year of his birth must have been 1726.2

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Aikin, Howard's personal friend and earliest bio, "believes" that he was born at Enfield, " about r 1727 (View of the Character and Public Services of John 1, p. 9). Enfield is also given as the place of his birth Gentleman's Magazine for 1790 (vol. lx. part 1. p. 369); eld, in The Correspondence of John Howard, says: “I have avoured with a copy of the family register, part of is in Howard's own handwriting, and this records was born at Enfield," p. 1. In spite of this, however, obable that Clapton was really the place. It is given notice in the Universal Magazine for 1790 (vol. lxxxvi. ), characterised by Howard's friend, the Rev. S. "much the best" notice of him that had ed (ib. p. 236); and in this particular matter Palmer f was able to corroborate the assertion of the phical notice, by the assurance that he had "more nce heard" Howard himself speak of the house at n as that in which he was born (ib. p. 319). This, with the evidence of the monument, seems to be sive.

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infancy, and being a delicate child he was sen the sake of his health, to Cardington, near Bed where his father owned some property; and in very early days began his connection with place which was to be famous as his home in years. As the boy grew, his father, being a s Independent, sent him for his education dissenting school at Hertford, kept by a Worsley. Beyond the fact that he remained for seven years we know little or nothing o school days. But in after years he certainly that the choice of the school had not be happy one, for he is reported to have said, more indignation than he usually expressed, he left it "not fully taught any one thing.” 1

Languages at a dissenting Academy in London. Howard cannot be said to have been fortunate s education; and it is evident that in after s he felt his deficiencies somewhat acutely. Aikin's statement, that he "was never able eak or write his native language with gramcal correctness," is fully borne out by his own rs, the spelling of which is distinctly original; in preparing his books for publication we that he was glad to avail himself of the help chers whose literary attainments were greater his own. "His acquaintance," Aikin adds, th other languages (the French perhaps pted) was slight and superficial."1 An exon must certainly be made as regards French, Howard's own accounts of his travels not only ly ample proof of the facility with which he A converse in the language, but also show that ad no difficulty in actually passing himself s a Frenchman, as occasion required. It is able, however, that his knowledge of this other languages was acquired later, and ed up by him in the course of his travels. ed, it would have been something quite unI had he left school with anything more tongue.

School days ended, Howard was apprentic a wholesale grocer in Watling Street; but c father's death, a few years later, he was practically his own master, and in possessi ample means, of which his guardians left him e control on his coming of age, although, ac ing to his father's will, he was not to come in property until the age of twenty-four, Bus was not to Howard's liking, and accord before his time was up he bought himsel intending apparently to live a life of ease comfort, with Clapton as his head-quarters. this period belongs the earliest anecdote tha come down to us of him, and, slight as the inc is, it may be mentioned here as illustrative c kind-heartedness and whimsical humour were characteristic of the man throughout hi Many years later an old gardener, who had be long in the service of the Howards at Cla used to relate, that during some alterations ▼ were being made in the house, his young n used to come every other day to superinten work, and that he timed his visits so as there when the baker's cart was passing, wh would purchase a loaf, and, tossing it over the into the garden, exclaim to the gardener, "F