Protestant Exiles from France/Book First - Chapter 13 - Section VII
VII. Francis Le Pipre, Esq.
The first Le Pipre in England was a Walloon refugee in Canterbury about the period of Duke Alva’s bloody tribunal. He founded a wealthy Kentish family. We are indebted to “Graham” and Walpole for the mention of the “gentleman artist” Francis Le Pipre (they spell the name Le Piper, but erroneously, because his family never anglicised the surname). The epithet “gentleman” was applied to him, partly because he did not take money for his paintings, drawings, and etchings — partly (I regret to say) because he was known in London as a man of the world, somewhat prodigal in his habits and irregular in his life. “He would often go away (say the essayists) and let his friends know nothing of his departure, make the tour of France and the Netherlands afoot, and sometimes his frolic carried him as far as Grand Cairo. He never advised his friends and relations of his return any more than he gave them notice of his intended absence, which he did to surprise them alternatively with sorrow and joy. By this means, at several times he travelled through part of Italy, part of Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Holland. The greatest curiosities that he sought after were the works of the painters, which he examined everywhere with pleasure and judgment, and formed to himself a manner of design, which no man in that kind ever excelled or perhaps ever equalled.” The word design was italicised because he had not much practice in the art of colouring, though he was an enthusiastic admirer of Rembrandt and Augustus Caracci, and especially of Titian. His, forte perhaps was in what moderns call caricature. But he was also a landscape-painter and a sketcher from nature, being considered “great master in perspective;” “he always carried a long book about him like a music-book, which when he had a mind to draw he opened, and, looking through it, made the lower corner of the middle of the book his point of sight,” &c. He almost spent his patrimony, and for a short time worked for money; but (in his case, unfortunately) “another estate fell to him by the decease of his mother.” “He drew some designs for Mr Isaac Becket, who performed them in mezzo-tinto; whenever he pleased he could draw enough in half-an-hour to furnish a week’s work for Becket.” “He drew several of the Grand Signiors’ heads for Sir Paul Rycaut’s History of the Turks, which were engraved by Mr Elder.” “He etched several things himself, generally on oval silver-plates for his friends, who being, most of ’em, as hearty lovers of the bottle as himself, put ’em to those uses which were most serviceable to them, and made lids with ’em for their tobacco boxes.” “In the latter part of his life he applied himself to the study and practice of modelling in wax in basso-relievo, in which manner he did abundance of things with good success; he often said, he wished he had thought of it sooner, for that sort of work suited better with his genius than any.” He died in Aldermanbury about the year 1698, “yet lives still in the memory of his acquaintance with the character of an accomplish’d gentleman and a great master in his Art; his pieces are scatter’d up and down, chiefly in the city, and the best and most of them are in the hands of his brother, a merchant of London (1706). His corps was carried from Christ-Church Hospital (1698) to the Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, in Southwark, where ’twas buried in a vault belonging to his family.”
The family retained not only the spelling of the surname, but also its pronunciation. This appears from the record of the aforesaid brother’s death in the Historical Register:— “1724, June 2. Dy’d Peter le Peeper of Spittle-Fields, Esq., an eminent merchant.” His testamentary memorandum shows that the Register’s spelling was merely phonetic and therefore amusingly wrong.
“May the nineteenth, one thousand seven hundred and twenty — if it should please Allmighty God to take me away, would have coach horses and household goods disposed of — my present wife Sarah Le Pipre all jewell and plate and five thousand pounds of the first money that come in according to an obligacon in Contract of Marriage — my son Pr. the house in Fanchurch Street — the Lease of houses behind the Exchange and fifteen hundred pounds shall part to my son P. and 3/4 to my daughter Dilitia and my son Gabrill [on the margin, “This lease of house and the fifteen hundred pounds is what Sr. Gabrill Roberts left in his Will and Testament.”]— and what overplus when debts are paid to be equally divided betwixt my above said three children.”
In the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 21st of June 1724. — Appeared personally, Andrew Broughton, of the parish of St George-the-Martyr, in the County of Middlesex, merchant, and John Bull, of the parish of St Peter-le-Poor, London, gentleman, and severally made oath that they well knew and were acquainted with Mr. Peter Le Pipre, late of the parish of Stepney in the county of Middlesex, merchant, deceased, and with his manner and character of handwriting, this deponent, Andrew Broughton, having been formerly in company with him in trade, and they both have been very conversant with him deceased, and have divers and sundry times seen him write, and they having both now seen and perused the Schedule here-unto annexed, beginning thus, “May the 19th, 1720 — If it shall please Allmighty God to take me away,” and ending thus, “to be equally divided betwixt my above said three children,” do verily believe the same to be all of the proper handwriting of the said Peter le Pipre deceased.
22nd of June 1724. — A commission issued to Peter le Pipre, lawful son, and one of the residuary legatees named in the Will or Testamentary Schedule, of Peter le Pipre, late of the parish of Stepney, &c, to administer, &c. &c. (no executor having been nominated therein).