Men of Kent and Kentishmen/Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges
Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges,
ANTIQUARY, ETC.
Samuel Egerton Brydges,
"a man to all the book tribe dear,"
was the son of Edward Brydges of Wootton Court, where he was born in 1762. He was educated at the Grammar School at Maidstone, at King's School, Cambridge, and at Queen's College in that University. He was called to the bar in 1787, but never applied himself with zeal to that profession. In 1789 he purchased the estate of Denton in his native county, but, becoming embarrassed, he removed to Lee Priory, near Canterbury. In 1790 he preferred a claim to the barony of Chandos, but the claim was dis-allowed by the House of Lords, though Sir Egerton never gave it up. He continued through life to sign himself "per legem terræ B. C. of S." (Baron Chandos of Sudeley). From the period of the rejection of his claim the Press teemed with writings bearing upon the decision. For the convenience of publication he set up a private press at Lee Priory, from which almost innumerable works proceeded.' Amongst other compositions he is said to have produced 2000 sonnets in one year. In 1812 he was elected Member of Parliament for Maidstone, and continued a Member till 1818, when he retired to the Continent, where he resided till his death at Geneva in 1837. His first volume of poems was published in 1785. Of his other numerous works, including novels, pamphlets, bibliographies, the most important are "Censura Literaria," 10 vols., 1805-9, and his Autobiography, 1834.
[For further particulars of his life see the above, and for a complete list, with criticisms, of his works see "Allibone's Dictionary of Authors."]