Price's views were set out in Loudon's ‘Encyclopædia of Gardening,’ 1822 edit. (pp. 74–7), and they were criticised by William Marshall (1745–1818) [q. v.]; by George Mason (1735–1806) [q. v.]; by Thomas Green the younger (1769–1825) [q. v.]; and by Dugald Stewart in his ‘Philosophical Essays’ (Works, v. 221–41, 275–6, 439–41, vol. x. pp. cl–cliii).
Scott, when engaged in forming his gardens at Abbotsford, studied the works of Price, and wrote of him in the ‘Quarterly Review’ that he ‘had converted the age to his views.’ Dr. Parr praised him for the elegance of his scholarship and the purity of his style. Mathias, however, in the ‘Pursuits of Literature’ (second dialogue, line 49), sneered at the writings of Price and Knight, who
Grounds by neglect improve,
And banish use, for naked nature's love.
Price entertained many visitors at his country seat, among whom were Sheridan and his first wife, Fitzpatrick, and Samuel Rogers. Wordsworth visited him at Foxley in 1810 and 1827, and on the first occasion condemned the place as wanting variety, and deficient in the ‘relish of humanity.’
Price served as sheriff of Herefordshire in 1793, and, as a lifelong friend of the leading whigs, was created a baronet on 12 Feb. 1828. His eyesight was injured by a blow in 1815, but when eighty years old he was ‘all life and spirits, and as active in ranging about his woods as a setter-dog’ (Knight, Life of Wordsworth, iii. 130). He died at Foxley on 14 Sept. 1829. He married, on 28 April 1774, Lady Caroline Carpenter, youngest daughter of George, first earl of Tyrconnel. She died on 16 July 1826, aged 72, leaving one son and one daughter (cf. Hughes, Windsor Forest, pp. 232, 244).
The other works of Price were: 1. ‘An Account of the Statues, Pictures, and Temples of Greece; translated from Pausanias,’ 1780. 2. ‘Thoughts on the Defence of Property,’ 1797. 3. ‘An Essay on the Modern Pronunciation of Greek and Latin,’ printed, but not published, at Oxford in 1827; he ‘anticipated some modern changes,’ urging ‘that our system of pronouncing the ancient languages is at variance with the principles and established rules of ancient prosody and the practice of the best poets.’ Price contributed to Arthur Young's ‘Annals of Agriculture,’ and was one of the committee for inspecting models for public monuments (Biogr. Dict. 1816).
Price was a very entertaining letter-writer; long and amusing missives from him are in Miss Berry's ‘Journals,’ ii. 67–9, 528–9 (enclosing an ode on the burning of Moscow), 547–9; iii. 8–9; Clayden's ‘Samuel Rogers and his Contemporaries,’ passim, and the ‘Works’ of Dr. Parr, i. 618–21, viii. 110–20. (cf. E. H. Barker, Anecdotes, ii. 36, and Memorials of C. J. Fox, i. 46–7). Several other letters from him to Barker were sold by that needy writer to Pickering in August 1839.
Sir Joshua Reynolds painted a portrait of Lady Caroline Price in November 1787, and Sir Thomas Lawrence painted Price himself. These portraits, and portraits of several other members of the family, were sold by Messrs. Christie & Manson on 6 May 1893, the painting of Sir Joshua Reynolds fetching 3,885l.
[Gent. Mag. 1774 p. 237, 1826 pt. ii. p. 93, 1829 pt. ii. p. 274; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Felton's Portraits of Authors on Gardening, pp. 191–200; Duncumb's Hereford, 1892 vol., pp. 191–7; Knight's Coleorton Memorials, i. 129, ii. 133–5, 190–2, 215; Ballantyne's Voltaire, p. 291; Dyce's Table-talk of Rogers, pp. 76, 114–15, 245; Clayden's Rogers and his Contemporaries, i. 47–8, 405; Coxe's Stillingfleet, i. 73–81, 97–9, 125, 151, 159; Walpole's Correspondence, ed. Cunningham, iii. 374, ix. 462; Taylor's Sir Joshua Reynolds, ii. 512; Wordsworth's Works, ed. Knight, iii. 45–7.]
PRICE, WILLIAM (1597–1646), divine, one of the Prices of Denbighshire, matriculated from Christ Church, Oxford, on 16 Oct. 1616, aged 19. He graduated B.A. and M.A. on 21 June 1619, and B.D. on 14 June 1628. Taking holy orders, he was, on 26 Sept. 1621, elected the first reader in moral philosophy on the foundation of Thomas White. On White's death in April 1624 Price pronounced his funeral oration, which was included in 'Schola Moralis Philosophiæ Oxon. in Funere Whiti
pullata,' Oxford, 1624. In 1630 Price joined in a protest to the king on technical grounds against the appointment of Bishop Laud as chancellor of Oxford (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1629-31 , p. 241). He was instituted on 10 Feb. 1631 to the rectory of Dolgelly, Merionethshire, where he died in 1646, and was buried in the church. He married Margaret, daughter of Robert Vaughan [q. v.] of Hengwrt,
the antiquary.
A contemporary William Price (d. 1666), born in London, delivered before the lord mayor and aldermen at St. Paul's, Covent Garden, in 1642 a 'spittle sermon,' afterwards printed. He became pastor of a presbyterian church at Waltham Abbey, Essex, and was chosen one of the Westminster divines. He served on one of the committees, and took considerable part in the discussions. He was called from London on 9 Aug. 1648 by the presbyterian or reformed
