Ralph Broome (1742–1805) was an English

stockjobber Stockjobbers were institutions that acted as market makers in the London Stock Exchange. The business of stockjobbing emerged in the 1690s during England's Financial Revolution. During the 18th century, the jobbers attracted numerous critique ...

, pamphleteer and satirical poet. Several of his works argued in defence of

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first governor-gener ...

during the latter's impeachment proceedings.

Life and career

The third son of Ralph Broome (1714–1768) of the manor of

Bushton, Wiltshire Bushton is an English Hamlet (place), hamlet about south of Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire. It belongs to the civil parish of Clyffe Pypard. History In 1086, the Domesday Book recorded an estate at Bushton, held by the Bishop of Winchester. ...

, Broome was sent as a cadet to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where he acquired Oriental languages, including

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and became a judge advocate with the rank of captain in the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

Army. While in India, Broome fathered a daughter, Miriam (c. 1781–1840), by an unknown Indian lady. The girl accompanied him back to England in about 1785. An Amelia Margaret Broome, mentioned in Ralph Broome's will, may be an illegitimate daughter of Miriam, or possibly of her father. In 1803, Miriam was married to Broome's lawyer nephew, also Ralph Broome (1781–1838). In 1790, Broome himself married Lucy Jeffreys, a daughter of Richard Jeffreys of Penkelly,

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, but she died at

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

Hot Wells in 1796. He then married the widowed Charlotte Ann Francis, née Burney (1761–1838), on 28 February 1798. Their only child was a son, Ralph, known as "Dolph" (1801–1817). The marriage caused consternation in Charlotte's father

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicis ...

, sister

Frances Burney Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Meckle ...

and other family members, mainly because of doubts about Broome's finances, although they became reconciled later. The Broomes moved to

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

in about 1803, where Broome rapidly deteriorated mentally and physically and died "a howling death" on 24 February 1805, attended to the last by his wife and one or more daughters.

Works

Broome was a prolific pamphleteer and versifier. Although he had not known

personally in India, he attended the impeachment proceedings and argued in Hastings' defence in several works. Broome's published works include: *''Letters of Simkin the Second to his dear brother in Wales, containing a humble description of the trial of Warren Hastings, Esq.'' (1788) *''Letters of Simpkin the Second, Poetic Recorder, of all the proceedings upon the Trial of Warren Hastings'' (1789) *''An Elucidation of the Articles of Impeachment preferred by the last Parliament against Warren Hastings, Esq., later Governor of Bengal'' (1790) *''Letters from Simkin the Second to his dear brother in Wales, for the year 1790; giving a full and circumstantial account of all the most material points both in the speeches of the Honourable Managers, and in the written and oral evidence brought... during the trial of Warren Hastings, etc.'' (1790) *''A Comparative Review of Mr. Hastings and Mr. Dundas, in War and Peace'' (1791) *''An Examination of the Expediency of continuing the Present Impeachment'' (1791) *''Observations on Mr. Paine's Pamphlet Entitled the Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance...'' (1796) *''Strictures on Mr. Burke's Two Letters, Addressed to a Member of the Present Parliament'' (1796) *''Letters from Simpkin the Second, to his brother Simon, in Wales: dedicated without permission, to the ancient and respectable family of the Grunters. satire in verse, on Edmund Burke'.; British Library Integrated Catalogue.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broome, Ralph 1742 births 1805 deaths English pamphleteers 18th-century English non-fiction writers 18th-century English male writers 18th-century English writers British people in colonial India English satirists Burney family English male poets