ANTHONY WILSON 1750?-1814?
NOTES I have no clear suggestions for revising this article as all I can do is cast doubt on it and suggest some possibilities. The only evidence for Henry Bromley having been a pseudonym of Anthony Wilson comes from the Catalogue of Edward Evans DNB 1789-1835 who was only aged 4 in 1793 when Bromley's catalogue was issued, and from a manuscript note by Evans in his copy of Bromley's catalogue. This copy was in the collection of Sir George Scharf so was likely to have passed to the National Portrait Gallery; there are two copies of Bromley listed in the catalogue of the National Portrait Gallery library but the librarians could only locate one (unannotated) copy. The manuscript note was presumably the source of the statements in the old DNB article by Edward Irving Carlyle that Wilson belonged to a mercantile firm in the city and was a regular attendant at Hutchins's auction-rooms, where he was detected on one occasion abstracting prints, and that he also frequented the sale-room of Nathaniel Smith. In Evans' catalogue Henry Bromley no.1352 says 'alias Anthony Wilson nat. Wigan 1750' and Anthony Wilson no.11360 says 'alias Henry Bromley nat. Wigan 1750'. Since there was a Henry Bromley born at Wigan about 1750 who lived in London and I could discover no Anthony Wilson in south Lancashire (though the name was frequent in Westmorland and north Lancashire), I suspect that the whole idea of the pseudonym was spurious. The Henry Bromley born at Wigan was a son of John Bromley, lawyer of Standishgate, Wigan. One of his brothers was Robert Anthony Bromley 1731-1806 rector of St Mildreds Poultry and minister of Fitzroy chapel, a founding member of the Society for Constitutional Information 1780 and author of A History of the Fine Arts which was published in 1793, the year Henry Bromley's catalogue appeared, and another brother was Thomas Bromley 1749-1827 assistant master at Harrow school and rector of Bighton Hants. Henry Bromley of St Clement Danes married Anna Maria Worthington at St John Smith Square 30.11.1774, her father William Worthington's will was proved PCC 1778 mentioning his son-in-law Henry Bromley of Mark Lane wine merchant. A Henry Bromley late of St Giles Holborn was declared bankrupt in 1784. Henry and Anna Maria Bromley had a daughter Louisa Worthington Bromley born 1776 and living in Enfield unmarried in 1851 census. Henry Bromley became a clerk (circa 1796), and later inspector, in the Tax Office and was granted a pension of £180 p.a. on the abolition of his office in 1817 after 21 years'service. Anna Maria wife of Henry Bromley was insured by Sun Fire in 1804 at 5 Romney Row, Marsham Street, Westminster. Louisa "daughter of my brother Henry" was mentioned in the will of her uncle Thomas Bromley dated 1825 proved PCC 1827, and she was mentioned again in the will of Thomas Bromley's widow Rose Mary Bromley proved PCC 1831 as "daughter of the late Henry Bromley". I have found no other record of his death. The Anthony Wilson mentioned in the ODNB article whose will was proved PCC 1814 was a son of Thomas Wilson innkeeper of Littlethorpe, Ripon, Yorks who married Jane Ingleby at Ripon 9.6.1767, he was born 1768 and had three younger brothers Robert, Joseph and William. All four brothers became fairly prosperous publicans in London, Anthony Wilson kept the Kings Head in James St, Chelsea (Sun Fire Insurance 1809 & Old Bailey 1.7.1812). His brother William who kept the Kings Head in Chiswell St, Old Street married Hetty Isabella Bevin who according to the 1851 census was born in St James Palace and had a son Robert Acton Wilson who became a sculptor and exhibited at the RA from 1846 to 1855. ____________________________________________________________________