- ‘A Descriptive and Architectural Sketch’ of the Grace mausoleum in Queen's County, originally contributed to William Shaw Mason's ‘Statistical Account or Parochial Survey of Ireland,’ vol. iii., Dublin, 1819, and reprinted (Dublin, 1819), with additional matter and illustrations, including a portrait of the author.
- ‘Memoirs of the Family of Grace,’ a semi-romantic and panegyrical work (1823), with a dedication to the Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos, and including many portraits and sketches, mainly from plates which had been used for other books. Severe strictures were made on these memoirs by William Beckford of Fonthill.
- ‘Re-impressions from Thomas Worlidge's Etchings of Antique Gems,’ 1823, 4to, originally published in 1768.
- ‘A Letter from Winifrid Herbert, Countess of Nithsdale, to her sister, Lady Lucy Herbert, Abbess of English Augustine nuns at Bruges, containing a circumstantial account of the Escape of her Husband, William Maxwell, fifth Earl of Nithsdale, from the Tower of London on the 12th of February, 1716–17,’ London, 1827, dedicated to Mary, marchioness of Chandos.
- ‘An Ancient Feudal War-song … the Slogan or War-cry of the Retainers and Clansmen of the Family of Grace, Barons of Courtown and Lords of the Cantred of Grace's Country, with Translations from the original Gaelic or Iberno-Celtic Language into Metrical Versions of the English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Greek, and Latin languages, Selected and Composed by Sheffield Grace,’ London, 1839. In this were included many engravings and pedigrees which had appeared in the Grace memoirs.
[Manuscripts of Grace family; Foster's Baronetage; Tales of the O'Hara Family; Hall's Ireland; Catalogue of Library of William Beckford.]
GRADDON, Miss, afterwards Mrs. Gibbs (1804–1854?), vocalist, was born at Taunton, Somersetshire, in 1804 (Brown). After receiving lessons from T. Cooke, and gaining some experience in provincial concert-rooms, Miss Graddon sang at Vauxhall in 1822, and at Drury Lane for the first time in October 1824 as Susanna in the ‘Marriage of Figaro.’ She subsequently made her mark in the part of Linda (Agathe) in ‘Der Freischütz.’ Her portrait in this character illustrates the title-page of a polka, ‘Le Bal Costumé,’ composed by her, and published in 1854. She appeared at the same theatre as Amanda in Bishop's ‘Fall of Algiers,’ 1825; as Zulema in Weber's ‘Abu Hassan;’ and as Maria in Wade's ‘Two Houses of Granada,’ 1826. She soon afterwards married Alexander Gibbs, of the firm of Graddon & Gibbs, pianoforte-makers. The critics disagreed among themselves as to the limits of Miss Graddon's musical and dramatic talents. It is probable that she had not made a very earnest study of her profession, but relied upon her natural gifts of voice and lively manner for her popularity with the large section of the public who applauded her heartily in the theatres and concert halls of London, Dublin, and other towns. Her name disappears from the ‘Musical Directory’ after 1855.
[Times, Quarterly Musical Magazine, Harmonicon, European Magazine, Saunders's News-Letter, &c., 1823–6; Parke's Musical Memoirs, ii. 209; Brown's Biog. Dict. of Musicians.]
GRADWELL, ROBERT, D.D. (1777–1833), catholic prelate, third son of John Gradwell of Clifton in the Fylde, near Preston, Lancashire, by Margaret, daughter of John Gregson of Balderston in that county, was born at Clifton on 26 Jan. 1777. He was sent to the English College at Douay in 1791, and upon its suppression remained for some time in confinement with the other students. On regaining his liberty in 1795, he proceeded to Crook Hall, near Durham, where the majority of the refugees from Douay College had assembled. On 4 Dec. 1802 he was ordained priest, and for seven years taught poetry and rhetoric at Crook Hall and the new college at Ushaw. In 1809 he was stationed as priest at Claughton, Lancashire. When the English College of St. Thomas of Canterbury at Rome was restored to the English secular clergy, the vicars-apostolic of this country recommended Gradwell as rector. They did this mainly on the suggestion of Dr. Lingard, with whom Gradwell had formed an intimate acquaintance at Ushaw. Gradwell was appointed by Cardinal Consalvi, secretary of state, by letters dated 8 March 1818, and he was formally installed on 10 June following. A colony of ten students soon afterwards arrived from England, and the college flourished exceedingly under its new rector. He was also appointed by the vicars-apostolic their agent in Rome. On 24 Aug. 1821 the pope conferred on him the degree of D.D. on account of ‘the integrity of his life, his learning, probity, zeal, and meritorious discharge of his duties as president of the English College and agent of the clergy’ (Butler, Hist. Memoirs of the English Catholics, 3rd edit. iv. 443).
On 19 May 1828 the Propaganda elected him coadjutor, cum futura successione, to Bishop Bramston, vicar-apostolic of the London district. He was accordingly consecrated on 24 June to the see of Lydda in partibus. He resigned the rectorship of the English College and was succeeded by Dr. (after-
