'The Benefactress; or, the Duchess of Bucclough visiting the Widow and the Orphan,’ ‘The First Sermon of John Knox, in the Castle of St. Andrews,’ and ‘Robert Bruce watching the efforts of the Spider.’ In rural scenes and pictures of child life, as well as in humorous pieces, Bonnar was thought to he particularly successful. As examples in these styles may be mentioned ‘The Orphans,’ ‘The School-door,’ ‘The New Dress,’ ‘The Evening Prayer,' ‘The Blessing,’ ‘The Gentle Shepherd,’ ‘The Cottar’s Saturday Night,’ ‘Barney Kilmeny,’ ‘The Forsaken,’ ‘Dugald Dalgetty and the Duke of Argyle,’ and ‘Caleb Balderstone burnishing the Pewter Flagon.’ The last two evince ‘a strong sense of the ludicrous, and attest the versatility of his powers.’ In his latter years Bonner was engaged chiefly in painting portraits, many of which were engraved by his sons. ‘In private life Mr. Bonnar was amiable and kind, in manner he was singularly modest and unobtrusive, and these qualities, together with his straightforward honesty and fearless independence, rendered him a useful and favourite member of the Scottish Academy.’ He died in London Street, Edinburgh, on 27 Jan. 1853.
[Art Journal, March 1853; Scotsman, 2 Feb. 1853; Redgrave, Dictionary of Artists of the English School.]
BONNEAU, JACOB (d. 1786), painter, is supposed to have been the son of a French engraver who worked in London for the booksellers about the middle of the last century. In 1765-1778 he exhibited landscapes at the rooms of the Society of British Artists, of which body he was a member. In 1770 he exhibited at the Royal Academy ‘St. John,' a water~colour drawing, and from that year until 1781 he was occasionally represented there by drawings, generally landscapes with figures, of poetical character. His principal occupation was that of a teacher of drawing and perspective. He died at Kentish Town 18 March 1786.
[European Magazine; Exhibition Catalogies of the Society of British Artists and of the Royal Academy of Arts; Redgraves Dictionary of Artists of the English School.]
BONNELL, JAMES (1653–1699), accountant-general of Ireland, a man eminent for his saintly life, was descended from one of the many families of protestant refugees who fled to England from the Low Countries in the reign of Elizabeth to escape from the cruel persecution of the Spaniards under the Duke of Alva. The family settled at Norwich, and Bonnell’s mother was a Norwich lady, the daughter of T. Sayer, esq. But Samuel Bonnell went into Italy, and lived for many years at Leghorn, and for a few at Genoa: at the latter place James was born. Samuel Bonnell, being a wealthy man and a stout royalist, rendered considerable peclmiary assistance to King Charles in his exile. Upon the Restoration the king did not repay his benefactor, but conferred upon him the accountant-generalship of Ireland, worth 8001. a year, his son’s life being included in the patent with his own. James Bonnell’s course was thus marked out for him. But from his earliest years he had shown a dee sense of religion, taking especial pleasure in devotional books. He lost his father when he was only eleven years of age, but he had the advantage of being trained by an excellent mother, who educated him with his sister in Dublin until he was old enough to be sent to Trim school, then under the direction of Dr. Tenison, afterwards bishop of Meath. He always retained a grateful remembrance of Dr. Tenison’s religious care. From Trim he was removed to ‘a private philosophy school’ at Nettlebed in Oxfordshire, his friends fearing lest his piety should be corrupted in a university. The schoolmaster was a Mr. Cole, who had been principal of St. Mary’s Hall, Oxford, but had been ejected for nonconformity. Samuel Wesley the elder accuses Cole of encouraging immorality in his house, but Bonnell distinctly exonerates him, by anticipation, from this charge. Cole’s religious training seems to have consisted simply in preaching twice every Sunday to the family, and he exercised no efficient moral supervision over his pupils, who, according to Bonnell, were a vicious set. Bonnell also complains that there was ‘no practice of receiving the sacrament in the place.’ But his pure and well-trained nature was proof against temptation, After two years and a half he was removed to St. Catharine's Hall, Cambridge, being entered by his friend and kinsman, Mr. Strype, ‘then of that house.’ At Cambridge he passed a blameless course, pursuing his methods of devotion more strictly, and making many friends of a kindred spirit with his own, among others, Offspring Blackhall, afterwards bishop of Exeter, and James Calamy, brother of Dr. Calamy, his college tutor, to whom he was deeply attached. From Cambridge he re-moved into the family of Ralph Freeman, esq., of Aspeden Hall, Hertfordshire, us governor to his eldest son, for whose use he composed many of his ‘Pious Meditations.’ Bonnell continued in the family until 1678, when he accompanied his pupil into Holland, and spent nearly a year in the household of Sir Leoline Jenkins at Nimeguen. Sir Leoline was so impressed
