Sacra. being a collection of sacred melodies for the 150 Psalms of David’ (1830?). He also published a set of slow and quick marches for the pianoforte, with the full scores added for a military band, a variety of rondos for the pianoforte, and pianoforte and flute, and many single songs. He died 27 Sept. 1847, aged 82, in York Buildings, New Road, London (Gent. Mag. new ser. xxviii. 551).
[Georgian Era. iv. 528-9; Music Cat., Brit. Mus., where he unaccountably appears as 'Thomas' Essex; James D. Brown's Biog. Dict. of Musicians, p. 235.]
ESSEX, WILLIAM (1784?–1869), enamel-painter, was for many years the chief, and, after the death of H. P. Bone, the sole, exponent of the art of painting in enamel, which had been brought to such perfection by Henry Bone, R.A. [q. v.] and Charles Muss [q. v.] Essex and his brother Alfred worked for and under Muss, and laboured conjointly to show to the public that works could be executed in enamel possessing the transparency, crispness, and texture of other methods of painting. He accordingly painted numerous miniature reproductions of pictures by Correggio, Guido, Wilkie, Abraham Cooper, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and others, displaying the wide capacity of the art. A private exhibition of these was held in the spring of 1839. Essex first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1818, sending a ‘Terrier's Head,’ after Abraham Cooper. He continued to exhibit copies of well-known pictures and portraits, and also portraits from the life, up to 1864, and his works were always very much admired. He also contributed to the exhibitions at the British Institution, Suffolk Street Gallery, Liverpool Society of Fine Arts, &c. He was appointed enamel-painter to Princess Augusta, in 1839 to the queen, and subsequently to the prince consort. He died at Brighton 29 Dec. 1869, aged 85. His son, William B. Essex (1822-1852), followed his father's profession as an artist, but was prevented by his early death from obtaining any reputation. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1845 to 1851. Alfred Essex executed plates for Muss, notably the large plate for the Holy Family, after Parmigiano, now in the royal collection. He prepared the plates and the colours for his brother's paintings. There is in the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, a series of examples showing the colours prepared by him which had the quality of remaining the same after vitrification. He published in June 1837 a valuable paper on the art of painting in enamel (‘London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine,’ 3rd ser. x. 442). He also published some drawing-slates, and it is stated that he subsequently emigrated.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1760-1880; Art Journal, 1870, p. 53; Bryan's Dict. of Painters and Engravers, ed. R. E. Graves; Catalogue of Essex's Exhibition, 1839; Catalogues of Royal Academy, &c.; Notes and Queries, 4th ser. i. 434: information from F. W. Rudler, curator of the Museum of Practical Geology.]
EST, EAST, or EASTE, MICHAEL (fl. 1638). [See East.]
ESTCOURT, EDGAR EDMUND, M.A. (1816–1884), canon of St. Chad's (Roman catholic) Cathedral, Birmingham, born 7 Feb. 1816, was eldest son of the Rev. Edmund William Estcourt of Newntown, Wiltshire, one of the Estcourts of Estcourt in Gloucestershire. He was destined for the church; entered Exeter College, Oxford, 20 Feb. 1834; proceeded B.A. 1838 and M.A. 1840; and came under the influence of the Tractarian movement. In 1845, when J. H. Newman went over to the church of Rome, Estcourt, then a clergyman at Cirencester, followed him, and was 'received' at Prior Park in December of that year. About three years after he was ordained catholic priest by Dr. Ullathorne, vicar-apostolic of the western district, and on the restoration of the hierarchy in 1850 he was appointed æconomus of the diocese. Though one of the kindest of men, he had great firmness of character. He was a great lover of books, and for many years he was a most useful member of the committee of the London Library. Suffering from a painful internal disorder, he passed the last few years of his life in retirement at Leamington, where he died on 16 April 1884. He was buried at Kenilworth. Bishop Ullathorne, in an address delivered on the occasion, pronounced a well-merited eulogy on Estcourt's 'assiduity, accuracy, punctuality, skill, and sound judgment.' His knowledge of the earlier history of the midland district was remarkable, as was also the knowledge he had acquired of property law. His generosity and charity were of the most self-denying character, and his disposition refined, modest, and unobtrusive.
His literary abilities appear in the bestknown of his works, ‘The Question of Anglican Ordinations discussed,’ 1873. This controversial treatise by an erudite member of the Roman church, with a valuable appendix of original documents and facsimiles, appeared at a time when the vexed question of the validity of English orders was fiercely debated by members of the Anglican and Roman communions, and it attracted considerable attention (Academy, 26 April 1884).
