Herbert Stocker was a rather eccentric and interesting man, with children's names to match. Herbert started out as a bricklayer in Clewer near Windsor. He built a small house for himself in Clewer Lane and lived there with his wife Sarah and their sons and daughter. Despite his humble beginnings, Herbert had high aspirations — some might say allusions of grandeur. Rather than the plain Herbert Stocker, he styled himself as Herbertus Stockhore and lent his hand to poetry.
Every three years, Eton College held an event called the Eton Montem, which featured a Montem Poet Laureate, responsible for penning the "Montem Ode." Herbert held this post from the 1790s till his death in 1833. His Odes were notorious and were written about extensively in The English Spy (1825) by Bernard Blackmantle [scroll to page 59] which gives a fascinating account of an eccentric man who would ride around in a cart, dressed in bizarre raiment and reciting his Montem Ode for the appreciative Etonian crowd.
"It must be recollected that the Etonians encourage these whims [his poetry] in the poor old man, and never lose an opportunity of impressing Stockhore with a belief in the magnificent powers of his genius.—After we had heard him recite several of his unconnected extempore rhapsodies, we were to be indulged with the Montem ode; this the old man insisted should be spoken in his gala dress; nor could all the entreaties of his wife and daughter, joined to those of myself and friend (fearful of appearing obtrusive), dissuade old Herbert from his design."
But let's look at his children:
Isaac Simon Stocker was christened in October 1792 and was the couple's eldest child.
The next two children were sadly short lived: Sylvia Ann Stocker was christened in July 1795 and buried later that year in November; Elias Frederick Stocker was born in November 1796 and buried April 1798.
Hezekiah Sampson Stocker arrived in 1799 and lived to the grand old age of 68 with his wife Charlotte and children Samuel, Maria, Sarah, Thomas and Charles. For some reason, he is listed as "Samuel" on the 1841 and 1851 census. As he is listed as simply Sampson on three of his children's baptism records, he seems to have been known by his middle name. Perhaps he gave his name as "Sam" (from Sampson) and the census collectors assumed it was short for Samuel.
Venus Britannia was the couple's only surviving daughter, born in 1801. She married a certain Francis Hearn who was transported to Australia in 1833 for horse stealing (from then on she listed herself as a widow) and they had daughters named Elizabeth, Augusta and Amelia. Once Venus was an independent woman, she rented some land, built four houses and rented them out for income. She lived to a ripe old age of 79.
Herbertus William Stocker was given the affected form of his father's name. He was born in November 1803 and buried in September 1804.
Shakespeare Pindar Stocker was the couple's final child and born in 1807. Clearly Herbert's love of poetry was so great, he felt it fitting to name his son after two famous bards. Little Shakespeare Pindar is even mentioned in The Year Book of Daily Recreation and Information (1838) by William Hone:
"...at my second visit [Herbert] was assisted by a little boy, an allusion to whom was made in the last lines of the ode at that time, as follows —
I am the poet's youngest son,
And if you should enquire my Christian name,
You'll find 'tis Shakespeare Pindar."
Perhaps the name was a little too much to carry because, as an adult, he styled himself as William Shakespeare Pindar Stocker, and went simply by William. He and his wife Martha had children William, Frederick, Charles, Eliza, Rosa, Henry and Lucy.
It's interesting to note that the surviving children all had the most "unusual" names, and yet they themselves gave their own children very conventional names.
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