CLAMP, Robert Burcham

1794 - 1875

Robert Burcham Clamp was born at Lambeth, Surrey around 1794, only surviving son of Robert Clamp, a tallow chandler and stipple engraver, and his wife Sarah née Ennew (1772-16 December 1847), who married at St Andrew by the Wardrobe, London on 30 June 1791. By 1797, Robert, Sen. had moved from London to Ipswich where he died on 29 September 1808 and was buried in St Nicholas churchyard six days later. The 'Ipswich Journal' of 9 January 1813, has his mother Sarah advertising her school in St Nicholas Street, Ipswich and young Robert announced in January 1819 that he would open a school at his residence in Friars Street. On Sarah Clamp's second marriage in 1816, her seminary for young ladies was taken over by Miss Ann Skitter who in 1823 moved her school to Tacket Street when Robert Clamp took the opportunity to move into his mother’s former premises at St Nicholas Academy. Robert married at Saint George the Martyr, Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London on 26 June 1829, Ann Skitter, who was born in Ipswich on 5 April 1791, daughter of Thomas Skitter, who kept the Golden Lion on the Cornhill, Ipswich, and his wife Sarah, née Stannard. On 4 November 1830, their only child Anna Maria was born but she died on 20 January 1839. Robert was a member of the Ipswich Society of Professional & Amateur Artists from 1833, where he was tutored by Henry Davy. In the 1835 Ipswich election Clamp, together with Arthur Bott Cook, John Pilgrim and John Bond were involved in the bribery for the Blue Conservative cause for which he spent two weeks in Newgate gaol. His academy closed but in 1836 his wife opened a new seminary in Elm Street, Ipswich. In 1840, Mr Paglar, of St John’s College, Cambridge had a private grammar school at Elm House and on 10 July 1841, Mrs Clamp advertised a seminary for young ladies at the same address but on 1 January 1843 a Miss Foster had taken Mrs Clamp’s school which was still housed in Elm House where Mr Paglar’s private grammar school was also being conducted. In 1842, Robert and his wife applied jointly to be Master and Matron of the Ipswich Union House, at Great Whip Street, Ipswich, and were duly elected but in 1856 as Master of the Union House, Ipswich was declared insolvent. In December 1858, Robert was again in trouble, this time over the accounts of the Union House and the Guardians asked him to resign 'over serious charges brought against him', which he did, and his wife's position was under investigation. In August 1861 as an 'insolvent debtor' he was discharged from Her Majesty's Gaol at Bury St Edmund's under the new Act of Parliament on the imprisonment of debtors and a meeting of his creditors was held on 26 August 1861. Robert Burcham Clamp died of paralysis at Ipswich on 2 December 1875, his wife followed him exactly one year later and father, mother and child are buried at St Nicholas churchyard. An artist in wash-drawings and watercolour.

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Works by This Artist