Memoir of Gabriel Beranger, and his Labours in the Cause of Irish Art and Antiquities, from 1760 to 1780

Sir William Wilde (1815-76), surgeon and father of Oscar Wilde, was an Irish patriot and antiquarian with a keen interest in the history of his country. This life of Gabriel Beranger (1729-1817), published in 1880, describes the activities of an Irish antiquarian in the eighteenth century. Born in Rotterdam, the Huguenot Beranger moved to Dublin in 1750 and opened a print shop. Historical pursuits were becoming popular in Dublin society at the time, and Beranger’s sketches of ruins and monuments found great popularity. He went on several tours of Ireland, keeping a journal of his observations and the people he encountered, while making plans and drawings of antiquities with a view to later publication. Wilde’s work, drawn from Beranger’s journal and from the memories of people who had known him in his old age, offers an engaging insight into early antiquarian practice in Ireland.