Page "George Puttenham" Paragraph 10

There is no direct evidence beyond Bolton's ascription to identify the author with George or Richard Puttenham, the sons of Robert Puttenham and his wife Margaret, the sister of Sir Thomas Elyot, who dedicated his treatise on the Education or Bringing up of Children to her for the benefit of her sons.

Furthermore, since Bolton's ascription occurs 15 years after George's death and four after Richard's neither man would have been able to either accept or reject the attribution.

Both made unhappy marriages, were constantly engaged in litigation, and were frequently in disgrace.

One fact that points towards George's authorship is that Richard was in prison when the book was licensed to be printed, and when he made his will in 1597 he was in the Queen's Bench Prison.

He was buried, according to John Payne Collier, at St. Clement Danes, London, on July 2, 1601.

Richard Puttenham is known to have spent much of his time abroad, whereas George is only known to have left England a single time, to get the deed for Sherfield House from his brother.

This agrees better with the writer's account of himself ; but if the statement that he addressed Elpine to Edward VI when he was 18 years of age be taken to imply that the production of this work fell within that king's reign, the date of the author's birth cannot be placed anterior to 1529.

At the date ( 1546 ) of his inheritance of his uncle, Sir Thomas Elyot's estates, Richard Puttenham was proved in an inquisition held at Newmarket to have been twenty-six years old.

The history of the Puttenhams is discussed in H. H. S. Croft's edition of Elyot's Boke called the Cover nour.

A careful investigation brought him to the conclusion that the evidence was in favour of Richard.

There are other modern editions of the book, notably one in Joseph Haslewood's Ancient Critical Essays ( 1811 – 1815 ).

For editions with critical apparatus see Willcock and Walker's Cambridge edition of 1936 and Whigham and Rebhorn's new critical edition ( Cornell UP, 2007 ).