The Polymath of Devon: The Life and Legacy of William Brockedon In the tapestry of nineteenth-century British art, few figures possess a thread as varied and intricately woven as William Brockedon. Born in the quiet, historic town of Totnes, Devon, in 1787, Brockedon was a man whose intellect refused to be confined by a single discipline. The son of a watchmaker, his early years were steeped in the precision and mechanical rigor of hi…