"In addition to his income from his two books, his cobbling, and his manufacture of aeolian harps, Bloomfield also began to receive an annuity of £15 from the duke of Grafton. Characteristically, Bloomfield generously shared his income with his brother George and his mother. Bloomfield's good financial fortunes seemed to wax even further when in late 1802 the duke of Grafton appointed him to the position of undersealer in the king's bench court. ... Bloomfield was beset with other sadnesses and difficulties. First, there was the death of his patron the old duke of Grafton, who was succeeded by his son Lord Charles Fitzroy. The new duke of Grafton did not share his father's enthusiasm for cobbler-poets, and Bloomfield had to enlist the services of Capel Lofft to petition the new duke for his £15 annuity, which Fitzroy eventually granted but was thereafter sometimes desultory in supplying." (ODNB)
