for the Prince and Princess of Wales--but for the Royal Family in
general. Called on Mrs Arthur Stanhope and learned that the King had
died at half past eight the night before. Singular that the very day
we had put on mourning for the Duke of Kent should be that on which
the death of his father was announced. The _Observer_ states that
the King died without any appearance of pain and without a lucid
interval. He had reigned fifty-nine years, three months and nine days.
He was 81 years, 7 months, and 126 days old.
_31st._
After breakfast, went down to Carlton House to see the Proclamation of
King George IV. The King-at-Arms cut a ridiculous figure. The guns
fired, the Proclamation was read, the Bands saluted, and some say the
new King appeared at the window and was greeted with cheers, but it is
since said that he did not appear and the cheers were in consequence
of the Proclamation only. Many of the Princes were present.
_February 24th, 1820._
Greeted with the intelligence of a fight that had taken place between
the Radicals and the Bow St. Officers and a detachment of the Guards.
It appeared that twenty-five of them, headed by Thistlewood, had
formed a plot to attack the Ministers when dining at Lord Harrowby's.
Two of them were to go there with red Boxes in lieu of dispatch Boxes.
Whilst the porter was taking these pretended dispatches, one of them
was to open the door to the remainder of the gang. They were to throw
fire-balls into the Mall, and, in the midst of the confusion thus
occasioned, to rush into the Dining-room and kill the Ministers.
Lord Harrowby had been warned by a person he met in the Park, and the
dinner was accordingly postponed. The Conspirators, however, met in a
small street (Cato Street) near Edgware Road. Mr Birnie, the
Magistrate, directed the police officers to enter the house & secure
them. The Guards, who were to second, entered unfortunately by the
wing end of the street. The Police Officers ascended into the Hay
Loft, where the Conspirators were assembled, by a ladder. They found
about 25 in a room with candles & arms of various descriptions upon
the table, and called them to surrender. Thistlewood made a thrust at
Smithers with a long sword & the Officer immediately fell, crying out
"Oh God!" The Conspirators then put the candles out with their swords
and in the confusion many of them escaped. Fitzclarence in the
meantime advanced at the head of the detachment of Guards. One of the
Conspirators presented a pistol at him, but fortunately the Serjeant
knocked it aside and received part of the contents in his coat sleeve.
Another made a thrust at him, and that was also knocked aside. He then
advanced at the head of the Guards into the room. He secured a man who
again presented a pistol at him, but it missed fire, so that he had
three narrow escapes. Nine of the Conspirators were taken, and
Thistlewood, for whom a reward of a Thousand Pounds was offered, was
taken during the course of the day in his bed. Saunders, in company
with another Bow St. Officer, entered the room and threw himself on
the bed. He said, "I have made no resistance. You could not have taken
me otherwise!"
Thistlewood and four of his companions were hanged and then beheaded, but
the horrid spectacle of their execution roused the public to demand the
abolition of the punishment of decapitation, and they were the last
persons who thus suffered in England.
But the country did not readily resume the more peaceful conditions which
had been thus rudely disturbed, and it was to a land distracted by rioting
as well as to a land of mourning that Mrs Stanhope and her family returned
early in 1820, in order to prepare for the wedding of her son, Edward
Collingwood. [19]
Manifold, indeed, were the changes which had occurred within the last few
years. Not only had the long and chequered reign of George III. ended and
the Regent at length grasped the power which he had so long coveted, but
the subject of the succession was creating universal interest. Since 1817,
the luckless Princess Charlotte had lain in her untimely grave with the
still form of the babe which had cost her existence-mother and child in
one dark tragedy bereft of the great destiny which was their heritage. And
now in the nursery of Kensington Palace was a little fatherless girl of a
year old on whom the hopes of England centred. But of the absent Queen of
George IV. disparaging rumours were circulated, and while in the
affections of her fickle husband it was said Lady Conyngham had supplanted
Mrs Fitzherbert, Lady Hertford and Lady Jersey, whispers of a Royal
divorce were in the air, and the threatened coming of Caroline was awaited
with increasing anxiety.
The spirit of unrest which pervaded the country had even penetrated to
Yorkshire. The weavers there were rioting, and so threatening was their
behaviour that about this date Mr Frederick Wentworth actually sent to
offer them a bribe of £20 not to burn down Wentworth Castle. The North was
deemed unsafe, and, abandoning all thoughts of visiting it, Mrs Stanhope,
whose former home in Grosvenor Square had been sold, decided to settle in
Langham Place. She therefore took a large house in that locality, which
was entered by great gates and stood in the midst of a fine garden, and
there her family swiftly resumed the old routine of their London life.
Despite the mourning for the late King, Mrs Stanhope wrote: "Mrs Malcolm
who called yesterday tells me there is a great deal of quiet society &
that if you get into a set, you may be engaged every night." While
Marianne regaled her brother with her usual "quiz."
I am not in love with the dinnerings in the neighbourhood, we met 14
people yesterday at Lord Ashtown's, none of whom I trust I shall ever
see again.
I must tell you the derivation of the word _dinnering_. The lady
of a new-made baronet in Dorsetshire informed us that her husband was
put under a regiment & ordered the _tippet_ bath to cure him of
the effect of London "dinnerings."
I am afraid you did not hear of our meeting with a lady who had once
nearly taken a house in Yorkshire "_in a remote part, near West
Riding_"--which she certainly took for a town.
[Illustration: THE MARCHIONESS CONYNGHAM
_From a miniature by P. Singry (about 1825-30) in the Wallace
Collection._]
In June that year the arrival of the Queen brought public excitement to a
climax. On the day when she was to land, greatly to the relief of the
authorities who dreaded a riot, there was an unusually heavy storm. The
Heavens themselves seemed in league against the unhappy woman. It poured
on her first arrival in England, it poured on her return from her long
exile, it was destined to pour during her last sad exit from the scene of
so many humiliations. John Stanhope, who had last seen Caroline as she
wrathfully turned her back upon his friend, Mr Maxwell, at Naples, was
anxious to witness her reception in England as Queen. On June 6th his
diary records:--
It rained heavily, and between the wet and the unexpected arrival of
the Queen, London was in a state of indescribable confusion.
Lord ---- had been sent down to negociate with her. He was
commissioned to offer her £50,000 a year on condition of her remaining
abroad and not bearing the title of Queen. These conditions she
rejected, and abandoning herself entirely to the advice of Alderman
Wood, did not attempt to keep the negociation open, but embarked on
board the Leopold packet with Lady Anne Hamilton, Alderman Wood and
her suite. Sir Neil Campbell drove me a little way on the Kent Road,
the whole was lined with people, but we soon got tired of waiting--to
receive the Queen in the midst of the violent storm and returned home.
The Queen arrived between six and seven. A mob was immediately
assembled round Alderman Wood's house, in which she has taken up her
abode, and forced people to pull off their hats as they passed the
house. The Queen made her appearance on the Balcony.
The Ministers brought a green bag down to the House containing the
charges against the Queen.
_Mrs Spencer-Stanhope._
_August 8th, 1820._
The Review on Saturday went off most brilliantly--The Duke of
Wellington told the King to show himself, which he did, and was
received with the greatest applause.
The first day the Troops wanted to have cheered him, but were not
allowed. He and the Queen did not meet, tho' she hovered about. She
has now a smart coach and Royal liveries.
The public trial of Caroline, which lasted from August 19th to November
10th, entirely absorbed the public attention. The early partisanship of
the Stanhopes for the unfortunate lady had waned since the conviction had
become unavoidable that her manners were less "royal" than they had at
first imagined. On October 13th Mrs Stanhope writes:--
Philip is much engaged with the House of Stanhope. He has been two
evenings at Harrington House, last night with Lady Stanhope to the
Playgoers, again to-night with the Carringtons with whom he dines. He
has just been here and says it is possible the Queen's business may be
over to-day, as Brougham called for one of the Government witnesses,
and was told he was gone, which may give him an opportunity of
concluding the affair--rather stopping it entirely. I do not think
that her own witnesses have proved much in her favour, tho' they
admitted facts which made against her with great reluctance.
[Illustration: QUEEN CAROLINE
_From a picture in the possession of Mr. Sterling._]
John Stanhope attended the trial assiduously and thus describes its
close:--
_October 26th._
Went to Macdonald's and accompanied him to the House of Lords, heard
the Attorney General's reply; thought the first part but feeble, but
latterly he became very good. His delivery and his voice are bad and
he is not pleasant.
_October 27th._
Went to the House of Lord's, heard the conclusion of the Attorney
General's speech, and the commencement of that of the Solicitor
General, which was very good.
_November 10th._
The Bill was read a third time, by a majority of 9. The Ministers
declared that they could not think of proceeding with it with so small
a majority. The joy of the people was tremendous. They forced an
illumination at night.
_November 11th._
A second Illumination.
_November 13th._
It rained hard, towards night it cleared. I walked about the streets
to see the illuminations. There were detachments of horse-guards at
every street corner.
_November 14th._
Some partial Illuminations.
Meanwhile, throughout the Kingdom rejoicings were taking place, and
Yorkshire was not behind-hand. In Wakefield, indeed, the demonstrations
were unusually effective. An ox with gilded horns was led round the town,
all gaily bedecked with flowers, while on its back was conspicuously
painted a device surrounded by the words _Caroline Rex_ (sic), this being
the work of a loyal and enthusiastic Irishman who lived in the town. The
animal was finally roasted whole in the bull-ring, bonfires and public
illuminations concluding the feast. On the Bank was exhibited a
magnificent transparency, an original design, showing the Queen in a
crimson glory which rose from the smoke produced by the explosion of a
Green Bag, underneath which was represented Majocci in a fright, saying,
"_Non mi ricordo_" his invariable answer at trial. In the Corn Market was
displayed another huge Green Bag fixed upon a pole and bearing the
inscription: "Green Bags manufactured wholesale for witnesses on oath."
After hanging for some time, to the great delight of the assembled crowd,
this was set on fire and exploded with much noise and brilliance.
On the 20th of November the Queen went to St Paul's to return thanks for
her escape from the snares of her enemies, and the diary of John Stanhope
relates:--
Went to Hyde Park at nine to see Sir Robert Wilson [20] muster his
ragged Regiment of Cavalry to escort the Queen to St Paul's. Whilst he
was marshalling his forces, a troop of Horse Guards passed down the
line on the way to the Barracks; the contrast was admirable! At ten he
marched them to Piccadilly where he waited till the Queen arrived.
She came preceded by some horsemen, driving in a barouche-and-six with
a handsome equipage. She was followed by another carriage and by the
great Alderman Wood.
I followed them as far as Temple Bar where I took my stand within a
fishmonger's shop and waited in patient expectation till she returned,
which was not till near three. The Gates then opened, the City Marshal
took his stand within and bowed out the procession. There was a large
detachment of shop-keepers on horseback, then came the Queen in her
open carriage. She was all in white and covered with a white veil.
There were loud cheers. She continued bowing. The procession was
brought up by the different trades with a great variety of flags. The
whole was closed by a Green Bag!
I returned home having had my pocket picked. I know not whether I was
most struck at the extraordinary nature of this triumphant procession,
partaking of a strong rebellious feeling and made in the teeth of the
Government, or at the tranquillity with which it passed off.
Hard upon the rejoicings at the acquittal of the Queen came news of the
festivities in connection with the approaching coronation, and accounts of
the conduct of the new King which point to his having occupied himself
more assiduously with the graver duties of his new condition than has been
credited by posterity. Mrs Stanhope writes:--
_January 27th, 1821._
Marianne and Frances were much gratified by hearing the King's speech,
which he read with great grace. He was well received. His servant who
waited on Philip the day he was on duty told him that the King rises
at eight. He has seldom above one or two people to dinner--when
anybody. He dines at six or half-after, and _occupies himself almost
the whole day in writing_. He looks remarkably well.
_Marianne Spencer-Stanhope to John Spencer-Stanhope._
_May 12th, 1821._
The Carlton House ball was very superb; only one Quadrille danced at a
time, & great attention paid to the dancers. His Majesty sat between
Lady Conyngham and Countess Lieven, [21] great attention paid to the
former, who was most superbly dressed, and violent attention paid to
the Opposition. Much civility also to Lord Lauderdale and Lord Cowper,
at which notice of the Opposition the Ministers were furious.
One story is that Lord & Lady Grey went up followed by two sons &
three daughters, and that the King said, laughing heartily, "Did you
all come in the Slap-Bang?" The Duchess of Bedford was much scolded
for not bringing Miss Russell, Frank Russell's [22] sister. She was
sent for out of bed. When she arrived, the King met her at the door,
and presented her with a partner, & stood by her while she danced.
The King is going to the theatres to _feel_ the public mind with
regard to a coronation. The Queen stays to annoy him. She had written
in her own hand to say, "As I am not to partake in _our_ coronation, I
expect to have a Gallery for myself and Ladies."
Lady Worcester [23] was not expected to live thro' last night. She was
at the Birthday & at the ball, danced a great deal, felt unwell, and
was fool enough to take a shower bath before she went to bed. She was
seized with inflammation in her bowels & in great danger immediately.
Lord Conyngham is nicknamed the "Small toothcomb"--all back and teeth.
I hear there is a new version of an old story of the Duke of
Gloucester. He went to see Bedlam; a man called out--"Ha! Silly Billy!
Are you come here?" The Duke exclaimed--"God bless me! How odd he
should know my name!" Upon which the keeper remarked innocently--"He
_has sometimes_ glimmerings of sense, please your Royal Highness."
They are in a great fright lest Lord Worcester [24] should marry Miss
Belle Calcraft. [25] It is supposed there has been an intrigue between
them for some time.
Lady Worcester's sufferings were most extreme, her complaint a
twisting of the guts. She died sensible but screaming. On one side of
the bed sat Lady E. Vernon, on the other, Lady Jersey, also screaming
with grief. The Duke of Wellington had to drag them by force out of
the room. There were eighty people standing round when she died.
The Ministers are said to be very angry with the King. Lord Liverpool
sent to announce Dr Dodsworth's [26] death, and the Canonry of Windsor
vacant in consequence, to ask who his Majesty would choose it to be
given to. He said very short--"Oh, I have given it away already."
_May 25th, 1821._
The French Play is going down fast, the Patronesses never attending,
so poor Sequin wrote a memorial to the ladies to say he should be
ruined, and, in consequence, last Tuesday was very well attended. I
hear of no marriage excepting Miss Lockhart, who used to go about with
Lady C. Durham, to an Italian Count who had followed her from Italy.
A melancholy accident happened the other day to Sir J. Smith's second
son, Marriott. He was riding through the town of Bridgwater with a
young man of the name of Morris who is at the same Tutor's. The horse
became unmanageable, the two young men were thrown, Morris pitched on
his head and was killed on the spot, young Smith was very little hurt,
but his state of distress is such that they hardly know what to do
with him.
Your sisters who are looking over the catalogue of books at the
library have just met with _Countess Moreau's Works_--alias _Contes
Moraux_.
_July 21st, 1821._
We have just finished reading the newspaper account of the Coronation
which must have been a magnificent spectacle. We were horrified at the
Queen debasing herself so much as to ask admission at the door--a
request she was certain of being denied. We long to hear how you and
Philip saw the ceremony, and whether the latter is not half killed by
the fatigue of it.
But John Stanhope seems to have been more interested in the various events
attendant upon the Coronation than in the ceremony itself. His diary
records:--
_July 19th, 1821._
The morning was beautiful. I had not attempted to get a ticket for the
Abbey or the Hall, so I determined after breakfast to sally forth and
see the Balloon ascend, and then to walk down Palace Yard and try
whether there was not a place to be got. Nothing could be more
animating than the scene, the St James's Park and the Green Park were
entirely covered with Spectators. The Balloon ascended to a
considerable height before it was at all carried away by the wind, it
rose, indeed, out of our sight.
As soon as this spectacle was over, I went to see the guns fired, and
from thence to George St., where for five shillings I got a place in a
Booth for which the previous night they asked as many guineas, and
after waiting for some time I saw the procession go from the Abbey to
the Hall,--a superb sight. I afterwards returned home much fatigued,
but issued forth again to see the illuminations.
But a long time elapsed before I could get into the Park owing to the
string of carriages through the large gates and the pressure of the
mob through the smaller ones. At last I was obliged to go round by
Grosvenor Gate.
I first directed my steps to the fireworks, which were let off under
the direction of the Military from the middle of the Park. I
afterwards saw the Serpentine where there was a very brilliant
display. There was a splendid illumination at the lower end on the
water, a car drawn by elephants with lanterns, and boats with
variegated lamps, water rockets, and, at intervals, lights on the
terrace at Kensington Gardens which lighted up the whole park.
From the Park I proceeded to Piccadilly, down St James's St., along
Pall Mall, up the Haymarket and Bond St., and went as far as Portland
Place where some of the houses were illuminated most splendidly. The
French and Spanish Ambassadors' houses also produced a magnificent
effect. I returned home about two o'clock, much exhausted.
_July 20th._
I went to the Opera, it was very full, and after the Opera and Ballet
we had a grand _God Save The King_. Nothing could exceed the
enthusiasm of the audience. Tumults of applause at the end of every
stanza, and the whole encored. A solitary hiss was heard, but it was
soon silenced by cries of "Turn him out! Throw him over!"
[Illustration: WALTER SPENCER STANHOPE, AETAT 70
_From an ivory bust in the possession of Mrs Stirling._]
But save for the descriptions in the newspapers and the accounts sent to
her by her sons, Mrs Stanhope saw nothing of the splendid spectacle which
had been taking place. That year of general rejoicing had proved for her a
year of seclusion and of mourning. After her return home the health of her
husband had rapidly declined, and with the coming of April, 1821, while
all England was awakening to a summer of festivity and gladness, Walter
Stanhope, overborne with the burden of his seventy-one years, had
peacefully breathed his last.
He left behind him the record of a blameless and honourable life, and on
April 21st, while his funeral was in progress in Yorkshire, his wife wrote
to her son John:--
Upon this mournful day my first wish is to converse with my children-
the only remaining tie I now have in this world. I hope in God you
will all bear up during the awful and heart-rending Ceremony. The
prayers of the poor and the afflicted will follow your beloved parent
to the Grave, and may they fall upon his children.
FOOTNOTES
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
[1] She married, March 1828, Robert Hudson, Esq. of Tadworth Court, near
Reigate. Died September 1862, aged 76.
[2] He succeeded to the estates of Cannon Hall and Horsforth, etc.;
married, in 1822, Elizabeth Wilhelmina, youngest daughter of Thomas
William Coke, Esq., afterwards 1st Earl of Leicester. Died 1873, aged 86.
[3] She died, unmarried, 17th March, 1860, in her 72nd year.
[4] Assumed by Royal Licence, in 1816, the name and arms of Collingwood,
pursuant to the will of his great-uncle, Edward Collingwood, Esq., whose
estates he inherited. He married, September 9th, 1820, Arabella, daughter
of General John Calcraft, of Cholderton, Hants. Died August 4th, 1866, in
his 75th year.
[5] He assumed the name of Roddam on succeeding to the estates of his
kinsman and godfather, Admiral Roddam of Roddam, Northumberland. He
married, first, Charlotte, daughter of Henry Percy Pulleine, Esq. of
Crakehall; and secondly, Selina Henrietta, daughter of John Cotes, Esq. of
Woodcote. Died 1864, aged 71.
[6] He was subsequently Vicar of Weaverham in Cheshire, and for fifty-two
years non-resident Vicar of Cawthorne, Yorkshire. Married Frederica Mary,
daughter of the late Robert Philip Goodenough, Prebendary of Carlisle and
Southwell. Died October 29th, 1874, aged 79.
[7] Died, unmarried, 1857, aged 60.
[8] Captain in the Grenadier Guards and Page of Honour to George III. and
George IV. General in the Army and Colonel of the 13th Light Infantry.
Married, May 2nd, 1865, Mary Catherine, relict of Edward Strickland, Esq.
She died in July of the same year. General Stanhope died in 1880, aged 81.
[9] Died, unmarried, February 5th, 1885, in her 85th year.
[10] Died, unmarried, December 30th, 1884, aged 82.
[11] Barrister-at-Law of the Middle Temple; lived at Glen Alien in
Northumberland, near Alnwick. Married, 1848, Amy Anne, 5th daughter of
Henry Percy Pulleine, Esqre. of Crakehall. D.S.P. 1871, aged 67.
[12] It is now No. 32 Upper Grosvenor Street, the door being in the latter
street. In the directories prior to 1800 it is described as being in
Upper Grosvenor Street, but subsequently it was No. 28 Grosvenor Square.
[13] The culminating achievement of his public life was his strenuous
promotion of the grand scheme of volunteer service at a time of great
national danger: yet in his old age he used to state that the most
interesting act of his existence on which he could look back was his
having persuaded the Prime Minister, Pitt, to colonize Australia.
CHAPTER I
[1] Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Carr Glyn, 2nd Bt. of Ewell,
eminent banker of London (of the firm of Glyn, Mills, Currie & Co.), and
his wife Mary, daughter of John Plumptre, Esq. Of Fredville, M.P. for
Nottingham. Miss Glyn married, 14th August 1811, Edward Greated, Esq. Of
Uddings, Co. Dorset, and died his widow, 17th January 1864.
[2] William Hanry West Betty, better known as "The young Roscius." See
page 27.
[3] Sydney Smith, 1771-1845; Canon of St Paul's. He started the _Edinburgh
Review_ in 1802; and was celebrated for his wit and keen sense of humour.
[4] Wife of Edward, Lord de Clifford; she was for many years governess to
Princess Charlotte.
[5] Sarah Trimmer (1741-1810); born at Ipswich, dau. of Joseph Kirby, and
a great favourite of Dr Johnson. She wrote many books for the young. In
1762 she married Mr Trimmer and had a family of twelve children.
[6] Mrs Fitzherbert, who had been secretly married to the Prince of Wales,
afterwards George IV., in 1785.
[7] Daughter of Henry Drummond, Esq., by his wife Anne, daughter of
Viscount Melville.
[8] Thomas, eldest son of 1st Earl of Ranfurly and Viscount Northland.
Born 1786, married 1815 Mary Juliana, daughter of the Hon. and Most Rev.
William Stuart, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland; succeeded
his father as 2nd Earl of Ranfurly, 1840. Mrs Stanhope's house in
Grosvenor Square being at the corner of Upper Grosvenor Street, she refers
to Mr and Mrs Knox as living "in this Street."
[9] Mrs Beaumont was the natural daughter of Sir Thomas Blackett, Bt. of
Bretton, who made her his heiress. She married Col. Beaumont, M.P.
[10] _Memoirs of Sir William Jones_, the orientalist, appended to his
Works, by Lord Teignmouth, 9 vols., 1799-1804.
[11] Maria Juliana, daughter of Robert Edward, both Baron Petre. Married
30th April 1805, to Stephen Philips, Esq., and died 27th January 1824.
[12] Charles, second son of George, 7th Baron Kinnaird, afterwards
succeeded his father as 8th Baron owing to the death of his elder brother,
who was killed by a tiger on the coast of Coromandel.
[13] Afterwards Sir Humphry Davy, the celebrated chemist, 1778-1829.
[14] See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_ vol. i., page 320.
[15] Lady Anna Maria Stanhope, eldest daughter of Charles, 3rd Earl of
Harrington, married Francis, 7th Duke of Bedford.
[16] Lord Alvanley, 1789-1849, entered the Coldstream Guards at an early
age; but being possessed of a large fortune, he subsequently left the
army, and gave himself up entirely to the pursuit of pleasure. He
eventually dissipated his fortune, but throughout his life remained noted
for his wit, his good humour, and his prominence in the world of fashion.
[17] Katharine, daughter of Robert Lowther, Esq., and sister of Sir James
Lowther, married Henry Paulet, 6th Duke of Bolton, Admiral of the White;
M.P. for Winchester, 1762-1765; Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire and Governor
of the Isle of Wight in 1782.
[18] George, 7th Baron Kinnaird, married Elizabeth, daughter of Griffin
Ransom, Esq., of New Palace Yard, Westminster, Banker. Died 11th October,
1805.
[19] Archibald John, eldest son of Neil, 3rd Earl of Rosebery.
[20] Clementina, Lady Perth, a daughter of the 10th Lord Elphinstone. Her
husband had died in 1800, and her daughter at this date was a child.
[21] _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii. page 328.
[22] See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii. pages 52, 122, 294.
Walter Ramsden Beaumont Hawkesworth, High Sheriff of Yorkshire whose
father, Walter Ramsden, had assumed the surname and arms of Hawkesworth,
pursuant to the will of his grandfather, Sir Walter Hawkesworth, and who
himself, in 1786, assumed the surname and arms of Fawkes, pursuant to the
will of his relation, Francis Fawkes of Farnley, who left him his estate.
[23] Edward, second son of the 1st Lord Vernon, Baron of Kinderton, and
his second wife, Martha, third daughter of the Hon. S. Harcourt, and
sister of Simon, 1st Earl Harcourt. Married, 1784, Anne, third daughter of
Granville, 1st Marquis of Stafford, and upon inheriting the Harcourt
estates assumed the surname of Harcourt.
[24] Sir James Graham, Bt. of Kirkstall, Co. York, born 1753, created a
Baronet, 1808, M.P. for Carlisle and Recorder of Appleby. Died, 1825.
[25] Frederick Edward Vernon, afterwards Vernon-Harcourt, fourth son of
the above; Admiral R.N.; married Marcis, daughter of Admiral J. R. Delap
Tollemache.
[26] The Hon. Henrietta Maria Monckton, second daughter of Viscount
Galway.
[27] George Granville Vernon, afterwards Vernon-Harcourt, eldest son of
the Bishop of Carlisle, afterwards Archbishop of York. Married first
Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Richard, 2nd Earl of Lucan; secondly,
Frances Elizabeth, Countess-Dowager of Waldegrave.
[28] See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii. page 291.
[29] General Count Woronzow, Ambassador to England. A celebrated Russian
General who played a prominent part in the overthrow of Bonaparte in 1814.
[30] See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, Vol. II., pages 151-152.
[31] Mark Singleton, Esq., married in 1785 to Lady Mary Cornwallis, only
daughter of the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Governor-General of India, who
had died in India, 5th October 1805.
[32] Charlotte Augusta Matilda, Princess Royal of England (1766-1828). In
1797 she married the future Elector and King of Wurtemburg. She behaved
with exceptional tact under the trying ordeal of receiving her country's
foe, and Napoleon treated her with a courtesy and consideration which he
seldom exhibited.
[33] Sir Robert Calder, Bt., 1745-1818, son of Sir James Calder of Muirton
in Morayshire. He entered the Navy at the age of fourteen, and in 1796
officiated as Captain of the Fleet, when he contributed to gain the famous
victory off Cape St Vincent. In 1798 he was created a baronet, and in 1799
attained to the rank of rear-admiral. In 1805 he was sent to cruise off
Finisterre in order to intercept the combined French and Spanish Fleet
under Villeneuve, and an engagement took place on June 22nd, as a result
of which Admiral Calder was severely censured, both for his mode of attack
and his failure to complete the engagement on the following day. On his
return to England he was tried by Court-martial, and was found guilty of
not having done his utmost to take and destroy the enemy's ships, owing to
an error of judgment; and was severely reprimanded. Later, the opinion
gained ground that he had been harshly treated. In 1810 he was appointed
port-admiral at Plymouth.
[34] Lord Erskine.
[35] Lord Grenville.
[36] Lord Henry Petty.
[37] "And everyone that was in distress and everyone that was in debt and
everyone that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him, and he
became a Captain over them."
[38] William Henry, afterwards 3rd Baron Lyttleton. Born 1782, married
1813, Lady Sarah Spencer, eldest daughter of 2nd Earl Spencer, succeeded
his half-brother in 1837.
[39] Osborne Markham, Esq., M.P., of Cufforth Hall, Co. York, born 1769,
married first, June 10th, 1806, the Lady Mary Thynne, daughter of Thomas,
1st Marquis of Bath.
[40] "The Pilot that weathered the Storm" was a song composed by Canning
to be sung on the birthday of William Pitt, May 28th, 1802.
[41] Edinburgh.
CHAPTER II
[1] Ralph Collingwood of East Ditchburn, _tempo_ Charles First, had two
sons: first, Cuthbert Collingwood, from whom the family of Lord
Collingwood is said to be descended; secondly, Edward Collingwood, from
whom the family of Winifred Collingwood was descended, and who were known
as the Collingwoods of Byker, Dissington, and Chirton.
[2] Robert Roddam, Senior Admiral of the Red, Commander-in-Chief at
Portsmouth, etc.; see _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii. pages 223,
248.
[3] Edward Collingwood, usually known as the Younger, of Chirton, Byker,
and Dissington, uncle to Mrs Spencer-Stanhope. See _Annals of a Yorkshire
House_, vol. ii. page 164.
[4] A letter to J. E. Blackett, Esq., written November 2nd, 1805.
[5] The soundings gave but thirteen fathoms of water with the Trafalgar
rocks to leeward.
[6] Governor-General of Andalusia.
[7] Viscount Castlereagh (1769-1822), who became, in 1821, 2nd Marquis of
Londonderry, was War Minister from July 1805 to January 1806, and again
from April 1807 to September 1809.
[8] _Hansard's Parliamentary Debates._
"_Feb. 11th. Lord Collingwood's Annuity Bill._
"Mr Spencer Stanhope, who stated that he had long had the honour of being
acquainted with Lord Collingwood and his family, recommended that instead
of the limitations at present in the Bill, it should be arranged that in
the case of the death of the meritorious officer, £1000 a year of the
proposed annuity should descend to his widow and £500 per year to each of
his daughters, to be held by them during their lives. This plan would be
infinitely more suitable than that which the Bill contained as Lord
Collingwood was not likely to have any more children and sure he was that
it would be much more agreeable to the family of that noble Lord and of
course to the feelings of that noble Lord himself. It would serve to
relieve much of that anxiety which must naturally arise in the breast of a
parent who is daily exposed to death in his country's cause, and who must
be sorely afflicted by the idea that his death would leave his family with
a very limited provision. Parliament, the Hon. Member had no doubt, would
be happy and prompt to release the feelings of that noble Lord from such
an afflicting prospect."
[9] Kindly lent to the author by Alfred Brewis, Esq., of Newcastle-on-
Tyne.
CHAPTER III
[1] Charles William, Viscount Milton, afterwards 5th Earl Fitzwilliam;
born May 4th, 1786, and at the age of twenty, in July 1806, married Mary,
fourth daughter of Thomas, 1st Lord Dundas.
[2] George, afterwards 6th Earl of Carlisle, K.G., Lord-Lieutenant of the
East Riding of Yorkshire; born, 1776; married, 1801, Georgiana, eldest
daughter and co-heir of William, 5th Duke of Devonshire, K.G.; died 1848.
[3] Caroline Isabella, eldest daughter of Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle;
married John, 1st Lord Cawdor, and died in 1848.
[4] William Wilberforce, 1759-1833. Returned as M.P. for Hull 1780, for
Yorkshire 1784. Although a great friend of Pitt, he was independent of
party. For nineteen years he fought for the abolition of the Slave Trade,
and was successful in 1807. He then fought for the total abolition of
slavery until compelled to retire from public life in 1825.
[5] Woolley Park, near Wakefield, then the seat of Godfrey Wentworth,
formerly Armytage, Esq., J.P. and D.L., who had assumed the surname and
arms of Wentworth on succeeding to the property of Woolley on the death of
his grandfather Godfrey Wentworth, Esq. of Woolley and Hickleton, M.P. for
York. The eldest daughter of the latter, Anna Maria, married Sir George
Armytage, Bart, of Kirkless, Co. York, and her third son thus succeeded
his grandfather in 1789.
[6] Godfrey Wentworth Armytage, Esq., afterwards Wentworth, married, in
1794, Amelia, daughter of Walter Ramsden Beaumont Hawksworth, Esq., who
afterwards took the name of Fawkes under the will of his cousin, Francis
Fawkes, Esq., of Farnley, Co. York.
[7] The governess.
[8] Robert Monckton Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway, K.B.; a Privy
Councillor and representative of York and Pontefract in different
Parliaments; married, in 1803, as his second wife, Mary Bridget, relict of
Peter Auriol Hay-Drummond, Esq., and only child of Pemberton Milnes, Esq.
of Bawtry Hall, Co. York.
[9] Michael Angelo Taylor, son of Sir R. Taylor, architect, whose fortune
endowed the Taylorian buildings at Oxford.
Michael Angelo was Recorder of Poole in 1784, and became member for that
borough the same year. He lived to be Father of the House. He was a
constant source of amusement to his fellow Parliamentarians on account of
his vanity and ostentation, and was a celebrated subject for Gilray's
caricatures. The summit of his ambition was reached when the Prince Regent
became his guest. See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii. pages 40-43.
[10] John Beaumont, Esquire of Whitley Beaumont, Yorkshire, born 1752,
died 1831; married Sarah, daughter of Humphrey Butler, Esquire of
Hereford.
[11] Francis Ward, second son of Neil, 3rd Earl of Rosebery.
[12] Angelica Catalani (1779-1849), who at this date was twenty-seven
years of age, was famous throughout Europe for her exquisite voice. She
had displayed extraordinary vocal powers from the age of six. In the
previous year, 1806, she had made £10,000 during an engagement of six
months in London.
[13] So called from the actor and manager, Michael Kelly.
[14] The two Princes of Holstein then visiting England were Auguste of
Schleswig-Holstein-Oldenburg (b. 1783) and his brother Peter Frederick
George (b. 1784). Denmark had secured Holstein in the previous September.
[15] Mrs Cator, Elizabeth Louisa, daughter of Sir Ross Mahon, Bart. of
Castlegar, Co. Galway, and Anne, daughter of the 1st Earl of Altamont.
[16] John Dennis, 3rd Earl of Altamont, created Marquis of Sligo in
Ireland 1800, and a Peer of the United Kingdom as Baron Monteagle of
Westport, Co. Mayo, 1806.
[17] John Cator, Esq. of Beckenham Place, Kent, and of Woodbastwick Hall,
Norfolk, mar., September 1806, Elizabeth Louisa, daughter of Sir Ross
Mahon, Bart. of Castlegar, Co. Galway.
[18] The Right Hon. John Smyth of Heath Hall, M.P. for Pontefract, and
successively a Lord of the Admiralty and Treasury, Master of the Mint and
Privy Councillor in 1772. Married Lady Georgiana Fitzroy, eldest daughter
of Augustus Henry, 3rd Duke of Grafton. See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_,
vol. ii., pages 108-113.
[19] Prince Paul Esterhazy, Austrian Minister at the Court of St James's.
[20] Isabella, eldest daughter and co-heir of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount
Irvine, wife of the 2nd Marquis of Hertford, K.G., Lord Chamberlain.
[21] Wife of Sir William Scott, afterwards Baron Stowel.
[22] See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii., page 319.
[23] Cecil-Jane, sixth daughter of the 2nd Baron Glentworth, who was
created Viscount and Earl of Limerick in 1803. She married, in 1828, Count
John Leopold Ferdinand Casimir de la Feld, a Count of the Holy Roman
Empire.
[24] Francis Pierrepont-Burton, 2nd Baron Conyngham, who, on inheriting
the titles and estates of his uncle, assumed the surname and arms of
Conyngham, married, in 1759, the eldest daughter of the Right Hon.
Nathaniel Clements, and sister of Robert, Earl of Leitrim. She died in
1814.
[25] Lady Charlotte Stewart, daughter of Alexander, 6th Earl of Galloway,
married, in 1759, John, 4th Earl of Dunmore.
[26] Susan, third daughter of the 4th Earl of Dunmore, married, first, in
1788, Joseph Tharpe, Esq. of Chippenham, Cambridge; secondly, John Drew,
Esq.; and thirdly, in 1809, the Rev. A. E. Douglas.
[27] Augusta, second daughter of 4th Earl of Dunmore, married, at Rome,
the 4th of April 1793, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, and was
re-married to H.R.H. the following December at St George's Church, Hanover
Square.
[28] Edward Charles, second son of William, 2nd Duke of Portland, and Lady
Margaret Cavendish Harley, only daughter and heir of Edward, 2nd Earl of
Oxford. Lord Edward Bentinck married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Richard
Cumberland, Esq., and had one son and three daughters. He died in 1819.
[29] The three Miss Bentincks were: Harriet, married, 1809, Sir William
Mordaunt Sturt Milner, Bart.; Elizabeth, married, 1812, Captain Henry
Wyndham; and Charlotte married Major Robert Garrett.
[30] Thomas, Viscount Cranley, who succeeded his father in 1814 as 2nd
Earl of Onslow.
[31] Robert Pemberton Milnes, Esq. of Fryston Hall and Bawtry Hall, Co.
York., M.P. for Pontefract, married, in 1808, the Hon. Henrietta Maria
Monckton, daughter of Robert Monckton Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway.
[32] This was probably one of the first occasions on which a waltz was
danced in England. See vol. ii. pages 182-183.
[33] Augusta, daughter of John, 9th Earl of Westmoreland, married, July
1781, Sir William Lowther, Bart., afterwards Baron and Viscount Lowther,
and who on April 7th, 1807, became Earl of Lonsdale. Elizabeth was their
eldest daughter.
[34] Sir John Sinclair, Bart. (1754-1835), was admitted to both the Scotch
and English Bars, and sat in Parliament 1780-1811. He established the
Board of Agriculture in 1793. He was an extensive and valuable author.
[35] Sir John Smith of Sydling, St Nicholas, Co. Dorset, born 1744, died
November 13th, 1807. Created a Baronet, 1774.
[36] The mother-in-law of John Wyldbore, son of Sir John Smith, afterwards
2nd Baronet, who married, in 1897, Elizabeth Ann, second daughter and co-
heiress of the Rev. James Marriott, D.C.L., of Horsemonden, Co. Kent.
[37] Jacquetta of Luxemburg, widow of the Duke of Bedford, married,
secondly, the brave and handsome knight, Sir Richard Woodville, when she
came to England in 1435 to claim her dower. The birth of her eldest child
Elizabeth probably occurred in 1436. The marriage caused great scandal and
Sir Richard was imprisoned; but was subsequently released and they settled
at Grafton Castle. The Duchess kept the rank of aunt to the King; and on
occasions of ceremony was the first lady in the land till the marriage of
the King. Her daughter Elizabeth subsequently took high rank among the
maids of honour of Margaret of Anjou and was the belle of her Court.
[38] John Grey, heir of Lord Ferrars of Groby.
[39] In the above extract, the spelling, as transcribed by Mrs Stanhope,
has been adhered to.
CHAPTER IV
[1] Archibald John, Viscount Primrose and his brother Francis, sons of
Neil, 3rd Earl of Rosebery. They were given the nicknames of "Roast Beef"
and "Plum Pudding" owing to their invariable habit of dining with Mr and
Mrs Spencer-Stanhope every Sunday.
[2] Count Charles Holmar, a subject of the King of Denmark, but Master of
the Horse to the Duke of Holstein Oldenburg, and Tutor to the Princes of
Holstein Oldenburg.
[3] John, second Marquis of Lansdowne, married, 27th May 1805, Maria
Arabella, daughter of the Rev. Hinton Maddock of "Darland," Wales, and
relict of Sir Duke Gifford, Bart, of Castle Jordan in Ireland, who died in
1801. In her Will, dated December 31st, 1821, Lady Lansdowne mentions five
daughters by her first husband.
[4] _Almach's_, vol. iii., pages 201-2.
[5] Archibald John, Viscount Primrose, afterwards 4th Earl of Rosebery,
married, first, on May 20th, 1808, Henrietta, second daughter of the Hon.
Bartholomew Bouverie, and grandson of William, 1st Earl of Radnor. He
divorced her in 1815.
[6] Emily, daughter and heiress of Gerard de Visme, Esq. Lady Shelley, her
schoolfellow, describes her as "the most beautiful being I have ever
beheld. Her classic-shaped head and Spanish air--her mother was a
Portuguese--added to a slight and not too tall figure, attracted much
attention, and she was universally admired. Her accomplishments were as
remarkable as her beauty. She played the harp exquisitely, and excelled
also on the piano and in singing. She spoke French and Italian fluently
and with a perfect accent." _Diary of Frances, Lady Shelley_, pub. John
Murray, 1812, page 15. Miss De Visme married, June 28th, 1810, Henry (Sir)
Murray, K.C.B., a distinguished officer, born 1784, died 1860, fourth son
of David, 7th Viscount Stormont and 2nd Earl of Mansfield, by his second
wife Louisa, third daughter of Charles, 9th Lord Catheart, of the 14th
Dragoons.
[7] Probably Miss Calcraft, who married, in 1812, Sir John Burke of Marble
Hill, Bt., sister to Miss Belle Calcraft. _See_ p. 356.
[8] The Argyle Rooms in Regent's Street were looked upon as a rival to the
still more fashionable Almack's. Balls and masquerades were given there,
presided over by Colonel Greville, a man of the _haut ton_, who ruled,
however, with a less arbitrary sway than the famous Patronesses of
Almack's. The facade of the building to-day remains much as it was a
century ago.
[9] Henry Bankes, Esq. of Kingston Hall, M.P. for Corfe Castle from 1780
to 1826, and for Co. Dorset from that time to 1831, married Frances,
daughter of William Woodey, Esq., Governor of the Leeward Islands, and,
besides four sons, had two daughters, Anne Frances, married Edward 4th
Viscount and 1st Earl of Falmouth, died 1864, and Maria Wynne, married the
Hon. Thomas Stapleton.
[10] John Stanhope adds some years later: "I have associated with many
persons engaged in that memorable retreat, and I gather from their remarks
that as far as Astorga, it was admirably conducted, and that to the
rapidity of their march, the army was entirely indebted for its safety.
But from that period, at which there appeared to be no further occasion
for so rapid a movement, _its celerity was increased_. The Troops were
passing through a mountainous district, which at every step offered them
an admirable position for attack, and they were pursued by an army which
they might have defeated at any time with as much ease as they
subsequently defeated it at Corunna. It appears also that they suffered
more from the rapidity of the march than they could have done in any
general engagement; but it is not easy to form a correct opinion on the
subject without knowing the situation of the army with respect to
provisions and money; and also without being able to judge whether there
was danger of their retreat being cut off.
"I have been informed that Moore ought on no account to have evacuated
Corunna, that he had ample facilities for defending it against all the
efforts of the French....
"Undoubtedly, as a diversion, Sir John Moore's advance into Spain fully
succeeded and probably saved the Peninsula; but as that was not a result
upon which he calculated, I doubt whether it can be adduced as a
justification for a measure undertaken against his own judgment;
subsequent events have shewn how much higher his reputation would have
stood had he persevered in his original intentions. What the Duke of
Wellington now is, Sir John Moore would almost inevitably have been."
[11] Henrietta Maria, eldest daughter and co-heir of Robert Vernon
Atherton, Esq., of Atherton Hall, Co. Lancaster, married, 1797, Thomas,
Baron Lilford, and had six sons and six daughters.
[12] Charles Bankes, Major in the Army, second son of Philip, 2nd Earl
Stanhope, born 1785, killed at the Battle of Corunna, January 16th, 1809.
[13] Lord James Murray, son of the 4th Duke of Athol, a Major-General in
the Army, who in 1821 became Lord Glenlyon. He then resided in Cumberland
Place. He died in 1837, and his son succeeded as 6th Duke of Athol in
1846.
[14] _Reminiscences of Michael Kelly_, vol. ii., pages 281-284.
[15] Julia, only child and heiress of Sir George Augustus William
Shuckburgh, Bart., and Julia Annabella, d. and sole heiress of James
Evelyn of Felbridge, Co. Surrey. Married 1810, the Hon. Charles Cope
Jenkinson and died in 1814.
[16] The Colonel was addicted to drink.
[17] Katherine, Duchess of Bolton (see _ante_, page 18), died March 21st,
1809, at 32 Grosvenor Square.
[18] Not only shoes were often home-made, but at a later date Mrs Stanhope
had a maid who could make her gloves. The latter articles of attire,
moveover, were more elaborate than those of to-day. The long gloves of the
days of the Empire had a piece inserted at the elbow which made them sit
without creasing to the shape of the arm, so that they had none of the
untidy appearance which modern long gloves are apt to present, and the
term "to fit like a glove" was then singularly appropriate.
[19] John Russell, Earl Russell, K.G., 1792-1878, the third son of the 6th
Duke of Bedford, studied at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1813 was
returned for Tavistock. He became a prominent politician. In 1830 he was
Paymaster of the Forces; he was one of the four Members of the Government
entrusted with the task of framing the first Reform Bill, and on him
devolved the honour of proposing it. In 1846 he became Prime Minister till
1852, and again in 1865 on the death of Lord Palmerston, but was defeated
in the following June on his new Reform Bill, and resigned.
[20] Sir William Henry Douglas, Bart, Vice-Admiral of the Blue, died
unmarried, May 1809. The title devolved upon his brother, Sir Howard who
had married, in July 1799, Anne, eldest daughter of James Dundas, Esq.
[21] The story which Lord Houghton used to tell on the subject was that
after his father had refused the place in the Ministry pressed upon him by
Mr Perceval, he sent to the friend with whom he had made the bet (whose
name had never transpired) a copy of Mr Perceval's letter, and a cheque
for £100. See _The Life, Letters and Friendships of Monckton Milnes, Lord
Houghton_, by T. Wemyss Reid (1890), vol. i., page 2.
[22] The Hon. Mr Eden, eldest son of Lord Auckland, a fine sensible youth
of five-and-twenty. He left his parents' house about 9.30 in the evening,
saying he would be home in half an hour. A month later his body was found
in the Thames, and was identified by his watch and seals.
[23] On February 11th, 1910, Sir Thomas Gascoigne Bt. of Parlington Hall,
Co. York, died of grief for the loss of his son who had been killed by a
fall from his horse a short time previously.
[24] Of Kirkleatham, Yorkshire.
[25] Sir Francis Burdett, M.P., for Westminster supported Gale Jones, a
Radical Orator in the seditious speech. He was accused of breach of
privilege and a warrant issued for his arrest. The Westminster mob rose on
his behalf, and he barricaded his house in Piccadilly in order to defy the
warrant, but was ultimately arrested and confined in the Tower. Riots
ensued, and the town was guarded by thousands of soldiers.
[26] Thomas Dundas, Esq., of Fingask Hall, Co. Stirling, M.P., married,
1784, Lady Elizabeth Eleanora Home, daughter of Alexander, 9th Earl of
Home.
[27] Their daughter Charlotte, called by Mrs Stanhope La Belle, was
extremely handsome, and at one time considered the belle of Edinburgh.
[28] Lord James Murray, second son of the 4th Duke of Athol, married, May
19th, 1810, Emily Frances, second daughter of Hugh, 2nd Duke of
Northumberland.
[29] Anne Maria, daughter of Sir H. W. Dashwood, Bt., married, 1810, John,
2nd Marquis of Ely, K.P.P.C., died 1857.
CHAPTER V
[1] Charles (Sir) Stuart, G.C.B., born 1779, afterwards Ambassador at the
Court of France; grandson of John, 3rd Earl of Bute. He was created Baron
Stuart de Rothesay in Jan. 1828. He married, 1816, Elizabeth Margaret, 3rd
daughter of Philip, third Earl of Hardwick, and died in 1845.
[2] A portion of the Journals of John Spencer-Stanhope, relating to this
period, has been edited (see Memoirs of A. M. W. Pickering, 1903), but all
the following anecdotes collected from his letters and notes at that date
are here published for the first time.
[3] William Carr Beresford (1768-1854). After a brilliant military service
he was, in 1814, elevated to the Peerage as Lord Beresford and advanced to
the Viscounty in 1823. In 1832 he married his cousin, the widow of Thomas
Hope, Esq., of Deepdene, Surrey. See ante, page 49.
[4] James, Viscount Macduff, afterwards 4th Earl of Fife, K.T., G.C.B.,
Knight of the Order of St Ferdinand of Spain and of the Sword of Sweden,
obtained a Barony of the United Kingdom as Baron Fife in 1827. Born 1776,
married, 1799, Mary Caroline, second daughter of the late John Manners,
Esq., and Louisa, Countess of Dysart; she died Dec. 20th, 1805, without
issue. The Earl greatly distinguished himself during the Peninsular War,
having volunteered his services, and obtained the rank of major-general in
the Spanish patriotic army. He was wounded at the battle of Talavera, and
again at the storming of Fort Matagorda, near Cadiz, of which he was one
of the most celebrated defenders. He died in 1857, and was succeeded by
his nephew.
[5] Aloys von Reding (1765-1818), as Captain General of his own canton,
repulsed the French at Morgarten in 1808.
[6] José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa, born in 1780, made the
heroic defence of Saragossa, from July 1808 to February 1809; was carried
prisoner to France and not released till 1813. He was made Duke of
Saragossa in 1836 and grandee of Spain 1837 and died in 1847.
[7] Andrew Thomas, Lord Blayney, born, 30th Nov. 1770, died, April 1838.
In 1794 he became major of the 89th foot, having raised part of that
regiment. He served in Holland, Malta, Minorca, and the Cape, and after
the expedition to Buenos Ayres was sent to Cadiz in July 1810, as major-
general. He was, however, taken prisoner on making an attack with a small
mixed force on Malaga, and was not released until 1814.
[8] John, Viscount Kelburne and Lord Boyle, eldest son of George, 4th Earl
of Glasgow, by his first wife Augusta, daughter of James, 14th Earl of
Erroll, born 12th August 1779, served in R.N.; taken prisoner by the
French and sent to Verdun, where he was detained till July 1814; died at
Tunbridge Wells, 1818.
[9] Christopher, eldest son of the Ven. John Strachey, Archdeacon of
Suffolk, and Chaplain in Ordinary to George III., by his wife Anne, only
daughter of George Wombwell, Esqre., consul at Alicant and head of the
eldest branch of the family of Wombwell, of Yorkshire. Born 1778,
Christopher became rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy, and Knight of the
Russian order of St Vladimir. He married Mlle. Marguerite, only daughter
of Col. de la Roche of Verdun-sur-Meuse, France, Knight of St Louis, etc.,
and died in 1855, having had a family of nine children, six of whom
survived him.
[10] A lady who collects for some charitable purpose.
[11] _Extracts from the Journals of John Spencer Stanhope_, 1810-1813.
Published, 1903. Page 452.
CHAPTER VI
[1] Walter Boyd, born in 1745; of the firm of Boyd, Benfield, & Co; an
intimate friend of Pitt and Melville. He is supposed to have been saved
from bankruptcy by a loan which Lord Melville advanced to him out of the
public funds, and on account of which the latter was afterwards impeached.
See _Annals of a Yorkshire House_, vol. ii., pages 287-291.
[2] With reference to this episode at the Institute Stanhope adds: "I find
that the learned Editor of the _Quarterly Review_ has been as much taken
in as were the savants of whom he speaks. One of his articles states that
the late President of the Cour of Cassation--the Magistrate, according to
M. Roger Collard, of whom regenerated France has most reason to be proud--
expressed himself as follows to three of the most distinguished men of
science of the day: 'I regard the discovery of a dish as a more
interesting event than the discovery of a star, for we have always stars
enough, but we never have too many dishes; and I shall not regard the
Sciences as sufficiently honoured or adequately represented among us,
until I see a cook in the first class of the Institute.'
"It is quite evident from this that the Editor supposes that M. de Baure
was quite serious in making that observation, and no less so that the
distinguished literary men, from some of whom he must have derived his
information, must have been equally convinced of the fact. I was present,
however, on the occasion, and can assert that nothing could be more
contrary to the real state of the case."
[3] _Olympia or Topography illustrative of the actual state of the Plain
of Olympia and of the Ruins of the City of Elis_, published by John Murray
in 1817. It was re-published in 1824 and 1835, and again, with the
addition of many engravings, in 1865, under the title of _Plataea,
Olympia, Elis_.
[4] Joachim Murat, an inn-keeper's son, born in 1771, at the Revolution
entered the army and soon rose to be Colonel. He served under Bonaparte in
Italy and Egypt, became General of Division, and in command of the Cavalry
at Marengo he covered himself with glory. Bonaparte gave him his sister,
Caroline, in marriage. In 1806 the grandduchy of Berg was bestowed upon
him; in 1808 he was proclaimed King of the Two Sicilies, as Joachim 1st,
and took possession of Naples. After Napoleon's final overthrow he
proceeded with a few followers to the coast of Calabria, and proclaimed
himself King; but being taken, he was tried by Court-martial, and shot on
October 15th, 1815. His widow subsequently assumed the title of Countess
of Lipona and lived near Trieste. He left two sons, the elder of whom
married a niece of Washington.
[5] Frederick Douglas, 1791-1819, M.P. for Banbury, a son of Lord
Glenbervie.
[6] John Stanhope subsequently wrote: "I know the existence of the
conspiracy is denied, but how account for the conduct of Napoleon after
his return save from the supposition that he was fettered by the
engagements he had made in his exile?... He threw himself entirely into
the arms of that party to which he had hitherto evinced the greatest
hostility, and which, upon principle, were opposed to his system of
Government. He appointed Fouché, whom he had offended and disgraced, and
Carnot, the most unbending republican in France, to be Ministers instead
of resuming the Empire just as he had left it. He did not establish
himself in the Palace of the Tuileries, by which he showed his weakness
without gaining a single partisan.... He should either at once have
entered upon the Imperial Government, prorogued the Chamber till the fate
of France was decided by arms, or he should have adopted the Constitution
which he found actually existing, pledging himself to make, subsequently,
such modifications as the country might desire; but, in fact, _till he
found himself at the head of his army he was not his own master, he was
bound by the chains he himself had forged_, and which he, no doubt, would
have immediately broken had he been successful at Waterloo.... The
legislative body were undoubtedly prepared to adopt any expedient for
limiting the Imperial or Royal Prerogatives, and it was a great oversight
on his part to leave them sitting. He should not have remained in Paris at
all, but to have put himself immediately at the head of the army and to
have given the Government of Paris to a General in whom he could
implicitly confide. His only chance was to have been able to say,
'L'Empire--c'est moi!'"
CHAPTER VII
[1] Alderman Richard Carr-Glyn, an eminent banker of London, born 1755,
eldest son of Sir Richard Glyn, 1st Bart, of Ewell, by his wife Elizabeth,
daughter and co-heir of Robert Carr, Esq., served as Lord Mayor in 1798
and was created a baronet in 1800. He married Mary, daughter of John
Plumtre, Esq., M.P. for Nottingham. Died in 1838.
[2] Thomas Christopher, 1789-1827, 3rd son of the above, afterwards a
barrister-at-law. Married Grace Julia, daughter of Thomas Charles Bigge,
Esq.
[3] William Fitzhugh, Esq., lived at Bannister Lodge, near Southampton,
and represented Tiverton in five Parliaments. His wife was celebrated for
her infatuation for Mrs Siddons, whom she entertained constantly at
Bannister Lodge, and whom she followed to London, for years attending on
the celebrated actress all day and spending the evening in her dressing-
room at the theatre. In 1803 Mrs Siddons wrote, "My dear Mrs Fitzhugh
grudges every moment that I am not by her side."
[4] Joseph Jekyll, 1754-1837. Celebrated wit, raconteur, and diner-out.
Jerder speaks of him as having a somewhat Voltaire-like countenance, a
flexible person and agreeable voice.
[5] He was second son of George Adams, afterwards Anson, who inherited the
fortune of his uncle, Admiral Lord Anson; and he was brother to Thomas,
afterwards Viscount Anson of Shugborough, who married Anne Margaret,
second daughter of Thomas William Coke, Esq., afterwards 1st Earl of
Leicester.
[6] Douglas, fifth son of 7th Baron Kinnaird, a banker in Westminster;
born, 1788; died, unmarried, 1830.
[7] A Tilbury, so-called after the maker, was a very tall gig on two large
wheels, for driving in which ladies usually wore what was termed a
"riding-dress."
[8] John Charles, eldest son of 2nd Earl Spencer, (1782-1845). A
distinguished member of the House of Commons, and Chancellor of the
Exchequer from 1830 to 1834. Succeeded his father as 3rd Earl Spencer in
1834.
[9] Lady Caroline Lamb, 1785-1828, known by the nickname of the Bat,
daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bessborough, by his wife, Lady Henrietta
Spencer, sister of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. She married, June
3rd, 1805, William Lamb, afterwards Lord Melbourne. Her infatuation for
Byron caused much scandal during 1812-13.
[10] Prince Theodore Demetrius de Bauffremont-Courtenay, born 22nd Dec.
1793, married, in 1819, Mlle. de Montmorency.
[11] _Almack's_, a novel, vol. iii., pp. 227-9.
[12] This rumour must have been false, as Madame Catalani did not retire
from the stage till 1827, when she settled near Florence. She had
accumulated a large fortune by her successful career, and had continued to
charge a price for her services which at that date was unprecedented. It
is said that on one occasion, when she had been invited to Stowe as a
guest, she was asked to sing, and in consequence charged the Duke £1700
for the pleasure she had afforded his guests. But doubt has been cast on
this story. Her Susannah, in _Le Nozze di Figaro_, was one of her most
famous impersonations. She died of Cholera in 1849.
[13] Sir Philip Hales, Bart. of Brymore, Somerset, died 12th February
1824, having married in 1795 Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Smith of
Keyworth, Notts. She died 1834.
[14] Sophia, third daughter of Colonel and Mrs Beaumont.
[15] Charles Peter Shakerley, Esq., of Somerford Park, born 27th December,
1792, created a baronet, 1838. Married first in 1819 Rosalba D'Avaray,
daughter of the Due D'Avaray, and secondly, in 1831, Jessy, daughter of
James Scott, Esq. He was the son of Charles Watkin John Buckworth, Esq.,
of Somerford Park, Cheshire, who had assumed by Act of Parliament in 1790
the Surname and Arms of Shakerley only, and was High Sheriff of the Co. of
Chester in the following year.
[16] William Frederick, 2nd Duke of Gloucester, 1776-1834, served as
Colonel of First Foot Guards in Flanders in 1794. Married, in 1816, his
cousin Mary, 4th daughter of George III.
[17] See _ante_.
[18] An Irish lady whose maiden name was Owenson. She married Sir Charles
Morgan, and wrote various novels, being often called by the name of one of
them--_The Wild Irish Girl_. Two of her works, _France_ and _Italy_, made
some stir at the time of their publication. Their sale was forbidden in
Sardinia, Rome and Austria, and their author prohibited from visiting the
latter kingdom.
[19] Edward, third son of Walter Spencer-Stanhope and Mary Winifred, his
wife, who, in 1820, married Arabella, daughter of General Calcraft. See
_ante_, _Dramatis Personae_. page ix.
[20] General Sir Robert Thomas Wilson, 1777-1849. He fought at Lützen and
Brantzen in 1813; he was M.P. for Southwark in 1818-1830. He was dismissed
from the Army for his conduct at Queen Caroline's funeral, but reinstated
in 1830. He published military and autobiographical works.
[21] The wife of a Russian Ambassador. She was an admirable musician.
[22] Probably Francis, eldest son of Lord William Russell; born 1793,
died, unmarried, 1832.
[23] Georgina Frederica, daughter of the Hon. Henry Fitzroy; married, July
25th, 1814, Henry, Marquis of Worcester, died May 11th, 1821, and left two
daughters. She died at the house of her uncle, the Duke of Wellington. She
was very pretty, and one of the leaders of fashion.
[24] He married again in June, 1822, Emily Frances, daughter of Charles
Culling Smith, Esq., and his wife, _née_ Lady Anne Wellesley.
[25] See _ante_, p. 157.
[26] Frederick Dodsworth, D.D., Senior Canon of Windsor, who died in his
eighty-third year, 31st March 1821.