Charles Francis Greville
Encyclopedia
Charles Francis Greville PC, FRS
(12 May 1749 – 23 May 1809), was a British antiquarian, collector and politician.
, by Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of Lord Archibald Hamilton
. George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick
, and Robert Fulke Greville
, were his brothers.
in Rome. He also purchased through his uncle a genre piece by Annibale Carracci
.
As a Fellow of the Royal Society, his special interest was in minerals and precious stones, which were catalogued by the émigré Jacques Louis, comte de Bournon and were later purchased via Act of Parliament for the British Museum
. He was good friends with James Smithson
, whom he sponsored for membership in the Royal Society
and with whom he exchanged minerals.
Greville remained for years a very close friend of Sir Joseph Banks
and, like him, a member of the Society of Dilettanti. He accompanied Bansk at the organizing meeting in March 1804 of the precursor to the Royal Horticultural Society
, the Society for the Improvement of Horticulture.
The nephew of Sir William Hamilton
, the British envoy at Naples
who formed two collections of Greek vases, one of which is at the British Museum
, Greville briefly (1782–86) had for a mistress Emma Hart, whom he educated and took to George Romney
's studio where he was sitting for his own portrait; Romney became fascinated with the beautiful Emma, who later became Sir William's Lady Hamilton and eventually Lord Nelson's lover.
in the House of Commons
. He held the seat until 1790. He served as a Lord of the Treasury
from 1780 to 1782, as Treasurer of the Household
from 1783 to 1784 and as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
from 1794 to 1804 and was sworn of the Privy Council
in 1783.
, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, is due to Greville's entrepreneurial spirit. When it was the property of Sir William Hamilton, Greville applied for an Act of Parliament
to enable Hamilton and his heirs to make docks, construct quays, establish markets, with roads and avenues to the port, to regulate the police, and make the place a station for conveying the mails. The first structure was a coaching inn. Natives of Nantucket were induced to settle, and for some decades Milford was a whaling
port. A royal dockyard was established during the Napoleonic Wars
. At his death in 1803, Hamilton bequeathed it to his nephew.
to flower for the first time under glass, in the winter of 1806-07. His contributions to the herbarium assembled by Sir James Edward Smith are preserved by the Linnaean Society of London. The Australasian genus Grevillea
is named in his honour. In the latter part of his life he lived at Warwick Castle
.
Greville died in May 1809, aged 60. Greville Island, in the South Island
of New Zealand
, was named to honour his memory by Ensign Barallier, in 1820. Greville plays a role in Susan Sontag
's 1992 novel The Volcano Lover
, about Sir William Hamilton.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(12 May 1749 – 23 May 1809), was a British antiquarian, collector and politician.
Background
Greville was the second son of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of WarwickFrancis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick
Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick KT , known as Lord Brooke from 1727 to 1746 and Earl Brooke from 1746 to 1759, was a British nobleman....
, by Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of Lord Archibald Hamilton
Lord Archibald Hamilton
Lord Archibald Hamilton was a British politician.Hamilton was the youngest son of William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton and Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. He became a Captain in the Royal Navy and in 1708, was elected as MP for Lanarkshire...
. George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick
George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick
George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, FRS, FSA , styled Lord Greville until 1773, was a British nobleman and politician....
, and Robert Fulke Greville
Robert Fulke Greville
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Fulke Greville FRS MP was a British Member of Parliament and courtier.The son of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick and Elizabeth Hamilton, and brother to Charles Francis Greville, he was educated at Edinburgh University...
, were his brothers.
Art collections
Greville lived on a stringent income of ₤500 a year, but managed to acquire antiquities from Gavin HamiltonGavin Hamilton
Gavin Hamilton was an early modern Scottish prelate, coadjutor of the Archdiocese of St. Andrews, and Archbishop of St. Andrews.Gavin was the son of James Hamilton of Raploch. He had been Abbot of Kilwinning. In 1555, he was appointed as the coadjutor, i.e. successor, of Archbishop John Hamilton of...
in Rome. He also purchased through his uncle a genre piece by Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
.
As a Fellow of the Royal Society, his special interest was in minerals and precious stones, which were catalogued by the émigré Jacques Louis, comte de Bournon and were later purchased via Act of Parliament for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. He was good friends with James Smithson
James Smithson
James Smithson, FRS, M.A. was a British mineralogist and chemist noted for having left a bequest in his will to the United States of America, to create "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men" to be called the Smithsonian Institution.-Biography:Not much is known...
, whom he sponsored for membership in the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and with whom he exchanged minerals.
Greville remained for years a very close friend of Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
and, like him, a member of the Society of Dilettanti. He accompanied Bansk at the organizing meeting in March 1804 of the precursor to the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
, the Society for the Improvement of Horticulture.
The nephew of Sir William Hamilton
William Hamilton (diplomat)
Sir William Hamilton KB, PC, FRS was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist. After a short period as a Member of Parliament, he served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800...
, the British envoy at Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
who formed two collections of Greek vases, one of which is at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, Greville briefly (1782–86) had for a mistress Emma Hart, whom he educated and took to George Romney
George Romney (painter)
George Romney was an English portrait painter. He was the most fashionable artist of his day, painting many leading society figures - including his artistic muse, Emma Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson....
's studio where he was sitting for his own portrait; Romney became fascinated with the beautiful Emma, who later became Sir William's Lady Hamilton and eventually Lord Nelson's lover.
Political career
When his father died in 1773 and his brother became Earl of Warwick, Greville inherited his seat of WarwickWarwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Warwick was a parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Warwick, within the larger Warwickshire constituency of England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then to the...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. He held the seat until 1790. He served as a Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
from 1780 to 1782, as Treasurer of the Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
from 1783 to 1784 and as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is an officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He or she is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Vice-Chamberlain's main role is to compile...
from 1794 to 1804 and was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1783.
Milford Haven
The construction of the seaport of Milford HavenMilford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, is due to Greville's entrepreneurial spirit. When it was the property of Sir William Hamilton, Greville applied for an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to enable Hamilton and his heirs to make docks, construct quays, establish markets, with roads and avenues to the port, to regulate the police, and make the place a station for conveying the mails. The first structure was a coaching inn. Natives of Nantucket were induced to settle, and for some decades Milford was a whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
port. A royal dockyard was established during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. At his death in 1803, Hamilton bequeathed it to his nephew.
Personal life
Greville never married. He lived for years in a house facing Paddington Green, then a suburban district of London, where he indulged his passion for gardening in a large garden provided with glasshouses in which he grew many rare tropical plants, aided by his connection with Banks, and where he managed to coax Vanilla planifoliaVanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
to flower for the first time under glass, in the winter of 1806-07. His contributions to the herbarium assembled by Sir James Edward Smith are preserved by the Linnaean Society of London. The Australasian genus Grevillea
Grevillea
Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees...
is named in his honour. In the latter part of his life he lived at Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
.
Greville died in May 1809, aged 60. Greville Island, in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, was named to honour his memory by Ensign Barallier, in 1820. Greville plays a role in Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
's 1992 novel The Volcano Lover
The Volcano Lover
The Volcano Lover is a 1992 novel by Susan Sontag, set largely in Naples.It focuses upon Emma Hamilton, her marriage to Sir William Hamilton, the scandal relating to her affair with Lord Nelson, her abandonment, and her descent into poverty....
, about Sir William Hamilton.