Colonel Francis Charteris
Encyclopedia
Colonel Francis Charteris (baptised 4 April 1675 – 24 February 1732), nicknamed "The Rape-Master General", was a Scottish
gentleman
who earned a substantial sum of money through gambling
and the South Sea Bubble. He was convicted for raping
a servant in 1730, but was subsequently pardon
ed, before dying of natural causes shortly afterwards.
. Even before his conviction, he was notorious and despised by many in London
as an archetypal
rake
. He had a serial military career, being dismissed from service four times; the third time in the Southern Netherlands
by the Duke of Marlborough
, for cheat
ing at cards, and the fourth time by Parliament
for accepting bribes
. Despite his military dismissals, he amassed a considerable fortune.
s paintings, A Rake's Progress
and A Harlot's Progress
(where he is represented as the fat lecher in the first plate), and in Fanny Hill
. He was condemned by Alexander Pope
in his Moral Essay III, written in 1733. Parallels were drawn between Charteris' sexual excesses, and the greed of politicians such as Robert Walpole
. Some sources say that he was a founding member of the Hellfire Club
, although the famous club founded by Francis Dashwood did not begin to meet until 1743. He may have been a member of the original "Hell-Fire Club" founded by Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton
in 1720. Leslie Charteris
, creator of Simon Templar
, The Saint, was a later admirer, and legally changed his surname to Charteris from Bowyer-Yin.
, in 1720, and his grandson, Francis Wemyss Charteris, 7th Earl of Wemyss
, adopted his mother's maiden name in 1732 when he inherited his grandfather's estates.
Charteris' reputation preceded his trial for raping a servant named Anne Bond. In fact, when Bond was hired, on 24 October 1729, she was informed that her employer was "Colonel Harvey" for fear that his reputation would put off his prospective new employee. Charteris had a number of contacts who engaged in this pursuit, regularly hiring women to work as servants who would then be trapped and then "urged" to have sex with him. When Bond began to work, she was immediately besieged by "Harvey's" advances, along with offers of money, but she refused. On her third day of employment, Anne realised that Harvey was in fact Colonel Francis Charteris, and requested to leave. This request was refused and staff were positioned so as not to allow her to escape.
The next morning, 10 November, Charteris attacked and raped Bond. There were no witnesses, Charteris' servants in the next room later testified that they heard nothing. Bond then told Charteris that she was going to the authorities over the crime, so he ordered servants to whip her and take her belongings and throw her out the door, telling them that she had stolen money from him. With assistance from Mary Parsons, perhaps a former employer, Bond brought a complaint for the misdemeanour of "assault with intent to commit rape." The Middlesex
grand jury
originally found grounds to proceed with this charge, but later upgraded the charge to the capital felony
of rape.
Charteris was tried for rape at the Old Bailey
on 27 February 1730. The trial was a media sensation. The defence attacked the virtue and motives of the complainant, accusing her of compliance, prostitution, theft, and extortion. However, many of his witnesses and documents were shown to be false, and the jury
quickly found him guilty. He was sentenced to death
on 2 March, and held in Newgate Prison
.
After a substantial campaign to clear Charteris' name, joined, remarkably, by Anne Bond (who was possibly prompted by the promise of an annuity), King George II
granted him a pardon
on 10 April 1730. As a convicted felon
, his property should have been forfeit
under the doctrine of attainder
, but he petitioned the King for its return. In composition for his offence, he paid substantial sums to the sheriff
s of London and Middlesex. He was also suspected of having given substantial gifts to various important individuals. Jonathan Swift
commented on Charteris in several poems. In Lines on the Death of Dr. Swift (1731), he explains "Chartres" as, "a most infamous, vile scoundrel, grown from a foot-boy, or worse, to a prodigious fortune both in England and Scotland: he had a way of insinuating himself into all Ministers under every change, either as pimp, flatterer, or informer. He was tried at seventy for a rape, and came off by sacrificing a great part of his fortune" (note to l. 189).
He died from natural causes in Edinburgh
in 1732, possibly from a condition caused by his stay in Newgate Prison. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard
; his coffin was attacked on its way to the graveyard, and it is said that dead cats were thrown into his grave. Upon his death, John Arbuthnot
published Epitaph on Don Francisco in The London Magazine (April 1732). In it, he wrote that Charteris was a man,
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
who earned a substantial sum of money through gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and the South Sea Bubble. He was convicted for raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
a servant in 1730, but was subsequently pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
ed, before dying of natural causes shortly afterwards.
Early life
Charteris was born into a well-connected family and baptised in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Even before his conviction, he was notorious and despised by many in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as an archetypal
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
. He had a serial military career, being dismissed from service four times; the third time in the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
by the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, for cheat
Cheat
Cheat can refer to:* A cheat code, a hidden means of gaining an advantage in a computer or video game* Cheat!, a television show on the G4 network* The Cheat, a 1915 Cecil B...
ing at cards, and the fourth time by Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
for accepting bribes
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
. Despite his military dismissals, he amassed a considerable fortune.
In literature
Charteris was the inspiration for the characters in William HogarthWilliam Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
s paintings, A Rake's Progress
A Rake's Progress
A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–33 then engraved and published in print form in 1735...
and A Harlot's Progress
A Harlot's Progress
A Harlot's Progress is a series of six paintings and engravings by William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, Mary Hackabout, who arrives in London from the country and becomes a prostitute...
(where he is represented as the fat lecher in the first plate), and in Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland first published in England in 1748...
. He was condemned by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
in his Moral Essay III, written in 1733. Parallels were drawn between Charteris' sexual excesses, and the greed of politicians such as Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
. Some sources say that he was a founding member of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century, and was more formally or cautiously known as the "Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe"...
, although the famous club founded by Francis Dashwood did not begin to meet until 1743. He may have been a member of the original "Hell-Fire Club" founded by Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton
Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton
Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton , powerful Jacobite politician, notorious libertine and rake, profligate, and alcoholic, was one of the few people in English history, and the first since the 15th century, to have been raised to a Dukedom whilst still a minor and not closely related to the...
in 1720. Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
, creator of Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, The Saint, was a later admirer, and legally changed his surname to Charteris from Bowyer-Yin.
Personal life
Charteris married Helen Swinton, the daughter of Alexander Swinton, Lord Mersington; their daughter Janet married James Wemyss, 5th Earl of WemyssJames Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss
James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss was the son of David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss.He was key to securing his father-in-law's release from Newgate after he was sentenced to hang for the capital felony of rape....
, in 1720, and his grandson, Francis Wemyss Charteris, 7th Earl of Wemyss
Francis Charteris, 7th Earl of Wemyss
Francis Wemyss Charteris was a Scottish landowner who claimed to be 7th Earl of Wemyss.Charteris was the second son of James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss and his wife Janet, daughter and wealthy heiress of Colonel Francis Charteris...
, adopted his mother's maiden name in 1732 when he inherited his grandfather's estates.
Rape of Anne Bond
The next morning, 10 November, Charteris attacked and raped Bond. There were no witnesses, Charteris' servants in the next room later testified that they heard nothing. Bond then told Charteris that she was going to the authorities over the crime, so he ordered servants to whip her and take her belongings and throw her out the door, telling them that she had stolen money from him. With assistance from Mary Parsons, perhaps a former employer, Bond brought a complaint for the misdemeanour of "assault with intent to commit rape." The Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
originally found grounds to proceed with this charge, but later upgraded the charge to the capital felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
of rape.
Charteris was tried for rape at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
on 27 February 1730. The trial was a media sensation. The defence attacked the virtue and motives of the complainant, accusing her of compliance, prostitution, theft, and extortion. However, many of his witnesses and documents were shown to be false, and the jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
quickly found him guilty. He was sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
on 2 March, and held in Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
.
After a substantial campaign to clear Charteris' name, joined, remarkably, by Anne Bond (who was possibly prompted by the promise of an annuity), King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
granted him a pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
on 10 April 1730. As a convicted felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
, his property should have been forfeit
Asset forfeiture
Asset forfeiture is confiscation, by the State, of assets which are either the alleged proceeds of crime or the alleged instrumentalities of crime, and more recently, alleged terrorism. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was allegedly used to facilitate crime, for example cars...
under the doctrine of attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
, but he petitioned the King for its return. In composition for his offence, he paid substantial sums to the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
s of London and Middlesex. He was also suspected of having given substantial gifts to various important individuals. Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
commented on Charteris in several poems. In Lines on the Death of Dr. Swift (1731), he explains "Chartres" as, "a most infamous, vile scoundrel, grown from a foot-boy, or worse, to a prodigious fortune both in England and Scotland: he had a way of insinuating himself into all Ministers under every change, either as pimp, flatterer, or informer. He was tried at seventy for a rape, and came off by sacrificing a great part of his fortune" (note to l. 189).
He died from natural causes in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1732, possibly from a condition caused by his stay in Newgate Prison. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at...
; his coffin was attacked on its way to the graveyard, and it is said that dead cats were thrown into his grave. Upon his death, John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot, often known simply as Dr. Arbuthnot, , was a physician, satirist and polymath in London...
published Epitaph on Don Francisco in The London Magazine (April 1732). In it, he wrote that Charteris was a man,
- "...who, having done, every Day of his Life,
- Something worthy of a GibbetGibbetA gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
,- Was once condemned to one
- For what he had not done."
- Something worthy of a Gibbet
Further reading
- Hunt, William R. A Dictionary of Rogues. New York: Philosophical Library, 1970.
- Mitchell, Edwin Valentine (ed.) The Newgate Calendar. Garden City, New York: Garden City, 1926.
- Chancellor, E. Beresford, Col. Charteris and the Duke of Wharton, Vol. 3 of The Lives of the Rakes, London: Philip Allan & Co., 1925