Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset
Encyclopedia
Francis Basset (1715–1769)
Francis Basset was a Cornish landowner and politician from Tehidy. He served as Member of Parliament for Penryn .He was born the son of Francis and Mary Basset...
and Margaret St. Aubyn (daughter of Sir John St Aubyn, 3rd Baronet
St Aubyn Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for members of the St Aubyn family, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....
).
Life
He was baptised at CharlburyCharlbury
Charlbury is a small town and civil parish in the Evenlode valley, about north of Witney in West Oxfordshire. It is on the edge of the Wychwood forest and the Cotswolds.-Place name:The origin of the town's toponym is obscure...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on 7 September 1757 and educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
(1770–71), Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
(1771–74) and King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
(1775). However, he left university for Italy in 1777, with the Revd. William Sandys as his cicerone
Cicerone
Cicerone is an old term for a guide, one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest. The word is presumably taken from Marcus Tullius Cicero, as a type of learning and eloquence...
. He passed through Rome, where he had his portrait painted by Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni was an Italian painter whose style incorporated elements of the French Rococo, Bolognese classicism, and nascent Neoclassicism.-Biography:He was born in Lucca, the son of a goldsmith, Paolino Batoni...
(Batoni only finished it after Basset's departure, and - en route back to England on the Westmorland
Westmorland (ship)
The Westmorland or Westmoreland was a 26-gun British privateer frigate, operating in the Mediterranean Sea against French shipping in retaliation for France's opposition to Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War.-Service history:...
- it was seized by the French and sold to the Spanish). He returned to England in 1778, holding the office of Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
of Penrhyn
Penryn, Cornwall
Penryn is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penryn River about one mile northwest of Falmouth...
from that year onwards, and - like his father - being elected its Member of Parliament
Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
(between 1780 and 1796). The constituency returned two MPs, and one of his colleagues over that time was his cousin Sir John St Aubyn
Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet
Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet , was a British Member of Parliament, High Sheriff of Cornwall and Grand Master of the Freemasons....
(son of Francis's mother's brother).
Whilst serving as lieutenant-colonel of the North Devon militia, he marched Cornish miners to Plymouth, stengthened that town's defences and fortified Portreath
Portreath
Portreath is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles northwest of Redruth....
, all of which helped counter a Franco-Spanish invasion fleet (gathered as part of the European theatre of the American Revolutionary War). As a reward, he was made 1st Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
Basset, of Tehidy, county Cornwall on 24 November 1779. He married Frances Susanna Coxe, daughter of John Hippesley Coxe, at St Marylebone Parish Church
St Marylebone Parish Church
-First church:The first church for the parish was built in the vicinity of the present Marble Arch c.1200, and dedicated to St John the Evangelist.-Second church:...
on 16 May 1780, and finally graduated from King's College as a Master of Arts in 1786.
He was made Baron de Dunstanville
Baron Basset
Baron Basset, of Stratton in the County of Cornwall, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1797 for Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville, with remainder, failing heirs male of his own, to his daughter the Honourable Frances Basset...
on 17 June 1796, and then Baron Basset, with special remainder to his daughter, on 30 November 1797. On his first wife's death, he remarried to Harriet Lemon (1777–1864, the fourth daughter of Sir William Lemon
William Lemon
Sir William Lemon, 1st Baronet was a Member of Parliament for Cornish constituencies from 1770 to 1824, a total of 54 years.-Parental family:...
, first baronet, of Carclew, and Jane Buller) on 13 July 1824 but, though she survived him, they had no children. Dying without surviving male issue, his barony of Dunstanville became extinct as did his baronetcy, while the barony of Basset passed by special remainer to his only child, Frances
Frances Basset, 2nd Baroness Basset
Frances Basset, 2nd Baroness Basset was a British peeress suo jure.Baptised in St Marylebone Church in London on 23 May 1781, she was the only child of Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset and his first wife Frances Susanna, daughter of John Hippesley Coxe...
, his daughter by his first marriage.
Legacy
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
in Cornwall is a 90 foot high (30m) celtic cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
, erected by public subscription in 1836. It is dedicated to Francis Basset and inscribed 'The County of Cornwall to the memory of Francis Lord de Dunstanville and Basset A.D. 1836.' 50°13′16"N 5°14′56"W
External links
- Francis Basset on thePeerage.com
- Francis Basset - entry on Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National BiographyThe Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
- Maria Dolores Sanchez-Jauregui, 'Two Portraits of Francis Basset by Pompeo Batoni in Madrid', The Burlington MagazineThe Burlington MagazineThe Burlington Magazine is a monthly academic journal that covers the fine and decorative arts. It is the longest running art journal in the English language and it is a charitable organisation since 1986. It was established in 1903 by a group of art historians and connoisseurs which included Roger...
, Vol. 143, No. 1180 (Jul., 2001), pp. 420–425 - Angus McLellan, 'Pirates of the Mediterranean - mining the cargo of the Westmorland in Madrid', Trinity Today, December 2007, pages 14 to 15
- Giles Tremlett, 'Spaniards looted British art hoard', The Times, 1999