Rees Howell Gronow
Encyclopedia
Rees Howell Gronow "Captain Gronow", was a Welsh
Grenadier Guards
officer, an unsuccessful parliamentarian, a dandy
and a writer of celebrated reminiscences.
, Glamorganshire, who died in 1830, by Anne, only daughter of Rees Howell of Gwrrhyd. He was born on 7 May 1794, and was educated at Eton
, where he was intimate with Shelley
.
in the 1st regiment of foot guards
, and after mounting guard
at St. James's Palace
for a few months was sent with a detachment of his regiment to Spain
. In 1813 he took part in the principal military operations
in that country, and in the following year returned with his battalion to London. Here he became one of the dandies of the town, and was among the very few officers who were admitted at Almack's
, where he remembered the first introduction of quadrilles and waltzes in place of the old reels
and country dances. Wanting money to equip himself for his further services abroad, he obtained an advance of £200 from his agents, Cox & Greenwood
, and going with this money to a gambling-house in St. James's Square
, he won £600, with which he purchased horses and other necessaries. Apparently without the permission of the war office he then crossed the Channel, was present at Quatre Bras
and Waterloo
, entered Paris on 25 June 1815, and on 28 June became a lieutenant
and later a captain in his regiment. From this period until 24 October 1821 he continued with his regiment in England, and then retired from the army.
2 May 1831, but in company with H. W. Hobhouse was defeated by G. Harris and J. V. Shelley. After the dissolution of 1832 he came in for Stafford
, by means of extensive bribery, on 11 December ; but the election was declared void, and a new writ was not issued during the parliament. At the following election, 6 January 1835, he was defeated by the longer purse of F. L. Holyoake Goodricke
(afterwards Sir F. Goodricke, bart.)
of 1–2 December 1851. His name is chiefly remembered in connection with his four volumes of reminiscences:
In 1888 appeared The Reminiscences and Recollections of Capt. Gronow. With illustrations from contemporary sources ... by J. Grego. When he relates his personal experiences, as in his account of the state of Paris in 1815, the condition of society in London in his own time, and the doings of the court of Napoleon III
, his testimony is to be relied on, but his second-hand stories and anecdotes of persons whom he did not know are of lesser value. Whether reliable or not, his narrative is invariably lively and entertaining.
, the Regent
, Alvanley
, Kangaroo Cook, and other worthies. With the exception of Captain Ross
he was the best pistol shot of his day, and in early life took part in several duel
s. He died in Paris 20 November 1865. He married first, in 1825, an opera dancer, Antoinine, daughter of Monsieur Didier of Paris. By his second wife, Amelia Louisa Matilda Rouquet (a Breton
aristocrat
), whom he married in 1858, aged 63, he had four children. According to the Morning Post
, he left his widow and infant children "wholly unprovided for" at his death, aged 70.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
officer, an unsuccessful parliamentarian, a dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
and a writer of celebrated reminiscences.
Origins and education
He was the eldest son of William Gronow of Court Herbert, SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Glamorganshire, who died in 1830, by Anne, only daughter of Rees Howell of Gwrrhyd. He was born on 7 May 1794, and was educated at Eton
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"....
, where he was intimate with Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
.
Army career
On 24 December 1812 he received a commission as an EnsignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 1st regiment of foot guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, and after mounting guard
Guard Mounting
Guard Mounting, or Changing the Guard , refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries...
at St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
for a few months was sent with a detachment of his regiment to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In 1813 he took part in the principal military operations
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
in that country, and in the following year returned with his battalion to London. Here he became one of the dandies of the town, and was among the very few officers who were admitted at Almack's
Almack's
Almack's Assembly Rooms was a social club in London from 1765 to 1871 and one of the first to admit both men and women. It was one of a limited number of upper class mixed-sex public social venues in the British capital in an era when the most important venues for the hectic social season were the...
, where he remembered the first introduction of quadrilles and waltzes in place of the old reels
Reel (dance)
The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
and country dances. Wanting money to equip himself for his further services abroad, he obtained an advance of £200 from his agents, Cox & Greenwood
Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world, its history stretching back to 1758 when Richard Cox was appointed as regimental agent to the Foot Guards. Cox & Kings is now an independent tour company with offices in the United Kingdom, India, the United States and Japan...
, and going with this money to a gambling-house in St. James's Square
St. James's Square
St. James's Square is the only square in the exclusive St James's district of the City of Westminster. It has predominantly Georgian and neo-Georgian architecture and a private garden in the centre...
, he won £600, with which he purchased horses and other necessaries. Apparently without the permission of the war office he then crossed the Channel, was present at Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
and Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, entered Paris on 25 June 1815, and on 28 June became a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and later a captain in his regiment. From this period until 24 October 1821 he continued with his regiment in England, and then retired from the army.
Parliamentary career
On 18 June 1823 he became insolvent, and after some confinement was discharged from Debtors' Prison under the Insolvent Debtors Act. He contested GrimsbyGreat Grimsby (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Grimsby is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, consisting of the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
2 May 1831, but in company with H. W. Hobhouse was defeated by G. Harris and J. V. Shelley. After the dissolution of 1832 he came in for Stafford
Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stafford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The sitting MP is the Conservative Jeremy Lefroy....
, by means of extensive bribery, on 11 December ; but the election was declared void, and a new writ was not issued during the parliament. At the following election, 6 January 1835, he was defeated by the longer purse of F. L. Holyoake Goodricke
Holyoake-Goodricke Baronets
The Holyoake-Goodricke Baronetcy, of Studley Castle in the County of Warwick, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 31 March 1835 for Francis Holyoake-Goodricke of Studley Castle, Warwickshire. He was descended from the Lyttletons of Studley Castle and was born...
(afterwards Sir F. Goodricke, bart.)
Literary career
For many years after this he resided in London, mixing in the best society. In later years he took up his residence in Paris, where he was present during the coup d'étatFrench coup of 1851
The French coup d'état on 2 December 1851, staged by Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , ended in the successful dissolution of the French National Assembly, as well as the subsequent re-establishment of the French Empire the next year...
of 1–2 December 1851. His name is chiefly remembered in connection with his four volumes of reminiscences:
- Reminiscences of Captain Gronow, formerly of the Grenadier Guards and M.P. for Stafford, being Anecdotes of the Camp, the Court, and the Clubs, at the close of the last War with France, related by himself, 1862;
- Recollections and Anecdotes, being a Second Series of Reminiscences, by Captain R. H. Gronow, 1863;
- Celebrities of London and Paris, being a Third Series of Reminiscences and Anecdotes, 1865;
- Captain Gronow's Last Recollections, being the Fourth and Final Series of his Reminiscences and Anecdotes, 1866.
In 1888 appeared The Reminiscences and Recollections of Capt. Gronow. With illustrations from contemporary sources ... by J. Grego. When he relates his personal experiences, as in his account of the state of Paris in 1815, the condition of society in London in his own time, and the doings of the court of Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
, his testimony is to be relied on, but his second-hand stories and anecdotes of persons whom he did not know are of lesser value. Whether reliable or not, his narrative is invariably lively and entertaining.
Personal characteristics
He was a remarkably handsome man, always faultlessly dressed, and was very popular in society. His portrait appeared in shop windows with those of BrummellBeau Brummell
Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell , was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV...
, the Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, Alvanley
William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley
William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley was the son of Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley. He was an officer in the Coldstream Guards, attaining the rank of Captain in the service of the 50th Regiment of Foot....
, Kangaroo Cook, and other worthies. With the exception of Captain Ross
Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross was a celebrated sportsman and a pioneer amateur photographer.-Background and early life:Ross was born at Rossie Castle, near Montrose, Angus on 5 September 1801, the son of Hercules Ross, a rich landowner who had acquired a substantial fortune in Jamaica...
he was the best pistol shot of his day, and in early life took part in several duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s. He died in Paris 20 November 1865. He married first, in 1825, an opera dancer, Antoinine, daughter of Monsieur Didier of Paris. By his second wife, Amelia Louisa Matilda Rouquet (a Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
), whom he married in 1858, aged 63, he had four children. According to the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
, he left his widow and infant children "wholly unprovided for" at his death, aged 70.
External links
- Free audiobook of Reminiscences of Captain Gronow from LibriVox