Richard Barry, 7th Earl of Barrymore
Encyclopedia
Richard Barry, 7th Earl of Barrymore (14 August 1769 – 6 March 1793) was an English
nobleman of Ireland
, as well as an infamous rake
, gambler, sportsman, theatrical
enthusiast and womanizer.
He was known as Hellgate and the Rake of Rakes and died at the age of just 24.
, Middlesex
, to Richard Barry, 6th Earl of Barrymore and Amelia Stanhope, daughter of William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington
and the Lady Caroline Fitzroy. He succeeded his father as Earl of Barrymore 1 August 1773 when he was only three. His mother placed him under the care of the vicar of Wargrave
in Berkshire
, where he grew up and later settled.
He was heavily in debt before marrying, but instead of "marrying into money" as was common at the time, he married Charlotte Goulding, niece of the infamous Letty Lade
, and the daughter of a common sedan chairman on 7 June 1792. After his death the next year, she eventually "...passed...to the lowest grade of prostitution"
His sister Carolina (1768-?) was known as "Billingsgate", due to her use of foul language. Henry (1770–1823), his younger brother, was "Cripplegate", due to a physical disfigurement. His youngest brother Augustus (1773–1818) was nicknamed "Newgate", after Newgate Prison
in London.
, running
, horse-racing, boxing
and swordsmanship
. He bred his own race-horses and rode as his own jockey. He was especially famous for placing huge bets
on both these sports and other extraordinarily ludicrous challenges.
He patronised his own personal bare-knuckle boxer
, and his wife also boxed
He made two known appearances in first-class cricket
matches from 1791 to 1792, playing as a member of the Brighton Cricket Club
. He was listed in the scorecards as Lord Barrymore.
, a fine example of which he built and ran in Wargrave. He even acted there himself.
for Heytesbury
from 1791 until his death.
, into which he had been commissioned in 1789 and was later promoted Lieutenant
, but was accidentally killed at Folkestone
on 6 March 1793. His musket
discharged while escorting French
prisoners of war to Dover
.
He was buried 17 May 1793 in St Mary's Church in Wargrave.
, Barrymore died in unexpected solvency. He had alienated much of his Cork
patrimony in 1792, at which time the Buttevant estate passed to Viscount Doneraile
and to a Scottish
banker, John Anderson
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
nobleman of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, as well as an infamous rake
Rake
Rake may refer to:* Rake , a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines* Rake or hay rake, a farm implement* Rake or castor angle – various fork offset angles in bicycle and motorcycle geometry...
, gambler, sportsman, theatrical
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
enthusiast and womanizer.
He was known as Hellgate and the Rake of Rakes and died at the age of just 24.
Family
Barrymore was born on 14 August 1769 in MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, 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...
, to Richard Barry, 6th Earl of Barrymore and Amelia Stanhope, daughter of William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington
William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington
General William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington was a British politician and soldier.The son of William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, he took up a military career and joined the Foot Guards in 1741, and was also returned for Aylesbury...
and the Lady Caroline Fitzroy. He succeeded his father as Earl of Barrymore 1 August 1773 when he was only three. His mother placed him under the care of the vicar of Wargrave
Wargrave
Wargrave is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, which encloses the confluence of the River Loddon and the River Thames. It is in the Borough of Wokingham...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, where he grew up and later settled.
He was heavily in debt before marrying, but instead of "marrying into money" as was common at the time, he married Charlotte Goulding, niece of the infamous Letty Lade
John Lade
Sir John Lade, 2nd Baronet was a prominent member of Regency society, notable as an owner and breeder of racehorses, as an accomplished driver, associated with Samuel Johnson's circle, and one of George IV's closest friends...
, and the daughter of a common sedan chairman on 7 June 1792. After his death the next year, she eventually "...passed...to the lowest grade of prostitution"
His sister Carolina (1768-?) was known as "Billingsgate", due to her use of foul language. Henry (1770–1823), his younger brother, was "Cripplegate", due to a physical disfigurement. His youngest brother Augustus (1773–1818) was nicknamed "Newgate", after 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...
in London.
Sport
Barrymore became a well-known sportsman, particularly in cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, horse-racing, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and swordsmanship
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. He bred his own race-horses and rode as his own jockey. He was especially famous for placing huge bets
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...
on both these sports and other extraordinarily ludicrous challenges.
He patronised his own personal bare-knuckle boxer
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
, and his wife also boxed
He made two known appearances in first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches from 1791 to 1792, playing as a member of the Brighton Cricket Club
Brighton Cricket Club
Brighton Cricket Club was based at Brighton, Sussex and was briefly a major cricket team, playing four known first-class matches in the 1792 season, at which time it was representative of Sussex as a county....
. He was listed in the scorecards as Lord Barrymore.
Theatre
His first love was, however, the theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, a fine example of which he built and ran in Wargrave. He even acted there himself.
Politics
He was also Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Heytesbury
Heytesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Heytesbury was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire which elected two Members of Parliament. From 1449 until 1707 it was represented in the House of Commons of England, and then in the British House of Commons until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Reform Act 1832.-History:The borough...
from 1791 until his death.
Military career and early death
Barrymore retired to life in the Royal Berkshire MilitiaRoyal Berkshire Militia
The Royal Berkshire Militia was a militia regiment in the United Kingdom from 1759 to 1881, when it was amalgamated into The Princess Charlotte of Wales's ....
, into which he had been commissioned in 1789 and was later promoted 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...
, but was accidentally killed at Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
on 6 March 1793. His musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
discharged while escorting French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
prisoners of war to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
.
He was buried 17 May 1793 in St Mary's Church in Wargrave.
Aftermath
Despite fears of bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, Barrymore died in unexpected solvency. He had alienated much of his Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
patrimony in 1792, at which time the Buttevant estate passed to Viscount Doneraile
Viscount Doneraile
Viscount Doneraile is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, both times for members of the St Leger family. It was first created in 1703 for Arthur St Leger, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Kilmayden, also in the Peerage of Ireland. This creation became extinct in...
and to a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
banker, John Anderson
John Anderson (Scottish businessman)
John Anderson was a Scottish businessman and entrepreneur.-Overview:Anderson was born into a poor family at Portland near Dumfries, Scotland and moved to Glasgow in 1784. He later settled in Cork City, at that time the major provisioning centre on the Atlantic Coast. During the American wars he...
.