Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet (13 February 1751 – 8 August 1805) was an English antiquary and politician.
and Henrietta, his first wife.
, Richard spent about two years in Naples with his parents from 1765 to 1767 before matriculating at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
on 9 April 1768. Instead of taking a degree, he decided to complete his education with a Grand Tour
around from 1769 to 1770, being tutored by D'Eyverdun, a friend of Edward Gibbon
. On his return he entered the House of Commons for the constituency of Newport
in 1774, supporting the Lord North government and being appointed one of the clerks comptrollers of the board of green cloth in 1777 then comptroller of the king's household (1779–82), privy councillor (from 1780) and governor of the Isle of Wight (1780–82). On 20 September 1775 he married Seymour Dorothy Fleming
, the younger daughter and coheir of Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet
, of Brompton Park, Middlesex, and his wife, Lady (Jane) Fleming (d. 1811). They had one legitimate son, Robert Edwin (1776-1795) and a daughter, and she brought over £70,000 to the marriage, but the marriage soon became unhappy. He was elected both FSA
and FRS
in 1778.
case for £20,000 against one of them, a Hampshire militia officer George M Bissett
who lived near to them. However, the jury decided Richard had connived in the adultery and awarded him only 1 shilling in damages. Richard left for Spain, Portugal, and France (1783–84, quitting his parliamentary seat after his departure) and then wintered in Rome before leaving there in February 1785 for the Levant with Willey Reveley
as draughtsman. He visited Athens (from 1785), the Greek interior, Rhodes, Cairo, Constantinople, Sigeion
(1786), Troy (1786) and the Crimea. During his travels he built up a collection of gems, reliefs, paintings, sculpture and reliefs, losing the paintings when the collection was interned in Portugal during his return trip from the east to England via Rome in 1787-88. Back in England, Worsley arranged the collection around his house at Appuldurcombe, where he had the grounds landscaped by Capability Brown
. Also in 1788 he and his estranged wife entered into articles of separation (after the separation she reverted to her birth name) and Richard began an affair with a Mrs Sarah Smith which lasted until his death.
from 1790 to 1793 and then became British ambassador to the Republic of Venice
from 1794 to Venice's annexation by France in 1797. In the latter post he continued collecting (the French Revolutionary Wars
keeping prices low for antiquities at the time) and worked hard to keep France's ambassador from taking advantage of Venice staying neutral. He managed to escape Venice when it was invaded by the French, transferring soon after his departure from a civilian convoy to a 14 gun Royal Navy sloop, leaving his art collections from Venice on the convoy with instructions to stay at Fiume to await a more peaceful situation in which to continue to England.
He landed back in England in mid-September 1797 and received a £600 annuity from the crown for his services. Having been re-elected in absentia for Newtown in 1796, he held that seat from then until Pitt the Younger resigned in February 1801. From then on he went into seclusion, principally at Sea Cottage (later known as Marine Villa), built by him in the early 1790s near St Lawrence, in the Undercliff of the Isle of Wight
, adding small classical temples in its grounds and making a failed attempt to add a vineyard. In 1801 he received news from a British government agent that a French privateer had brought the ship carrying his art treasures into Malaga
and that the paintings onboard had been bought up cheaply by Lucien Bonaparte
. All that was left were the antiquities, which he managed to reacquire by paying the French bounty on them.
He was unable to defend the Isle against the Napoleonic invasion threat due to ill health but carried on collecting until his death of apoplexy
, being buried at the parish church at Godshill
and succeeded by his fourth cousin, Henry Worsley-Holmes. On Richard's death his wife's £70,000 jointure reverted to her and just over a month later, on 12 September, she re-married to John Lewis Cuchet at Farnham
. Worsley died on 8 August 1805, in Appuldurcombe. He left the estate saddled with heavy debts, with Appuldurcombe passing to his niece, Henrietta Anna Maria Charlotte, daughter of the Hon. John Bridgeman Simpson (she married the Hon. Charles Anderson-Pelham
, later first earl of Yarborough in 1806).
Early life
Worsley was born on 13 February 1751, Appuldurcombe, the son of Sir Thomas Worsley, 6th Baronet (1726–1768). Worsley succeeded his father as baronet on 23 September 1768. His mother was Elizabeth (1731–1800), daughter of John Boyle, 5th Earl of CorkJohn Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork
John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork and 5th Earl of Orrery, FRS was a writer and a friend of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson....
and Henrietta, his first wife.
To 1778
Educated at Winchester CollegeWinchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, Richard spent about two years in Naples with his parents from 1765 to 1767 before matriculating at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
on 9 April 1768. Instead of taking a degree, he decided to complete his education with a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
around from 1769 to 1770, being tutored by D'Eyverdun, a friend of Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
. On his return he entered the House of Commons for the constituency of Newport
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
in 1774, supporting the Lord North government and being appointed one of the clerks comptrollers of the board of green cloth in 1777 then comptroller of the king's household (1779–82), privy councillor (from 1780) and governor of the Isle of Wight (1780–82). On 20 September 1775 he married Seymour Dorothy Fleming
Seymour Dorothy Fleming
Seymour Dorothy Fleming was an 18th century British noblewoman, notable for her involvement in a separation scandal.-Life:...
, the younger daughter and coheir of Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet was an English baronet, created first Baronet Fleming of Brompton Park, Middlesex in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 22 April 1763....
, of Brompton Park, Middlesex, and his wife, Lady (Jane) Fleming (d. 1811). They had one legitimate son, Robert Edwin (1776-1795) and a daughter, and she brought over £70,000 to the marriage, but the marriage soon became unhappy. He was elected both FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
and FRS
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"...
in 1778.
1779-1788
He failed to win a seat at the Hampshire by-election of December 1779 and lost all his offices when the North administration fell in 1782, with other damage being done to his political career by scandals involving his wife. She was rumoured to have 27 lovers and in 1782 Richard brought a criminal conversationCriminal conversation
Criminal conversation, commonly known as crim. con., is a tort arising from adultery.-History of criminal conversation:It was based upon compensation for the husband's loss of property rights in his wife, the wife being regarded as his chattel. Historically a wife could not sue her husband for...
case for £20,000 against one of them, a Hampshire militia officer George M Bissett
George Bisset
George Bisset is a former Australian rules footballer. He played as a rover and spent most of his career at Footscray.Bisset was one vote away from winning the Brownlow Medal in 1969. Bisset had been reported during a round 14 clash against Carlton and as a result was not eligible to receive votes...
who lived near to them. However, the jury decided Richard had connived in the adultery and awarded him only 1 shilling in damages. Richard left for Spain, Portugal, and France (1783–84, quitting his parliamentary seat after his departure) and then wintered in Rome before leaving there in February 1785 for the Levant with Willey Reveley
Willey Reveley
Willey Reveley was an 18th century English architect, born at Newton Underwood near Morpeth, Northumberland.He is probably best known for an ambitious but unfulfilled proposal of 1796 to straighten the River Thames in east London...
as draughtsman. He visited Athens (from 1785), the Greek interior, Rhodes, Cairo, Constantinople, Sigeion
Sigeion
Sigeion was a Greek city in the north-west of the Troad region of Anatolia located at the mouth of the Scamander . Sigeion commanded a ridge between the Aegean Sea and the Scamander which is now known as Yenişehir and is a part of the Çanakkale district in Çanakkale province, Turkey...
(1786), Troy (1786) and the Crimea. During his travels he built up a collection of gems, reliefs, paintings, sculpture and reliefs, losing the paintings when the collection was interned in Portugal during his return trip from the east to England via Rome in 1787-88. Back in England, Worsley arranged the collection around his house at Appuldurcombe, where he had the grounds landscaped by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
. Also in 1788 he and his estranged wife entered into articles of separation (after the separation she reverted to her birth name) and Richard began an affair with a Mrs Sarah Smith which lasted until his death.
1790-1805
He re-entered Parliament as MP for NewtownNewtown (UK Parliament constituency)
Newtown was a parliamentary borough located in Newtown on the Isle of Wight, which was represented in the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
from 1790 to 1793 and then became British ambassador to the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
from 1794 to Venice's annexation by France in 1797. In the latter post he continued collecting (the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
keeping prices low for antiquities at the time) and worked hard to keep France's ambassador from taking advantage of Venice staying neutral. He managed to escape Venice when it was invaded by the French, transferring soon after his departure from a civilian convoy to a 14 gun Royal Navy sloop, leaving his art collections from Venice on the convoy with instructions to stay at Fiume to await a more peaceful situation in which to continue to England.
He landed back in England in mid-September 1797 and received a £600 annuity from the crown for his services. Having been re-elected in absentia for Newtown in 1796, he held that seat from then until Pitt the Younger resigned in February 1801. From then on he went into seclusion, principally at Sea Cottage (later known as Marine Villa), built by him in the early 1790s near St Lawrence, in the Undercliff of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, adding small classical temples in its grounds and making a failed attempt to add a vineyard. In 1801 he received news from a British government agent that a French privateer had brought the ship carrying his art treasures into Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and that the paintings onboard had been bought up cheaply by Lucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano , born Luciano Buonaparte, was the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino....
. All that was left were the antiquities, which he managed to reacquire by paying the French bounty on them.
He was unable to defend the Isle against the Napoleonic invasion threat due to ill health but carried on collecting until his death of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
, being buried at the parish church at Godshill
Godshill
Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight with a population of 1,465 according to the 2001 census. It is located between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the Island.-History:...
and succeeded by his fourth cousin, Henry Worsley-Holmes. On Richard's death his wife's £70,000 jointure reverted to her and just over a month later, on 12 September, she re-married to John Lewis Cuchet at Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
. Worsley died on 8 August 1805, in Appuldurcombe. He left the estate saddled with heavy debts, with Appuldurcombe passing to his niece, Henrietta Anna Maria Charlotte, daughter of the Hon. John Bridgeman Simpson (she married the Hon. Charles Anderson-Pelham
Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Earl of Yarborough
Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Earl of Yarborough , styled Hon. Charles Anderson-Pelham from 1794 to 1823, was the founder of the Royal Yacht Squadron...
, later first earl of Yarborough in 1806).
Works
- Completion of a History of the Isle of Wight by his father and grandfather, 1781
- Museum Worsleianum, a catalogue of his collection - part one issued 1798 (costing £2,887 4s), part one issued 1802
- Catalogue Raisonné of the Principal Paintings at Appuldurcombe, privately printed 1804