George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt (1 August 1736 – 20 April 1809), styled Viscount Nuneham until inheriting the title of Earl Harcourt in 1777, was an English politician, patron of the arts, and gardener.

Early life

Harcourt was the eldest son of

Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, (1714 – 16 September 1777), known as Viscount Harcourt between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general who became Viceroy of Ireland. Biography Harcourt was born in Oxfordshire, the son of Hon. ...

and his wife, Rebecca Le Baas. His younger brother was William Harcourt His paternal grandparents were the former Elizabeth Evelyn (sister of Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet) and the Hon. Simon Harcourt, MP for Wallingford and Abingdon. Upon his grandfather's death in 1720, his father became heir apparent of his grandfather,

Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt, PC (December 1661 – 29 July 1727) of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, was an English Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1690 until 1710. He was raised to the peerage a ...

, whom his father succeeded as 2nd Viscount Harcourt in 1727. He spent two years at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, and had art lessons from

Alexander Cozens Alexander Cozens (1717–1786) was a British landscape painter in watercolours, born in Russia, in Saint Petersburg. He taught drawing and wrote treatises on the subject, evolving a method in which imaginative drawings of landscapes could be wor ...

and other masters.

Career

In 1754, Harcourt travelled in Germany and Italy with George Bussy Villiers, and William Whitehead as tutor to Villiers. His

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

continued to 1756. Whitehead later wrote poems about both men's families' estates, Middleton Park and

Nuneham Courtenay Nuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford. It occupies a pronounced section of the left bank of the River Thames. Geography The parish is bounded to the west by the River Thames and on other sides by field bound ...

. Harcourt was elected to parliament for in 1761, remaining a member until 1767. He was not recorded as having spoken in the House. He was a supporter of

John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...

, a friend of

Catherine Macaulay Catharine Macaulay (née Sawbridge, later Graham; 23 March 1731 – 22 June 1791), was an English Whig republican historian. Early life Catharine Macaulay was a daughter of John Sawbridge (1699–1762) and his wife Elizabeth Wanley (died 1733 ...

, and an opponent of the war against the American colonies. He entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

in 1777 after his father's accidental death at their estate at

Nuneham House Nuneham House is an eighteenth century villa in the Palladian style, set in parkland at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire, England. It is currently owned by Oxford University and is used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual ...

, where he drowned in a well trying to rescue his dog. In 1772, Harcourt began to redesign the gardens at Nuneham Courtenay, assisted by

William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener *William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect *William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...

, moving on to the park in 1777. From 1779

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English la ...

was brought in to advise on the park and gardens; and

Paul Sandby Paul Sandby (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Life and work Sandby was ...

, perhaps a contact made through Whitehead, on the interior of the house. As a patron Harcourt employed

Thomas Pitt Thomas Pitt (5 July 1653 – 28 April 1726) of Blandford St Mary in Dorset, later of Stratford in Wiltshire and of Boconnoc in Cornwall, known during life commonly as ''Governor Pitt'', as ''Captain Pitt'', or posthumously, as ''"Diamond" ...

on a monument to his father, and set up a poetry prize on the Ancient Britons, won by George Richards. In 1784, he acquired the remainder of the

Cogges Cogges is an area beside the River Windrush in Witney, Oxfordshire, east of the town centre. It had been a separate village and until 1932 it was a separate civil parish. History The former village centres upon three historic buildings: the ...

manor estate from the heirs of

Viscount Wenman Viscount Wenman, of Tuam in the County of Galway, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 30 July 1628 for Sir Richard Wenman, Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in 1620 and 1625, the son of Thomas Wenman (died 1577), a Buckingh ...

, to clear the latter's debts. In 1790, Harcourt was appointed Master of the Horse to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

, a post he held until his death.

Personal life

Harcourt married

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, daughter of

George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon (9 February 1709 – 2 August 1780), was a British politician. Vernon was the son of Henry Vernon, of Sudbury, Derbyshire, and his wife Anne, daughter and heiress of Thomas Pigott by his wife Mary, sister ...

, a cousin, in 1765. Lord Harcourt died on 20 April 1809. He was succeeded by his brother William. Upon William's death on 17 June 1830, the earldom and viscountcy became extinct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harcourt, George Simon 1736 births 1809 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1761–1768 Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters People educated at Westminster School, London Court of George III of the United Kingdom 18th-century English male artists