John Robartes (1686–15 July 1757) was the 4th Earl of Radnor and contemporary and neighbour of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

and

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

Early life and family

John Robartes was born in London in 1686. He was the son of

Francis Robartes Francis Robartes Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (c. 1649 – 3 February 1718) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1718. Early life Robartes was the fourth son ...

and his second wife Lady Anne, the widow of Hugh Boscawen of

Tregothnan Tregothnan is a country house and estate near the village of St Michael Penkivel, southeast of Truro, Cornwall, England, which has for many centuries been a possession of the Boscawens. Geography Location Tregothnan is located on a hill overlo ...

, and daughter of

Wentworth Fitzgerald, 17th Earl of Kildare Wentworth FitzGerald, 17th Earl of Kildare Privy Council of Ireland, PC (I) (1634 – 5 March 1664), styled Lord Offaly until 1660, was an Irish politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1660 and from 1661 sat in the Irish House ...

. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

Later life

He bought the lease of a house, later named ''

Radnor House Radnor House was an English 17th-century house on the banks of the River Thames in Cross Deep, Strawberry Hill, London, south of Twickenham town centre. It was destroyed by a bomb in 1940, and the remains of house and grounds form part of pre ...

'', thought to have been constructed around 1673, in Strawberry Hill near

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

and is recorded as having lived there from 1722 until his death. In 1741, on the death of his cousin

Henry Robartes, 3rd Earl of Radnor Henry Robartes, 3rd Earl of Radnor (c. 1695 – February 1741) was an English landowner, Earl of Radnor in the peerage of Great Britain and a member of the House of Lords from 1723 until his death. Early life and family Robartes was the first so ...

, he inherited his peerages, but not the family estates in Cornwall. Robartes embellished his house in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style and adorned the gardens with statuary. His gazebo and summer house survive in Radnor Gardens today.

referred to the property as ''Mabland'' in a letter to

Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...

, a mocking reference to the ornate decoration of contemporary

Marylebone Gardens Marylebone Gardens or Marybone Gardens was a London pleasure garden sited in the grounds of the old manor house of Marylebone and frequented from the mid-17th century, when Marylebone was a village separated from London by fields and market garde ...

. Some observers conjecture that Walpole was piqued by his neighbour's anticipation of his own architectural ambitions, as this pre-dated his embellishment of

Strawberry Hill House Strawberry Hill House—often called simply Strawberry Hill—is a Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival villa that was built in Twickenham, London, by Horace Walpole (1717–1797) from 1749 onward. It is a typical example of the "#Strawb ...

lived nearby to the north, their two respective properties perhaps separated by one or two small intervening houses. Robartes was a witness to Pope's will, whilst Pope countersigned a lease for Robartes, evidence that the two were on good terms during their 22 years as neighbours. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1732.

Art collection

Inside the house, Robartes built a collection of artworks, including

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

's ''The Old Horse Guards from St James's Park'' now owned by the

Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...

. The collection also included work by

Meindert Hobbema Meindert Lubbertszoon Hobbema (bapt. 31 October 1638 – 7 December 1709) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of landscapes, specializing in views of woodland, although his most famous painting, ''The Avenue at Middelharnis'' (1689, National Galler ...

and paintings by Samuel Scott. Robartes is credited as having commissioned

Peter Tillemans Peter Tillemans ( 1684 – 5 December 1734)Noakes, Aubrey, ''Sportsmen in a Landscape'' (Ayer Publishing, 1971, )pp. 47–56: ''Peter Tillemans and Early Newmarket''at books.google.com, accessed 7 February 2009. ONDB writes: "In 1733 Tillemans re ...

''View of Richmond from Twickenham Park'', . Robartes himself was the subject of a portrait, , attributed to the circle of Thomas Hudson, later to become another neighbour at Cross Deep.

Death and legacy

Robartes died, a bachelor, on 15 July 1757, aged 71. With his death the titles of Earl of Radnor and Baron Robartes became extinct. He bequeathed the house and much of his art collection to his steward, Frederick Atherton Hindley, the Canaletto and Hobbema to James Harris and two Scott paintings to

Richard Owen Cambridge Richard Owen Cambridge (14 February 1717 – 17 September 1802) was a British poet. Life Cambridge was born in London. He was educated at Eton and at St John's College, Oxford. Leaving the university without taking a degree, he took up residen ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robartes, John 1686 births 1757 deaths Art collectors from London People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society Earls of Radnor (1679 creation)