John, Lord Hervey
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John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, (13 October 16965 August 1743) was an English courtier and political writer. Heir to the Earl of Bristol, he obtained the key patronage of Walpole, and was involved in many court intrigues and literary quarrels, being apparently caricatured by
Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and Fielding. His memoirs of the early reign of
George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...
were too revealing to be published in his time and did not appear for more than a century.


Family background

Hervey was the eldest son of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol, by his second wife, Elizabeth. He was known as Lord Hervey from 1723, upon the death of his elder half-brother, Carr, the only son of his father's first wife, Isabella, but Lord Hervey never became Earl of Bristol, as he predeceased his father.


Life

Hervey was educated 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 at
Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, where he took his M.A. degree in 1715. His father then sent him to Paris in 1716, and thence to
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
to pay court to George I. He was a frequent visitor at the court of the Prince and Princess of Wales at
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
, and in 1720 he married Mary Lepell, daughter of Nicholas Lepell, who was one of the Princess's ladies-in-waiting, and a great court beauty. In 1723 John's elder half-brother Carr died, whereby he became heir apparent to the Earldom of Bristol with the courtesy title of ''Lord Hervey''. In 1725 he was elected M.P. for
Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...
. Hervey had been at one time on very friendly terms with
Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...
, but in about 1732 they quarrelled, apparently because they were rivals for the affection of
Anne Vane Anne Vane (17 September 1710 - 27 March 1736), also known as "the Hon. Mrs. Vane," was a maid of honour to Caroline of Ansbach and mistress to her son Frederick, Prince of Wales. Life Vane was the first daughter of Gilbert Vane, second Baron Bar ...
. These differences probably account for the scathing picture he draws of the Prince's callous conduct. Hervey had been hesitating between William Pulteney (afterwards earl of Bath) and
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
, but in 1730 he definitely took sides with Walpole, of whom he was thenceforward a faithful adherent. He was assumed by Pulteney to be the author of ''Sedition and Defamation display'd, with a Dedication to the patrons of The Craftsman'' (1731). Pulteney, who, up to this time, had been a firm friend of Hervey, replied with ''A Proper Reply to a late Scurrilous Libel'', and the quarrel resulted in a
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
from which Hervey narrowly escaped with his life. Hervey is said to have denied the authorship of both the pamphlet and its dedication, but a note on the manuscript at Ickworth, apparently in his own hand, states that he wrote the latter. He was able to render valuable service to Walpole from his influence with the Queen. Through him the minister governed Queen Caroline and indirectly
George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...
. Hervey was vice-chamberlain in the royal household and a member of the Privy Council. In 1733 he was called to the House of Lords by writ of acceleration in his father's Barony. He was then elected a governor of the
Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital in London, England, was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" w ...
prior to its foundation in 1739. In spite of repeated requests he received no further preferment until after 1740, when he became
Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...
. After the fall of Sir Robert Walpole, he was dismissed (July 1742) from his office. An excellent political pamphlet, ''Miscellaneous Thoughts on the present Posture of Foreign and Domestic Affairs'', shows that he still retained his mental vigour, but he was liable to epilepsy, and his weak appearance and rigid diet were a constant source of ridicule for his enemies. He predeceased his father, but three of his sons became successively Earls of Bristol.


Memoirs and literary quarrels

Hervey wrote detailed and brutally frank memoirs of the court of George II from 1727 to 1737. He gave a most unflattering account of the King, and of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and their family squabbles. For the Queen and her daughter, Princess Caroline, he had genuine respect and attachment, and the Princess's affection for him was commonly said to be the reason for the close retirement in which she lived after his death. The manuscript of Hervey's memoirs was preserved by the family, but his son, Augustus John, 3rd Earl of Bristol, left strict injunctions that they should not be published until after the death of
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. In 1848 they were published under the editorship of J. W. Croker, but the manuscript had been subjected to a certain amount of mutilation before it came into his hands. Croker also softened in some cases the plainspokenness of the original. Hervey's account of court life and intrigues resembles in many points the memoirs of
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 ...
, and the two books corroborate one another in many statements that might otherwise have been received with suspicion. Until the publication of the ''Memoirs'' Hervey was chiefly known as the object of savage satire on the part 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, ...
, in whose works he figured as Lord Fanny, Sporus, Adonis and
Narcissus Narcissus may refer to: Biology * ''Narcissus'' (plant), a genus containing daffodils and others People * Narcissus (mythology), Greek mythological character * Narcissus (wrestler) (2nd century), assassin of the Roman emperor Commodus * Tiberiu ...
. The quarrel is generally put down to the Pope's jealousy of Hervey's friendship with
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...
. In the first of the ''Imitations of
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
'', addressed to William Fortescue, Lord Fanny and Sappho were generally identified with Hervey and Lady Mary, although Pope denied the personal intention. Hervey had already been attacked in the ''Dunciad'' and the ''Peribathous'', and he now retaliated. There is no doubt that he had a share in the ''Verses to the Imitator of Horace'' (1732) and it is possible that he was the sole author. In the ''Letter from a nobleman at Hampton Court to a Doctor of Divinity'' (1733), he scoffed at Pope's deformity and humble birth. Pope's reply was a ''Letter to a Noble Lord'', dated November 1733, and the portrait of Sporus in the ''
Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot The '' Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot'' is a satire in poetic form written by Alexander Pope and addressed to his friend John Arbuthnot, a physician. It was first published in 1735 and composed in 1734, when Pope learned that Arbuthnot was dying. Pope d ...
'' (1743), which forms the prologue to the satires. Many of the insinuations and insults contained in it are borrowed from Pulteney's ''A Proper Reply to a late Scurrilous Libel''. Some literary critics, such as Martin C. Battestin,Battestin, Martin C. "General Introduction" in Henry Fielding, ''Joseph Andrews''. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 1967. suggest that Pope's friend and fellow-satirist Henry Fielding intended the character of Beau Didapper in '' Joseph Andrews'' to be read as Hervey. Beau Didapper is described as obedient to the commands of a "Great Man" (presumably Walpole) "which he implicitly submitted to, at the Expence of his Conscience, his Honour, and of his Country." Didapper is also compared to Hylas, and is mistaken for a woman in the dark on account of his soft skin. The malicious caricature of Sporus does Hervey great injustice, and he is not much better treated by Horace Walpole, who in reporting his death in a letter (14 August 1743) to Horace Mann, said he had outlived his last inch of character. Nevertheless, his writings prove him to have been a man of real ability, condemned by Walpole's tactics and distrust of able men to spend his life in court intrigue, the weapons of which, it must be owned, he used with the utmost adroitness. His wife Lady Hervey (1700–1768), of whom an account is to be found in
Lady Louisa Stuart Lady Louisa Stuart (12 August 1757 – 4 August 1851) was a British writer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Her long life spanned nearly ninety-four years. Early life Stuart was one of the six daughters of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute ...
's ''Anecdotes'', was a warm partisan of the
Stuarts The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...
. She retained her wit and charm throughout her life, and has the distinction of being the recipient of English verses by
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
.


Marriages, affairs, and sexuality

Hervey married Mary Lepell (1700–1768) on 21 April 1720. They had eight children: 1.
George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol (3 August 1721 – 18? or 20? March 1775), the eldest son of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, by his marriage with Mary (1700–1768), daughter of Nicholas Lepell. Lord Bristol served for some ...
(1721–1775), unmarried 2. Lepell Hervey (15 April 1723 – 11 May 1780), married in 1743 Constantine John Phipps, 1st Baron Mulgrave, leaving issue 3.
Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
(1724–1779), died without legitimate issue 4. Mary Hervey (1725–1815), married 1747 George FitzGerald, of Turlough, County Mayo, and was the mother of the notoriously eccentric duellist
George Robert FitzGerald George Robert Fitzgerald, aka Fighting Fitzgerald (c.1748 – 12 June 1786) was a celebrated Irish eccentric, duellist and landowner, who was hanged for conspiracy to murder in 1786. Biography FitzGerald came from Turlough, near Castlebar, ...
, hanged for
conspiracy to murder Conspiracy to murder is a statutory offence defined by the intent to commit murder. England and Wales The offence of conspiracy to murder was created in statutory law by section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and retained as ...
in 1786 5. Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol (1730–1803), married 1752 Elizabeth Davers, had issue 6. General William Hervey (13 May 1732 – 1815), unmarried 7. Amelia Caroline Nassau Hervey (1734–1814), unmarried 8. Caroline Hervey (1736–1819), unmarried Hervey was
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
. He had an affair with Anne Vane, and possibly with
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...
and Princess Caroline. He lived with
Stephen Fox Sir Stephen Fox (27 March 1627 – 28 October 1716) of Farley in Wiltshire, of Redlynch Park in Somerset, of Chiswick, Middlesex and of Whitehall, was a royal administrator and courtier to King Charles II, and a politician, who rose from ...
often during the decade after he followed him to Italy in 1728. He wrote passionate love letters to
Francesco Algarotti Count Francesco Algarotti (11 December 1712 – 3 May 1764) was an Italian polymath, philosopher, poet, essayist, anglophile, art critic and art collector. He was a man of broad knowledge, an expert in Newtonianism, architecture and opera. He wa ...
, whom he first met in 1736. He may have had a sexual affair with Prince Frederick before their friendship dissolved. He was in fact denounced as a sexually ambiguous figure in his time most notably by William Pulteney, then leader of the Opposition and as cited above, by Alexander Pope in his "Sporus" portrait: "Let Sporus tremble/What that thing of silk...His wit all seesaw between that and this/Now high, now low, now master up, now miss/And he himself one vile antithesis...". He was also attracted to Henry Fox before his affair with Stephen Fox.


Ancestry


Writings

See Hervey's ''Memoirs of the Court of George II'', edited by John Wilson Croker (1848); and an article by G. F. Russell Barker in the ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''. Besides the ''Memoirs'' he wrote numerous political pamphlets, and some occasional verses.


Modern portrayals

Hervey appears as a character in the 1999 British television series '' Aristocrats'', where he is portrayed by
Anthony Finigan Anthony "Tony" Finigan was a British theatre, television, radio and film actor, and stage and TV director. He began his career in 1948 as an assistant stage manager. Born c. 1926 in Islington, North London, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' ...
. He is shown acting as a patron to the younger Henry Fox. Hervey appears as a character in the historical novel ''Peter: The Untold True Story'' (2013) by Christopher Mechling, a tale of 18th-century feral child
Peter the Wild Boy Peter the Wild Boy (born ''c.'' 1713; died 22 February 1785) was a boy from Hanover in northern Germany who was found in 1725 living wild in the woods near Hamelin (Electorate of Hanover), the town of Pied Piper legend. The boy, of unknown paren ...
, whom the author believes to have been the inspiration for Peter Pan.http://www.christophermechling.com


References

*


Further reading

* Moore, Lucy, ''Amphibious Thing: The Life of Lord Hervey'' (pub. Viking, 2000) For a recent account of Hervey and Caroline, see Janice Hadlow, ''The Strangest Family.The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians''. London 2014.


External links


John Hervey
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hervey, John Hervey, 2nd Baron 1696 births 1743 deaths 18th-century LGBT people Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Barons Hervey Bisexual men Bisexual politicians Bisexual writers British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 English memoirists English political writers
John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, (13 October 16965 August 1743) was an English courtier and political writer. Heir to the Earl of Bristol, he obtained the key patronage of Walpole, and was involved in many court intrigues and literary quarrel ...
LGBT memoirists LGBT peers LGBT politicians from England LGBT writers from the United Kingdom Lords Privy Seal Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Heirs apparent who never acceded People educated at Westminster School, London English male non-fiction writers LGBT members of the Parliament of Great Britain Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England