Sir John Dineley-Goodere, 5th Baronet (1729–1809) was an English

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...

. He was the second of twin sons of

Samuel Goodere Samuel Goodere (1687–1741) was a captain in the British Royal Navy, who was the third son of Sir Edward Goodere, 1st Baronet. He was convicted and hanged at Bristol for the murder of his elder brother, Sir John Dineley Goodere, 2nd Baronet, in 1 ...

, an officer in the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, by his wife Elizabeth Watts. Samuel Goodere was convicted and hanged for the murder of his elder brother

Sir John Dineley Goodere, 2nd Baronet Sir John Dineley 2nd Baronet (c. 1680 – 1741) of Burhope/Burghope House in the parish of Wellington Herefordshire, was a British aristocrat and murder victim. Early life He was born John Goodere in about 1680, the second son, and eventual heir, ...

in 1741. The elder of the twins: Edward succeeded as the next of the

Goodere baronets The Goodere baronetcy, "of Burhope in the County of Hereford", was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 5 December 1707 for Edward Goodere, of Burhope/Burghope House in the parish of Wellington, Herefordshire, later a Me ...

, but died insane and unmarried in March 1761, aged 32. On his elder brother's death, John inherited the baronetcy, but what little remained of the family estates he soon wasted; in about 1770 he was sold his estate at Burhope,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

to Sir James Peachey (created Lord Selsey in 1794), and he lived for a time in a state bordering on destitution. At length his friendship with the Pelhams, coupled with the interest of

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

, procured for him the pension and residence of a poor knight of Windsor. Thenceforward he seems to have used the surname of Dineley only. He rendered himself conspicuous by the oddity of his dress, demeanour, and mode of life. He became one of the chief sights of

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west of ...

. Very early each morning he locked up his house in

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

, which no one entered but himself, and went forth to purchase provisions. Specimens of these marriage proposals, printed after the rudest fashion with the author's own hands, are given in

Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London and ...

's ''Romance of the Aristocracy''Volume II, pages 23–25, published 1855 Occasionally he advertised for wives in the newspapers. He also printed some extraordinary rhymes under the title of "Methods to get Husbands. Measure in words and syllables ... With the advertised marriage offer of Sir John Dineley, Bart., of Charleton, near Worcester, extending to 375,000l., to the Reader of this Epistle, if a single lady, and has above One Hundred Guineas fortune." A copy survives in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. Burke states that though undoubtedly a monomaniac, in other matters Dineley was both sane and shrewd. Two or three times a year he visited

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

and the theatres, taking care to apprise the public of his intention through the medium of the most fashionable daily papers. Wherever he went the place was invariably well attended, especially by women. Dineley persevered in his addresses to the ladies till the very close of his life, but without success. He died at Windsor in November 1809, aged about eighty. At his decease the baronetcy became extinct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodere, John Dineley, 5th Baronet 1729 births 1809 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Military Knights of Windsor