Topham Beauclerk ( ; 22 December 1739 – 11 March 1780) was a celebrated wit and a friend of

Dr Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

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 ...

Life

Topham Beauclerk was born on 22 December 1739, the only son of

Lord Sidney Beauclerk Lord Sidney Beauclerk (27 February 170323 November 1744) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1733 to 1744. He acquired a reputation as a fortune hunter. Early life Beauclerk was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of St ...

and a great-grandson of King Charles II. He was christened on 19 January 1740 in

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. T ...

, in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. In 1744, Sidney Beauclerk died. The four-year-old Topham, and his widowed mother, Mary Beauclerk, moved to

Upper Brook Street Brook Street is an axial street in the exclusive central London district of Mayfair. Most of it is leasehold, paying ground rent to and seeking lease renewals from the reversioner, that since before 1800, has been the Grosvenor Estate. Named a ...

in London and lived there until 1753. Between 1753 and 1757, Topham Beauclerk probably attended

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

(this is not completely certain as only his surname, Beauclerk, is noted in the college's register). It seems he did not live in the school as a boarder, but in the family home in nearby Windsor. In November 1757 he

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, which had been attended by his father. His date of leaving is unknown, but he was still there in 1759, when he first met

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

. Like most of his social class, he did not graduate.Noy (2016), pp.15-16 In 1763 he was in Italy with John Fitzpatrick. In 1774 he lived in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...

, north London. On 12 March 1768 he married Diana (1734-1808), former

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

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 ...

. She was born into the

Spencer family The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prom ...

as the daughter of

Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, (22 November 170620 October 1758), styled as The Honourable Charles Spencer between 1706 and 1729 and as The Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British soldier, nobleman, and politician fr ...

and the Honourable Elizabeth Trevor. Diana had married in 1757 as her first husband

Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, 3rd Viscount St John (21 December 1732 – 5 May 1787), was a British Viscount and landowner. His father was John St John, 2nd Viscount St John, half-brother of Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke ...

. This marriage, which gave her two sons, was unhappy and her husband was notoriously unfaithful. In February 1768 he petitioned for divorce on grounds of adultery ("criminal conversation"). The petition required an act of parliament, which was passed the next month. Soon thereafter she married Beauclerk. They had four children together: * Anne Beauclerk (born c. 1764) * Elisabeth Beauclerk (20 August 1766 – 25 March 1793); married George Augustus Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke and 8th Earl of Montgomery. * (Anne) Mary Beauclerk, twin of Elisabeth (20 August 1766 – 23 July 1851) She famously had a long-term relationship with her own half-brother

George St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke George Richard St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke and 4th Viscount St John (5 March 1761 – 11 December 1824), styled The Honourable George St John from birth until 1787, was a British peer and politician. He became famous in his own lifetime for ...

, and had four sons by him. After he abandoned her to marry a Belgian Baroness, she married in 1797 Count Franz Jenison von Walworth (1764–1824), a Bavarian count, and had legitimate issue two sons (one deceased) and four daughters. (Her descendants via her youngest daughter Emilie or Amelia include the princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, and through them, also other German royalty). *

Charles George Beauclerk Charles George Beauclerk (20 January 1774 – 25 December 1845) was an English politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Richmond from 1796 to 1798. Background and education He was the only son of Topham Beauclerk and ...

(20 January 1774 – 25 December 1846), briefly an MP; on 29 April 1799 married Emily Charlotte "Mimie" Ogilvie (May 1778–22 January 1832), daughter of William Ogilvie and

Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster (6 October 1731 – 27 March 1814), known before 1747 as Lady Emily Lennox, from 1747 to 1761 as The Countess of Kildare and from 1761 to 1766 as The Marchioness of Kildare, was the second of the famous Lenno ...

; father of

Aubrey Beauclerk (politician) Aubrey William de Vere Beauclerk (1801 – 1854) was a Radical British Member of Parliament (MP), who was elected to serve the dual-member East Surrey, making contributions in the Commons between 1833 and 1837, when he did not stand for re-el ...

) From 1772 to 1776 he lived at 3 Adelphi Terrace. Beauclerk died at his house in Great Russell Street,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

on 11 March 1780. Lady Diana later sold the house to retire in reduced circumstances to Richmond. The house at Great Russell Street, which was partly demolished in 1788, housed a library designed by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...

. At the time of his death, Beauclerk had amassed a collection of around 30,000 books, although these were kept at his house in Muswell Hill The books were sold by auction in 1781.

Friendships and anecdotes

Plaque re Topham and Lady Diana Beauclerk on 100 and 101 Great Russell Street, WC1 - geograph

Topham Beauclerk entertained Dr Johnson at his home in

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from old ...

for a number of weeks. He appears several times in

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

's ''

Life of Samuel Johnson Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy tran ...

''. As Bennet Langton records: "His affection for Topham Beauclerk was so great, that when Beauclerk was labouring under that severe illness which at last occasioned his death, Johnson said (with a voice faultering with emotion), 'Sir, I would walk to the extent of the diameter of the earth to save Beauclerk'." (Boswell 1672). The artist

Joseph Farington Joseph Farington (21 November 1747 – 30 December 1821) was an 18th-century English landscape painter and diarist. Life and work Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Farington was the second of seven sons of William Farington and Esther Gilbody. His ...

records

as making the following remarks regarding Beauclerk:

Lord Orford mentioned many particulars relative to the late Mr. Topham Beauclerc. He said He was the worst tempered man He ever knew. Lady Di passed a most miserable life with him. Lord O, out of regard to her invited them occasionally to pass a few days at Strawberry Hill. They slept in separate beds. Beauclerc was remarkably filthy in his person which generated vermin. He took Laudanum regularly in vast quantities. He seldom rose before one or two o'clock. His principal delight was in disputing on subjects that occurred, this He did accutely. Before He died He asked pardon of Lady Di, for his ill usage of her. He had one son and two daughters by Lady Di. One married Lord Herbert, the second went abroad with her Brother, Lord Bolingbroke [i.e.
George St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke George Richard St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke and 4th Viscount St John (5 March 1761 – 11 December 1824), styled The Honourable George St John from birth until 1787, was a British peer and politician. He became famous in his own lifetime for ...
].

References

Bibliography

*Adamson, Donald and Beauclerk Dewar, Peter, ''The House of Nell Gwyn. The Fortunes of the Beauclerk Family, 1670-1974'', London: William Kimber, 1974, pp. 67–77. *Boswell, James. ''Life of Johnson'', ed. R. W. Chapman, intro. Pat Rogers. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1998. *Farington, Joseph. ''The Farington Diary by Joseph Farington, R.A.'', edited by James Grieg. *

External links

Image(s)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauclerk, Topham 1739 births 1780 deaths People from Bloomsbury People from Old Windsor Samuel Johnson Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Topham Fellows of the Royal Society