William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot
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William Talbot, Earl Talbot, PC (16 May 1710 – 27 April 1782), known as the Lord Talbot from 1737 to 1761, was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
politician. Talbot was a notable figure among opposition Whig politicians during the reign of King George II before later coming to Court during the reign of his grandson, taking the office of
Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is an official of the Royal Household in England. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government. Until 1782, the office was one of considerable political importance ...
.


Early life and education

Talbot was born in
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as the eldest surviving son of Charles Talbot, later
Baron Talbot Baron Talbot is a title that has been created twice. The title was created first in the Peerage of England. On 5 June 1331, Sir Gilbert Talbot was summoned to Parliament, by which he was held to have become Baron Talbot. The title Lord Talbot, ...
and Cecil Matthew (died 1720), daughter of Charles Matthew of Castell y Mynach,
Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
. The second of five sons born to the future Baron Talbot, Talbot 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 ...
from 1725 to 1728 and
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. ...
at
Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...
on 23 January 1727, before attending
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
in 1728. He was created DCL (Doctor of Civil Law) on 12 June 1736. In March 1734 Talbot as elected a trustee of the Georgia Society which he would remained associated with until March 1738.


Politics

Talbot was elected as a
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
at the 1734 general election where he succeeded outgoing
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
MP Sir Charles Kemeys. The constituency had been hitherto dominated by an alliance of three Tory peers, the Duke of Beaufort, Lord Mansel and Lord Windsor. The Mansels had dominated the seat for around forty-years until 1712 when the seat was won by a succession of two local Tory squires. Talbot stood as a Whig on the interest of his father against Bussy Mansel for the local Tories, who was noted for having a miserly disposition and a considerable fortune. Talbot narrowly won the seat over Mansel, thus being the first Whig to represent the county seat in the duration of the
Hanoverian succession The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...
. In the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
Talbot aligned with the Opposition Whigs under William Pulteney and was opposed to
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 ...
and his
ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
. Talbot considered himself to be a 'real Whig' and was fairly independent in his politics, associating with other Independent Whigs such as
Sir Francis Dashwood Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer, PC, FRS (December 1708 – 11 December 1781) was an English politician and rake, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1762–1763) and founder of the Hellfire Club. Life and career Early life Dashwood wa ...
,
Earl Stanhope Earl Stanhope ()Debrett's Correct Form, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1976, pg 408 was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. The earldom was created in 1718 for Major General James Stanhope,Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: Chevening', in The History and T ...
and Lord Strange, the former two being noted as close associates and friends of Talbot. These 'real Whigs' promoted a political stance of 'independency' which endorsed Country principles of opposing the
Septennial Act The Septennial Act 1715 (1 Geo 1 St 2 c 38), sometimes called the Septennial Act 1716, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It was passed in May 1716. It increased the maximum length of a parliament (and hence the maximum period between ...
, nepotism, corruption and a large standing-army, while promoting the
militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
system, place bills to restrict officeholders in Parliament and general measures to limit the hold of governments over the House of Commons. On these matters these Independents were broad in agreement with the Tories in opposition who they sought to differentiate themselves from through writings and semantics. Talbot expressed his political creed in a 1734 letter to Sir John Dutton where Talbot expressed:
I wish the nominal distinction of Whig and Tory abolished, as the words only, not the sense remain; a Ministerial Whig and a State Tory, when in power, are so exactly alike in their conduct, that my discernment is not sufficient to distinguish one from the other. The principles of a real Whig, in my sense of the term, are these, That government is an original compact between the governors and governed, instituted for the good of the whole community; that in a limited monarchy, or more properly regal commonwealth, the majesty is in the people, and tho'the person on the throne in superior to any individual, he is the servant of the nation;- that the only title to the crown is the election of the people; that the laws are equally obligatory to the Prince and people; that as the constitution of ''England'' is formed of three legislation branches, the balance between each must be preserved, to prevent the destruction of the whole; that elections ought to be free, the elected independent;- that a Parliamentary influence by places and pensions is inconsistent with the interest of the public; and that a Minister who endeavours to govern by corruption, is guilty of the vilest attempt to subvert the constitution;- that a standing mercenary army, in time of peace, is contrary to the laws, dangerous to the liberties, and oppressive to the subjects of ''Great Britain''.
In the Commons Talbot was an opponent of the Court Whig administration, supporting the efforts of Tory Sir William Wyndham against the Walpole government to appoint a committee to examine the ordinance of the navy. In February 1737 Talbot vacated his seat in the House of Commons upon the death of his father, becoming Baron Talbot. Talbot for a year from March 1737 served as a common councillor within the Georgia Society, which he resigned from in 1738 after refusing to sign two applications to the Government from the society due to his strong opposition to Walpole. Despite having been deprived of his seat in the Commons, Talbot remained a notable figure within opposition circles as one of the opposition Independent Whigs. In 1747 along with Dashwood, Talbot met 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 ...
who authorised the two Independent politicians to engage in careful negotiations to form a unified parliamentary opposition of Leicester House, grumbletonian Whigs and the Tories. After months of negotiations an opposition programme was agreed with Dashwood and Talbot remaining among Frederick's steadiest adherents and supporters until his death in 1751. Talbot was among those who coalesced with Frederick's agent Bubb Dodington and was promised a place in a future administration as master of the jewel office. Talbot remained an opponent of subsequent Whig administrations including that of the
Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...
which he objected to on constitutional principles and not out of want for office. At the accession 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 1760, Talbot acted as
Lord High Steward The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...
of the new monarch's coronation and was summarily appointed to the
Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in 1761. On 19 March 1761 Talbot was created Earl Talbot and was made by
Lord Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...
Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is an official of the Royal Household in England. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government. Until 1782, the office was one of considerable political importance ...
, a position he would hold until his death. That January he had taken command of the newly-embodied Glamorgan Militia.Talbot, much like his friend Dashwood, accepted office not out of a personal friendship or political alliance with Bute, but because they were of the opinion that the new monarch was different from his predecessor and that the new reign would reflect this shift. Thereafter Talbot's politics seem to have aligned with those of the Court with him maintaining his household position for the remainder of his life while largely remaining uninvolved with the political questions of the day. One exception to this was with the public hostility to Dashwood cider excise in 1763 when Lord Egremont begged Talbot to attend a Glamorgan county meeting 'to blast the intended opposition' to local opposition figures who pledged to repeal the excise. In autumn 1763 Talbot was among the political figures consulted by
George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an ...
on how best to court and appease the mainly ex-Tory Independent Country Gentlemen in the Commons, who occasionally held the parliamentary balance of power.


Family

Talbot had married Mary, daughter and heir of Adam de Cardonnel, secretary to the
Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...
, on 21 February 1733, at St George, Hanover Square. With his wife Talbot had two children, a daughter, Cecil, and a son, who predeceased him. He had an affair with
Frances Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort Frances Scudamore, Duchess of Beaufort (1711–1750) was a noblewoman and heiress. The only child of James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore, she was his sole heir upon his death in 1716. Her mother, Frances ''née'' Digby, had introduced the f ...
(born 14 August 1711 – died 16 February 1750), wife of Henry Scudamore-Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort which led to the Beauforts' divorce in 1743. Talbot and his wife had separated as a result of this in 1742. On Talbot's character,
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 ...
, as quoted by
Eveline Cruickshanks Eveline Cruickshanks (1 December 1926 – 14 November 2021) was an historian of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British political history, specialising in Jacobitism and Tory (British political party), Toryism. She was of English, Scottish ...
, wrote of him:
This Lord had long affected a very free-spoken kind of patriotism on all occasions. He had some wit, and a little tincture of a disordered understanding; but was better known as a boxer and man of pleasure, than in the light of a statesman. The Duchess of——had been publicly divorced from her lord on his account; and was not the only woman of fashion who had lived with him openly as his mistress. He was strong, well made, and very comely; but with no air, nor with the manners of a man of quality. No wonder the promotion of such a minister, in a reign that advertised piety, strengthened the suspicions already entertained of the sincerity of the Court. It grew more comic still, when the new statesman appeared to be a reformer too.
Talbot had no surviving sons by the end of his life which necessitated him being created Baron Dynevor of Dynevor in the county of
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
on 17 October 1780, with a special remainder in favour of daughter Cecil, and the heirs male of her body.
Mary Anne Talbot Mary Anne Talbot also known as John Taylor (2 February 1778 – 4 February 1808) was an Englishwoman who wore male dress and became a soldier and sailor during the French Revolutionary Wars. Life Mary Anne Talbot was born in London at 62 Lincol ...
claimed to be one of sixteen illegitimate children of Lord Talbot. Talbot died 27 April 1782 at
Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...
and was buried at St Nicholas Church in Sutton. At his death, the earldom became extinct, whilst the barony of Talbot passed to his nephew (and is now part of the earldom of Shrewsbury), and the barony of Dynevor to his daughter and thereafter to her eldest son. She had married George Rice and had two sons, the eldest of which was George Rice, 3rd Baron Dynevor.


References

*


External links


Entry at thepeerage.com
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, William Talbot, Earl 1710 births 1782 deaths Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford British MPs 1734–1741 Earls Talbot 01 Lord High Stewards Glamorgan Militia officers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Glamorganshire Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain People educated at Eton College Barons Talbot