Brigadier-General Samuel Masham, 1st Baron Masham (1678/79 – 1758), was a British

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

in the court of Queen Anne, and the husband of her

favourite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...

, Abigail, Lady Masham.

Biography

Masham was born 1678/79, the eighth son of Sir Francis Masham, 3rd Baronet, and Mary Scott, in Otes in High Laver, the same house where

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

had spent his final years. He was introduced to the Royal Household as

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (; 2 April 165328 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. ...

, the husband of the future Queen Anne. In 1701, he was promoted to the position of

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

. He was commissioned a captain in the

2nd Regiment of Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

on 10 January 1704, and breveted a colonel of foot on 20 October. He met his future wife, Abigail Hill, in about 1704, when she was appointed

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. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

to Anne, who was now Queen. This was the year that the Queen confided to the Earl of Godolphin that she did not believe that she and

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

– her closest friend up until now – could ever be true friends again. The Duchess, a Whig, was frequently absent from the Court, sometimes for long periods, and had become too overbearing for the Queen. Abigail, a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

– helped by her flattery and subservience – quickly began to supplant the Duchess in the Queen's affections. The Tory leader, Robert Harley, probably advised Masham of the advantages of marrying a royal favourite. However, Masham himself described it as a love match. The couple were married some time in 1707, in the presence of the Queen who contributed £2,000 to Abigail's

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

. The duchess, who was not consulted, learned about the marriage several months later and her subsequent argument with the Queen included accusations of

lesbianism A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...

. This turned the Queen completely against her and paved the way for Abigail's rise. Meanwhile, Masham was enjoying the rewards of Abigail's position. He was promoted to brigadier general in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, and in 1710 became MP for Ilchester. In 1712, Robert Harley, now

Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for the statesman Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, Robert Harley, with remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to those ...

, requested that the Queen create twelve new peers to pass negotiations for the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

which the Whigs were firmly against. Masham was one of those suggested to the Queen; but she only consented on the condition that Abigail continued to act as her dresser (a peeress was not expected to carry out the more menial duties of the bedchamber). He became Baron Masham of Otes, one of the twelve new creations known as " Harley's Dozen". After Queen Anne's death in 1714, the new king, George I, reinstated the Whigs – and the Marlboroughs – to favour. Abigail retired into private life, but Samuel Masham became

King's Remembrancer The King's Remembrancer (or Queen's Remembrancer) is an ancient judicial post in the legal system of England and Wales. Since the Lord Chancellor no longer sits as a judge, the Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position in continual existence ...

in 1716. He died in 1758, long outliving his wife.

In popular culture

Samuel Masham has been portrayed by Gordon Whiting in the 1969 BBC television series '' The First Churchills'', and by actor Joe Alwyn in the 2018 film '' The Favourite''.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Masham, Samuel Masham, 1st Baron 1670s births 1758 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain British Army brigadiers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Coldstream Guards officers Peers of Great Britain created by Queen Anne