Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide Part 1

Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide.

by Mary c.l.i.therow.

PREFACE

THE following pages are mainly compiled from certain letters by Miss Mary c.l.i.therow, which have come into the editor's possession. They afford glimpses of the Court at that time, with reference not so much to public functions as to their Majesties' more private relations with persons honoured with their friends.h.i.+p. The reader will meet with few, if any, references in them to leaders in political or philanthropic movements or in the realms of literature or fas.h.i.+on; but it is not to be inferred that these were regarded with disfavour or treated with coldness by their Majesties, whose kindly interest in the well-being of their people is notorious. There were in this short reign many commanding personalities whose names must live in our history, and ever be remembered With respect and grat.i.tude. To name only a few: the Duke of Wellington, Lords Grey, Melbourne, Brougham, Palmerston and Shaftesbury, Sir Robert Peel, William Wilberforce, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Southey, Thomas Campbell, S. T. Coleridge, Henry Hallam, Bulwer Lytton and William Thackeray were among the leading spirits of the time.

With such, however, these pages have no direct concern. They treat of personal friends whose interests lay neither in the Court nor in the Senate, and whose aims had no taint of self-seeking. The knowledge that William IV.'s intimate friends were high-minded, independent, kind-hearted English gentlefolk a.s.sures us that the King's well-known simplicity of taste was joined to a kindliness of heart, a sincerity of character, and a devotion to duty which enabled him to maintain his heritage of royal responsibility, and to hand it on to his successor with its honour restored, its resources enlarged, and its security confirmed.

GLIMPSES OF KING WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN ADELAIDE

I

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF BOSTON HOUSE AND THE c.l.i.tHEROW FAMILY

IT seems almost incredible that in the twentieth century a station on the Metropolitan Railway should stand amidst quite rural surroundings.

About Brentford,[*] however, there are still several fine properties which have hitherto escaped the grip of the speculative builder--e.g., Osterley Park, the seat of the Earl of Jersey, and Syon Hill, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland--and the immediate neighbourhood of Boston Road is not yet covered with semi-detached villas, or sordid streets of jerry-built cottages. It is nearly a quarter of a mile's walk along the road leading from Hanwell to Brentford before one comes to the first house on the right. Though not a mansion of the first rank, it is of sufficient size and antiquity to arrest attention. This is Boston House. It stands a little back from the high road, and the handsome iron gates allow the pa.s.ser-by a glimpse of its quaint gables and narrow stone porch. It was built in 1622, and is a brick house of three stories, with three gables in front, and a long range of offices, etc., stretching from it on the north side.

[*] In a paper reprinted from _Home Counties Magazine_ for October, 1901, occur the following remarks in 'Royalty in the Parish': 'Edmund the Atheling, also called Ironside, in 1016 was murdered at night in a house at Brentford by his brother-in-law, Edric Steone. Henry VI. in 1445 held a chapter of the Garter at the Red Lion Inn, Brentford.

Charles I. witnessed the Battle of Brentford between his troops and those of the Parliament in 1642 from the grounds of Boston House. But it is not generally known that King William IV. and Queen Adelaide dined at that house in 1834.'

The hall, which is not large, is surrounded by s.h.i.+elds bearing the arms of former owners of the manor. The first of these to the north of the entrance is that of Edward I., who granted the manor to St. Helen's Hospital in the City of London. Then follow those of Edward VI., who granted it to the Duke of Somerset; Elizabeth, who granted it to Robert, Earl of Leicester; Charles II. and William IV., who visited Boston on several occasions. In addition to these are seen in order those of other holders of the manor: Rollesby, who devised it to St.

Helens; St. Helen's; Edward, Duke of Somerset; Robert, Earl of Leicester; Sir Thomas Gresham, who also owned Osterley; Sir W. Read; I.

Goldsmith. These are on the south side. On the north are c.l.i.therow and Hewett; c.l.i.therow and Campbell; c.l.i.therow and Barker; c.l.i.therow and Paule; c.l.i.therow and Gale; c.l.i.therow and Jodrell; c.l.i.therow and Powell; c.l.i.therow and Kemeys; c.l.i.therow and Pole; c.l.i.therow and Snow.

The drawing-room, which is on the first floor, has a very fine moulded ceiling with many beautiful medallions. These contain allegorical representations of Peace and War, the five senses, the four elements, the three Christian graces, etc. The mouldings and borders are picked out in red, and the Latin names of the subjects are in gilt letters.

The walls of this room, as well as those of the dining-room and library, are hung with many portraits of the c.l.i.therow family by leading artists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Among these should be specially noted a pastile by Zoffany of Mr. and Mrs.

and Miss Child, taken in the porch at Osterley. Mrs. Child (_nee_ Jodrell) was the sister of Mrs. c.l.i.therow, and afterwards married (1791) the third Lord Ducie. Miss Child married the tenth Earl of Westmoreland, and became the mother of the Countess of Jersey. Here are also to be seen examples of Rubens, Van d.y.k.e, C. Lorraine, Sir P. Lely, Sir G. Kneller, Romney, Zuccharo, Van Somers, Zoffany, and many others.

Behind the drawing-room is a State bedroom, the ceiling of which is also moulded and coloured.

The grounds are extensive, and well planted with shrubs, roses, etc.

There are several fine trees on the lawn. A yew-tree with long branches trailing near the house covers a circle of ground over seventy yards in circ.u.mference, and a cedar, which was sown in 1754, is an exceptionally fine specimen. To the east of the broad terrace lies the orchard, where in June, 1834, the neighbours stared at the Royal party and got Queen Adelaide's 'dress by heart,' while the haymakers cheered her Majesty and quaffed their allowance of beer. [See Chapter VI.]

To the west of the lawn shady paths lead through a pretty wilderness to the river Brent, beyond whose winding course there lies undulating and well-timbered, park-like land, adjoining the grounds of Osterley--a homely bit of characteristic English scenery.

This beautiful place, which is at present owned by the Rev. W. J.

Stracey c.l.i.therow, formerly Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, has been in possession of the family since it was purchased by James c.l.i.therow in 1670. The family, though never enn.o.bled, is an ancient one, with a very honourable record. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries they resided at Goldmerstone, in the parish of Ash, near Sandwich. The remains of several of the family lie in the parish church there, and the bra.s.ses of two remain, though one is sadly mutilated.

This last is to the memory of Richard c.l.i.therow, who was Sheriff of the county of Kent in 1403, and 'Admiral of the seas from the Thames eastward.' He married the daughter of Sir John Oldcastle, who, in right of his wife, a.s.sumed the t.i.tle of Lord Cobham,[*] and died for the faith of Christ on Christmas Day, 1417, among the Lollard martyrs at the gate of St. Giles' Hospital. The family was represented at Agincourt in 1415; one sat for the county of Kent in Parliament in 1407, and another was Lord Mayor of London in 1635.

[*] From Sir John Oldcastle the c.l.i.therows derive both their arms and crest. In the reign of George IV. the head of the family was Colonel James c.l.i.therow, born in 1766, who married Miss Jane Snow, of Langton, Dorset. A portrait of him hangs in the library, painted by Romney in the year 1785. He was a high-minded, accomplished, and conscientious English gentleman, who took an active interest in many good works, both of local and wider importance. He was actively interested in the establishment of the Hanwell Lunatic Asylum, in the Board Room of which his portrait by Pickersgill may still be seen. He was Chairman of the Visiting Justices of the inst.i.tution from its opening in 1832 till April, 1839, and in 1835 he founded the charity (still in existence) known as Queen Adelaide's Fund.

Colonel and Mrs. c.l.i.therow's home at Boston House was shared by his sister Mary, who was two years his senior. About the year 1824 they became acquainted with the Duke of Clarence, afterwards King William IV., who then resided at Bushey, of which park he was Ranger; and they were admitted to an unusual degree of intimacy with their Royal neighbours, observing in their intercourse with them an honesty not usually found in courtiers, but quite in keeping with the family motto, 'Loyal, yet true.' So close did this intimacy become that, after his accession, the King nicknamed Miss c.l.i.therow 'Princess Augusta,' in allusion to her being the old maid of the family as the Princess was in his own, and when inquiring for her of Colonel or Mrs. c.l.i.therow would say, 'How is _your_ Princess Augusta?' her of Colonel or Mrs. c.l.i.therow would say, 'How is _your_ Princess Augusta?'

Although, however, the c.l.i.therows were frequent guests at Windsor and St. James's, they were not courtiers in the common acceptation of that term. They sought neither place nor preferment, and received no signal mark of Royal favour. Miss c.l.i.therow never even attended a Drawing Room, and the Colonel and his wife only appear to have done so on one occasion, when the Queen remarked: 'I knew Miss c.l.i.therow would not come; it is too public. She had almost left off going out till we made her come to St. James's.' Miss c.l.i.therow was naturally of a quiet and retiring disposition, while her own account of her introduction to the Court, and of the independent spirit which pervaded the family, is interesting not only in itself but as ill.u.s.trating the kindly sincerity of the King and Queen. Writing to an old friend in November, 1830, she says:

'I can hardly believe that I feel as much at home in the Royal presence as in any other first society, but it is the fact. It is seven years that my brother and Mr. [sic] c.l.i.therow have been noticed, but I am only just _come out_ now. For many years my health did not allow of my dining out, and I got so out of the habit that I avoided it, and quite escaped being asked to Bushey till the Duke became King. Before George IV. was buried they were invited; no party but the Royal brothers and sisters and the Fitz-Clarences. They did me the honour to talk of me, the King calling me my brother's Princess Augusta, in allusion to my being the old maid of the family, and then added: "I can't see why she does not some out; you must dine here Tuesday, and bring her." So the deed was done. Refuse I could not. I dined at Bushey, then twice at St.

James's, then on the Queen's birthday at Bushey, and then went to Windsor Castle on Friday and stayed till after church on Sunday, and now to dinner at St. James's last Monday. So that actually [in less than five months] the little old maid of Boston House has dined seven times with King William IV., and honestly I have liked it. There is a kindness and ease in their manner towards us that must be gratifying . . . and when we come home what a feeling of comfort we have in not being obliged to live in that circle, with all the insincerity so often belonging to courtiers! I am very sure my dear Jane's honest manner and the sound judgment which she ventures to express to Her Majesty makes her such a favourite. Much as we are noticed, we do not court them, and never have asked the slightest favour. When they first went to Windsor our friends said: "You must drive over and put your names down." "No,"

Mrs. c.l.i.therow said, "we were asked to the Queen's birthday; I will not go before the King's, it will look like pus.h.i.+ng to be asked." And we received our invitation to Windsor before we had called. When we came away, the King expressed a hope to see us at Brighton, as he knew we frequently went into Suss.e.x. Our friends all were for sending us thither, but it did not suit us. Don't you like independence? As soon as they came to town we did put our names down. Miss Fitz-Clarence writes herself to Mrs. c.l.i.therow to inform her of her intended marriage with Lord Falkland, and Mrs. Henry is employed to write and invite us to dinner to meet our own friends. So I think we rather go the right way to please them.'

Surely few families have taken their motto more faithfully as a guide to their conduct!

II

DEFEAT OF THE MINISTRY--DINNER AT ST. JAMES'S

THOUGH the reign of William IV. was free from any serious war, the political condition of the country was such as to cause the King much anxiety. The establishment of a popular Government in France under Louis Philippe gave a great impulse to the enthusiasm which had been growing in England for Parliamentary reform, which, through the growth of large manufacturing centres since 1790, had become a more urgent necessity every year. In 1795 Lord Grey brought forward a motion on the subject, which was opposed by Burke and Pitt, and thrown out by a large majority. The attention of the country was somewhat diverted from reform during the war with France, which was brought to a close after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Its advocacy in Parliament was renewed in 1817 by Sir Francis Burdett, while William Cobbett's pamphlets, and large public meetings, often attended by riots, voiced the popular feeling, which Parliament endeavoured to stifle, thereby only adding to the discontent. Lord John Russell, in 1819, proposed resolutions in its favour, but failed to carry them. Lord Liverpool's ministry, which lasted till his death in 1827, was strenuously opposed to it, and Canning's death in the same year was a further check to political progress.

The General Election, consequent on the accession of William IV., was favou[r]able to the supporters of reform, and the Duke of Wellington, who had been Prime Minister for more than two years, roused a great deal of feeling by declaring his unqualified disagreement with their views. Before, however, any resolution was brought forward, the Government was defeated on a motion connected with the Civil List, and the Duke immediately resigned. On the night of his defeat, the c.l.i.therows were dining at St. James's, and the following extract from a letter dated November 20, 1830, tells us of the reception of the news at the Palace:

'We were at St. James's the night of the Duke's defeat in the House.

The King had a note, which he opened, and left the room, but soon returned. Colonel Fred Fitz-Clarence came in, and told the Queen[*] of it in German. Miss Wilson was sitting by me, and exclaimed, "Good G.o.d!"

in a low tone. I looked at her; she put up her finger, and afterwards whispered what was said in German, but nothing transpired--not a comment. It's the great secret at Court to smile and be cheerful and attentive to the circle round you when the heart is sad, and it was exemplified that evening.'

[*] Queen Adelaide was the eldest daughter of George Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, born 1792. By her marriage in 1818 to William IV. she had two children, both of whom died in infancy.

The news appears from this to have fallen like a thunderbolt upon the party, and the inference as to the c.l.i.therows' views is that they were supporters of the Duke. The letter proceeds to touch of matters of less public importance, but ill.u.s.trative of the King and Queen's interest in local affairs and English industries:

'We had dined there, and it seems almost like vain boasting, but it was a party made for us. When the King told Mrs. Henry to write and invite us, he said: "I shall only ask Colonel c.l.i.therow's friends that I have met at Boston House." And it was the Duke of Dorset,[*] Lord[**] and Lady Mayo, the Archbishop and Mrs. Howley, the rest of the company his own family, the Duke of Suss.e.x,[***] and a few of the Household-in-waiting. There could not be a greater compliment. The Queen shows a decided partiality for Mrs. c.l.i.therow. In the evening she sat down to a French table, and called to her to sit by her. The King came in and sat down on the other side of Mrs. c.l.i.therow. She rose to retire, but he said: "Sit down, ma'am--sit down." Two boxes were placed before him, and he said to Miss Fitz-Clarence[****]: "Amelia, I want pen and ink."

Away she went, and brought a beautiful gold inkstand, and he signed his name, I am sure, a hundred times, pa.s.sed the papers to Mrs. c.l.i.therow, and she to the Queen, who put them on the blotting-paper, then folded them neatly and put them in their little case to enable them to pack into the boxes again, conversation going on all the time. When the business was over, the King took my brother to a sofa, and chatted a long time, inquiring into the state of things in our neighbourhood, policemen, etc. The Queen's new band was playing beautifully all the evening, which she said she had ordered to have my brother's opinion.

The late King's private band cost the King 18,000 a year. It was dismissed, and a small band is formed--I believe I may say all English, and many of the juvenile performers whom she patronizes. Her dress was particularly elegant, white, and all English manufacture. She made us observe her blend was as handsome as Lady Mayo's French blend. "I hope all the ladies will patronize the English blend of silk," she said. She is a very pretty figure, and her dress so moderate, sleeves and head-dress much less than the hideous fas.h.i.+on.'

[*] Charles Sackville Germain, fifth Duke of Dorset, K.G., was a son of the first Viscount Sackville, and born 1767. He became Viscount Sackville 1785, and succeeded his cousin, the fourth Duke of Dorset, in 1815.

[**] John Bourke, fourth Earl of Mayo, born 1766, succeeded his father 1794. Married Arabella, fourth daughter of W. M. Praed, Esq. His brothers were Bishop of Waterford and Dean of Ossory.

[***] H.R.H. was the sixth son of H.M. George III., born 1773, and was unmarried.

[****] The King's youngest daughter, by Mrs. Jordan; born 1807, married, 1830, the ninth Viscount Falkland.

III

A WEEK-END VISIT TO WINDSOR

THE following long letter bears testimony to the King's conscientious discharge of duty, to his anxiety with regard to public affairs, to the Queen's devout religious spirit, and to her non-interference in politics:

'April 13, 1831.