A Gallery of Benjamin West

Benjamin West PRA (Springfield, Province of Pennsylvania, America, 10th October 1738 – London, England, 11th March 1820)

Benjamin West, the iconic history painter whose career took him from America to England, died on this day. A darling of royalty and with a list of clients and pupils that included some very illustrious names, I hope you enjoy this gallery of his work!

Self Portrait, 1819

John Eardley Wilmot, 1812 

Self Portrait, 1770

Saint Cecilia, 1761

Anna Maria Shutz, Lady Griffin

The Death of Nelson, 1806

Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds, 1769

Mrs Worrell as Hebe, 1770

Lady Beauchamp-Proctor, 1778

Self Portrait, 1793

The Life of the Devil Byron

Lieutenant William Byron, 5th Baron Byron of Rochdale (London, England, 5th November 1722 – Newstead, Nottinghamshire, England, 19th May 1798)

It is a little known fact that I have not always flitted about the streets of Covent Garden, quill in hand, but actually came into this world a little way north of Henrietta Street. Indeed, as a young Gilflurt I spent many a happy year in the vicinity of Newstead Abbey and whenever the court circular permits, I still visit that wonderful old building in my coach and four. The stones of Newstead ring with stories of the ages and today we shall meet the leading man in one of them, William, 5th Baron Byron. In all my years, I never encountered the Devil Byron at his country seat though grandmother Gilflurt claimed to have spent many a ribald hour reenacting his favourite naval battles, dark horse that she is!

Newstead Abbey by William West 

William Byron took the title of Baron Byron at the age of 14 and two years later he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, set for a glittering and privileged future. Apparently a true pillar of the establishment, he undertook charitable deeds, made an excellent marriage to Elizabeth Shaw and generally behaved in a way that might make his late parents, William Byron, and Frances Berkeley, proud. As my old grandmother is happy to testify, Byron had a failing when it came to alcohol and it may be that we can blame the drink for the unfortunate circumstances that came to blight a seemingly charmed life.

On 26th January 1765 Byron joined his cousin, William Chaworth, and a band of fellow Nottinghamshire estate owners at to the Stars and Garter Tavern in Pall Mall for a few drinks to combat the bitter winter cold. As the wine flowed, a little harmless boasting over who had the more valuable game on their estate got out of hand and before the night was out the two cousins had agreed to a duel to settle the argument; it was to prove a deadly decision. The evening was drawing on when Byron and Chaworth took their leave and retired to a private room, where the Lord plunged his sword into his opponent's belly. Chaworth lingered on until the following day and when Byron landed in court, his noble birth meant that he was convicted only of manslaughter. The value of Chaworth's life was no more than a paltry fine and the now notorious nobleman returned to his home at Newstead Abbey in triumph.

As gossip spread of the Wicked Lord, Byron revelled in his new-found infamy and mounted the deadly blade in his bedroom, an ornamental trophy. Stories of Byron's madness became the stuff of legend and tales were told of his violent temper and outlandish behaviour, of terrible attacks on servants and a wife who suffered at her husband's cruel hands. Eventually Lady Byron could stand no more and fled, leaving her husband to his reclusive life at Newstead. With his mistress, a servant known as Lady Betty, Byron presided over a circus-like court with working forts built in the grounds of the Abbey so that he might stage mock naval battles for his own entertainment, complete with working cannons. His debts began to spiral out of control but the Lord paid no heed, enjoying the somewhat unconventional life he had created for himself.

Newstead Abbey from Morris's Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen (1880)

For all of Byron's outlandish behaviour, when his son, William, eloped with his own cousin, the Wicked Lord baulked at the though of blood relatives in such a relationship. On top of that, he needed William to marry into money so that the family debts might be wiped out and Juliana Byron did not fit this particular profile. When it became clear that his son would not comply with his wishes, Byron decided that the best revenge would be to ruin the family completely, leaving his heir with nothing but debt and dereliction. He embarked on a scorched earth approach to Newstead, decimating its forestry and slaughtering the valuable game that had been the cause of his duel with Chaworth whilst letting his home fall into wrack and ruin around him. Every penny was spent in pursuit of bankruptcy and yet fate had a final twist to play on the Devil Byron...

The son he had come to despise was destined never to inherit the debt that was due to become his burden as he died in 1776, his own son killed in battle in 1794. Lord Byron's vicious plan had come to nothing and the debt and unhappiness was inherited by his great nephew, George Gordon Byron, with whom Byron had no quarrel, either real or imagined. The 5th Lord Byron died in 1798 and was laid to rest in Hucknall Torkard in Nottinghamshire, his death little mourned by those who knew him.

"We have lost more than we have gained": The Death of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England, 29th September 1758 – Cape Trafalgar, Spain, 21st October 1805)

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott , 1799

Not a week ago I told of the final hours of an iconic figure of our Georgian age, the doomed Queen Marie Antoinette. Today I find myself bound to relate another sad death, that of our very own Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson at the legendary Battle of Trafalgar.

On 21st October 1805 the Royal Navy fought the combined might of the French and Spanish navies in the most decisive conflict of the War of the Third Coalition, the Battle of Trafalgar. Although the Royal Navy would claim the all-important victory the price was high; Nelson's death plunged the country into deep mourning for its national hero. By the end of the day the French and Spanish fleets would be annihilated, Napoleon's plans for glory lay in tatters and the stage was set for English dominance over the ocean for decades.

The Fall of Nelson, Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805 by Denis Dighton, 1825

In the heat of the close-quarters battle Nelson strode the deck of his flagship, HMS Victory, with the ship's captain, Thomas Hardy, by his side. As Victory neared the enemy line officers  implored Nelson to retire to another vessel but the Admiral refused, determined to lead the battle from the front as he stood true to his own famous word that "England expects that every man will do his duty". The fighting was vicious and Nelson's secretary, John Scott, fell victim to a cannonball whilst all around him crewmen were dying or injured. Under fire from the French ships and sharpshooters in their rigging, Nelson and Hardy never left the deck of the Victory, issuing orders and commands to their crew. Clad in a dress uniform coat and proudly displaying his Orders of Knighthood, Nelson was a constant, visible presence on the deck, never taking his eye from the battle.

The Battle of Trafalgar by J. M. W. Turner

It was after one o'clock when a shot was fired from the French vessel, Redoubtable, and Hardy turned to see Nelson collapsed on the quarter-deck, his hand clutched to a wound in his left shoulder. The ball had struck Nelson and travelled through his torso to smash his spine, leaving the Admiral with no hope of survival. Hardy later reported that Nelson knew precisely what had happened, telling him, "My backbone is shot through.".

Sergeant-Major Robert Adair and two marines carried the mortally wounded Admiral below decks whilst Hardy remained in command. Even then Nelson continued to issue orders to his men and when he was joined by the Victory's surgeon, William Beatty, he told the medic that nothing could be done for him and asked that Beatty tend other men who might still be saved. Made as comfortable as possible, Nelson was kept cool and refreshed and asked to see Hardy, telling Beatty to remember him to those who loved him. Joined by chaplain, Alexander Scott, and other important crewmen, Nelson continually asked for Hardy and eventually, an hour or so after the wound was inflicted, the Captain joined them below decks.

The Death of Lord Nelson in the Cockpit of the Ship 'Victory' by Benjamin West, 1808

After listening to a report on the successes of the battle. Nelson told his friend that he knew his time was limited and reminded him to anchor, fearing that a storm was approaching and set on capturing 20 of his opponent's vessels. Fading fast, Nelson asked Hardy to ensure that Lady Hamilton was cared for and then asked, "Kiss me, Hardy". After a kiss to his cheek and forehead, Nelson began to slip into incoherence and finally died at half past four, his last words recorded as, "God and my country".

The Death of Nelson, 21 October 1805 by Arthur Devis, 1807

Nelson's body was stored in a cask of brandy, camphor and myrrh and kept under heavy guard on the mast of the Victory. With her precious cargo aboard, the shop was towed to Gibraltar where the admiral's corpse was placed in a lead-lined coffin filled with spirits of wine. This cask was made from the mast of L’Orient, a French ship destroyed in the Battle of the Nile. As the sad preparations to return were made, a messenger was dispatched to send word to London and Lady Hamilton. She later recalled that she greeted the news of Nelson's death with horrified shock and swiftly slipped into debt and despair, neither she nor her daughter, Horatia, offered any support despite Nelson's express wishes that they be cared for. King George III himself greeted the news of the Admiral's death with horror, supposedly commenting, "We have lost more than we have gained."

Nelson finally reached England on board his flagship on 23rd December and his coffin was taken to Greenwich Hospital, where it would remain until January 1806. Over the three days in which Nelson's body lay in state, 100,000 people filed through the Hospital to pat their last respects. With the Admiral's death, Britain lost one of the greatest heroes of the Georgian age and his funeral reflected his status in the country he had given his life for. It was a magnificent affair and one that we shall visit on another day.