Lansdowne House and the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne

Lansdowne House, c. 1920
Lansdowne House, located adjacent to Berkeley Square, was begun by Lord Bute. Architect Robert Adam, had not finished the house when it was sold to William Petty-Fitzmaurice (1737–1805), Earl of Shelburne, later named first Marquess of Lansdowne. After Adam completed the house in 1768, the house was often the scene of social and political maneuvering among London’s leading Whigs. 
William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC (1737 – 1805), known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, was Prime Minister 1782 – 1783 during the final months of the American War of Independence.

Shellburne/Lansdowne was a fascinating example of the quintessential 18th C. British gentleman, wealthy, politically active, supportive of scientific experimentation, an avid collector of art treasures, and occasionally quite eccentric. Horace Walpole mistrusted him, writing, “He was so well known that he could only deceive by speaking truth.” But Shelburne/Lansdowne was a friend of many: he advocated for the rights of Nonconformists,worked to soothe relationships with the former colonies in North America, both US and Canadian, and befriended Jeremy Bentham, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Johnson, David Garrick, and Benjamin Franklin. For more information on the building, which presently houses the Lansdowne Club, please see my previous post of March 29, 2010.
Lansdowne Club, London, c. 2009
One of Lord Shelburne’s friends was Joseph Priestley (1733–1804), who discovered oxygen in the laboratory supplied to him at the Shelburne country house of Bowood. A version of this room can be seen today at the estate near Chippenham in Wiltshire.

Priestley was also a dissenter and clergyman as well as an educator, political observer, and scientist. He conducted many experiments with gasses and electricity. His religious and political writings were controversial and he was several times persecuted by mobs for his views. Lord Shelburne supported Priestly and his family for a number of years. Priestly was able to pursue his scientific interests as well as advising Lord Shelburne on political matters. But they had a falling out about 1779 and Priestly moved to Birmingham, England, where he continued his religious, scientific and philosophical pursuits.

About the time his portrait was done by Ellen Sharples in 1794, Priestley emigrated to the United States and lived in Pennsylvania for the rest of his life.

The first Marquess of Lansdowne, after he received the title, largely for his work in negotiating the end of the war, withdrew from active political participation. He continued his many interests in scientific pursuits, philosophy and in his collections. 

His descendents still live at Bowood, about which I shall post soon.

JO MANNING to present talk at Dr. Johnson’s House, London May 20th

“When a man is tired of London . . . “
Jo Manning, author of My Lady Scandalous, Seducing Mr. Heywood, The Sicilian Amulet and other novels will be speaking at Dr. Johnson’s House, London. The topic of Jo’s talk will be Artists and Their Models: A Personal Insight Into Three Georgian Artists and Their Favorite Female Sitters and will include a personal look at three prominent Georgian artists – Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and George Romney – and what Jo Manning imagines their relationships were with several of their female sitters.
Jo asks, “Have you ever wondered, when you looked at a particularly beautiful portrait, what the dynamics were between the artist and his/her sitter? While researching the world of Grace Dalrymple Elliott for my biography, My Lady Scandalous, I delved deeply into the Georgian art scene and came to some interesting conclusions about three particular artists and their favorite models, all of them women who happened to be courtesans. These portraits are not only beautiful works of art by gifted artists; I believe they tell a fascinating story about the relationship of each of these men to his model(s) and thus serve to enrich our viewing pleasure.”
Dr. Johnson’s House is one of the few residential houses from the period still surviving in the City of London. Built in 1700, the house has now been restored to its original condition, with a collection of period furniture, prints and portraits. Situated to the north of Fleet Street, the house is found among a maze of courtyards and passages that are a reminder of historic London. If you’re going to be in London on May 20th, I urge you to attend. If Jo’s other seminars are anything to go by, this talk will be a pip!