Percy Florence Shelley
Encyclopedia
Sir Percy Florence Shelley, 3rd Baronet (12 November 1819 – 5 December 1889) was the son and only surviving child of Percy Bysshe Shelley
and his second wife, Mary Shelley
. He was thus the only grandchild of Mary Wollstonecraft
. His middle name, Florence, came because he was born in Florence
in Italy
, as was Florence Nightingale
, six months to the day afterwards.
with his mother
in 1822, his father having drowned off the Italian
coast. He joined Harrow School
in Middlesex
in 1832, and went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
in October 1837.
and the Viscountess Bolingbroke, Baroness Hompesch.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex
in 1865.
The couple had no children, although they adopted Bessie Florence Gibson, the daughter of Edward Gibson who was possibly Jane Gibson's brother. Bessie Gibson married Lieutenant-Colonel Leopold James Yorke Campbell Scarlett, and was the mother of Shelley
, Robert
and Hugh Scarlett
, the 5th, 6th and 7th Barons Abinger
respectively.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
and his second wife, Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
. He was thus the only grandchild of Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was an eighteenth-century British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children's book...
. His middle name, Florence, came because he was born in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, as was Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, six months to the day afterwards.
Early life and education
Shelley moved back to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his mother
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
in 1822, his father having drowned off the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
coast. He joined Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
in 1832, and went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in October 1837.
After Cambridge
Shelley inherited the baronetcy upon the death of his grandfather in 1844, becoming the 3rd Baronet, of Castle Goring, Sussex. He married Jane Gibson on 22 June 1848, who had previously been married to the Hon. Charles Robert St. John, son of the 3rd Viscount BolingbrokeViscount Bolingbroke
Viscount Bolingbroke / Viscount St John is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain and is currently held by Nicholas Alexander Mowbray St John, the 9th Viscount Bolingbroke and 10th Viscount St John who lives in Sydney Australia....
and the Viscountess Bolingbroke, Baroness Hompesch.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Sussex
High Sheriff of Sussex
-History:The office of High Sheriff is over 1000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of Edward VII when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office under the...
in 1865.
The couple had no children, although they adopted Bessie Florence Gibson, the daughter of Edward Gibson who was possibly Jane Gibson's brother. Bessie Gibson married Lieutenant-Colonel Leopold James Yorke Campbell Scarlett, and was the mother of Shelley
Shelley Scarlett, 5th Baron Abinger
Commander Shelley Leopold Laurence Scarlett, 5th Baron Abinger , was a British peer.Scarlett was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leopold James Yorke Campbell Scarlett, and a great-grandson of the 1st Baron Abinger. He succeeded his second cousin in 1903, and was a Commander in the Royal Naval...
, Robert
Robert Scarlett, 6th Baron Abinger
Robert Brooke Campbell Scarlett, 6th Baron Abinger was a British peer.Scarlett was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leopold James Yorke Campbell Scarlett. He succeeded his older brother Shelley in 1917....
and Hugh Scarlett
Hugh Scarlett, 7th Baron Abinger
Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Richard Scarlett, 7th Baron Abinger DSO was a British peer.Scarlett was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leopold James Yorke Campbell Scarlett. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Artillery, and he fought in the Boer War in South Africa from 1900-1902...
, the 5th, 6th and 7th Barons Abinger
Baron Abinger
Baron Abinger, of Abinger in the County of Surrey and of the City of Norwich, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 12 January 1835 for the prominent lawyer and politician Sir James Scarlett, the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Lord Abinger was succeeded by his...
respectively.