Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope
Encyclopedia
Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope FRS
(7 December 1781 – 2 March 1855), was an English
aristocrat
, chiefly remembered for his role in the Kaspar Hauser
case during the 1830s.
He sat in Parliament
as a Whig for Wendover
from 1806 to 1807, Hull from 1807 to 1812, and Midhurst
from 1812 till his succession to the peerage on 15 December 1816. Sharing his father's (Charles Stanhope's) scientific interest, he was elected F.R.S. on 8 January 1807 and was a president of the Medico-Botanical Society; he furthermore was a vice-president of the Society of Arts.
Like other members of his gifted family, notably his half-sister Lady Hester Stanhope
, he is usually portrayed as a somewhat eccentric character. Having studied in Germany, he used to travel extensibly in Europe (mostly alone, though he was married and had a son and a daughter), thereby consorting at various princely courts and spending a lot of money. In contrast to some accounts, which suggest that he lived beyond his means, it appears certain that he was rich, at least after he had succeeded his father in 1816.
His eccentricity may be understandable since, as the Duchess of Cleveland writes in her Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope, his father refused to send him to school anywhere but kept him at the family home of Chevening. The plan was that Philip would help his father cut off the entail
on the estate, and the Life implies that the Earl would then have sold the estate and sent the money overseas, impoverishing his family. Hester helped her brother escape and her letters, quoted in the Life, record that William Pitt the Younger
and others rejoiced over what she had done.
Stanhope became interested in the story of the "foundling" Kaspar Hauser, a youth who had appeared in Nuremberg in 1828 and had become famous through his claim that he had been raised in total isolation in a dark room and could nothing tell about his identity. Furthermore, Hauser was found with a cut wound in 1829 and claimed to have been attacked by a hooded man. This led to various rumours that he might be of princely parentage but also suspicions that he was an impostor. Stanhope first met Hauser in 1831 and soon felt a strong affection for the young man: indeed, their relationship could have had homo-erotic undertones, as contemporary rumours suggested. He endowed him generously and paid for (unavailing) inquiries in Hungary to clarify the young man's origin, as the latter, in 1830, had claimed to remember some Hungarian and Slavic words which had led to speculations that he might stem from there. Hauser's custodian, Baron von Tucher, criticised Stanhope's pedagogically wrong behaviour towards Hauser and retired from his custodianship. Now Stanhope, in December 1831, became Hauser's foster-father and transferred him to the care of a schoolmaster. In January 1832, he returned to England from where he continued to communicate by letter with his fosterling and also with officials examining the case. Stanhope had favoured the theory that Hauser stemmed from Hungarian magnates but had to give up this idea when he was informed that further inquiries in Hungary had, once more, failed completely. In a letter to the Bavarian court president Anselm von Feuerbach
(dated 5 October 1832), Stanhope now clearly uttered his doubts in Hauser's credibility. While he continued to pay for his fosterling's living expenses, he never made good on his promise that he would take him to England and his letters to Hauser became less affectionate. Hauser did realize this change of mood. On 14 December 1833, Hauser came home with a deep wound in his chest and claimed to have been stabbed by a stranger. He died three days later. Although Stanhope had long stopped believing in Hauser's tales, he at first was of opinion that Hauser had indeed been murdered, a view he uttered in one of his letters (dated 28 December). In another letter from 7 January 1834, when he had received more information on what had happened, a change of mind announces itself: he would later advocate the position that Hauser himself had inflicted the wound by pressure, and that, after he had squeezed the point of the knife through his wadded coat, it had penetrated much deeper than he had intended. In his Tracts Relating to Caspar Hauser (1836, German original: 1835) Stanhope published all known evidence against Hauser: "The more I was deceived in this affair, and the more erroneous were my views, the more is it now my duty to act with zeal, and, if it were in my power, with ability, to preserve others as far as possible from similar errors. Though I have on that account appeared in an unfavourable light to some of those who are known or unknown to me, though I have been abused and even calumniated, I find a sufficient consolation in my own conscience."
Stanhope, indeed, was attacked by followers of Hauser, and even accused of contriving his death. They suggested that Hauser was a hereditary prince of Baden and was murdered for political reasons. Professional historians (like Ivo Striedinger) defended Lord Stanhope as a "seeker of truth" and as a deceived philanthropist who had realized his delusion.
Anthroposophist author Johannes Mayer repeated the accusations against Stanhope, but he completely failed to prove them.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(7 December 1781 – 2 March 1855), was an English
England
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...
aristocrat
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, chiefly remembered for his role in the Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. Hauser's claims, and his subsequent death by stabbing, sparked much debate and controversy....
case during the 1830s.
He sat in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as a Whig for Wendover
Wendover (UK Parliament constituency)
Wendover was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
from 1806 to 1807, Hull from 1807 to 1812, and Midhurst
Midhurst (UK Parliament constituency)
Midhurst was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1311 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished...
from 1812 till his succession to the peerage on 15 December 1816. Sharing his father's (Charles Stanhope's) scientific interest, he was elected F.R.S. on 8 January 1807 and was a president of the Medico-Botanical Society; he furthermore was a vice-president of the Society of Arts.
Like other members of his gifted family, notably his half-sister Lady Hester Stanhope
Lady Hester Stanhope
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope , the eldest child of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope by his first wife Lady Hester Pitt, is remembered by history as an intrepid traveller in an age when women were discouraged from being adventurous.-Early life and travels:Lady Hester was born and grew up at her...
, he is usually portrayed as a somewhat eccentric character. Having studied in Germany, he used to travel extensibly in Europe (mostly alone, though he was married and had a son and a daughter), thereby consorting at various princely courts and spending a lot of money. In contrast to some accounts, which suggest that he lived beyond his means, it appears certain that he was rich, at least after he had succeeded his father in 1816.
His eccentricity may be understandable since, as the Duchess of Cleveland writes in her Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope, his father refused to send him to school anywhere but kept him at the family home of Chevening. The plan was that Philip would help his father cut off the entail
Entail
Entail may refer to:* Fee tail, a term of art in common law describing a limited form of succession....
on the estate, and the Life implies that the Earl would then have sold the estate and sent the money overseas, impoverishing his family. Hester helped her brother escape and her letters, quoted in the Life, record that William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and others rejoiced over what she had done.
Stanhope became interested in the story of the "foundling" Kaspar Hauser, a youth who had appeared in Nuremberg in 1828 and had become famous through his claim that he had been raised in total isolation in a dark room and could nothing tell about his identity. Furthermore, Hauser was found with a cut wound in 1829 and claimed to have been attacked by a hooded man. This led to various rumours that he might be of princely parentage but also suspicions that he was an impostor. Stanhope first met Hauser in 1831 and soon felt a strong affection for the young man: indeed, their relationship could have had homo-erotic undertones, as contemporary rumours suggested. He endowed him generously and paid for (unavailing) inquiries in Hungary to clarify the young man's origin, as the latter, in 1830, had claimed to remember some Hungarian and Slavic words which had led to speculations that he might stem from there. Hauser's custodian, Baron von Tucher, criticised Stanhope's pedagogically wrong behaviour towards Hauser and retired from his custodianship. Now Stanhope, in December 1831, became Hauser's foster-father and transferred him to the care of a schoolmaster. In January 1832, he returned to England from where he continued to communicate by letter with his fosterling and also with officials examining the case. Stanhope had favoured the theory that Hauser stemmed from Hungarian magnates but had to give up this idea when he was informed that further inquiries in Hungary had, once more, failed completely. In a letter to the Bavarian court president Anselm von Feuerbach
Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach
Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach was a German legal scholar. His major work was a reform of the Bavarian penal code which became a model for several other countries.-Biography:...
(dated 5 October 1832), Stanhope now clearly uttered his doubts in Hauser's credibility. While he continued to pay for his fosterling's living expenses, he never made good on his promise that he would take him to England and his letters to Hauser became less affectionate. Hauser did realize this change of mood. On 14 December 1833, Hauser came home with a deep wound in his chest and claimed to have been stabbed by a stranger. He died three days later. Although Stanhope had long stopped believing in Hauser's tales, he at first was of opinion that Hauser had indeed been murdered, a view he uttered in one of his letters (dated 28 December). In another letter from 7 January 1834, when he had received more information on what had happened, a change of mind announces itself: he would later advocate the position that Hauser himself had inflicted the wound by pressure, and that, after he had squeezed the point of the knife through his wadded coat, it had penetrated much deeper than he had intended. In his Tracts Relating to Caspar Hauser (1836, German original: 1835) Stanhope published all known evidence against Hauser: "The more I was deceived in this affair, and the more erroneous were my views, the more is it now my duty to act with zeal, and, if it were in my power, with ability, to preserve others as far as possible from similar errors. Though I have on that account appeared in an unfavourable light to some of those who are known or unknown to me, though I have been abused and even calumniated, I find a sufficient consolation in my own conscience."
Stanhope, indeed, was attacked by followers of Hauser, and even accused of contriving his death. They suggested that Hauser was a hereditary prince of Baden and was murdered for political reasons. Professional historians (like Ivo Striedinger) defended Lord Stanhope as a "seeker of truth" and as a deceived philanthropist who had realized his delusion.
Anthroposophist author Johannes Mayer repeated the accusations against Stanhope, but he completely failed to prove them.