William Neville Hart
Encyclopedia
William Neville Hart was a British banker, politician and diplomat. He was born to Denise Gougeon, the wife of Lewis Augustus Blondeau. His mother was the Under Housekeeper or Mistress of the King’s Household, a position she was to hold for more than fifty years. His father held various positions at Court including that of Gentleman Usher to King George II
.
. Elizabeth, unfortunately, died on 30 October 1766 s.p.
He married secondly Elizabeth Aspinwall. Her father was Stanhope Aspinwall
, who on his mother’s side, was a great great-grandson of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
. Aspinwall was a diplomat who had served in Constantinople
and Algiers
and at the time of his death in 1771 was Secretary to Earl Harcourt, Ambassador to France. Aspinwall’s wife was named Magdalena, but little else appears to be known of her.
. Hart entered the House of Commons
on 12 April 1770, apparently without opposition, on what interest it is not known. He took the degree of D.C.L. from Oxford University in 1772. In the House of Commons, Hart made seven speeches, one notably on the proposed, Royal Marriages Act 1772
; he spoke for the Court. Another dealt with the appointment of Oliver over the printer's case. He did not stand in 1774.
in 1774, Hart traveled extensively on the Continent, France
, Italy
, Germany
and the northern courts. He went to Poland
where he became Chamberlain to Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. On 27 December 1794, Hart was created knight of the Order of Saint Stanislaus
. King Stanislaus also conferred on him the Order of the White Eagle.
the following year and in October received a letter from the Duke of Portland
to the effect that King George III had authorised him wear the Orders given to him. Even though he was thereafter called Sir William Neville Hart, it is not clear whether the King's authorisatiom went as far as that. He also had the honour of kissing the hands of both the King and of Queen Charlotte as a mark of special favour. While on the Continent, Hart had kept extensive journals, but they were destroyed with other possessions in the 1802 fire at Roseneath Castle, the seat of the Duke of Argyll
.
, at St Bemain de Colboe, Normandy
. It is possible that it was in fact St-Romain-de-Colbosc in Normandy.
On 23 October 1804, Hart died at Inverary Castle, owned by the Duke of Argyll,
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
.
Marriages
Following the death of his father, and the remarriage of his mother to Sir William Hart Kt., a banker and Sheriff of London, William Neville Blondeau took the surname of Hart by private act of Parliament of 22 March 1765. Hart had married firstly on 7 January 1765 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Cæsar Hawkins, 1st Baronet (1711–1786), serjeant-surgeon to the King, and grandfather of Caesar Hawkins, in turn serjeant-surgeon to Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Elizabeth, unfortunately, died on 30 October 1766 s.p.
He married secondly Elizabeth Aspinwall. Her father was Stanhope Aspinwall
Stanhope Aspinwall
Stanhope Aspinwall was a British diplomat. He was born to Richard Aspinwall and his wife Elizabeth Stanhope, the great granddaughter of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, the granddaughter of Arthur Stanhope and daughter of Charles Stanhope.Stanhope Aspinwall was educated at Westminster...
, who on his mother’s side, was a great great-grandson of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield , son of Sir John Stanhope and his wife Cordell Allington, was an English aristocrat. Stanhope was knighted in 1605 by James I...
. Aspinwall was a diplomat who had served in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
and at the time of his death in 1771 was Secretary to Earl Harcourt, Ambassador to France. Aspinwall’s wife was named Magdalena, but little else appears to be known of her.
Career in England
Hart entered the banking firm of Blackwell, Hart, Darrell, and Croft, of Pall MallPall Mall, London
Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, and parallel to The Mall, from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square. The street is a major thoroughfare in the St James's area of London, and a section of the...
. Hart entered the House of Commons
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
on 12 April 1770, apparently without opposition, on what interest it is not known. He took the degree of D.C.L. from Oxford University in 1772. In the House of Commons, Hart made seven speeches, one notably on the proposed, Royal Marriages Act 1772
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribes the conditions under which members of the British Royal Family may contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages that could diminish the status of the Royal House...
; he spoke for the Court. Another dealt with the appointment of Oliver over the printer's case. He did not stand in 1774.
The Continent
After leaving ParliamentParliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
in 1774, Hart traveled extensively on the Continent, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 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...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the northern courts. He went to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
where he became Chamberlain to Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. On 27 December 1794, Hart was created knight of the Order of Saint Stanislaus
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
. King Stanislaus also conferred on him the Order of the White Eagle.
Back in England
Hart returned 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...
the following year and in October received a letter from the Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
to the effect that King George III had authorised him wear the Orders given to him. Even though he was thereafter called Sir William Neville Hart, it is not clear whether the King's authorisatiom went as far as that. He also had the honour of kissing the hands of both the King and of Queen Charlotte as a mark of special favour. While on the Continent, Hart had kept extensive journals, but they were destroyed with other possessions in the 1802 fire at Roseneath Castle, the seat of the Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
.
Death
Hart’s second wife, the daughter of Stanhope Aspinwall, apparently had died in 1783 and, according to the The Gentleman's MagazineThe Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
, at St Bemain de Colboe, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. It is possible that it was in fact St-Romain-de-Colbosc in Normandy.
On 23 October 1804, Hart died at Inverary Castle, owned by the Duke of Argyll,
Children and issue
Hart and Elizabeth, the daughter of Stanhope Aspinwall, had two sons and four daughters:-- William Stanhope Hart, born 17 October 1769 and baptised 14 November at St James's Church, PiccadillySt James's Church, PiccadillySt James’s Church, Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren....
, died in his father's lifetime. - William Neville Hart, sometime Captain in the then 79th Cameron Highlanders, was born 19 July 1772 and baptised 12 August also at St James's Church, Piccadilly. He was the father of Reverend Henry Cornelius Hart, presumably the H. C. Hart mentioned in the References.
- Elizabeth Hart, born 28 August 1768 and baptised 28 September at St James Church, Piccadilly, married on 4 June 1787 Dr John Griffiths, surgeon to Queen Charlotte's Household from 1792 to 1818,the parents of George Richard Griffithsand the grandparents of George Neville Griffiths. The latter was the grandfather of Wiliam Charles Wentworth (Australian politician) (1907–2003).
- Louisa Alexandrina Hart, born 20 December 1770 and baptised 7 January 1771 at St James Church, Piccadilly, married Lieutenant–Colonel George Lyon. Their elder son, Captain George Francis LyonGeorge Francis LyonGeorge Francis Lyon was a rare combination of Arctic and African explorer. By all accounts a fun loving extrovert, he also managed to be a competent British Naval Officer, Commander, explorer, artist and socialite...
R.N., the Arctic and African explorer in turn married Lucy Louisa, younger daughter of the Irish revolutionary, Lord Edward FitzgeraldLord Edward FitzGeraldLord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...
. - Sophia Hart, born 11 November 1773 and baptised 13 December, married 14 December 1795 Richard Newton Bennett.
- Caroline Frances Hart, born 1 February 1775t, married Dr Griffiths' younger brother, Lieutenant–General Charles GriffithsCharles Griffiths (British Army officer)Lieutenant-General Charles Griffiths was a British soldier, foster brother to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Lieutenant-General and Governor of Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight....
(born 3 August 1763), the foster brother to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and AlbanyPrince Frederick, Duke of York and AlbanyThe Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
(born 16 August 1763).