The Creevey Papers
Thomas Creevey to Elizabeth Ord, 17 January 1821
“17th Jan.
“. . . I dined at Taylor’s on Monday, and in the evening came Ferguson, Bennet, Mrs. G. Lambe,
Lord Auckland and Brougham. The latter
exceeds in oddity and queerness anything I ever beheld. What the devil he is at
I cannot for the life of me make out. He is all for moderation, and his
constant fellow-counsellors are Tierney,
Scarlett† and Abercromby. I favored him with my fixed
determination how I should act, and if you had heard him try to humbug me about
the transitory nature of this popular ferment, comparing it to the Duke of York’s case and Mrs. Clarke, you would have snorted out in his
face. Yesterday, however, brought me a note from him, and to-day another to
dine with him, and I am going accordingly. . . .”
Gertrude Frances Bennet [née Russell] (1752-1841)
The daughter of Lord William Russell, son of the Marquess of Tavistock; in 1816 she
married Henry Grey Bennet, son of the fourth Earl of Tankerville.
Henry Peter Brougham, first baron Brougham and Vaux (1778-1868)
Educated at Edinburgh University, he was a founder of the
Edinburgh
Review in which he chastised Byron's
Hours of Idleness; he
defended Queen Caroline in her trial for adultery (1820), established the London University
(1828), and was appointed lord chancellor (1830).
Mary Anne Clarke (1776 c.-1852)
Having married a Joseph Clarke, she was mistress to the Duke of York (1803-06) and
involved with selling government offices, as came to light in an 1809 House of Commons
investigation. She spent her later years living in Paris.
George Eden, earl of Auckland (1784-1849)
The second son of William Eden, first Baron Auckland (d. 1814); educated at Eton, Christ
Church, Oxford, and Lincoln's Inn, he courted Annabella Milbanke and was MP for New
Woodstock. He was governor-general of India (1836-42).
Sir Ronald Craufurd Ferguson (1773-1841)
Scottish officer who served in India and fought with a Highland brigade; he was MP for
Dysart (1806-30) and Nottingham (1830-41).
Frederick Augustus, Duke of York (1763-1827)
He was commander-in-chief of the Army, 1798-1809, until his removal on account of the
scandal involving his mistress Mary Anne Clarke.
James Scarlett, first baron Abinger (1769-1844)
English barrister and politician educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and the Inner
Temple; he was a Whig MP (1819-34) who served as attorney-general in the Canning and
Wellington ministries.
Michael Angelo Taylor (1757 c.-1834)
Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, he was MP (1784-34) for a variety of
constituencies; originally a Tory he gravitated to the Whigs over the course of his long
career.
George Tierney (1761-1830)
Whig MP and opposition leader whose political pragmatism made him suspect in the eyes of
his party; he fought a bloodless duel with Pitt in 1798. He is the “Friend of Humanity” in
Canning and Frere's “The Needy Knife-Grinder.”
