Bertie Greatheed (1759–1826) was an English dramatist, slave owner and landowner.
Bertie Greatheed (1759–1826) was an English dramatist, slave owner and landowner.
Greatheed was born on 19 October 1759, the son of the MP Samuel Greatheed of Guy's Cliffe, near Warwick, and his wife Lady Mary Bertie, daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster. [1]
After the deaths of his parents, he inherited Guy's Cliffe Estate in Warwick, which had been bought by his father, and the Caribbean plantation on St Kitts near the capital, Basseterre, which had been established by his grandfather, John Greatheed. [2] He also inherited land in Lincolnshire through his mother's family. [3]
The majority of his income in his earlier life came from the St Kitts plantation, although he also had some income from his land holdings in Warwick. [4] He invested his wealth in the development of the Georgian spa town at Leamington Priors, which later became known as Leamington Spa. [5] He owned building plots on either side of what is now the Parade in Leamington, [2] and was a partner in the Royal Pump Rooms, which was located on five acres of his land. [5]
The Canaries plantation was managed on Greatheed's behalf by his uncle Craister until 1772, and then by Richard Greatheed, another family member. [5] In the early 1780s, the estate paid tax on over 230 enslaved people, and in 1788 made profits of £380, which was considered a bad year. [2] Correspondence between Greatheed and his St Kitts plantation managers is now archived at Warwickshire County Record Office, and includes information about the trade of enslaved people, production of sugar and rum and the profits of the estate. [6] Bertie Greatheed supported the abolition of slavery, [4] and described the plantation as his "odious property", [7] however he continued to own enslaved people. In 1835, his descendants, including Lord Charles Greatheed Bertie Percy, the husband of his granddaughter, received £1,223 6s 7d in compensation after the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. [4]
In 1780, Greatheed married his first cousin, Ann Greatheed, who was born in St Kitts. They had one son, also called Bertie, born in 1781. [8]
Greatheed travelled extensively throughout Europe with his family, and resided in Germany, France and Italy. [9] In 1803, they were detained in Paris as prisoners of war, alongside many other British families. The younger Bertie Greatheed was becoming recognised as an artist, and his painting of Napoleon Bonaparte impressed the Emperor's family and probably gave the Greatheed's favourable treatment. [9] Whilst staying in Vicenza in Italy, his son died suddenly of influenza on 8 October 1804, aged 23. [10] Shortly after his son's death, it was revealed he had an illegitimate daughter, Ann Caroline, with a woman in Dresden. [9] Ann Caroline was brought to England by her grandparents and raised at Guys Cliffe. She married Lord Charles Greatheed Bertie Percy, son of Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley on 20 March 1823.
When residing in Florence he became a member of the society called Gli Oziosi . Greatheed was a contributor to the privately printed collection of fugitive pieces of the Gli Oziosi, the Arno Miscellany (Florence, 1784). The following year he contributed to the Florence Miscellany (Florence, 1785), a collection of poems by the Della-Cruscans. Greatheed was termed by William Gifford the Reuben of the Della-Cruscans, in his satirical Baviad and Mæviad.
A blank verse tragedy by Greatheed, The Regent was brought out at Drury Lane Theatre on 1 April 1788, supported by John Kemble and Sarah Siddons; it ran for nine nights. The epilogue was furnished by Hester Piozzi. A reviewer included "The plot is altogether interesting; but the scene in which the child is introduced is too horrid an outrage upon the feelings, and such as the state the English stage will not sanction. Here the audience Strongly expressed their disapprobation." [11] The author later published it with a dedication to Mrs. Siddons, who had once been an attendant upon his mother, and was his frequent guest at Guy's Cliffe. [12]
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington, is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.
Warwick is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whitnash.
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified".
Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.
Warwick is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. It is named after the historic county town of Warwick, which is the district's second largest town; the largest town is Royal Leamington Spa, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Kenilworth and Whitnash and surrounding villages and rural areas. Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash form a conurbation which has about two thirds of the district's population.
Guy of Warwick, or Gui de Warewic, is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries, but now largely forgotten. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.
Leek Wootton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the Warwick district, in the county of Warwickshire, England, approximately 2 miles south of Kenilworth and 2.5 miles north of Warwick. It lies in the triangle created by Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington Spa. In 1961 the parish had a population of 671.
Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, styled The Honourable Peregrine Bertie between 1686 and 1704, Lord Willoughby de Eresby between 1704 and 1715 and Marquess of Lindsey between 1715 and 1723, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 1715 when he was called to the House of Lords.
General Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, styled Lord Willoughby de Eresby from 1715 to 1723 and Marquess of Lindsey from 1735 to 1742, was an English peer.
The Della Cruscans were a circle of European late-18th-century sentimental poets founded by Robert Merry (1755–98).
Trinity Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
Old Milverton is a hamlet east of Warwick and north west of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England, and situated in a bend of the River Avon. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 319.
Guy's Cliffe is a hamlet and former civil parish on the River Avon and the Coventry Road between Warwick and Leek Wootton, in the parish of Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe, in the Warwick district, in Warwickshire, England, near Old Milverton. In 1961 the parish had a population of 2.
Colonel Lord Algernon Malcolm Arthur Percy was a British career soldier and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1882 to 1887.
The Royal Pump Rooms is a cultural centre on the Parade in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. It was the most famous of several spa baths opened in Leamington between the late-18th and mid-19th centuries. People would travel from throughout the country, and indeed Europe, to benefit from treatments using the town's healing waters. When 'taking the waters' became less fashionable after the mid-19th century the Pump Rooms became Leamington's only surviving spa facility, later also being extended to include the town's public swimming pool. After a major redevelopment in 1997-99 the building now houses Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, a public library, a Tourist Information Centre, cafe and assembly rooms. It is a Grade II listed building.
Newbold Comyn is a park on the Eastern edge of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
Leamington Chess Club was founded in 1851 in Royal Leamington Spa, the year of the first international chess tournament in London.
Matthew Raymond Western is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Warwick & Leamington since the snap 2017 general election. He was re-elected in the 2019 general election.
Isabella Susan Percy, Countess of Beverley, formerly Isabella Susan Burrell, was the wife of Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley, and the mother of the 5th Duke of Northumberland.
Samuel Greatheed was a politician and slave-owner. He was the member of Parliament for Coventry from 1747 to 1761.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link). Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : "Greatheed, Bertie". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
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