Rachel Knowles's Blog, page 19

The Whigs and the Tories

The House of Commons from The Microcosm of London (1808-10)Georgian politics

With the UK’s General Election on 7 May fast approaching, politics is an inescapable topic of conversation. I have found it equally impossible to research the leading figures of late Georgian society without coming up against the dreaded subject. During the Georgian period, there were two main political parties: the Whigs and the Tories. Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, her sister Lady Bessborough, actress...

Charles James Fox, Whig MP (1749-1806)

Charles James Fox
from The Historical and Posthumous Memoirs
of Sir Nathaniel Wraxall (1884)Profile

Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806) was a Whig MP and leader of the Opposition to William Pitt the Younger’s Tory government. He was a close personal friend of George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, and of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

Early life

Charles James Fox was born on 24 January 1749, the third son of Henry Holland, 1st Baron Holland, and Lady Caroline Le...

Osterley Park - a Robert Adam showpiece - a Regency History guide

Osterley Park House from across the lakeWhere is it?

Osterley Park is a Neo-classical mansion in Isleworth, Middlesex.

Early history

Sir Thomas Gresham, a merchant and financier, built a Tudor manor house at Osterley in the 1570s. In the late 17th century, the property was owned by Nicholas Barbon, an economist and financial speculator who was involved in the development of fire insurance. On Barbon’s death in 1698, there was an outstanding mortgage on the house owing to Child’s Bank.

Front of th...