#frederick north

[john-laurens]

For a while I've been trying to find more substantial information regarding Kinloch saving Lord North's son from drowning and how it affected his relationship with the North family and his stance on the revolution. Most sources that mention it give little detail beyond the fact that Kinloch saved Lord North's son. Greg Massey told me that this event supposedly played a role in Kinloch returning to America and fighting on the side of the colonies because his act of heroism didn't garner him any special favors.

As previously mentioned, the collection "Biographical and genealogical research on Francis J. Kinloch" from the South Carolina Historical Society archives includes an 8-page biography of Kinloch written by his granddaughter Sarah Lewis Lesesne (née Simons). It mentions that Kinloch was classmates with Lord North's son at Eton. While bathing in a river, Kinloch saved the son's life. The name of the son is not given, but based on birth years, I would guess it was George. The biography notes that "Lord North was very unwilling that he should leave England he would like to have him able to confer some benefit on him." Lord North then gifted Kinloch with "a Copy of Lord Bacon's works, a silver Inkstand & a Gold snuff box each with an inscription." Kinloch later mentioned the inkstand in a letter to Thomas Boone.

I do still need to access the Kinloch-Müller letters which reportedly document his anger about being slighted by Lord North and his decision to return to America. In the meantime, I was excited to find a little more information (directly from the Kinloch family) about this event.

[scenephile]

Don’t go in the church

[uwmspeccoll]

Happy 4th of July!

Americans celebrate their independence on the day the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. On an earlier July 4, we posted about our copy of one of the earliest printings of the Declaration, a document that outlines the reasons the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the British monarch, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. 

This July 4, we present a British rebuttal to the Declaration, John Lind’s An Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress printed in London for Thomas Cadell, John Walter (founder of The Times of London), and T. Sewell in 1776. The work presents a detailed response to the Declaration of Independence, quoting in full each of the twenty-eight objections to the policies of the British Crown, followed by highly critical comments, with a separate section at the end discussing the famous opening lines.

Prime Minister Frederick North commissioned Lind to produce an anonymous pamphlet that would exculpate the King. Lind completed An Answer in the fall of 1776, taking up each of the Declaration's accusations point by point. The pamphlet ostensibly ran through several editions before the end of the year to meet a growing demand. Ours is the fifth and last edition of that year, printed by William Strahan. In actuality, starting with the second edition, Strahan printed 8,000 copies, and as they were issued they were successively labeled second to fifth editions to give the impression of widespread popularity. Unfortunately for North and Lind (and ultimately the King), Lind lacked the force, articulation, and reputation of someone like Thomas Paine.

View our other 4th of July posts.

[revolutionarynoodles]

Me: Oh hey, this picture of Frederick turned out pretty well-

*looks at right hand*

FUUUUUUUU

[royaltyandpomp]

THE COUNT

Frederick North, Earl of Guilford  (1732-1792)  

[john-laurens]

One topic that’s been on my mind as of late has been Francis Kinloch’s change from loyalist to patriot.

I had talked to Massey about it back in 2016, and he mentioned that Kinloch apparently switched sides after he saved Lord North’s son from drowning but didn’t receive any special favors for his act of heroism. 

Looking into it, it’s really difficult to find any source that goes into more detail than “Kinloch saved Lord North’s son.” There’s no mention of the son’s name and no explanation of the supposed fallout afterwards.

These are the few descriptions I’ve found:

“While at Eton Francis save[d] Lord North's son from drowning and became a friend of his family.” - from The Colleton Family and the Early History of South Carolina and Barbados, 1646-1775 by J. E. Buchanan

“He enjoyed the close friendship of Lord North, whose son’s life he had saved at the risk of his own.” - from “Francis Kinloch” by G. R. De Beer in Notes and Queries, Vol. 193, Issue 8

Both of these sources cite “Letters of Francis Kinloch to Thomas Boone, 1782-1788″ in The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 8, No. 1.  This source provides the following excerpt and footnote regarding the North family in a letter from Francis Kinloch to Thomas Boone, June 27, 1783:

If the whole Family does me justice, they will believe, that they have not in the world a more sincere well wisher - I wish to God it may ever be in my power to prove how much I love them all, - let me beg that you would accept the standish you speak of, as a proof of my love - pray have engraved upon it that it was given by Lord North to me,* and by me to you, - and leave it by your Will to my eldest Son, or to my Brother’s if I die without any.

*Kinloch was intimate with the family of Lord North, since, while at school in England, he had saved the life of one of Lord North’s sons.

It’s odd that Kinloch would have such a close relationship with Lord North if Kinloch allegedly felt slighted by not receiving special treatment after saving Lord North’s son.

There are some letters between Kinloch and Johannes von Müller that Massey mentioned in his email to me - I’m trying to get a copy of them, and maybe they can provide more insight.

[edible-words]

Lord North had the Townshend Duties repealed, while retaining the duty on tea to serve, in his words, "as a mark of the supremacy of Parliament and an efficient declaration of their right to govern the colonies."

"America, Empire of Liberty: A New History of the United States," revised and updated edition - David Reynolds

[bandi42]

The Doric of Arippu

The Doric of Arippu

    The ruins of Doric House stand neglected on a hillock in Arippu, its thick walls of red brick glistening in the sun. The sea in front is like a millpond and blue and the curving beach is magnificent. There is nobody in sight.

  In the Gulf of Mannar in north western Sri Lanka, men were diving for pearls as early as 5th century BC. Trade in pearls with the Roman Empire, Arabs and South East…

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