Now! Then! At home with Hull MP and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce at Broomfield House, Clapham Common

19 July 1806: At home with Hull MP and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce at Broomfield House, Clapham Common

Joseph Farington. 1924. The Farington Diary, Vol. 3 (September 14, 1804, to September 19, 1806). Ed. James Greig. London: Hutchinson and Co. Get it:

Excerpt

I arrived there 20 minutes before four. On hearing I was come, he desired me to come to him in his library, where I found him writing a letter, and he said he had been so employed all the morning. His reception of me was most cordial, shaking me twice by the hand, but as I would not interrupt him, I left him and walked in the ground behind the house till four o’clock, when he returned to the drawing room, and there found Dr Fraser, the physician, and a young man, Mr Bowdler, from Yorkshire, now at the Temple or Lincoln’s Inn studying law. Soon after Mrs Wilberforce and her friend Miss Hewitt, who resides much with her, entered, and after them Mr Wilberforce. While we were in conversation, Mr Spooner and Mrs Spooner, father and mother to Mrs Wilberforce, came in. [Conversation re the health and habits of Charles Fox, a particularly decadent Whig; a book by the abolitionist George Pinckard; the royal princes; and the poet Cowper.] At dinner Wilberforce drank a good deal of port wine & water made pretty strong and a glass or two of port. This he said is his rule, and after dinner he drinks only one or two glasses. He appeared to eat generally, but not to take any fruit. [French public art galleries and libraries, relevance of the arts for manufacturing, Thomas Bernard and the Royal Institution, busts and portraits.] About a quarter before 10 o’clock, the family assembled to prayers, which were read by Wilberforce in the dining room. As we passed from the drawing room, I saw all the servants standing in regular order, the women ranged in a line against the wall and the men the same. There were seven women and six men. When the whole were collected in the dining room, all knelt down each against a chair or sofa, and Wilberforce knelt at a table in the middle of the room, and after a little pause began to read a prayer, which he did very slowly in a low, solemnly awful voice. This was followed by two other prayers and the grace. It occupied about 10 minutes, and had the best effect as to the manner of it. After prayers were over, a long table covered with cold meat, tarts etc. was drawn to a sofa on which sat Mrs Wilberforce and Miss Hewitt. Wilberforce had boiled milk and bread, and tasted a little brandy and water, which at night he said agrees better with him than wine. Bowdler and myself made up the party.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Original

With Wilberforce at Clapham Common

July 19.—Mr. Wilberforces at Broomfield House near Clapham Common, 4 miles and a quarter from Westminster Bridge, I went to and arrived there 20 minutes before 4.—On hearing I was come He desired me to come to Him in his Library where I found him writing a letter & He said He had been so employed all the morning.—His reception of me was most cordial shaking me twice by the hand, but as I wd. not interrupt him, I left Him & walked in the ground behind the House till 4 o’Clock, when He returned to the Drawing room & there found Dr. Frazer the Physician, and a young man, Mr. Bowdler, from Yorkshire, now at the Temple or Lincoln’s Inn studying Law. Soon after Mrs. Wilberforce & Her friend Miss Hewit who resides much with Her, entered, & after them Mr. Wilberforce. While we were in conversation Mr. Spooner & Mrs. Spooner, father and Mother to Mrs. Wilberforce came in.

Fox’s Health and Habits

Mr. Fox’s state of Health was mentioned. Mr. Wilberforce sd. He did not wonder that His Constitution had suffered from his singular mode of life at least at one period. He said that in the year 1789 when a Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to examine into matter respecting the Regency question, He & Mr. Fox were members of it. The Committee was accustomed to sit after as well as before dinner, which by the way He said was a bad thing, as certainly there was more heat in their debates at the later Hours, the temperament of the Members not being the same as in the morning. Mr. Fox having at that time suffered from travelling from Bologna with unremitting expedition, his legs were swelled & Mr. Wilberforce who was also an Invalid, observed to Him that sitting to the duty they were engaged in suited them better than those who required more exercise, and that the late Hours they could bear.

Mr. Fox said that His habit of life made the matter indifferent to Him, as He was accustomed to sit up most of every night at Brooke’s, & He slept throughout the day,—and took laudanum at times when He seemed to require it.—Mr. Wilberforce sd. that Mr. Fox had also disregard for medical advice and appeared to think that everything was to be left to nature.—He smiled at the conclusion of this account & noticed His good nature. I asked Mr. W. what He thought of the state of his Mr. Fox’s constitution. He sd. it had been reported to be very bad but Mrs. Fox had lately written that He was recovering to be well,—

[The Rev. George] Pinkard’s Notes on the West Indies a book lately published was mentioned. Wilberforce said He had been much pleased with it and with the manner in which it was written. It seems not like a work composed from materials in the book making way, but to have been written each part at the moment while the impression ‘was strong upon His mind, and as He felt it.

Sons of the Royal Family

The report of the Duke of Sussex being appointed Governor of Jamaica was mentioned. Wilberforce sd. He hoped it would not be so, as He thought the Sons of the Royal family ought not to be placed in situations where the responsibility required could not be expected from them. On that acct. He disapproved what had been sd. in parliament respecting the incomes which several of them desire from having appointments, and urged as a reason why the additional allowances now before Parliament shd. be curtailed. He was of opinion that the allowances to them shd. be such as to render such appointments to them unnecessary.— [The Duke of Sussex’s extra allowance was £6,000.]

Cowper & His works were much a subject of conversation. Wilberforce spoke particularly of the 500 last lines of the 5th. book of His Task. At dinner Wilberforce drank a good deal of Port Wine & water made pretty strong & a glass or two of Port. This He said is His rule, and after dinner He drinks only one or two glasses. He appeared to eat generally, but not to take any fruit—Dr. William Frazer eat generally, but I did not observe that He drank any wine, at least not after dinner. He drank water: no malt liquor.

The liberality of the French in allowing easy admittance to their galleries of pictures & to their public Libraries was mentioned, Bernard spoke of the necessity of encouraging the Arts in England in order to preserve our superiority in manufactures & Commerce over other Countries. Wilberforce sd. He had heard Hoppner speak of His being in Paris & that there were no artists that He approved, neither David nor any other.—I sd. I was there at the time Hoppner was, & that I found there very able artists in respect of design & Academical knowledge,— but that their painting was certainly of what might be called a Sculptural kind.

I expressed to Bernard my sense of the good He had done in having caused the establishment of the British Institution. He recd. what I sd. very modestly & told me I had a share in it, being one at the early meetings for planning it,—in suggesting to apply to the Bishop of Exeter & above all to Lord Dartmouth who had done the business with the King.—

The Royal Institution

Wilberforce spoke highly of Mr. Bernard [who had returned to town] as the principal cause of many useful establishments. He said the Royal Institution was almost ruined under the management of Sir Joseph Banks €§ Count Rumford, but Bernard had recovered it & it was now more flourishing than before. I spoke to Him of the Bust of Mr. Pitt by Nollekens. He sd. Lord Mulgrave had mentioned it to Him, but He did not much like busts; the Eyes, which are so essential to the effect of a Countenance cannot be sufficiently expressed.—I asked Him what He thought of Mr. Pitt’s portrait by Hoppner? He said it was painted from him at a period too late to give an adequate representation of him.—

Abt. a quarter before 10 oClock, the family assembled to prayers, which were read by Wilberforce in the dining room. As we passed from the drawing room I saw all the servants standing in regular order, the woemen ranged in a line against the wall & the men the same. There were 7 woemen & 6 men.—When the whole were collected in the dining room, all knelt down each against a chair or Sopha, and Wilberforce knelt at a table in the middle of the room, and after a little pause began to read a prayer, which He did very slowly in a low, solemnly awful voice. This was followed by 2 other prayers & the grace. It occupied abt. 10 minutes, and had the best effect as to the manner of it—

After prayers were over, a long table covered with cold meat, tarts &c. was drawn to a Sopha on which sat. Mrs. Wilberforce & Miss Hewit.— Wilberforce had boiled milk and bread, and tasted a little brandy & water which at night He sd. agrees better with Him than wine. Bowdler & myself made up the party.—

1243 words.