ECCENTRICITY

See Also: HOAXES; THE INSUFFERABLE SUFFRAGETTE; THE MASS MEASURER; THE UNRESURRECTED MOLE

The 4^th Earl of Bristol

Frederick Hervey was a younger son of the noted fop Lord Hervey.¹ In order to assist his material well-being Frederick was set upon a career as a cleric in the Church of Ireland. In 1768 he was appointed as the Bishop of Derry. His initial reputation for eccentricity stemmed from the fact that his political views were more progressive than those of most of his contemporaries. He found himself to be frustrated in his attempts to improve the lot of those whom he viewed as being afflicted. As a result, he turned to living a self-indulgent life.

In 1779 the cleric inherited the family earldom of Bristol and set himself to properly indulging his tastes both for building country houses in the latest fashion and for travelling about the continent in great luxury. The numerous Hotels Bristol across Europe commemorate the bishop and his extravagance, e.g. the Hotel Bristol in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor , Paris, and the Hotel Bristol on the Karntner Ring, Vienna.

Derry s eccentricity possessed a degree of cruelty. Upon one occasion he invited the most obese clergymen of his acquaintance to a sumptuous meal. Afterwards, he insisted that they should run races against one another.

Location: 6 St James's Square, SW1Y 4JU. Hervey House was the townhouse of the Hervey family from 1677 until 1955.

¹. Lord Hervey predeceased his father the 1st Earl of Bristol.

The 8^th Earl of Bridgwater

The Rev Francis Egerton was an intellectually-inclined clergyman from an aristocratic background.¹ He used his clerical positions within the Church of England as a means of financing his own cultural interests, particularly collecting manuscripts that were connected to French and Italian literature and history. A Fellowship of the Royal Society was conferred upon him in acknowledgement of his writings on a range of technical matters. His output on classical and historical subjects led to his being made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1792 his kinsman the 3^rd Duke of Bridgwater gave him the use of an apartment in Bridgewater House. Just over a decade later his grace died. His principal heir was the priest's elder brother, who became the 7^th Earl of Bridgwater.

Egerton s eccentricity seems to have emerged first in his scholarly writings. Over time his addenda and corrigenda grew increasingly bizarre. His actions did likewise. In 1823 his sib died and he became the 8^th Earl. This allowed his oddity to blossom fully. He took to having dinner parties at which the guests were dogs that were attired in clothes of the latest fashion.

Location: Bridgewater House, 14 Cleveland Row, SW1A 1DG (blue, orange)

¹. Egerton's maternal grandfather was the Duke of Kent (d.1740).

The Elwes

The Elwes family were brewers in Southwark for several generation. Sir Harvey Elwes and his nephew John Elwes M.P. (c.1730-1789) were both noted misers. However, the latter was also a gambler and was capable of considerable personal generosity.

Flat Earth

The Ancient Greeks believed that they lived on a sphere. Bede (c.672-735) was of the same opinion.

In the late 1830s Samuel Birley Rowbotham, a native of Stockport, started promoting the flat earth story.

In 1988 the Flat Earth News ceased publication.

Lady Elizabeth Blount, the wife of Sir Walter de Sodington Blount Bt., was an active campaigner for vegetarianism, flat-earthism and the Protection of the Dark Races. During her lectures she would break into songs that were of her own composition. At the age of 73, she married a 40-year-old builder from Portsmouth and stopped writing.

Stanley Green

Stanley Green was a native of Northolt. He came to form the view that protein is the root of lust. Therefore, he started to campaign against it during the early 1960s. He launched his action outside South Harrow Underground Station. In 1968 he transferred his operation to Oxford Circus. For many years he stood there wearing a sandwich board that proclaimed his conclusion.

Mr Green's board now resides in The Museum of London.

Location: Oxford Circus, W1B 3AG (purple, turquoise)

See Also: VEGETARIANISM & VEGANISM

David Backhouse 2024