THE MACARONI PARSON

See Also: CRIME Forgery; EXECUTIONS The Executed

While William Dodd was a student at the University of Cambridge, he developed literary ambitions. He wrote a poem about foot-and-mouth disease that he entitled Diggon Davy's Resolution On The Death of His Last Cow (1747). The youth moved to London. There, he enjoyed a number of minor literary successes but no substantial ones. Therefore, he opted for the material security that becoming a clergyman could furnish him with. He returned to Cambridge, where, after having undertaken the necessary studies, he was ordained.

Dodd was appointed to the curacy of All Saints West Ham. He continued to write. However, his talent was limited. His most durable publication was to prove to be an anthology that was composed of quotations from the works of Shakespeare. As a preacher, he had an emotional style. This chimed with contemporary tastes. Therefore, his clerical career began to prosper. He was careful to foster potential patrons who might be able to aid it. He was active in a number of bodies that sought to address contemporary social issues, the likes of the Magdalen Hospital for Penitent Prostitutes, the Society for the Resuscitation of Persons Apparently Drowned, and the Society for the Relief & Discharge of Persons Imprisoned for Small Debts.

A royal chaplaincy was conferred upon Dodd in 1763. Two years later he was appointed to be the tutor of Philip Stanhope, the heir-apparent of the 4^th Earl of Chesterfield. Separately, he had some good fortune. His wife received a bequest and soon afterwards won a lottery prize. As a result, her husband had access to the financial means to enable him to open a proprietary chapel in Charlotte Street in 1767. King George III had recently moved into Buckingham House, which was located nearby. The clergyman appears to have entertained hopes that the monarch might take to attending the establishment. For a few years it enjoyed a degree of fashionableness, however, the royal family did not worship there. As the early 1770s progressed, the priest's style of preaching began to seem dated to an increasing number of people.

Dodd had always been careful to be seen to have a stance on the issues of the day. In 1772 he wrote an article in which he called for the death penalty to be abolished. However, later that year he and his wife were in a coach that was held up by a highwayman. One William Griffiths was arrested for the crime. The priest and his spouse were the only people who appeared as witnesses for the prosecution. The evidence that the cleric gave was oblique in character. However, Griffiths was convicted of the charge. He was sentenced to hang. The execution was duly performed.

Since the early 1750s, Dodd had had a habitual character trait of spending money in order to create an image of himself that appeared to be successful. His compulsion to be seen to be au fait with the latest styles had led to his being dubbed the Macaroni Parson .¹ He was seeking to foster a persona that might lead to his being appointed to better paid positions. These, he believed, would furnish him with a level of income that would be able to underwrite the expenses of his lifestyle. Over the years the amount that he had earned had grown, however, his expenditure had nearly always outstripped it. He came to be increasingly hounded by his creditors.

The prominent clerical living of St George's Hanover Square had become vacant. The clergyman wished to be appointed to it. The right of presentation was in the gift of the Lord Chancellor Lord Apsley. The priest's wife tried to bribe Lady Apsley to influence her husband upon the matter. Her ladyship took offence at this attempt and promptly informed her husband of it. The law officer was outraged. He ensured that what had passed between the two women became known publicly. Dodd was dismissed from his royal chaplaincy. His hopes of promotion within the Church of England were at an end. He became an object of public scorn.

The cleric's response to this situation was to flee overseas. He went to Geneva, where his former pupil, the now 5^th Earl of Chesterfield, was then residing. The peer proved to be supportive towards his old tutor. They returned to Britain. His lordship conferred upon the man the living of a church on the family's Buckinghamshire estate and gave him money with which to meet the most pressing of his debts.

Dodd s aspirations had been checked but he had managed to avoid the complete collapse of his life. He disposed of his chapel and worked as a journalist. However, in early 1777, he chose to cash a bond for £4200 that was reputedly drawn upon the earl's account. The money was paid out. That the document was counterfeit was soon revealed. The cleric admitted to what he had done and repaid the sum. However, forgery was a capital crime. The priest was tried at the Old Bailey. He was convicted of the charge. After the jury had reached its verdict, its members asked the legal authorities to be merciful towards the felon.

The public view of Dodd soon switched from being one of derision to being one of sympathy. A campaign was conducted that asked the state to display clemency towards him. Dr Samuel Johnson had long had a low estimation of the man's conduct, however, he was of the view that a death sentence was out of proportion to the nature of the crime that had been committed.² Tens of thousands of people signed petitions on the matter. These were sent to the Privy Council. The bodies that lobbied it included the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and the City of London's Common Council.

During the Privy Council's deliberations on whether or not mercy should be shown a range of views were expressed. It was Lord Chief Justice Mansfield who carried the question. He argued that he and his fellow counsellors could not be seen to be subject to external opinion. Therefore, the sentence was not commuted. The clergyman was hanged at Tyburn.

Location: Peabody Square, Blackfriars Road, SE1 8JQ. The Magdalen Hospital for Penitent Prostitutes stood on the site.

All Saints , Church Street, West Ham, E15 3HU

Tyburn, Edgware Road, W2 1DX (orange, pink)

St Peter's Chapel, 12 Palace Street (formerly Charlotte Street), SW1E 5JA. The St James Theatre (2012) occupies the site. (red, blue)

St George's Hanover Square, St George Street, W1S 1FX (purple, orange)

Website: www.westhamchurch.org.uk www.stjamestheatre.co.uk www.royalhumanesociety.org.uk (The Society for the Resuscitation of Persons Apparently Drowned s descendant body)

¹. Macaronis were young men who took contemporary fashion to extremes. The name for them was derived from the supposed fondness that wealthy young men who had been on the Grand Tour had for the pasta dish.

². Both Dodd and Johnson had entertained the hope that the 4^th Earl of Chesterfield might act as a patron. The peer did not grant either man any substantial material assistance.

David Backhouse 2024