My wife's ancestors - Hunter - Contents

Hervey, Earl of Bristol

• References:
  • BRISTOL in [Burkes Peerage]

  • Augustus Hervey's Journal 1746-1759 [3rd Earl, before his affair with Kitty Hunter], ed. by David Erskine (London: William Kimber, 1953).

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • Lord John Hervey:
    • Amphibious Thing: The Life of Lord Hervey, Lucy Moore, 2000.
    • Lord Hervey: Eighteenth-Century Courtier, Robert Halsband, 1973.

John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (see here),
family seat was Ickworth, Suffolk,
cr Earl 1714,
mar 2ndly, 1695, to Elizabeth Felton [think author of The Lady's Guide or the Whole Art of Dress c.1726]
and had issue:

Lord John Hervey (see here), born 1696,
married 1720,
vice-chamberlain in court of George II, close to Queen Caroline,
he was the cross-dressing courtier lampooned by Alexander Pope in various works from 1732 onwards,
including as "Lord Fanny", and as "Sporus" in Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot (also here) (1735),
he had long homosexual affair with 1st Earl of Ilchester,
his Memoirs of the Reign of George II were pub in 1848, ed. J.W. Croker, new edn 1931 by R. Sedgwick,
died 1743, had issue:

1. Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol (see here),
   born 1724, succ 1775,
   Royal Navy officer,
   married secretly 1744 to Elizabeth Chudleigh [born 1720] and had issue:
   1. Henry Augustus Hervey, born secretly, summer 1747,
      died in infancy.

   separated after a short time, she became a Duke's mistress,
   he was known as "the English Casanova", he had many affairs, including deflowering a dozen Portuguese nuns,
   he had successful career in Royal Navy,
   also prominent politician, MP 1757-75,
   served in Royal Navy in the West Indies under Rodney,
   he helped to capture Moro Castle at Havana, Cuba, from the Spanish in 1762, in the Seven Years' War, Cuba fell to Britain,
   Cuba was annexed by Britain before being returned to Spain at the Treaty of Paris (1763) in exchange for Florida,
   he was made Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean 1763, but his active life at sea ceased that year,
   had affair 1763 with Kitty Hunter [born est c.1740] and had issue:

   1. Augustus Hervey [Augustus Henry Hervey], illegitimate, born c.1764,
      known as "Little Augustus" (prob. to differentiate from his half-brother Augustus Reebkomp),
      joined Royal Navy,
      killed in action at the Great Siege of Gibraltar, Oct 1782, age c.18 yrs.

   Hervey acted as godfather to Kitty's other illegitimate son Reebkomp,
   he was Chief Secretary for Ireland 1766-67,
   their affair did not last, Kitty mar someone else Feb 1770,
   Hervey Bay, on Pacific Ocean, SE Queensland, E Australia, was named after him by Captain Cook in May 1770,
   he served as a Lord of the Admiralty Feb 1771 to Apr 1775,
   succ his brother as Earl of Bristol 1775,
   became Vice-Admiral of the Blue 1778,
   died of gout at his town house in St. James's Square, London, 1779, age 55 yrs,
   no surviving legitimate issue (Little Augustus would have been 4th Earl if legitimate),
   bur Ickworth Church,
   left everything he could (income and papers) to Little Augustus, couldn't leave him Ickworth (it was entailed with the Earldom).
   See his entry in [DNB].

The present Ickworth House (begun for the 4th Earl in 1795).
Photo 2007 by Sam Newman. See full size. From here. See terms of use.

---

• Earls and Marquesses of Bristol

• Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol,
  descendant through Stanley of Henry VII,
  mar 3rdly and had issue:
  1. Lady Victoria Hervey, born 1976, socialite and celebrity.
  2. Lady Isabella Hervey, born 1982, model and celebrity.