Anne Seymour Damer a 1748-1828
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ANNE SE YMO UR DAME R A 1 7 4 8 - 1 8 2 8 B Y P E R C Y N O B L E L O N D O N ' A L R H T NE R LTD. K E GA P U T E C RUB co . N , N , D DE HO S E RRARD S E E W N E G T T . RY U , R , 1 9 0 8 E inb ur h and A CO NST AB LE Pri nters to His Ma e st d g T . j y RED ERI CK RSK I N J O H NSTO N MRS . F E E I N T R O D U C T I O N NNE E M UR WA b e tte r A S Y O CON Y , or as she is k n wn r o , Anne Seymou Damer, has more than ordinary claims to live in History ; during her long and eventful life , she was the centre of a circle in which rank , wealth , fashion and science were all gathered together . She was not only the friend of artistic and literary people , but was a sculptor of no mean repute , and , although she w a s has left no literary record , she a well u read woman , a st dent of Herodotus , Pliny , and Virgil , and possessed one of the finest libraries in London . n Her life is a pleasant o e to look back on . Irreproachable in moral character , she was of a fascinating and amiable disposition showing an exemplary patience during the short period of her unhappy married life . From the date of her ’ to husband s tragic death , her life seems have been unclouded by any troubles except the death of her beloved parents . v ii ANNE SEYMOUR DAMER At a very early age she showed strong literary to and artistic talent . In regard her art she was extremely ambitious She is one of the few women in the history of the world who has taken up the hammer and chisel , and , although her work may n ow appear rather rough and was unfinished , in her day her success highly praised . Whatever her rank in art may be , o f her position in society was , excellent ; a gay t she and lively disposi ion , chose her friends from s s o every clas , and not much for their rank and a s . station , for their talents and high character Although her father , General Conway (a man of strong character) , was devoted to her , he and her mother were prevented from taking the personal interest in her education , which they w to other ise would have taken , owing their frequent absences from England during a great of wa part her childhood . She s therefore con s tantl of y left under the care Horace Walpole , ’ f who wa s her ather s devoted friend and cousin , responsible for the soundness of her early train he r ing , and watched over dawning intellect with the greatest solicitude . Mrs wa s f ff . Damer a woman o strong a ection viii INTRODUCTION For her father, whom , with her usual enthusiasm , she to she was wont magnify into a hero , had to great admiration ; her mother, whom at her ’ a she to father s de th took live with her , and upon whom she lavished much care and atten l she tion, until death broke the filial ink , was ff always dutiful and a ectionate . Among those who claimed her friendship , besides Horace Walpole , were the Misses Berry and their father , David Hume , the historian , Sir William and Lady Hamilton , Lord Nelson , Napoleon and Josephine de Beauharnais , Queen Charlotte , the Princess of Wales , afterwards Queen Caroline , Charles James Fox , Georgiana , the beautiful of Duchess Devonshire , Sir Joshua Reynolds , Cos wa s . Garrick and his wife , the y , Mrs Siddons , F Miss arren , who became Countess of Derby , Ce ra cchi and Bacon , the sculptors , from whom u she took lessons , Erasm s Darwin , the poet , and Canova . In whatever Mrs . Damer undertook , we find an amount of daring and spirit which is quite uncommon amongst ordinary women . Although she had associated with and received some ih struction from David Hume , then in the height ix ANNE SEYMOUR DAMER of she too n to his Toryism , was far e thusiastic she be a Tory , and when quite young became an ardent Whig . Conceiving that a great name and even great ( work may be achieved by a o f woman , she despised the mere distinction noble descent ; she never lost an Opportunity m of warming and exercising her enthusias , and it was this spirit that made her s o active a Whig . r r of s o M s . Dame lived in a period history full of she remarkable events , that in her old age was able to look back upon her life as an interesting drama which had been played before her eyes ; during this eventful time she had seen all the vicissitudes of war and revolution in other own countries, and in her country great social changes which she had vie wed with the eyes of a most intelligent spectator . she Had only preserved her letters and papers , how interesting might the memoir of this remark ' she able woman have been Unfortunately , left instructions that all her papers and letters shoul d be destroyed at her death it has therefore been difficult to trace the events of her interesting life . This short biographical sketch has been arranged INTRODUCTION from a few autograph letters a nd papers lent by ’ Dam e r s connections of Mrs . and others , and from biographies and memoirs of her contemporaries , all of whom appear to have appreciated the charm of her influence, and to have held her in great admiration . The following works have been used for reference , and in some cases extracts have been made from them ’ Hor a ce Wa l ole s Le tter s p . ’ a m L t All n Cunningha s ives of Pa in ers . ’ La d Ma r C ke s Le tt o er s . y y , edited by the Hon 1 9 8 . 8 J A Home , Le tters of La dy S a r a h L ennoa: to La dy ’ S usa n O B r ien , by the Countess of Ilchester Sta v rd l o a e 1 9 0 2 . and Viscount , u eens o S ocie t . Q f y, by G and P . Wharton ’ Le tter s of Ma d a me D Ar bla y (Fanny Burney) . Le tter s a nd Dia r o Miss B err y f y, by Lady Theresa Lewis . The Cr eeve Pa er s y p , edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell . a r o M Ph li L bbe -P di The Di rs . i ow s y f p y y , e ted lim n n . C . e s o by Mrs E T . E R RA T A Pa e 1 1 ne s 1 1 and 1 r 1 4 r a 4 7 o 7 1 e d 1 7 7 . g , li , f 1 1 ne 18 or 1 4 1 7 5 read 746 . , li , f 23 on a ou at the nd of arw c . C w y H se was situate d e W i k S re e now ca e ar c House S re e e a n t t, ll d W wi k t t, l di g from C ockspur Stre et to Carlton House T errace . 56 n 26 r rs r ars e s e o o e s ea d e . , li , f h h 77 ne 1 9 or e s e rea d re e . , li , f th th 8 4 oo no e r ro hin e e ro hio o Ve c o r a d V cc . , f t t , f C O N T E N T S CHAPTE R INTRODUCTION , 1 HE R . BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD, I L HE R E FATH R, HE R M E III . OTH R, L IV. GIR HOOD, v S E . IN OCI TY, HE R E VI . MARRIAG , ’ HE R S S E VII . HU BAND D ATH , HE R W VIII . IDOWHOOD, I x HE R . ART , T HE WE S M S E E E E E x . T IN T R L CTION AND PRIVAT TH ATRICALS x E S W T HE M SE E 1 . FRI ND HIP ITH IS S B RRY x11 . S LI BON, X M E III . AT HO , XI V E . D ATH OF LORD ORFORD , xv E S E . FRI ND HIP WITH N LSON , XVI . S W E L TRA B RRY HIL , X VII . PARIS, ’ HE R M E S E . X . VIII OTH R D ATH , E E S E 1 . x x L AV STRAWB RRY HILL, E xx . YORK HOUS , XX I . THE S E S HE R E LA T Y AR OF LIF , E X IND , XIII I L L U S T R A T I O N S E Fron tis iece PORTRAIT, BY ANG LICA KAUFMANN, p E L To a ce a e 1 COOMB BANK, K NT, FROM AN O D PRINT, f p g L AT I ME RS E 3 , BUCKINGHAMSHIR , E - THE E E W S . 10 FI LD MAR HAL HON H NRY S YMOUR CON AY, E E E 1 5 PARK PLAC , B RKSHIR , FROM AN OLD PRINT, O F E E O F AI LE S BURY BUST CAROLIN , COUNT SS , BY E S E ME ANN YMOUR DA R, E -SE E SH LL AT AT STRAWB RRY HILL, E W ME ANN CONWAY ITH DAVID HU , S I R J S E L S PORTRAIT BY O HUA R YNO D , T HE E SE E S E M ABB Y HOU OF MILTON, DORS T HIR , FRO AN OLD PRINT, E E SE S E 1 768 PORTRAIT AT CAM HOUS , DOR T HIR , , — E AS T HE SE O F E G .