Elizabeth (Fidget) Robinson 1718 - 1800
Elizabeth (Fidget) Robinson , BLUE STOCKING SOCIETY (from the "Gentleman's Magazine" for April, 1811) MR. URBAN, April 15. IF you and your Correspondent W. B. (p.239) think that “Sir Wm. Forbes's character of Mr. Stillingfleet and History of the Blue Stocking Club would be a treat to many of your Readers,” it is a pity that you should not be furnished with it, when it may be done with so little trouble. I will therefore copy it from his “Account of the Life and Writings of Dr. Beattie,” vol. 1. pp. 209, 10, 11. note, with the addition of a few trifling articles, which I will place within brackets. Yours &c. J. B. “Mrs. Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of [Matthew] Robinson, Esq. of Horton in Kent, (and of West Layton in the county of York, whose eldest son Matthew Robinson Morris succeeded to his English baronetage and Irish peerage of his cousin the late Lord Primate Rokeby) and wife of Edward Montagu, Esq. of Denton Hall, Northumberland, and Sandleford Priory, Berks, [son of Charles, fifth son of Edward, the first Earl of Sandwich.) Inheriting from nature a genius for literature, she had the good fortune to meet with an able director of her early studies in the celebrated Conyers Middleton, D. D. who was married to her grandmother [Sarah, daughter of Thomas Morris, Esq. and widow of Robert Drakes, Esq. of Cambridge,] with whom she lived. Under his tuition she acquired that learning, and formed that taste, which was so conspicuous throughout the whole of her subsequent life. Mrs. Montagu had early distinguished herself as an author, first, by three Dialogues of the Dead, published along with Lord Lyttleton's; afterward by her classical and elegant “Essay on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare;” in which she amply vindicated our great National Dramatist from the gross, illiberal, and ignorant abuse, thrown out against him by Voltaire. The elegance of her manners, the brilliancy of her wit, and the sprightliness of her conversation, attracted to her house those who were most distinguished by their learning, their taste, and reputation as literary characters. This society of eminent friends, who met frequently at Mrs. Montagu's for the sole purpose of conversation, differed in no respect from other parties, but that the company did not play at cards. It consisted originally of Mrs. M., Mrs. Vesey, Mrs. Boscawen, and Mrs. Carter, Lord Lyttleton, the Earl of Bath (better known as Mr. Pulteney), the Hon. Horace Walpole, the classical owner of Strawberry Hill, afterward Earl of Oxford, and Mr. Stillingfleet. The society came at last to contain a numerous assemblage of those most eminent for literature in London, of who visited it. Of these distinguished friends, Mrs. Vesey, though less known than Mrs. M. was also another centre of pleasing and rational society. Without attempting to shine herself, she had the happy secret of bringing forward talents of every kind, and of diffusing over the society the gentleness of her own character. She was the daughter of [Sir Thomas Vesey, Bart. Bishop of Ossory, father of Lord Knapton, and grandfather of Lord Viscount De Vesey,] and wife of Agmendesham Vesey, Esq. a gentleman of Ireland, who in his earlier years had been the friend of Swift. Mrs. Boscawen was the [daughter of Evelyn Glanville, Esq. and ] widow of the gallant admiral of that name, a woman of great talents, and, though unknown to the literary world, acceptable to every society by the strength of her understanding, the poignancy of her humour, and the brilliancy of her wit. She died [25 Feb.] 1805, at the advanced age of 86. Mrs. Carter, the learned translator of Epictetus, and the author of a volume of poems of very considerable merit, is now the only original surviving member, at the age of nearly 90. But the gentleman to whom this constellation of talents owed that whimsical appellation, the “Bas bleu,” was Mr. Stillingfleet, a man of great piety and worth, the author of some works in natural history, and some poetical pieces in “Dodsley's Collection.” Mr. Stillingfleet, being somewhat of a humourist in his habits and manners, and a little negligent in his dress, literally wore grey stockings, from which circumstance Admiral Boscawen used, by way of pleasantry, to call them the `Blue Stocking Society;” as if to indicate that, when these brilliant friends met, it was not for the purpose of forming a dressed assembly. A foreigner of distinction hearing the expression, translated it literally “Bas bleu,” by which these meetings came to be afterward distinguished. Mrs. Hannah More, (the excellent author of “Strictures on Female Education, Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to general Society, and as an Estimate of the Religion of the fashionable World,” with other pieces,) who was herself a distinguished member of the Society, has written an admirable poem with the title of the “Bas bleu,” in allusion to this mistake of the foreigner, in which she has characterized most of the eminent personages of which it was composed. The concluding part of her prefatory memorandum to the poem is so very apposite to my present purpose, that I cannot resist the temptation of inserting it here. “May the Author be permitted to bear her grateful testimony, which will not be suspected of flattery now that most of the persons named in this poem are gone down to the grave, to the many pleasant and instructive hours she had the honour to pass in this company, in which learning was as little disfigured by pedantry, good taste as little tinctured by affectation, and general conversation as little disgraced by calumny, levity, and other censurable errors with which it is too commonly tainted, as perhaps been known in any society?” -- Works of Mrs. H. More, vol. 1. p. 12. Mrs. Montagu being left, by the will of her husband, in possession of his noble fortune, lived in a style of the most splendid hospitality, till her death, which happened at an advanced age, 25th August, 1800.” J. B. Elizabeth was born at York on October 2, 1720, to Matthew Robinson, a landed Yorkshire squire, and Elizabeth Robinson (nâee Drake), an heiress to property in Kent and Cambridgeshire. She had seven brothers and one younger sister. In 1727, Elizabeth's mother inherited her property at Kent and the family moved to a house at Horton, near Hythe, where Elizabeth and her siblings were raised. Elizabeth benefited from the intellectual conversation of her grandfather, Dr. Conyers Middleton, a fellow at Cambridge. This may be how she acquired her taste for lively verbal exchange. On August 5, 1742, Elizabeth Robinson married Edward Montagu, the nephew of poet Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Edward was 51 years of age, a businessman, and a Member of Parliament. The couple first lived in country homes at both Yorkshire and Berkshire. Elizabeth felt isolated in the countryside, despite the companionship of her sister Sara, and occupied herself by reading Edward Young's Night Thoughts and John Locke's Two Treatises of Government. In August of 1743, Elizabeth's infant son died, possibly from an overdose of teething medication. She was stricken with grief. Shortly thereafter, she experienced two more losses, when her mother died in 1746 and her brother in 1747. In deep mourning and poor physical health, she sought spiritual and bodily restoration at Tunbridge Wells, a rural “watering place”, or spa. Here she would form important intellectual friendships with men and women like Gilbert West, Sir George (later Lord) Lyttelton, Frances Boscawen, Samuel Torriano and Elizabeth Vesey. Gilbert West was a devoutly religious man, known for his Observations of the Resurrection (1747). Her friendship with West bolstered her own Christian faith during her time of grief. As her faith grew, she discovered that her husband did not share her interest in spirituality. She continued to visit Tunbridge Wells on her own into the 1750s. By the mid-1750s, Montagu began to develop her own literary and theological perspectives within letters written to her Tunbridge friends. In a 1754 letter to West, she denounces the “impieties” of Lord Bolingbroke, which drove her back to the solid Christianity of Locke. In a 1755 letter she favors Shakespeare's mysticism over Voltaire's skepticism. The term “bluestocking” was first used in a letter to Montagu from Torriano, written in 1756, where it is applied to botanist Benjamin Stillingfleet. Stillingfleet wore the blue knitted stockings of the working class to aristocratic gatherings where white silk hose was the norm. The term “blue stocking philosopher” came to refer to middle-class intellectuals whose friendship Montagu appreciated. In 1758, she began to correspond with the reserved and pious Elizabeth Carter, who had just published All the Works of Epictetus, which are now extant; consisting of His Discourses, preserved by Arrian, In Four Books, The Enchiridion, and Fragments. Translated from the original Greek. With an Introduction, and Notes, by the Translator (1758). Carter argues that Epictetus anticipated “the morality of the Gospel” without its comforts. Her firm adherence to religious duty would balance and complement Montagu's more fanciful enthusiasm throughout their lifelong friendship. In 1758 Montagu also joined the “Society of Arts” as a patron of young artists. The 1760s brought the appearance of Montagu's work in print. First, she produced three anonymous dialogues, for inclusion in Lord Lyttelton's Dialogues of the Dead (1760). Her friend Edmund Burke “overwrote” these dialogues to preserve their anonymity. The dialogues take place between “Cadmus and Hercules”, “Mercury and a Modern Fine Lady” and “Plutarch, Charon and a Modern Bookseller”, blending classical allusions with social satire. Both Lyttelton and Montagu's sister, now Sarah Scott, encouraged her to publish more. Scott herself had published her most popular novel, Millennium Hall, in 1762. Montagu was not yet ready to publish again, however. In 1763, she and her husband traveled with Elizabeth Carter and Lord Bath to a German spa. In 1764 she read widely, from classical writers, like Horace, to French writers, like Boileau, Abbe Du Bos, and Voltaire, to writers closer to home, like Joseph Warton and Lord Kames. In 1765, she purchased a copy of Samuel Johnson's complete works of Shakespeare and in 1766 carried it with her on a tour through Scotland. At this time she was working on her Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear, Compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets. With some remarks Upon the Misrepresentation of Mons. De Volatire. She sent drafts to Elizabeth Carter for comment until the work was published, anonymously, in 1769. Montagu's Essay argues against Voltaire for the place of mystery and religion in literature. This defense of religion aligns her Essay with John Locke's The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695), John Dennis's Advancement and Reformation of Modern Poetry (1701) and Bishop Lowth's Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews (1753). Like Dennis and Lowth's texts, Montagu's Essay compares biblical sublimity favorably to that found in classical Greek literature. She also cites the superiority of Tasso's sixteenth-century spiritual epic Jerusalem Delivered over the work of modern materialist French poets. She then draws a parallel between Tasso and Shakespeare. What she admires most in Tasso is his employment of “angels and daemons, to give the marvelous, the sublime, and I may add, that religious air to his work” (135). She traces the rise of Renaissance drama to the eloquent hymns and sermons of the English church and asserts that Shakespeare's spiritual machinery is equal to, if not greater than, that of classical mythology. Both Carter and Montagu were suspicious of democratic principles and this bias is evident in the Essay. Montagu personifies the “sacred mythology” of the church as a matriarch who establishes “fearful devotion” in her worshippers through her “arbitrary power”. Montagu's fascination with arbitrary power must have prompted her later plan to write a historical biography of Elizabeth I; but this plan was never realized. The 1770s and 80s saw the expansion of what Montagu herself would come to call “the bluestocking circle”, which included writers who Montagu saw as mentors, like Carter and Burke, as well as those who were recipients of her patronage. Montagu's Essay increased her literary connections, receiving both criticism, from Samuel Johnson and the Monthly Review, and praise, from James Boswell and The Critical Review. In 1774, Montagu asked Anna Laetitia Aikin if she would like to help start a college for young women. Aikin turned her down. In 1775, Montagu's husband died, leaving her with an inheritance and with the management of his mines in Newcastle. She built “Montagu House” at 22 Portman Square, London, and continued to support younger writers, through her hospitality, encouraging letters and monetary subscriptions. Two such writers, James Beattie and Helen Maria Williams, lauded Montagu's Essay in their own works. In his Dissertations Moral and Critical (1783) Beattie refers to the “correctness of judgment” and “vivacity of imagination” in Montagu's analysis of Macbeth. Williams saw Montagu as a female role model. She prefaced her poem Peru (1786) with a dedication in verse, “To Mrs. Montagu”, in which she depicts Montagu's circle as a space where “deserted genius” can rest his “drooping spirit” and find new “energies of soul”. Williams's poem suggests that Montagu was able to recreate the spiritually and intellectually nourishing community that she initially found at Tunbridge Wells. She lived a social and contented life into her later years, and died at the age of 80 in 1800. MONTAGU, ELIZABETH ROBINSON (1720-1800), English leader of society, was born at York on the 2nd of October 1720. In 1742 she married Charles Montagu, cousin of Edward Wortley Montagu and son of the earl of Sandwicha wealthy man, considerably her senior. Thanks to her, his Mayfair house became the social centre of intellectual society in London, and her breakfast parties and evening conversaziones gained for her from her admirers the title of The Madame du Deffand of the English capital. In other quarters the term blue-stocking was applied to her guests. From her husband, who died in 1775, she inherited a considerable fortune and large estates, in the management of which she showed much ability. In 1781 she built Sandleford Priory, near Newbury, and Montagu House, floW 22 Portman Square, London, the latter from designs by James Stuart. With the colliers in the north she was extremely popular, and every May-day she entertained the London chimneysweeps. She died on the 25th of August 1800. There is an admirable portrait of her by Reynolds. See Elizabeth Montagu, the Queen of the Blue Stockings: Her Correspondence from 1720 to 1761, edited by E. J. Climenson (2 vols, 1906); and R. Huchon, Mrs Montagu and her Friends, 172oI800 (Eng. trans., 1907). http://www.montaguemillennium.com/familyresearch/h_1800_elizabeth.htm Socialite, invented the `blue-stocking'. Elizabeth Robinson, very wealthy and well-connected. Grew up at Coveney, Cambridgeshire, under supervision of her grandparents, and was frequent childhood visitor to Cambridge; her grandfather was Librarian of Cambridge University; serious interest as a child in literature, at 12 began correspondence with Lady Cavendish Harley that lasted 50 years; married Edward Montagu, 1742; her only child died within a year, 1744; mother died, 1746; brother died, 1747; Bereaved, set up house in London, in explicit attempt to set up a central point for intellect and fashion, 1750; the DNB reports that she invariably gave intellect the precedence of rank, she wrote: `I never invite idiots to my house.' Established `conversation parties' known throughout London. These were elaborate evening affairs where gambling was not permitted and literature was frequently discussed; these parties became known as blue-stockings; for 50 years she was the preeminent intellectual hostess in London, and a number of similar `competitors' appeared; Friends included Horace Walpole, Burke, and Dr. Johnson [1] [2] [3] [4] . She had a number of protâegâes, some of which seem to have been in love with her, but she was very proper. When Dr. Monsey `declared that he did not believe a more perfect human being was ever created.' Burke replied `And I do not think that he said a word too much.' Dr. Johnson: `She diffuses more knowledge than any woman I know, or indeed, almost any man. ... Conversing with her, you may find variety in one.' Anonymously contributed 3 dialogs to Lyttelton's Dialogues of the Dead, 1760; with her husband visited Paris, Germany and Holland, 1763; Scotland, 1766; on these trips she visited many of the celebrities of the day; offended by Voltair's contempt for Shakespeare, she published anonymously her book An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets, with some Remarks upon the Misrepresentations of Mons. de Voltaire , 1769; this was a great success and she became known as its author; husband died, 1775; she ran the families interests and proved a formidable business women; in Paris at the French Academy to attend an attack on Shakespear by Voltaire, 1776; began to build Montagu House, Portman square, apparently primarily for social affairs, 1781; a blue-stocking in it was attended by the king and queen, 1791. On her properties she employed the greatest designers of the time. Extensive collections of her letters have been published. She described her suitors thus: "Our collection of men is very antique, they stand in my list thus: A man of sense, a little rusty, a beau a good deal the worse for wearing, a coxcomb extremely shattered, a pretty gentleman very insipid, a baronet very solemn, a squire very fat, a fop much affected, a barrister learned in Coke upon Littleton, but who knows nothing of `long ways for marry as will', an heir apparent, very awkward; which of these will cast a favourable eye upon me I don't know." (quoted in Sitwell). Another interesting quote: "Few people know anything of the English history but what they learn from Shakespear; for our story is rather a tissue of personal adventures and catastrophes than a series of political events."(Black) Her father's cousin was Baron Rokenby of Armagh in the Irish Peerage, her oldest brother succeeded to the title, 1794; Known in her youth as `Fidget', she was very fond of dancing. On this she remarked `Why shall a table that stands still require so many legs when I can fidget on two?' Delany describes her as `handsome, fat, and merry.' She apparently was always on good terms with her family. Her nephew, Morris Robinson, was her favorite and chief companion after her husband's death, He took the name of Montagu in 1776, and received all her (very extensive) property upon her death. An example of her writing. Kronenberger describes the bluestockings: "Now, under the leadership of Mrs Montagu, these defiant bluestockings managed to acquire distinction and draw round them many eminent men of the day. They were a mixed group, some of them great ladies like the Duchess of Portland, others hard-working middle-class women who lived virtually in Grub Street; but all were "modern" and all had pronounced ideas. They abused the butterfly existence of society women, distrusted romance, denounced marrying for money, and excoriated the double standard. Some of them wrote, others became pioneer reformers and philanthropists. Each had a slightly different idea of the drawing-room.... At Mrs Montagu's [wrote Fanny Burney in her Diary] "the semi-circle that faced the fire retained during the whole evening its unbroken form, with a precision that made it seem described by a Brobdingnagian compass. The lady of the castle commonly placed herself at the upper end of the room, near the commencement of the curve, so as to be courteously visible to all her guests; having the person of highest rank or consequence properly on one side, and the person the most eminent for talents, sagaciously on the other... No one ventured to break the ring." (Kronenberger)
|
| Born: York, Yorks., England 2nd Oct 1718 | Baptised: Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York, Yorks., England 13th Oct 1718
| | Died: 25th Aug 1800 | Buried:
| | Family: Robinson of Rokeby Hall |
|