| Enhanced version of original printed entry | Encoded version: searched-for items red; some Appendix and Addenda included; unique identifier FRR787JH |
| Frere, John Hookham. Adm. pens. at CAIUS, 1787. S. and h. of John (1758) [and Jane, only child of John Hookham, merchant, of Beddington, Surrey], of Roydon, Norfolk. B. May 21, 1769, in London. Schools, Putney (Mr Cormick) and Eton (where he formed a life-long friendship with Canning). Matric. Michs. 1787; Scholar, 1787-91; Members' Prize, 1792; B.A. 1792; M.A. 1795. Fellow, 1791-1816. Contributed to The Microcosm, 1786-7. Entered the Foreign Office. M.P. for W. Looe, Cornwall, 1796-1802. Joined with Canning in the publication of The Anti-Jacobin, 1797-8. Succeeded Canning as Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, 1799. Envoy to Lisbon, 1800-2; to Madrid, 1802-4. Recalled, in Pitt's words, 'in consequence of circumstances having occurred that made it impossible for him any longer to communicate with the Prince of Peace.' P.C., 1805. Envoy to Berlin, 1807, but mission abandoned owing to Treaty of Tilsit. Minister Plenipotentiary to Central Junta in Spain, 1808-9; recalled after being blamed for Moore's retreat to Corunna, but created 'Marquez de la Union' by the Junta. Retired from diplomacy; declined the post of Ambassador to St Petersburg, and twice refused a peerage. Succeeded, 1807, to Roydon Hall. 'The ideal of a cultivated country gentleman.' Settled at Malta for the benefit of his wife's health, 1820, where he was visited by numerous travellers, including Sir Walter Scott, who found him 'a good Tory as ever...the most entertaining man I know.' An original projector of The Quarterly Review, and contributed one of its earliest signed articles. While still at Eton, composed a version of the Ode on Aethelstan's Victory, of which Scott said that 'if it had been produced as ancient it could not have been detected on internal evidence.' Three of his translations from the Poem of the Cid were appended to Southey's Chronicle, although he had pilloried Southey as the Needy Knife-Grinder in the Anti-Jacobin. Helped Southey with his History of the Peninsular War. Formed one of Byron's 'cursed puritanical committee' which decided against publication of Don Juan, 1819; Frere's Monks and Giants, an Arthurian burlesque published under the pseudonym of Whistlecraft, provided the stanza and style for Beppo. Assisted Coleridge financially; enabled him to send his younger son to Cambridge, and hired a reporter to take down his lectures on philosophy. 'Of all the men I have yet met with,' said Coleridge, 'in public or literary life, you possess beyond comparison the purest and manliest Taste.' Gabriel Rossetti, another protégé, dedicated to Frere his poem Iddio e l' Uomo, and W. S. Rose wrote him an Epistle. John Murray ranked him with Scott and Byron, saying 'he might have done anything he chose.' Calverley acknowledged 'the rhythmic grace which Hookham Frere displayed.' Translated Aristophanes' Frogs, Acharnians, Knights and Birds; edited the Fragments of Theognis 'to show the Germans that an Englishman can do something, though not exactly in their own way.' See Eichler's elaborate study, J. H. Frere, sein Leben und seine Werke, sein Einfluss auf Lord Byron, 1905. Married, Sept. 12, 1816, Elizabeth Jemima, Dowager Countess of Erroll, dau. of Joseph Blake, of Ardfry, Co. Galway. Died s.p. Jan. 7, 1846, at the Pieta Valetta, Malta. [p.580] Brother of Bartholomew (1794), Temple (1797) and William (1793). (Eton Coll. Reg.; Venn, II. 114, which mistakenly gives 'M.P., 1792-1802'; Frere Pedigree; Gabrielle Festing, J. H. Frere and His Friends; D.N.B.; Camb. Hist. Eng. Lit.; Memoir in Works of J. H. Frere; Letters of Scott, Byron and Coleridge; Rogers, Table Talk.) | John Hookham FRERE Approx. lifespan: 1769–1846 pens. Gonville & Caius College adm1787 s. and h. of John FRERE (1758) [and Jane, only child of John Hookham, merchant, of Beddington, Surrey , , of Roydon, Norfolk , b. London , 1769:05:21 schools Sch: Putney School Putney, [London], ( Mr – CORMICK ) and Eton, [Buckinghamshire], (where he formed a life-long friendship with Canning) Matric 1787:10MT: Scholar 1787-91 Members' Prize 1792 BA 1792 MA 1795 Fellow 1791-1816 Contributed to The Microcosm 1786-87 Entered: Foreign Office M.P. for: : W. Looe, Cornwall , 1796-1802 Joined: with Canning in the publication of The Anti-Jacobin 1797-98 Succeeded Canning as Under-Sec. of: : State at Foreign Office 1799 Envoy to Lisbon, [Portugal], 1800-02 to Madrid, [Spain], 1802-04 Recalled, in Pitt's words, 'in consequence of circumstances having occurred that made it impossible for him any longer to communicate with the Prince of Peace.' P.C.: 1805 Envoy to Berlin, [Germany], 1807, but mission abandoned owing to Treaty of Tilsit, [Germany], Minister: Plenipotentiary to Central Junta Spain , 1808-09 recalled after being blamed for Moore's retreat to Corunna, [Spain], , but created 'Marquez de la Union' by the Junta. Retired from diplomacy; declined the post of Ambassador to St Petersburg, [Russia], , and twice refused a peerage. Succeeded: 1807, to Roydon Hall, Roydon, [Norfolk], 'The ideal of a cultivated country gentleman.' Settled Malta , for the benefit of his wife's health 1820, where he was visited by numerous travellers, including Sir Walter Scott, who found him 'a good Tory as ever...the most entertaining man I know.' An original projector of The Quarterly Rev.iew, and contributed one of its earliest signed articles. While still Eton, [Buckinghamshire], , composed a version of the Ode on Aethelstan's Victory, of which Scott said that 'if it had been produced as ancient it could not have been detected on internal evidence.' Three of his translations from the Poem of the Cid were appended to Southey's Chronicle, although he had pilloried Southey as the Needy Knife-Grinder in the Anti-Jacobin. Helped Southey with his History of the Peninsular War. Formed one of Byron's 'cursed puritanical committee' which decided against publication of Don Juan 1819; Frere's Monks and Giants, an Arthurian burlesque published under the pseudonym of Whistlecraft, provided the stanza and style for Beppo. Assisted Coleridge financially; enabled him to send his younger son to CB, ???, , and hired a reporter to take down his lectures on philosophy. 'Of all the men I have yet met with,' said Coleridge, 'in public or literary life, you possess beyond comparison the purest and manliest Taste.' Gabriel Rossetti, another protégé, dedicated to Frere his poem Iddio e l' Uomo, and W. S. Rose wrote him an Epistle. John Murray ranked him with Scott and Byron, saying 'he might have done anything he chose.' Calverley acknowledged 'the rhythmic grace which Hookham FRERE displayed.' Translated Aristophanes' Frogs, Acharnians, Knights and Birds ; edited the Fragments of Theognis 'to show the Germans that an Englishman can do something, though not exactly in their own way.' See Eichler's elaborate study, J. H. Frere, sein Leben und seine Werke, sein Einfluss auf Lord Byron 1905 m. 1816:09:12,Elizabeth Jemima, Dowager Countess of Erroll BLAKE dau. of Joseph BLAKE, of Ardfry, Co. Galway , d. s.p. 1846:01:07,at the Pieta Valetta, Malta , brother of Bartholomew FRERE (1794) Temple (1797) and William (1793) ( Eton College Reg.; Venn, II. 114, which mistakenly gives 'M.P., 1792-1802'; Frere Pedigree ; Gabrielle Festing, J. H. Frere and His Friends; D.N.B.; Cambridge Hist. ??? English Lit. ; Memoir in Works of J. H. Frere; Letters of Scott, Byron and Coleridge; Rogers, Table Talk. ) |