Robert Fielding
Encyclopedia
Robert Fielding was an English
bigamist
and rake
in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known as a handsome womanizer at the royal court of King Charles II
, where he was given the nickname "Beau", and later became the bigamous husband of his former mistress, Barbara Villiers, the first Duchess of Cleveland
.
, Warwickshire
, to George Fielding, a kinsman of the Earl of Denbigh
. There is no record of his mother. A minor reference to his early life and character is found in Jonathan Swift
's Miscellaneous and autobiographical pieces, fragments and marginalia, which reports that Fielding married Mary, daughter and heiress of Barnham Swift, Viscount Carlingford. Swift recalls that she "brought him a considerable estatte in Yorkshire
, which he squandered away, but had no children." His second wife was the twice-widowed Margaret Burke, daughter of Ulick Burke
, the first Marquess of Clanricarde.
and the Roman Catholic cause. James gave him a regiment, and while in Ireland, Fielding became an MP
for Gowran
in County Kilkenny
in 1689. After the Glorious Revolution
and James' forced abdication
, Fielding travelled to Paris with the exiled king, before returning to England, where he was imprisoned as a Jacobite
in 1696. After securing a pardon the following year, he led an ostentatious lifestyle, leading a life filled with gambling, wealthy mistresses and duels. At the age of 50, Fielding was involved in a duel with a barrister named Fulwood, who drew first and injured his opponent. While Fulwood left triumphantly for Lincoln's Inn Fields
in London, Fielding showed his injuries to the public, hoping to arouse some compassion. Instead, as Swift recorded: "[h]e was run into his breast, which he opened, and shewed to the ladies, that he might move their love and pity; but they all fell a-laughing".
were hidden by the servants, who suspected Fielding's motives based on his reputation. However, his pursuance continued, and he bribed Deleau's hairdresser with £500. The hairdresser, however, knowing Deleau would likely refuse, disguised a poor woman named Mary Wadsworth as the widow. Believing Wadsworth was Deleau, Fielding and Wadsworth were married on 9 November 1705. Fielding's pursuance of the Duchess of Cleveland also continued, and he entered into a bigamous union with her on 25 November 1705.
News of the double marriage emerged in May 1706, when Fielding discovered that he had married Wadsworth rather than Deleau. He arrived at Waddon, beat Wadsworth, and issued a threat against Charlotte Villars not to reveal the marriage. In the meantime, the relations between the Duchess of Cleveland and her husband were increasingly unhappy. After she stopped indulging his expenses, he "so barbarously ill-treated her, that she was obliged to have recourse to a magistrate for protection against his outrages". He also conducted a sexual relationship with the Duchess' granddaughter, Charlotte Calvert, in the Spring of 1706, and was rumoured to father a child by her, born on 23 April 1707. The case went to the Old Bailey
, where Fielding was prosecuted and found guilty for bigamy at his trial on 4 December 1706. The marriage between Fielding and the Duchess was annulled, but he claimed benefit of clergy
, escaping the sentence for bigamy. He escaped the lesser sentence of being burnt at the hand by producing a warrant from Queen Anne
, which ordered the suspension of all sentences against him.
Popular with women, Anna Jameson claimed he was full of self-love and extravagance, lavishing money on the young. His portrait was painted by three of the great contemporary artists of the time: Peter Lely
, Godfrey Kneller
and Willem Wissing
. After the annulment of his marriage, he became reconciled with Mary Wadsworth, and the couple lived together until his death, from fever, on 12 May 1712. The Duchess of Cleveland died of dropsy at her home in Chiswick
on 9 October 1709.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
bigamist
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
and rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known as a handsome womanizer at the royal court of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, where he was given the nickname "Beau", and later became the bigamous husband of his former mistress, Barbara Villiers, the first Duchess of Cleveland
Duke of Cleveland
Duke of Cleveland is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The dukedoms were named after Cleveland in northern England....
.
Early life
Fielding was born in SolihullSolihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, to George Fielding, a kinsman of the Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for the courtier and soldier William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding. He was Master of the Great Wardrobe under King James I and also took part in the Expedition to Cádiz of 1625...
. There is no record of his mother. A minor reference to his early life and character is found in Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
's Miscellaneous and autobiographical pieces, fragments and marginalia, which reports that Fielding married Mary, daughter and heiress of Barnham Swift, Viscount Carlingford. Swift recalls that she "brought him a considerable estatte in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, which he squandered away, but had no children." His second wife was the twice-widowed Margaret Burke, daughter of Ulick Burke
Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde
Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde , was an Irish nobleman and figure in English Civil War....
, the first Marquess of Clanricarde.
Member of Parliament
Following the death of Charles II in 1685, Fielding became a loyal supporter of King James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and the Roman Catholic cause. James gave him a regiment, and while in Ireland, Fielding became an MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Gowran
Gowran
Gowran is a village and former town in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Gowran Park race course is located nearby. Gowran is located on the N9 national primary road where it is crossed by the R702 regional road.-History:...
in County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
in 1689. After the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and James' forced abdication
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
, Fielding travelled to Paris with the exiled king, before returning to England, where he was imprisoned as a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
in 1696. After securing a pardon the following year, he led an ostentatious lifestyle, leading a life filled with gambling, wealthy mistresses and duels. At the age of 50, Fielding was involved in a duel with a barrister named Fulwood, who drew first and injured his opponent. While Fulwood left triumphantly for Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
in London, Fielding showed his injuries to the public, hoping to arouse some compassion. Instead, as Swift recorded: "[h]e was run into his breast, which he opened, and shewed to the ladies, that he might move their love and pity; but they all fell a-laughing".
Scandal
Following the death of his wife Margaret on 14 August 1698, Fielding courted Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland. At the same time, he pursued Anne Deleau, an heiress with a fortune of £60,000, which Fielding discovered by studying her late husband's will. Love letters sent to her house in Waddon, SurreyWaddon
Waddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
were hidden by the servants, who suspected Fielding's motives based on his reputation. However, his pursuance continued, and he bribed Deleau's hairdresser with £500. The hairdresser, however, knowing Deleau would likely refuse, disguised a poor woman named Mary Wadsworth as the widow. Believing Wadsworth was Deleau, Fielding and Wadsworth were married on 9 November 1705. Fielding's pursuance of the Duchess of Cleveland also continued, and he entered into a bigamous union with her on 25 November 1705.
News of the double marriage emerged in May 1706, when Fielding discovered that he had married Wadsworth rather than Deleau. He arrived at Waddon, beat Wadsworth, and issued a threat against Charlotte Villars not to reveal the marriage. In the meantime, the relations between the Duchess of Cleveland and her husband were increasingly unhappy. After she stopped indulging his expenses, he "so barbarously ill-treated her, that she was obliged to have recourse to a magistrate for protection against his outrages". He also conducted a sexual relationship with the Duchess' granddaughter, Charlotte Calvert, in the Spring of 1706, and was rumoured to father a child by her, born on 23 April 1707. The case went to the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
, where Fielding was prosecuted and found guilty for bigamy at his trial on 4 December 1706. The marriage between Fielding and the Duchess was annulled, but he claimed benefit of clergy
Benefit of clergy
In English law, the benefit of clergy was originally a provision by which clergymen could claim that they were outside the jurisdiction of the secular courts and be tried instead in an ecclesiastical court under canon law...
, escaping the sentence for bigamy. He escaped the lesser sentence of being burnt at the hand by producing a warrant from Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
, which ordered the suspension of all sentences against him.
Popular with women, Anna Jameson claimed he was full of self-love and extravagance, lavishing money on the young. His portrait was painted by three of the great contemporary artists of the time: Peter Lely
Peter Lely
Sir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
, Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
and Willem Wissing
Willem Wissing
Willem Wissing, also known as William Wissing , was a Dutch portrait artist.He was born in either Amsterdam or The Hague, and studied at The Hague under Willem Doudijns and Arnoldus van Ravestyn . In 1676, he moved to England, where he studied with and assisted Peter Lely...
. After the annulment of his marriage, he became reconciled with Mary Wadsworth, and the couple lived together until his death, from fever, on 12 May 1712. The Duchess of Cleveland died of dropsy at her home in Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
on 9 October 1709.