William Danby
Encyclopedia
William Danby was an English writer who rebuilt his family home of Swinton Park
, North Yorkshire in Gothick taste and recreated Stonehenge
on considerable scale in his park, as the "Druid
s' Temple".. His house is now a hotel and his Stonehenge a picnickers' spot on nearby Forestry Commission land.
Danby was the only son of the Reverend William Danby DD of Swinton Park, and Mary, daughter of Gilbert Affleck of Dalham, Suffolk. From 1763 to 1770 he had a private tutor at Eton College
. On 24 October 1770 he was admitted as a fellow-commoner to Christ's College, Cambridge
. In 1784 he served the office of High Sheriff of Yorkshire
. He was twice married: first in 1775 to Caroline (d. 1821), daughter of Henry Seymour, and second on 5 January 1822 to Anne Holwell, second daughter of William Gater.
Danby almost entirely rebuilt his country house
at Swinton, from designs by John Carr
and local builder-architects, with some interior design contributed by James Wyatt. It included a handsome library and a richly furnished museum of minerals. Describing a tour which he made in 1829, the poet Robert Southey
remarked, "The most interesting person whom I saw during this expedition was Mr. Danby of Swinton Park, a man of very large fortune, and now very old."
Danby was an accomplished scholar and wrote some works of personal philosophy that include: Thoughts, Chiefly on Serious Subjects (1821), Ideas and Realities, or, Thoughts on Various Subjects (1827), Extracts from and observations on Cicero's dialogues De senectute and De amicitia, and a translation of his Somnium Scipionis, with notes (1829), and Thoughts on Various Subjects (1831). Danby died at Swinton Park on 4 December 1833. He left no children.
Swinton Park
Swinton Park, the seat of the Danby family and of the Cunliffe-Lister family is an English country house in Swinton near Masham, North Yorkshire, England. It is set in of parkland, lakes and gardens...
, North Yorkshire in Gothick taste and recreated Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
on considerable scale in his park, as the "Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s' Temple".. His house is now a hotel and his Stonehenge a picnickers' spot on nearby Forestry Commission land.
Danby was the only son of the Reverend William Danby DD of Swinton Park, and Mary, daughter of Gilbert Affleck of Dalham, Suffolk. From 1763 to 1770 he had a private tutor at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. On 24 October 1770 he was admitted as a fellow-commoner to Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
. In 1784 he served the office of High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
. He was twice married: first in 1775 to Caroline (d. 1821), daughter of Henry Seymour, and second on 5 January 1822 to Anne Holwell, second daughter of William Gater.
Danby almost entirely rebuilt his country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
at Swinton, from designs by John Carr
John Carr
John Carr was a prolific English architect. He was born in Horbury, near Wakefield, England, the eldest of nine children and the son of a master mason, under whom he trained. He started an independent career in 1748 and continued until shortly before his death. John Carr was Lord Mayor of York in...
and local builder-architects, with some interior design contributed by James Wyatt. It included a handsome library and a richly furnished museum of minerals. Describing a tour which he made in 1829, the poet Robert Southey
Robert Southey
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...
remarked, "The most interesting person whom I saw during this expedition was Mr. Danby of Swinton Park, a man of very large fortune, and now very old."
Danby was an accomplished scholar and wrote some works of personal philosophy that include: Thoughts, Chiefly on Serious Subjects (1821), Ideas and Realities, or, Thoughts on Various Subjects (1827), Extracts from and observations on Cicero's dialogues De senectute and De amicitia, and a translation of his Somnium Scipionis, with notes (1829), and Thoughts on Various Subjects (1831). Danby died at Swinton Park on 4 December 1833. He left no children.