The Matthew Prior Project

Directory of Correspondents

ABERCORN, Earl of. See: Hamilton, James.
ABERCROMBIE, Sir James (b. 1669?), 2nd Baronet of Nova Scotia and a Member of Parliament for Banff (Burke’s Peerage, [102nd ed., 1959]); one of the British commissioners at Dunkirk (Lords’ MSS. 284-90). See also: Dunkirk, British Commissioners at.
ACWORTH (var. Ackworth), Jacob (d. 1749), in 1714, Master Shipwright at Woolwich (R. D. Merriman, ed., Queen Anne’s Navy [(London): Navy Records Society, 1961] 374); Surveyor of the Navy 1715-49 (John B. Hattendorf et al., eds., British Naval Documents, 1204-1960 [Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1993 (for the Navy Records Society)] 1098). See also A. C. S. Hall, ed., Guide to the Reports of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 1911-1957, Part II: Index of Persons (London: HMSO, 1966) 1: 4. Described by Prior as one of “the Captains directed to view the Maritime part of the Demolition of Dunkirk [...]” (1714.0918.Fb). The other captains were Kirktoune, Littleton, and Roffey.
ADAMS, John (1662-1720), clergyman, became provost of King’s College, U. of Cambridge, in 1712 and served Cambridge as vice-chancellor in 1712-13 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/120?docPos=3>).
ADAMS, Mons. Identified by Drift as secretary to the Marquis de Torcy (Longleat, Prior 12: 273).
ADDISON, Joseph (1672-1719), writer and Whig statesman who held various political offices. He was secretary to the Lords Justices Regent (1714) during the time of his correspondence with Prior (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/156>). See also Lit. Works.
ADMIRALTY. See: Lords of the Admiralty (1695).
AGLIONBY, William, diplomat, Prior’s predecessor at The Hague as secretary to Charles Berkeley, Viscount Dursley (Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works 903-04.
ALBEMARLE, Earl of. See: Keppel, Arnold Joost van.
ALLONNE, Abel Tasien d’, secretary to Mary, both when she was Princess of Orange and later Queen Mary (Index Entries for Tasien d’Allonne [Abel] from BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, <http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/manuscripts//INDX0010.ASP?source=INDX0000.ASP>); also a secretary to the Earl of Portland in Paris; made Secretary of Dutch Affairs in 1698 (Eves 126); not to be confused with Abel Tassin d’Allonne, secretary to Heinsius, also indexed in the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue
AMELOT, Michel-Jean, Marquis de Gournay (1655-1724), French ambassador (Saint-Simon 7: 601). See also DBF.
ANGLESEY, Earl of. See: Annesley, John.
ANNANDALE, Marquess of. See: Johnstone, James.
ANNE (1665–1714), Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, last Stuart monarch, reigned 1702-1714 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/560?docPos=8>.) See also Lit. Works.
ANNESLEY, John (bap. Jan. 1676, d. 1710), 6th Earl of Anglesey, succeeded to title in 1702, a Privy Councillor in 1710 (GEC).
ANONYMOUS See: [ ? ] at end of this index.
ANTOINE GRIMALDI (1661-1731), Prince of Monaco, reigned 1701-31 (C. G. Allen, gen. ed., Rulers and Governments of the World, vol. 2, 1492 to 1929, Bertold Spuler, comp. [London: Bowker, 1977] 357). See also NBG.
ARBUTHNOT, John (bap. 1667, d. 1735), physician to Queen Anne and writer (see, for example, The History of John Bull) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/610?docPos=2>). See also Lit. Works 935-36, 967.
ARBUTHNOT, Robert (bap. 1669), brother of John; Jacobite who fled to France where he became a banker and merchant in Rouen (see ODNB entry for John.)
ARMSTRONG, John (1674-1742), a military man and one of the British commissioners at Dunkirk; appointed Chief Engineer of England in Dec. 1714 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/659?docPos=3>). See also: Dunkirk, British Commissioners at.
ARTHUR, Daniel, a merchant banker in London whose “correspondent” in Paris advanced money to Prior on bills to be submitted to the Crown. Arthur held one unpaid bill and was still seeking reimbursement after Prior’s death (see his petition to the Treasury, his letter to Prior’s secretary and executor, Adrian Drift, and Drift’s “Abstract of the Effects of Matthew Prior” in BL, ADD 70362 [formerly Loan 29/317: 58v, 60v, and 82v). Drift notes in the abstract that Arthur was then bankrupt. We speculate that the Sir Daniel Arthur noticed in, for example, Calendar of State Papers, Domestic...1696 (ed. William J. Hardy [1913; Nendeln/Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1969] 108) was his father.
ARTHUR, John, brother and apparent business partner of Daniel.
ASHE, Bishop St. George (1658-1718), Irish bishop, friend of Jonathan Swift; became Bishop of Clogher in the year of his extant correspondence with Prior (1697) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/750?docPos=7>).
ATTERBURY, Bishop Francis (1663-1723), Dean of Westminster and Bishop of Rochester. His and Prior’s attendance as children at Westminster School overlapped, and their friendship was cordial until 1719 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/871>, Lit. Works, esp. 991).
AUDLEY, John (b. 1680?), MA Peterhouse College, Cambridge, 1703; Fellow, 1703; among other positions, Chancellor of York (Alumni Cantab.). One of those vying with Prior, in 1720, to stand for U. of Cambridge in the election for Parliament.
BABETTE, a widow with children who lived in France (probably Paris) where she was Prior's neighbor and friend. Her surname is unknown.
BACHAMONT DE BELLAVRE, The Marquis de, owner of a house in Paris that Prior rented on behalf of the Earl of Jersey for his stay there as Ambassador Extraordinary. In the index to Longleat, Prior 12, the house is said to have been in the Marais district.
BALL, John, writes from Dover in 1713 and describes himself as an “officer.” He had some responsibility for letters and cargo going from there to Calais and may be the English counterpart of Pigault (identified below), whom he mentions. See also: Dover, The British Officers at.
BARNARD, Lord. See: Vane, Christopher.
BASNAGE DE BEAUVAL, Henri (1656-1710), Huguenot refugee in the Netherlands, writer, journalist, editor of the long-running periodical Histoire des Ouvrages des Savants (Joseph Almagor, Pierre Des Maizeaux (1673-1745), Journalist and English Correspondent... [Amsterdam & Maarssen: APA-Holland UP, 1989] 241). See also NBG, Bayle.
BATHURST, Allen (1684-1775), Lord Bathurst, Tory statesman, created Baron Bathurst in 1712. Friend of the literary figures of his day. Referred to as “Batty” by Prior. Received earldom in 1772 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1692>). See also Lit. Works 914, 960.
BAYLE, Pierre (1647-1706), French Protestant who resided in Rotterdam, author of Dictionaire Historique et Critique (1st ed., 1697) (Bayle, 5th ed., 1740; Lit. Works 1010; <http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/ARTFL/projects/dicos/BAYLE/>).
BEAUFORT, Duke of. See: Somerset, Henry.
BEAUMONT, Johanna, wife of William.
BEAUMONT, William, apparently a cousin of Prior’s (H. B. Wright, “Matthew Prior: A Supplement to His Biography,” diss., Northwestern U, 1936, 129-31).
BEAUVAL, de. See: Basnage de Beauval.
BENTINCK, William (1649-1709), 1st Earl of Portland, born Hans Willem, was a member of the Dutch household of William III. He accompanied William to England when he, with Mary, acceded to the throne. He was a key figure in the court and government of William and Mary and later William alone. He received his English earldom in 1689 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2160?docPos=2>, GEC). Prior served as secretary to his embassy to France in 1698 (Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works, esp. 872.
BENTINCK, William Henry (1682-1726), son of the 1st Earl of Portland; from 1689, Viscount Woodstock; from 1709, 2nd Earl of Portland; created Duke of Portland in 1716. Member of Parliament 1705-09. Died in Jamaica, where he was Governor and Vice-Admiral (GEC). See also Lit. Works 763, 1057.
BERKELEY, Charles (1649-1710), Viscount Dursley; from 14/24 Oct. 1698 2nd Earl of Berkeley; Envoy Extraordinary to United Provinces 1689-94, with Prior serving as his secretary from late 1690 (Brit. Dipl. Reps); a Lord Justice of Ireland 1699-1700 (GEC). See also Lit. Works, esp. 129, 866-67.
BERKELEY, Charles (1679-1699), son of Viscount Dursley, styled Viscount Dursley upon his father’s elevation to earldom in 1698 (GEC). See also Lit. Works 762, 1056-57.
BERKELEY, John (1650-1712), 4th Viscount FitzHardinge, inherited his title in 1690 (GEC). See also Lit. Works 229, 895.
BERNARD, Charles (bap. 1652, d. 1710), surgeon, sergeant-surgeon to Queen Anne (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2238?docPos=1>).
BILLERS, John (1649?-1721?), Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1671-1717; non-juror, for which he was deprived of his position (Alumni Cantab.). Prior’s tutor.
BLATHWAYT, William (bap. 1650, d. 1717), Whig politician, Member of Parliament for Bath 1693- 1710, Secretary-at-War under William III and de facto Secretary of State when on campaign with William (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2626>).
BLIGH, John, an admirer of Prior’s 1718/[19] Poems on Several Occasions who sent Prior a gift of £100 with his letter (index to Longleat, Prior 7). Bligh and Prior seem to have been acquainted but not close.
BOILEAU-DESPRÉAUX, Nicolas (1636-1711), French writer (Saint-Simon 7: 652). See also Lit. Works, esp. 139, 220, 893.
BOLINGBROKE, Viscount. See: St. John, Henry.
BOLTON, Duke of. See: Paulet, Charles.
BOUHÉREAU, Elias, secretary to Earl of Galway from 1693 when Galway was Envoy Extraordinary to Savoy-Sardinia (Brit. Dipl. Reps.). Bouhéreau’s correspondence with Prior dates from Galway’s first tenure as one of the Lords Justices of Ireland (1697-1701) (ODNB, Galway's entry, <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18309?docPos=1>).
BOYLE, Charles (1676-1731), later 4th Earl of Orrery (1703). A friend of Prior’s who in 1698 was part of the entourage that accompanied the new English embassy to France. Prior was secretary to the embassy (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22814>, Eves 104). See also Vincent T. Harlow, Christopher Codrington 1668-1710 (1928; London: Hurst & Co., [1990]) passim. GEC gives birth date as 1764 and notes that he was a major-general in the army, a Member of Parliament, and Envoy to Flanders at the time of the Treaty of Utrecht.
BOYLE, Henry (1669-1725), Lord Carleton, Whig politician, received his barony in 1714 after George I succeeded to the throne. He was a Member of Parliament, and he held numerous political appointments (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3126?docPos=1>).
BOYLE, Richard (1694-1753), 3rd Earl of Burlington, succeeded to the earldom in 1704. From October 1714, he held various political appointments; but he is perhaps best known as a patron of arts and letters (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3136?docPos=5>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 1010.
BRACONNIER, Mons. A secret agent for the English whose name means “poacher.”
BREUIL, Mons. See: Dubreuil, Jean Tronchin.
BRIDGEMAN, William, Secretary to the Admiralty 1694-98 (Admiralty Officials); an Under Secretary of State for most of the years from 1667 to 1694, when he moved to the Admiralty (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
BROME, Edmund (1671?-1745), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1692-1725 (Alumni Cantab.).
BROMLEY, William (bap. 1663, d. 1731), Tory politician, Speaker of the House of Commons 1710, Secretary of State 1713-14 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3515?docPos=1>, Officials of the Secretaries of State).
BROUGHTON, George, England’s Consul at Venice at the time of Prior’s letter to him. His first name is given in a document that was enclosed with Prior’s letter (Longleat, Prior 13: 32-33).
BROWN, Martin, apparently an English merchant in Rotterdam. The nature of his correspondence with Prior is the subject of letters between Prior and Blathwayt (1697.0827.Fa, 1697.0829.Tc).
BRUYNINX, Hamel, in 1698 secretary to the Dutch embassy in Paris under Ambassador Conrad de Heemskerck; later (1704), Dutch envoy inVienna (Saint-Simon 7: 679, 807).
BRYDGES, James (1674-1744), Member of Parliament 1698-1714, Paymaster General of the Forces Abroad 1705-13. It was during his tenure as Paymaster that he wrote to Prior. Later 9th Baron Chandos, to which title he succeeded in 1714; created Earl of Carnarvon shortly thereafter and Duke of Chandos in 1719 (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3806>).
BUCKHURST, Lord. See: Sackville, Lionel Cranfield.
BUCKINGHAM, Duke of. See: Sheffield, John.
BURLINGTON, Earl of. See: Boyle, Richard.
BURNET, Bishop Gilbert (1643-1715), clergyman, writer, political force, advisor to William III and Mary. Appointed Bishop of Salisbury in 1689 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4061?docPos=1>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 938-39.
BUTLER, James (1665-1745), 2nd Duke of Ormonde, succeeded his father as Earl of Ossory in 1680 and his grandfather as Duke of Ormonde in 1688. Became Chancellor of U. of Oxford and of Dublin University, also in 1688. Eventually supported William III and Mary. Became Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1703. Saw his fortunes fall upon accession of George I (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4193?docPos=9>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 257, 901-02.
CÆSAR, Charles (1673-1741), Tory politician, Member of Parliament, Jacobite (Romney Sedgwick, The House of Commons 1715-1754 [London: HMSO, 1970] 1: 513). See also Lit. Works 807.
CAPTAIN of Packet Boat (Calais). See: Master of the Packet Boat.
CARDONNEL, Adam (1663-1719), began his career in the war office; from as early as 1692, served as secretary to the Earl (later Duke) of Marlborough. His later parliamentary career ended in disgrace (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4616?docPos=1>). See also Lit. Works 893.
CARLETON, Lord. See: Boyle, Henry.
CAROLINE, Princess of Wales (1683-1737), wife of George, Prince of Wales. They acceded to the throne of Great Britain in 1727 as George II and Queen Caroline (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4720?docPos=3>).
CAVENDISH, William (1641-1707), 1st Duke of Devonshire, created duke in 1694, having inherited earldom in 1684. Supported William III and Mary and later served as one of the Lords Justices Regent during William III’s absences from England. Supported the union of England and Scotland (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4948?docPos=7>). See also Lit. Works 846-47.
CAVENDISH, William (c. 1673-1729), 2nd Duke of Devonshire, succeeded his father in 1707; a Privy Councillor to Queen Anne and George I, a Lord Justice Regent after Queen Anne’s death (GEC).
CECIL, John (1674-1721), from 1678 called Lord Burghley, succeeded as 6th Earl of Exeter on 29 Aug./9 Sept. 1700 (GEC). Prior served as his tutor, living at Burghley (Lit. Works, 844; see also 850-51).
CHANDOS, Duke of. See: Brydges, James.
CHESTERFIELD, 3rd Earl of. See: Stanhope, Philip.
CHOLMONDELEY, Hugh (1662?-1725), Viscount Cholmondeley, created Earl of Cholmondeley 1706. Supported William III and Mary. Privy Councillor under Queen Anne, Whig comptroller and then treasurer of Anne’s household, treasurer of George I’s household (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5346?docPos=2>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 896, 913.
CHURCHILL, John (1650-1722), 1st Earl of Marlborough from 1689, 1st Duke of Marlborough from 1702. Dipomat and military genius and hero who led England and her allies to victory in the War of the Spanish Succession. Created duke by Queen Anne in reward for his services but fell out of favor in 1711. Had switched allegiance to Whigs in 1705. Returned to favor with accession of George I (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5401?docPos=2>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 893.
CHURCHILL, Sarah (1660-1744), Duchess of Marlborough, wife of John; a powerful favorite of Queen Anne’s until she fell out of favor in 1710 (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5405>). Had great animosity for Prior, although the Duke was more cordial (Lit. Works, esp. 893).
CLAYTON, Jasper, one of the British commissioners at Dunkirk (Lords’ MSS. 284-90). See also: Dunkirk, British Commissioners at.
CLÉMENT, Nicolas (1651-1716), librarian and historian; in 1692, named bibliothécaire en second for the French royal library (NBG, Legg 332).
CODRINGTON, Christopher (1668-1710), soldier; in 1699 succeeded his father as governor-general of the Leeward Islands. The Board of Trade and Plantations dismissed him from that office in 1703; and in October of that year Prior, one of the Commissioners but also a friend, wrote to him from the Office of Trade and Plantations. By Codrington's will, a library was established at All Souls College, Oxford, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel was enabled to establish Codrington College in Barbadoes (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5795?docPos=2>). See also Vincent T. Harlow’s biography of him, Christopher Codrington 1668-1710 (1928; London: Hurst & Co., [1990]).
COKE, Thomas (bap. 1674, d. 1727), son-in-law of Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield; Member of Parliament for Derby for most of 1698-1710, later for Grampound; Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under both Queen Anne and George I, 1706-27 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/63012?docPos=1>; John Beresford, Gossip of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1924] 162-65.)
COLBATCH, John (1665-1748), clergyman, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; from 1707 to 1748, Professor of Moral Philosophy; involved in public quarrels with Richard Bentley (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5834?docPos=1>).
COLBERT DE CROISSY, Jean-Baptiste (1665-1746), Marquis de Torcy, French secretary of state with responsibility for foreign affairs 1689-1715; Prior’s counterpart during the negotiations for the Treaty of Utrecht (Saint-Simon 7: 1052, Legg 336).
COMPTON, Spencer (c. 1674-1743), Member of Parliament for Eye and later East Grinstead, Speaker of House of Commons 1715-27; elevated to peerage in 1728 as Baron Wilmington, created Earl of Wilmington in 1730, appointed First Lord of the Treasury in 1742 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6036?docPos=2>, GEC).
COTTON, Sir Robert (d. 1712), created Baronet of Combermere 1677; Member of Parliament 1679-1702 (Burke’s Peerage, [102nd ed., 1959]). With Frankland, the first to hold the revised office of Postmasters General, which became a joint commission in 1691 (The Penny Post 53). See also: Postmasters General.
CRESSET, James (d. 1710), diplomat; at time of his correspondence with Prior, Envoy Extraordinary to Brunswick-Lüneburg, residing in Hamburg (Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
CRISPE, Henry, an official in the Custom-house (Calendar of Treasury Books, vol. 25, pt. 2: 13).
CUNES, Frederick, from 1691-98, an asistant to François Fagel, the Griffier of the States General, with responsibility for foreign communications (N. M. Japikse, Het Archief van de Familie Fagel [The Hague: Minsterie van Onderwijs, Kunsten en Weteschappen, 1964] item 596).
DALRYMPLE, John (1673-1747), 2nd Earl of Stair, general and diplomat, aide-de-camp to Marlborough. Succeeded his father as earl in 1707. Succeeded Prior as Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris in 1715. In this capacity he brought the order for Prior to surrender his correspondence for examination by the new Whig government (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7053?docPos=3>).
DARTMOUTH, Earl of. See: Legge, William.
D’AVENANT, Charles (1656-1714), political economist and Tory writer (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7195>). See also Lit. Works 936.
DAWSON, Joshua, clerk in the office of the Secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland at the time Prior was serving as the Secretary in absentia. Identified by his uncle and co-worker, Arthur Podmore, as Joshua (not Joseph as Prior assumed from his signature "Jos."). See 1697.0601.Tb. Later himself Secretary to the Lords Justices (Walter Graham, ed., The Letters of Joseph Addison [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1941] 125n2).
DENNIS, John (1658-1734), poet, playwright, and critic (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7503?docPos=1>). See also Lit. Works 853, 896.
DESMARETZ, Nicolas (1648-1721), French minister, director of finances 1703-15 (Saint-Simon 7: 739).
DEVONSHIRE, Duke of. See: Cavendish, William, 1st Duke, or Cavendish, William, 2nd Duke.
DORSET, Duchess of. See: Sackville, Elizabeth.
DORSET, Duke of. See: Sackville, Lionel Cranfield.
DORSET, Earl of. See: Sackville, Charles, or Sackville, Lionel Cranfield.
DOVER, The British Officers at, probably including John Ball and Abraham Stock but otherwise not identified.
DUBREUIL, Jean Tronchin (1641-1721), who signed his name “T. Dubreuil,” is described by Prior as “our honest French Gazettier” (1695.0720.Fa). His name comes up now and then in letters to and from Prior between 1695 and 1697; he was a kind of informer and author of the “Lardon” (1696.0710.Ta). He was probably the Tronchin du Breuil identified by Joseph Almagor as the founder of the version of Gazette d’Amsterdam that appeared in 1691 (Pierre Des Maizeaux (1673-1745), Journalist and English Correspondent... [Amsterdam & Maarssen: APA-Holland UP, 1989] 256).
DUNKIRK, The British Commissioners at. See: Abercrombie, Sir James; Armstrong, John; Clayton, Jasper.
DURSLEY, Viscount. See: Berkeley, Charles.
EAST GRINSTEAD, The Burgesses of, the governing body of the borough Prior represented in Parliament.
EDMUNDSON, William (1673?-1736), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1698-1736 (Alumni Cantab.).
EGAR, David, clerk in the office of the Secretaries of State from as early as 1693 to 1711. During the period of his correspondence with Prior, he was serving Shrewsbury, then Secretary for the Southern Department (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
ELLIS, John (1642x6-1738), Under Secretary of State 1695-1705 under various Secretaries (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8702/8702?back=,8702,8701>, Officials of the Secretaries of State).
EMERSON, William (b. 1688), admitted to St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 1683, as was Prior (Alumni Cantab.). See also Lit. Works 1056.
ERSKINE, Thomas (1706-1766), Lord Erskine, son of the 22nd [or 6th] Earl of Mar who was attainted in 1716 because of his defection to the Old Pretender, James Stuart, son of James II (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8868?docPos=5>, entry of his father, John; GEC ). See also Lit. Works 982.
EVELYN, Sir John (1682-1763), grandson and heir of the diarist John Evelyn; created Baronet 1713; Member of Parliament 1708-10; with Sir Thomas Frankland, one of the Postmasters General for the years 1708-15; later (1721-63) a Commissioner of Customs (Burke’s Landed Gentry, 18th ed. [London: Burke’s Peerage Limited, 1965] 1: 244; Howard Robinson, Britain’s Post Office: A History of Development from the Beginnings to the Present Day [London: Oxford UP, 1953] 280). See also: Postmasters General.
EXETER, Earl of. See: Cecil, John.
FANE, Vere (1678-99), 5th [or 11th] Earl of Westmorland, succeeded to the title in 1693. Commissioned in the First Troop of Life Guards as guidon and eldest cornet in May 1697. In 1698 was part of the entourage that accompanied the new English embassy to France (GEC). Prior was secretary to the embassy.
FIELDING, William, is identified in the index to Longleat, Prior 13 as a Member of Parliament. In Prior’s letter to him, which indicates a warm friendship (it is signed “Adio Charo”), Prior is sending him a draft of an address that he apparently composed for Fielding to deliver to Queen Anne on behalf of Fielding’s borough.
FINCH, Daniel (1647-1730), 2nd Earl of Nottingham, succeeded to the earldom in 1682. Tory statesman and political advocate for the Church of England. Secretary of State with responsibility for the war department 1688-93. Secretary of State 1702-04, at which time he fell out with Queen Anne and distanced himself from the Tories. Joined the Whig government under George I (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9427>, Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 931, 971.
FITZHARDINGE, Viscount. See: Berkeley, John.
FOLEY, John. The Foleys were kinsmen of the Harleys through the marriages of Robert Harley and his brother Edward to the Foley sisters Elizabeth and Sarah. The Foleys were prominent in Parliament and (usually) political allies of the Harleys (Henry Horwitz, Parliament, Policy and Politics in the Reign of William III [Manchester: Manchester UP, 1977] passim). From 1717 on, there are frequent references in Prior’s letters to “the Major”; and in his letter to Lord Oxford of 21 Nov./[2 Dec.] 1719 (1719.1202.Fa), he identifies the Major as one of the Foleys. The Major was probably the John Foley who in December 1706 wrote to Robert Harley from Lisbon and commented that “our poor regiment continues still unfortunate” (HMC Portland 4: 373) and the John Foley who was a captain in the First Troop of Life Guards until 1715 (English Army Lists and Commission Registers, 1661-1714, ed. Charles Dalton [London: Francis Edwards Ltd., 1960] 6: 21 and 21n14).
FRANKLAND, Sir Thomas (d. 1726), succeeded as 2nd Baronet 1697. Member of Parliament 1685-1711, Postmaster General 1690-1713 (Burke’s Peerage, [102nd ed., 1959]). See also Lit. Works 677, 1025. See also: Postmasters General.
GALWAY, Earl of. See: Massué, Henri de.
GAULTIER, François (d. 1720), French clergyman residing in London who became a negotiator for the French with the English in the discussions leading to the Treaty of Utrecht. One of those, including Prior, conducting secret negotiations in 1711 (Saint- Simon 7: 783; NBG, under Gauthier).
GEORGE I (1660-1727), King of Great Britain and Ireland, first Hanoverian monarch, reigned 1714-27 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10538?docPos=17>). See also Lit. Works.
George, Prince of Wales , (1683-1760), son of George I; later George II, reigning 1727- 60 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10539/10539?back=,10538>). See also Lit. Works.
GILDON, Charles (1665-1724), hack writer (NBG). See also Lit. Works 828.
GILLIGAN, Manuel Manasses, diplomat in Madrid representing the English, along with Lexington, in negotiations for the Treaty of Utrecht; described by John G. Sperling as “an English naturalized Dane and a long-time West Indian smuggler” (The South Sea Company, Kress Library of Business and Economics Pub. 17 [Boston: Baker Library, Harvard Grad. School of Bus. Adm., 1962] 13).
GLOVER, J, an informer described by Prior as an engineer who deserted from the English military and went into service for James II. His services as a spy for Prior/William III were given in hopes of a pardon from William III (1698.0724.Fa).
GODOLPHIN, Sidney (1645-1712), Lord Godolphin from 1684 when he was created Baron; Earl of Godolphin from his creation 26 Dec. 1706/6 Jan. 1707. Commissioner of Treasury or First Lord of the Treasury for most of the years from 1679-1701, Lord High Treasurer 1702-10 (Treasury Officials). Tory with Jacobite leanings, intimate of Marlborough (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10882?docPos=2>). See also Lit. Works.
GOOCH, Thomas (1675-1754), academic and clergyman. Among various positions he was Master of Caius College, Cambridge, 1716-54, and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge 1717-20. He first received a bishopric in 1737 and succeeded his brother as Baronet in 1751 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10941?docPos=1>, Alumni Cantab.).
GORDON, Bishop John (1644-1726), clergyman, elected Bishop of Galloway in 1688. Went with James II into exile in France. Converted to Catholicism and received a benifice from Pope Clement XI (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11065?docPos=7>).
GOURNAY, Marquis de. See: Amelot, Michel-Jean.
GOWER, Humphrey (1638-1711), clergyman, Master of Prior’s college, St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1679-1711, and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge 1680-81 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11175>). See also Lit. Works.
GRANVILLE (var. Grenville), Sir Bevil (1665-1706), military man, knighted by James II, later a supporter of William III; unpopular governor of Barbadoes from 1702 until recalled in 1706 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11300>).
GRANVILLE, Mary (Villiers), Lady Lansdowne (d. 1735), daughter of the 1st Earl of Jersey, widow of Thomas Thynne (d. 1710), wife of George Granville, Baron Lansdowne, whom she married in 1711 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11301>, entry for George; Lit. Works 190, 881-82 [where her first husband is mistakenly identified as Henry Thynne], 1039).
GRIMALDI, Antoine. See: Antoine Grimaldi.
GREY, Henry ( bap. 1671, d. 1740), Duke of Kent; 12th Earl of Kent, later created Marquess of Kent (1706) and then Duke of Kent (1710). Lord Chamberlain 1704-10, a Lord Justice Regent after death of Queen Anne, 1714. Served George I and II as well (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11538?docPos=7>).
HALIFAX, Lord or Earl of. See: Montagu, Charles.
HAMILTON, James (c. 1661-1734), 6th Earl of Abercorn, succeeded to earldom in 1701. Irish Privy Councillor 1701-1703 and 1714-1715 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12091?docPos=19>).
HANMER, Sir Thomas (1677-1746), succeeded his uncle as baronet in 1701. Member of Parliament from 1701 until retiring in 1727; Speaker of the House of Commons in 1714 at time of Queen Anne’s death. Tory who supported the Protestant succession (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12205?docPos=2>).
HARCOURT, Simon (1661?-1727), Lord Harcourt, Tory Member of Parliament, Attorney General, Lord Chancellor, Privy Councillor; became Baron Harcourt in 1711 and Viscount Harcourt in 1721. Aided in the defenses of Sacheverell, the Earl of Oxford, and Viscount Bolingbroke (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12244?docPos=2>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 404, 931.
HARCOURT the Younger, Simon (bap. 1684, d. 1720), son of Simon, Lord Harcourt; member of the Tory social-literary club the “Brothers” along with Prior and others. To Prior he gave a portrait of himself painted by Le Belle (ODNB, father's entry; Lit. Works 1074-75).
HARLEY, Edward (1689-1741), Lord Harley, son of Robert Harley. Patron of men of letters and bibliophile. One of Prior’s closest friends in the latter part of Prior’s life. It was at Harley’s home Wimpole that Prior died in 1721. Edward succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Oxford in 1724 (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12337?docPos=3>). See also Lit. Works.
HARLEY, Lady Henrietta (Cavendish-Holles) (1694-1755), wife of Edward (ODNB<http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/53530/53530?back=,12337>, GEC). See also Lit. Works.
HARLEY, Lady Margaret (1715-1785), daughter of Edward and Henrietta and the “noble, lovely, little Peggy” of Prior’s poem “A Letter....” Later the Duchess of Portland, wife of William Bentinck, the 2nd Duke (Lit. Works 527, 983). See also ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/40752>; GEC 10: 267na.
HARLEY, Robert (1661-1724), from 23 May/3 June 1711 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. His positions included Member of Parliament 1689-1711, Speaker of the House of Commons 1701-05, Privy Councillor, Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1710-11, and Lord High Treasurer 1711-14. Impeached by the Whigs in 1715 for his part in achieving the Tory-negotiated Treaty of Utrecht and imprisoned for two years (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12344?docPos=2>). Prior’s loyalty to Oxford in 1715 earned him the family’s lifelong regard. See also Lit. Works.
HARVEY, John. Unidentified. See 1695.0308.Ta and 1695.0308.Tb for additional information about the man being recommended to Prior by Harvey.
HEINSIUS, Anthony (1640-1720), Grand Pensionary of Holland 1688-1720 (Saint- Simon 7: 807; Ency. Brit. [11th ed., 1910-11] 21: 122; Stephen B. Baxter, William III and the Defense of European Liberty 1650-1702 [New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966] 258 and passim).
HENNING, C. F. Marion E. Grew identifies one “Hennin” as one of Portland’s secretaries (William Bentinck and William III [New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1924] 247), and Prior’s correspondent writes to him in such a capacity. The BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP> identifies the following items of interest:
- Henningh (-). Secretary to Lord Portland. Letters to, from C. Tromer 1689. Fr. and Dutch. Eg. 1707 passim [and]
- Henning (Caspar Frederick). Signet Warrant for appointment as Crown collector of South Sea Co. dividends 1718. Eg.Ch. 7626
- Henning (Kaspar Friedrich). Hesse-Cassel Envoy in London. Letter to Duke of Marlborough 1707. Add. 61247 f. 181.
Casper Frederick Henning is also indexed in the Calendar of Treasury Books as Paymaster for garden accounts under William III (vol. 19: 606) and as Keeper of the Privy Purse (vol. 32: 761).
HERBERT, Thomas (1656/7-1733), 8th Earl of Pembroke, succeeded his brother as earl in 1683. First Lord of the Admiralty (1690), Lord Privy Seal (1692), a Lord Justice Regent during reign of William III, Plenipotentiary for Treaty of Ryswick (1697). His extant correspondence with Prior ends in 1699, but he continued to hold offices in the reign of Anne (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13050?docPos=4>). See also Lit. Works 230, 897.
HILL, John (d. 1735), brother of Abigail Masham, one of Queen Anne’s favorites. In 1712 he commanded the British troops at Dunkirk that oversaw the town until the French, as part of the Treaty of Utrecht negotiations, complied with demands to destroy its port (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13280?docPos=6>; G. M. Trevelyan, England Under Queen Anne: The Peace and the Protestant Succession [1934. London: Fontana Library-Collins, 1965] 241-42).
HILL, Richard (1655/6-1727), diplomat. Preceded Prior at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he became a Fellow. Envoy Extraordinary to Flanders and deputy paymaster of the troops there 1696-99 and Envoy Extraordinary to Savoy-Sardinia (Turin) 1699 and 1703-06. An advocate on behalf of the Vaudois in his negotiations with the Duke of Savoy (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13289?docPos=2>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
HILTON, John (1667?-1700), attended Westminster School, was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1691-1700 (Alumni Cantab.). Prior notes his death in letter 1700.1015.Fa.
HOPKINS, Thomas, Under Secretary of State in three different administrations: Trenchard’s (1694-95), Vernon’s (1697-1702), and Sunderland’s (1706-10) (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
HOSTUN, Camille d’ (1652-1728), Comte de Tallard, later Duc d’Hostun (1712). In military and diplomatic services. French Ambassador Extraordinary to England 1697-1700 (Saint-Simon 7: 1043; Legg 336).
HOWARD, Frances (Spencer) (d. 1742), Viscountess Morpeth, wife of Henry Howard, styled Viscount Morpeth. Later (1738), she became the Countess of Carlisle when her husband succeeded to the earldom. She was the daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (GEC).
HUËT, Gédéon (1654-1728), Huguenot refugee in the Netherlands, clergyman (Joseph Almagor, Pierre Des Maizeaux (1673-1745), Journalist and English Correspondent... [Amsterdam & Maarssen: APA-Holland UP, 1989] 248).
HUSSEY, Maurice, described by the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP> as an intelligence agent . For more of his activities in this regard, see HMC Downshire, vol. 1, pts. 1 and 2.
IBERVILLE, Charles-François de la Bonde d’ (1653-1723), French envoy to England 1713-17 (Saint-Simon 7: 816).
INGRAM, Robert (1670?-1744), admitted to St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1686, and to Inner Temple 1692 (Alumni Cantab.).
IRELAND. See: Lords Justices of Ireland (1698, 1700).
JACOB, Giles (bap. 1686, d. 1744), compiled numerous law books and also Poetical Register, or Lives and Characters of the English Dramatic Poets (1719-20) in which he said he had been secretary to William Blathwayt. Pope attacked him in The Dunciad (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14565>). See also Lit. Works xl.
JENKIN, Robert (bap. 1656, d. 1727), clergyman, Master of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1711-27 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14725>, Alumni Cantab.). See also Lit. Works 1069.
JERSEY, Earl of. See: Villiers, Edward.
JERVAS (var. Jarvis, Jervais, Gervais), Charles (1675-1739), portrait painter and translator. Studied with Kneller. Traveled abroad 1698-1708. Appointed King's Painter in 1723. Translated Cervantes' Don Quixote (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14792>). See also Lit. Works 919.
JOHNSTONE, James (d. 1730), Lord Johnstone, later succeeded as 2nd Marquess of Annandale (1721) (GEC [where the name is spelled Johnston]; ODNB, under father’s, William’s, entry, <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14970?docPos=2>).
KANE [formerly O'Cahan], Richard (1662-1736), Irish, military man, ultimately achieving rank of brigadier general; governor of Minorca (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15182>).
KELLY, Denis. The Longleat manuscript volume entitled “Catalogue and Index of the Prior Papers” (1899) describes Kelly as a political agent. That description is borne out by his letter to Prior, in which he also admits to having been in the service of James II in Ireland and in France. By the time of his letter, he was an informant/messenger trying to solidfy his position as an agent for William III.
KENT, Duke of. See: Grey, Henry.
KEPPEL, Arnold Joost van (1669/70-1718), from 10/20 Feb. 1697 1st Earl of Albemarle, came to England from Holland with William III and was a key figure at the court of William and Mary and later William III alone. Highly regarded as military man (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15438>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 884.
KIELMANSEGGE, Sophia Charlotte (c. 1673-1725), Baroness von Kielmansegge, wife of Johann Adolph Kielmansegge, who died in 1717; mistress of George I before and after he became King. Created Countess of Darlington (for life) in 1722 (GEC).
KIRKTOUNE (var. Kirkton, Kirktown[e]), Robert (d. 1718), naval captain (A. C. S. Hall, ed., Guide to the Reports of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 1911-1957, Part II: Index of Persons [London: HMSO, 1966] 2: 958). Described by Prior as one of “the Captains directed to view the Maritime part of the Demolition of Dunkirk [...]” (1714.0918.Fb). The other captains were Acworth, Littleton, and Roffey.
KNIPE, Thomas (1638/9-1711), headmaster of Westminster School from 1695, succeeding Richard Busby; “second master” during Prior’s years as a student there (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15750>).
LANSDOWNE, Lady. See: Granville, Mary (Villiers).
LAWLOR (var. Lawler), Thomas, apparently a merchant seaman on a ship from Boston captured by the French. While held prisoner for ransom in Brest, he sought Prior’s aid. See also Nehemiah Millis, with whom he wrote one of his letters. The letters sent separately are in the same hand, and possibly the joint letter is as well.
LEEUWEN, J. VAN, one of Portland’s secretaries (Marion E. Grew, William Bentinck and William III [New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1924] 208, 246, 346, 358).
LEGGE, William (1672-1750), 1st Earl of Dartmouth, succeeded as Baron Dartmouth in 1691, was created Earl of Dartmouth in 1711. Prior’s term as a Commissioner of Trade and Plantations (1700-07) overlapped with that of Dartmouth (1702-10). Dartmouth was Secretary of State 1710-13 and after that Lord Privy Seal (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16359?docPos=2>, Officials of the Boards of Trade, Officials of the Secretaries of State).
LEWIS, Erasmus (1670-1754), Under Secretary of State in three administrations: Harley’s (1704-08), Dartmouth’s (1710-13), and Bromley’s (1713-14). Friend of key Tory politicians and writers of the day, including Prior whose 1718/[19] subscription edition of poems he helped organize (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16580>, Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 913.
LEXINGTON, Lady. See: Sutton, Margaret.
LEXINGTON, Lord. See: Sutton, Robert
LISTER, Martin (bap. 1639, d. 1712), naturalist and physician, member of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians. Was attached to Portland’s embassy to Paris in 1698 when Prior was Portland’s secretary. Served as one of Queen Anne’s physicians (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16763>).
LITTLETON, James (bap. 1668, d. 1723), naval man who rose to rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue. Member of Parliament 1713-15 and 1722-23 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16786>). Described by Prior as one of “the Captains directed to view the Maritime part of the Demolition of Dunkirk [...]” (1714.0918.Fb). The other captains were Acworth, Kirktoune, and Roffey.
LORDS JUSTICES OF IRELAND. In 1698, Marquess of Winchester, who became Duke of Bolton in 1699; Earl of Galway; and Edward, Viscount Villiers; in 1700, Bolton, Earl of Berkeley, and Galway (F. Maurice Powicke and E. B. Fryde, eds., Handbook of British Chronology, 2nd ed. [London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society, 1961] 161).
LORDS JUSTICES REGENT (1714) included Lord Harcourt, Shrewsbury, Buckingham, Dartmouth, Strafford, Thomas Parker (later 1st Earl of Macclesfield), and Thomas Tenison, the Archbishop of Canterbury (ODNB; G. M. Trevelyan, England Under Queen Anne: The Peace and the Protestant Succession [1934. London: Fontana Library-Collins, 1965] 329n, where there is a complete list of the twenty-four who served in this capacity at this time).
LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY (1695): E. Russell, Sir J. Lowther, H. Priestman, R. Austen, Sir R. Rich, Sir G. Rooke, Sir J. Houblon (Admiralty Officials 21).
LORDS OF THE TREASURY (as of Oct. 1714): Halifax, Sir. R. Onslow, Sir W. St. Quintin, E. Wortley Montagu, P. Methuen (Treasury Officials 19).
LOTTIN, J, unidentified. On the basis of his letter to Prior, we can speculate that he was a merchant or banker in Brussels who handled transactions for Prior.
MACKY, John (d. 1726), agent of the British government, in which capacity he served at different times as an inspector of coasts or director of packet boats for the purpose of gathering intelligence for the government. In 1711 he mistook Prior, traveling under an assumed name, for a spy and detained him. Author of several works, including Memoirs of the Secret Services of John Macky, published posthumously in 1733 (Journal to Stella 1: 349n12; ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17632>).
MANCHESTER, Earl of. See: Montagu, Charles.
MANLEY, Mary de la Rivière (c. 1670-1724), writer in several genres. Edited The Examiner (1711). The epilogue of her play Lucius was written by Prior (1717) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17939?docPos=1>, where her name is entered as Manley, Delarivier). See also Lit. Works 437, 944-45, 1031.
MARLBOROUGH, Duchess of. See: Churchill, Sarah.
MARLBOROUGH, Duke of. See: Churchill, John.
MARSDEN, Christopher (1663?-1701), clergyman, first attended U. of Oxford, then admitted to St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1683. Archdeacon of Man 1700-01 (Alumni Cantab.).
MASHAM, Samuel (1678/9-1758), Lord Masham, created Baron Masham in 1712. Member of the Tory Brothers Club. Husband of Abigail Hill Masham, confidante of Queen Anne (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18261/18263?docPos=1>, under Abigail’s entry; Journal to Stella 2: 505n43).
MASSUÉ DE RUVIGNY, Henri de (1648-1720), 1st Earl of Galway, French Protestant who served at court of Louis XIV as deputy general of the Huguenots. After revocation of Edict of Nantes in 1685, left France for England where he lived as a naturalized citizen and served with distinction in the British army, including in Ireland. Created Viscount Galway in 1692, Earl of Galway in 1697 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18309>). During his first tenure as one of the Lords Justices of Ireland (1697-1701) and as the correspondence makes clear, he tolerated then opposed Prior’s desire to fulfill his position as Secretary in absentia. See also Legg 140-46).
MASTER OF THE PACKET-BOAT, unidentified. On 11/21 Apr. 1698, P had written separate letters to "Abraham Stock at Dover" and "the Capt of the Pacquet now at Calais" (Longleat, Prior 11: 58, 59); but a memorandum in P's hand on p. 59 of the letterbook indicates that neither letter was sent. See 1698.0425.Fc, which was sent, and its note. For a discussion of the role of packet-boats, see Howard Robinson, Britain’s Post Office: A History of Development from the Beginnings to the Present Day (London: Oxford UP, 1953) ch. 7.
MAUGIER, John, a merchant of Jersey who was trying to recover his seized ship the Mary Jeanne (see Alge. RA, SG 5918/92-2: 244).
MAY, Henry, served as Prior’s “deputy” in the position of Secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland when Prior was employed elsewhere; sought and won the position in his own right (Eves 140-46).
MESNAGER, Nicolas (1658-1714), French diplomat. Secret negotiator (1711) in London in advance of formal negotiations for Treaty of Utrecht, ambassador extraordinary at Utrecht (1712). Born Baillif, styled Mesnager from 1713 (for his careful management of Louis XIV’s interests). Became Comte de Saint-Jean, also in 1713 (NBG). See also Saint-Simon 7: 895.
METHUEN, Paul (c. 1672-1757), diplomat, served in various countries as envoy, ambassador, and minister plenipotentiary. One of the Lords of the Treasury 1714-17. Secretary of State 1716-17. Knighted in 1725. (ODNB, Brit. Dipl. Reps., Treasury Officials).
MEYERCRON (var. Meyercrone, Meyercroon, Meyerncrone, Mayercron, Mayercroon, Meiercron), Christina de, identified in a 1695 letter to Sir William Trumbull by a Monsieur de Chenailles as the wife of the Danish ambassador to France (1685-1706), Henning Meyer de Meyercron (HMC Downshire 1: 553; see also Saint-Simon 7: 889).
MILLIS, Nehemiah, apparently a merchant seaman on a ship from Virginia captured by the French. While held prisoner for ransom in Brest, he sought Prior’s aid. See also Thomas Lawlor, with whom he wrote one of his letters. The letters sent separately are in the same hand and possibly the joint letter as well.
MONACO, Prince of. See: Antoine Grimaldi.
MONASTEROL, Comte de. See: Solaro, Ferdinand-Auguste.
MONTAGU, Charles (1661-1715), from 1700 Lord Halifax; from 19/30 Oct. 1714 1st Earl of Halifax; Whig minister. Friend of Prior’s from as early as their days at Westminster School together. Co-authored The Hind and the Panther Transvers’d with Prior (1687) (Lit. Works, esp. 35, 831). Distanced himself from Prior following a Parliamentary vote Prior was thought to have cast against Halifax and other Whigs (1701). Elevated to peerage in 1700, to earldom in 1714. Had notable career in the Treasury, including positions as First Lord (1697-99, 1714-15) and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1694-99) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19004?docPos=1>, Treasury Officials).
MONTAGU, Charles (c. 1662-1722), 4th Earl of Manchester, diplomat, succeeded to earldom in 1683. Ambassador Extraordinary to France (1699-1701), replacing Jersey for whom Prior had served as Secretary of Embassy. His correspondence with Prior was during the years of this ambassadorship. Later he was created Duke of Manchester (1719) (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19005?docPos=2>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works, esp. 910, 1063.
MONTAGU, Elizabeth (Wilmot) (1674-1757), Countess of Sandwich, wife of the 3rd Earl of Sandwich (GEC). See also Lit. Works 1028-29.
MONTAGU, Sir James (1666-1723), brother of Charles, Earl of Halifax; lawyer and judge; knighted in 1705; as Attorney General, prosecuted Sacheverell. Lifelong friend of Prior’s (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19022?docPos=2>; Lit. Works, esp. 741, 1050-51).
MONTAGU, Ralph (bap. 1638, d. 1709), 1st Duke of Montagu, diplomat. Created Earl of Montagu in 1689, Duke in 1705. Notable for involvement in political intrigue and legal disputes (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19030>, GEC).
MONTFAUCON, Bernard de (1655-1741), French Benedictine priest and paleographer (Saint-Simon 6: 1581).
MORDAUNT, Charles (1658?-1735), 3rd Earl of Peterborough, admiral, general, diplomat. Succeeded his father as Viscount Mordaunt 1675; created Earl of Monmouth 1689; succeeded his uncle as Earl of Peterborough 1697. Early supporter and confidant of William III when William was still Prince of Orange, later in and out of favor with the King. Had a controversial military career in Queen Anne’s reign; the return of a Whig government upon her death effectively ended his public career. A close friend of Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19162>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 784, 1069-71.
MORLEY, John (1656-1732), of Halstead, famous land agent; friend of Prior’s from 1717; the John of Prior’s “Down-Hall,” the poem named after the country estate he helped Prior acquire (Lit. Works 550, 995; ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19288?docPos=1>).
MORPETH, Viscountess. See: Howard, Frances.
NASSAU-ODYCK, William Adrian van (1632-1705), a cousin of William III’s and his representative in Zealand as First Nobleman (Pieter Geyl, The Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century, Part 2 [London: Benn; New York: Barnes, 1964] 148 and index).
NEEDHAM, Peter (bap. 1682, d. 1731), clergyman and Greek and Latin scholar, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge (1698-1716) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19848>).
NELSON, Robert (1656-1715), religious writer, member of the Royal Society, active in the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. A nonjuror with Jacobite sympathies. In 1682, married Lady Theophila Lucy, sister of Charles Berkeley, then Viscount Dursley, for whom Prior was later secretary when Dursley was Envoy Extraordinary to the United Provinces (1689-94) (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19883>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works 1057.
NEUFVILLE, François de (1644-1730), Duc de Villeroy, also Maréchal de Villeroy, French Minister of State in 1714 (Saint-Simon 7: 1083). See also Lit. Works 871, 894.
NEWCOME, John (1684?-1765), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1707-28, Master 1735-65 (Alumni Cantab.).
NOAILLES, Adrien-Maurice (1678-1766), Duc de Noailles, French military man and minister, friend of Prior’s (Saint-Simon 7: 928). See also Lit. Works 458, 956.
NOAILLES, Françoise-Charlotte-Amable (D’Aubigné) (1684-1739), Duchesse de Noailles, wife of Adrien-Maurice and niece of Madame de Maintenon (Saint-Simon 7: 929). See also Lit. Works 956.
NOTTINGHAM, Earl of. See: Finch, Daniel.
NOURSE, Peter (1663?-1723?), Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge (1686-1703), chaplain to three monarchs (Alumni Cantab.).
NUTLEY, Richard, Justice of the Queen’s Bench, Ireland (Swift 1: 381n7).
ODYCK. See: Nassau-Odyck, William Adrian van.
ORMONDE, Duke of. See: Butler, James.
ORRERY, Earl of. See: Boyle, Charles.
OXFORD, Earl of. See: Harley, Robert.
PACK, Richardson (1682-1728), soldier, writer. One of the poems wrongly attributed to Prior may have been written by Pack (Lit. Works 804). According to the ODNB, "He exchanged poems with Matthew Prior, and asked Prior to sit for his picture for him [...]" (J. M. Blatchly, "Pack, Richardson (1682–1728)," ODNB [Oxford: Oxford UP, Sept. 2004; online edn, Jan. 2008 <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21069>, accessed 8 Feb. 2008]).
PAGET, Henry (c.1663-1743), son of William, 7th Baron Paget of Beaudesert. Member of Parliament for Staffordshire seven times between 1695 and 1712. Held various positions in Queen Anne’s reign. Created Baron Burton 1712, succeeded as 8th Baron Paget 1713, created Earl of Uxbridge 1714 (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21110?docPos=2>).
PAGET, William (1637-1713), Lord Paget of Beaudesert, diplomat. Succeeded as 7th Baron Paget 1678. Envoy Extraordinary to Germany (Vienna) 1689-92, Ambassador to Turkey 1692-1702 (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21124>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
PARNHAM, Caleb (1694?-1764), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1717-39 (Alumni Cantab.).
PAULET (var. Powlett), Charles (c. 1661-1722), Marquess of Winchester; from Feb./Mar. 1699 2nd Duke of Bolton. Member of Parliament from 1681-98. A Lord Justice of Ireland 1697-1700. Held various other positions in the reigns of William and Mary, Anne, and George I, including Lord Justice Regent after Anne’s death (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21614?docPos=2>).
PECK, Francis (1692-1743), antiquarian and clergyman (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21738>). See also Lit. Works 852.
PECQUET, Antoine (d. 1726), French, secretary to the Marquis de Torcy (Saint-Simon 5: 44 and 7: 950).
PELETIER DE SOUZY, Michel le (1640-1725), French minister, Director General of Fortifications 1691-1715 (Saint-Simon 7: 951).
PEMBROKE, Earl of. See: Herbert, Thomas.
PERKINS, William (b. 1676?), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1699-1716 (Alumni Cantab.).
PESTERS, [?Ernst], who wrote from The Hague and addressed Prior as “mon Ami,” is probably the Pesters identified in the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP>:
- Pesters (E-). Dutch Resident in Brussels. Correspondence with C. Whitworth 1719. Fr. Add. 37371 ff. 164, 180
- Pesters (E-). Dutch Resident in Brussels. Letter to - 1718. Dutch. Copy. Add. 37367 f. 285
- Pesters (E-). Dutch Resident in Brussels. Letter to - Slingerland 1719. Fr. Copy. Add. 37372 f. 77
- Pesters (Ernest). Power of attorney 1723. Add. 15945 f. 26
- Pesters (Ernst). Pensionary of Maastricht. Letter to Count Ouwerkerk 1704. Fr. Add. 61179 f. 118
- Pesters (Ernst). Pensionary of Maastricht. Letters to Duke of Marlborough 1704-1711. Fr. Partly signed. Add. 61172 ff. 68-172b.
PETERBOROUGH, Earl of. See: Mordaunt, Charles.
PETIT, Mr., secretary to Sir Paul Rycaut at Hamburg.
PHÉLYPEAUX, Louis II (1643-1727), Comte de Pontchartrain, French minister, Chancellor of France 1699-1714 (Saint-Simon 7: 965).
PHILIPS, William (d. 1734), Irish dramatist (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22133?docPos=2>). With his letter to Prior, he submitted a play for Prior’s consideration.
PHILOMUSUS. Pseudonym of an anonymous correspondent.
PIGAULT, William, apparently the French Commissary at Calais identified by the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP>:
- Pigault (William). French Commissary at Calais. Letter to - Mandel(?) 1717. Fr. Extract. Add. 61572 f. 138
- Pigault (William). French Commissary at Calais. Letter to J. Burchett 1707. Copy. Add. 61581 f. 178
- Pigault (William). French Commissary at Calais. Letters to Commissioners for Sick and Wounded 1708-1709. Copies. Add. 61592 ff. 72, 121-124b, 133-136b, Add. 61593 f. 137
- Pigault (William). at Calais. Letter to J. Vernon 1699. Add. 40773 f. 165.
THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES AT UTRECHT. See: Robinson, Bishop John, and Wentworth, Thomas, Earl of Strafford.
PODMORE, Arthur, clerk, along with his nephew Joshua Dawson, in the office of the Secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland at the time Prior was serving as the Secretary in absentia. Later Under Secretary for Irish Affairs (Walter Graham, ed., The Letters of Joseph Addison [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1941] 125n2).
POLESWORTH, Sir Humphrey. Fictitious name. See 1712.0524.Fa and note.
PONTCHARTRAIN, Comte de. See: Phélypeaux, Louis II.
POPE, Alexander (1688-1744), poet. See the Twickenham edition of the poems (11 v., 1961-69, gen. ed. John Butt), The Correspondence (5 v., 1956, ed. George Sherburn), The Prose Works (Vol. 1, 1936, ed. Norman Ault; Vol. 2, 1986, ed. Rosemary Cowler). Prior and Pope were acquainted in the latter years of Prior’s life. For their literary relationship, see the general index to Lit. Works for the references to Pope in Prior’s poems and in Wright and Spears’ commentary.
PORTLAND, Earl of. See: Bentinck, William, 1st Earl of Portland, or Bentinck, William Henry, 2nd Earl of Portland.
PORTLOCK, Benjamin, attended Westminster School and was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1687 (Alumni Cantab.); identified in the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP> as secretary to the Duke of Ormonde .
PORTMAN, Henry Seymour (c. 1637, d. 1728), son of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet Seymour; brother of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet; and cousin of Sir William Portman (d. 1690), from whom he inherited. Thereafter he adopted the Portman name. Member of Parliament (The House of Commons 1690-1715, ed. E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, and D. W. Hayton [Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002] 5: 443-44).
POSTMASTERS GENERAL. See Cotton, Sir Robert; Evelyn, Sir John; and Frankland, Sir Thomas.
POTTER, William, identified in the BL online Manuscripts’ Catalogue, Index Entries, as secretary for the Hudson’s Bay Company (Add. 61620 ff. 61-67b) <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/INDX0010.ASP>, in which capacity he wrote to Prior.
POULETT (var. Paulet, Powlett), John (c. 1668-1743), 1st Earl Poulett, succeeded as Baron Poulett 1680, created Earl Poulett 1706. First Lord of the Treasury 1710-11. Friend and supporter of the Earl of Oxford (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22634?docPos=4>, Treasury Officials).
POWYS, Ambrose, son of Sir Thomas Powys who died in 1719. Prior composed the epitaph for Sir Thomas’s monument (ODNB [Sir Thomas's entry] <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22679?docPos=1>; Lit. Works 528, 984).
POWYS, Richard, Treasury official in various capacities 1687-1724, including Chief Clerk from 1695 on (Treasury Officials).
PRINGLE, Robert (d. 1736), a son of Sir Robert Pringle, 1st Baronet of Stichell; Under Secretary of State 1709-10, 1714-17, later Secretary at War (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22806?docPos=1>, Officials of the Secretaries of State, Burke’s Peerage [102nd ed., 1959]).
PRIOR, Arthur, the uncle with whom Prior went to live upon the death of his father, possibly in 1675 (Lit. Works 820).
PRIOR the Elder, Katharine, Prior’s aunt, wife of Arthur (Lit. Works 820).
PRIOR the Younger, Katharine, Prior’s cousin, daughter of Katharine and Arthur. Her first husband was George Villiers, cousin of the Earl of Jersey (Lit. Works 820, 861, 873, 892).
RAMSEY, Mr. Unidentified. Writes from Paris to deny being guilty of any questionable (?treasonable) behavior at James II’s court at St. Germain in the affair of one Sir Andrew Ramsey. See 1698.0726.Ta for a reference to an Alexander Ramsay’s suspicious activities.
REGENTS. See: Lords Justices Regent (1714).
RIGAUD, Hyacinthe (1659-1743), French painter (Saint-Simon 7: 983) for whom Prior sat in 1699. The original of that painting is in the collection of the Duke of Portland. A contemporary copy is in the Osborn Collection at Yale University, a reproduction of which is included on this website with the permission of the Beinecke Library.
ROBETHON, John (var. Jean de) (d. 1722), born in France, became a naturalized citizen of Great Britain. Held various positions as a secretary: to William III, the 1st Earl of Portland, the Duke of Zell (Celle), and George I when Elector of Hanover and later when King. Gathered intelligence for Marlborough. Also a linguist who translated Pope into French (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23821>). See also Lit. Works 878.
ROBINSON, Bishop John (1650-1723), clergyman and diplomat. Had a notable diplomatic career in Sweden. Made Bishop of Bristol in 1710, Lord Privy Seal in 1711; served as Plenipotentiary for the Treaty of Utrecht 1711-13; became Bishop of London in 1714 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23849?docPos=7>). See also: Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht.
ROFFEY, Kerrill (var. Roffe, Kennel) (d. 1716), naval captain (A. C. S. Hall, ed., Guide to the Reports of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 1911-1957, Part II: Index of Persons [London: HMSO, 1966] 3: 1434). Described by Prior as one of “the Captains directed to view the Maritime part of the Demolition of Dunkirk [...]” (1714.0918.Fb). The other captains were Acworth, Kirktoune, and Littleton.
ROSEINGRAVE, Daniel (d. 1712), a resident of Antigua who sojourned in England to give testimony in the matter of the 1710 rebellion in Antigua (Calendar of Treasury Books, vol. 26, pt. 2: 332, 529). Not to be confused with the musician cited by the ODNB whom Prior recommends to Richard Nutley in 1713.0816.Fb.
ROWE, Elizabeth Singer. See: Elizabeth Singer.
RYCAUT, Sir Paul (1629-1700), linguist, writer, diplomat. His last post was in Hamburg as Resident to the Hanse Towns (1689-1700). His correspondence with Prior dates from that period (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24392>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
SACKVILLE, Charles (1643-1706), 6th Earl of Dorset, poet and Prior’s first patron. Succeeded to the earldom of Dorset in 1677, having been created Earl of Middlesex in 1675. He held various positions, including that of Lord Chamberlain 1689-97 (GEC; ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24442?docPos=1>). See also Brice Harris’s Charles Sackville, Sixth Earl of Dorset, Patron and Poet of the Restoration, vol. 26 in the Illinois Studies in Language and Literature (Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1940) and Lit. Works.
SACKVILLE, Lionel Cranfield (1688-1765), Lord Buckhurst; from 1706, 7th Earl of Dorset; from 17/28 June 1720, 1st Duke of Dorset. Son of Prior’s first patron. In honor of the deceased 6th Earl, Prior dedicated his 1718/[19] Poems on Several Occasions to the 7th Earl (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24446>, and Lit. Works).
SAINT-ÉVREMOND, Charles de Marguetel de Saint-Denis de (bap. 1614, d. 1703), French soldier, man of letters. After 1661, he lived in exile, mainly in England, as a consequence of an attack on French policy that he had written at the time of the peace of the Pyrenees (1659). He is buried in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey (Saint-Simon 7: 1003, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24482>).
SAINT-JEAN, Comte de. See: Mesnager, Nicolas.
ST. JOHN, HENRY (1678-1751), from 7/18 July 1712, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke. Tory statesman, Member of Parliament, Secretary of State 1710-14. Ally, then rival, of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford. Put out of office by new Whig government of George I. Fled to France and the Jacobites in 1715 in fear of impeachment; attainted 18/29 Aug. 1715; pardoned in 1723 but never again allowed to take his seat in the House of Lords (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24496>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 402, 929, 1024, 1025. He and Prior conducted a lively correspondence, both public and personal.
ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE. See: Senior Fellows of St. John’s College.
SANDERSON, Robert (1663?-1741), archivist; at St. John’s College, Cambridge, with Prior (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24628?docPos=2>). See also Alumni Cantab.
SANDWICH, Countess of. See: Montagu, Elizabeth (Wilmot).
SENIOR FELLOWS OF ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE: those members of the college who, with the Master, made up the principal governing body of St. John’s. Prior wrote to them a few days before becoming a Keyton Fellow. Later, in 1707, he too became a Senior Fellow (Lit. Works 1048). Those admitted as Senior Fellows in the half century before Prior was made a Keyton Fellow are listed in History of the College of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge by Thomas Baker, ed. John E. B. Mayor (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1869) 1: 327-28.
SEYMOUR, Charles (1662-1748), 6th Duke of Somerset, succeeded to dukedom in 1678 upon the murder of his brother, the 5th Duke, who in 1675 had succeeded a cousin to the title. Chancellor of U. of Cambridge 1689-1748 (Alumni Cantab.). Most enjoyed royal favor in the reign of Queen Anne (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25158>). See also Lit. Works 877, 897.
SEYMOUR, Henry. See: Portman, Henry Seymour.
SEYMOUR, John (d. 1709), royal governor of Maryland 1703-09 (Henry F. Powell, comp., Tercentenary History of Maryland, vol. 4 [Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1925] 881).
SHAW, Grace, wife of William Shaw.
SHAW, William, connected with U. of Cambridge; whether he is one of the William Shaws listed in Alumni Cantab. is uncertain.
SHEFFIELD, John (1647-1721), 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, succeeded as Earl of Mulgrave 1658, created Duke of Buckingham and Normanby 1703. Military man, statesman, and writer, friend and patron of literary figures. Held high positions in reign of James II and supported him at the time of the revolution. Usually upheld Tory positions in reign of William and Mary/William III. Found increased favor under Queen Anne (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25297?docPos=2>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 931-32, 967-68, 986, 993.
SHELTON, Richard, lifelong friend of Prior’s and frequent companion from 1717 until Prior’s death (Lit. Works, esp. 960-61). Perhaps the Richard Shelton admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1682 and to the Inner Temple in 1692 (Alumni Cantab.).
SHERARD, William (1659-1728), botanist, Fellow of the Royal Society. Traveled a great deal in Europe and Asia Minor. The Harleys’ librarian, Humfrey Wanley, sought his advice about acquisitions in his field (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25355>; C. E. Wright and Ruth C. Wright, eds., The Diary of Humfrey Wanley 1715-1726 [London: The Bibliographical Society, 1966] 2: 460).
SHREWSBURY, Duchess of. See: Talbot, Adelaide.
SHREWSBURY, Duke of. See: Talbot, Charles.
SINGER, Elizabeth (1674-1737), poet. Married Thomas Rowe 1710 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/24198>). For Prior’s personal and literary relationship with her, see Lit. Works 888 and H. B. Wright, “Matthew Prior and Elizabeth Singer,” Philological Quarterly 24 (1945): 71-82.
SMITH, Mr. Unidentified. See the annotation for letter 1713.0122.Ta.
SMOULT, Thomas (1633-1707), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge (Alumni Cantab.).
SMYTHE, William (d. 1720), appointed Receiver and Paymaster of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners in 1689, a position he held until 1718 when he relinquished it in favor of his grandson and principal heir, James Moore Smythe. He married a daughter of the 1st Earl of Berkeley; and he acted as Prior’s agent in England while Prior was at The Hague serving as secretary to Viscount Dursley, Smythe’s brother-in-law and later 2nd Earl of Berkeley (Calendar of Treasury Books, vol. 9, pt. 1: 17; mentioned in the ODNB under articles for Arthur Moore, Smythe’s son-in-law, and James Moore Smythe).
SOLARO, Ferdinand-Auguste (d. 1718), Comte de Monasterol, a Piedmontese who was the Elector of Bavaria’s envoy in Paris (Saint-Simon 7: 901). See also Legg 327 (App. C), quoting Prior’s Journal entry about discussions with Monasterol during negotiations for the Treaty of Utrecht (Longleat, Prior 21: 79v-80).
SOMERSET, Duke of. See: Seymour, Charles.
SOMERSET, Henry (1684-1714), 2nd Duke of Beaufort, succeeded his grandfather as Duke in 1700. Tory, founding member of the Brothers Club (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26010?docPos=6>).
SOUTHWELL, Edward (1671-1730), son and heir of Sir Robert (d. 1702), whom he succeeded as Secretary of State for Ireland (1702); able administrator; Member of Parliament (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26060>).
SPENCER, Charles (1675-1722), 3rd Earl of Sunderland, succeeded to title in 1702. Whig statesman, son-in-law of Marlborough, Secretary of State 1706 and again in 1717, Lord Privy Seal 1715, First Lord of the Treasury 1718-21. Held major responsibility for creation of the South Sea Company (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26117?docPos=2>).
SPENCER, Robert (1641-1702), 2nd Earl of Sunderland, succeeded as Earl 1643, entered political life 1670; Secretary of State 1679-81, 1683-88; Lord Chamberlain and one of the Lords Justices 1697. His reputation for political hypocrisy and scheming was satirized after his death in the poem “Faction Displayed,” wrongly attributed to Prior (Lit. Works 797, 853; ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26135?docPos=2>; Officials of the Secretaries of State).
SPRAT, Bishop Thomas (bap. 1635, d. 1713), Dean of Westminster 1683, Bishop of Rochester 1684, Fellow of the Royal Society 1663, author of History of the Royal Society of London, 1667 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26173>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 819.
STAIR, Earl of. See: Dalyrmple, John.
STANHOPE, Alexander (1638-1707), youngest son of Philip, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, and father of James, 1st Earl Stanhope. Envoy Extraordinary to Spain 1689-99, Envoy Extraordinary to United Provinces 1700-06 (mentioned in ODNB and GEC under articles for James, 1st Earl Stanhope; Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
STANHOPE, Hugh, is described by Basil Williams, biographer of James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, as a “relative” of James and author of Memoir of Stanhope, a life of James (Stanhope: A Study in Eighteenth-Century War and Diplomacy [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1932] 442n). Despite the fact that James had been on the Parliamentary Secret Committee that put Prior under a kind of house arrest for his part in negotiating the Treaty of Utrecht, Hugh’s letter to Prior takes Prior to task for his manner of refusing to subscribe to the Memoir.
STANHOPE, James (1673-1721), son of Alexander. During the time of his correspondence with Prior, Secretary of State 1714-15 and First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1717-18). Later created Viscount Stanhope of Mahon (1717) and Earl Stanhope (1718) (GEC, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26248>, Officials of the Secretaries of State, Treasury Officials).
STANHOPE, Philip (1673-1726), 3rd Earl of Chesterfield (GEC). For his relationship with Prior, see Lit. Works 943, 986, 990.
STANLEY, Sir John (d. 1744), Baronet; a Commissioner of Customs 1708-44, including the years of Prior’s tenure on that board. In 1713, secretary to the Duke of Shrewsbury (Swift 1: 387 and 387n3).
STANYAN, Abraham (c. 1669-1732), diplomat. Succeeded Prior as Secretary of Embassy, Paris, 1699-1700. His correspondence with Prior dates from this period. Held numerous other diplomatic and other assignments as well (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26291>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works 1064.
THE STATES GENERAL OF THE UNITED PROVINCES, the national assembly of the United Provinces (now the Netherlands), led by Heinsius 1688-1720.
STEPNEY, Frances, one of George Stepney’s two sisters.
STEPNEY, George (1663-1707), diplomat, minor poet. Attended Westminster School, where he met Prior. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Member of the Kit-Kat Club. Commissioner of Trade and Plantations 1697-1707. Held several diplomatic positions abroad, including Envoy Extraordinary 1701-05 and Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the German Emperor (Vienna) 1705-06 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26404>, Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also Lit. Works, esp. 868-69, 885.
STOCK, Abraham, probably one of the British Officers at Dover. Mentioned in the online description of BL ADD MS 33924 as writing to William Blathwayt “‘about the most convenient places on the Coast of Kent to hinder corresponding with France’; Dover, 18 Oct. 1692” <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/HITS0001.ASP?VPath=d!\dataload\msscat\html\27507.htm &Search=Add+33924&Highlight=F>. See: Dover, The British Officers at.
STORER, John, a financial agent specializing in foreign exchange. His first name is given in R. Powys’s account (Longleat, Prior 8: 138) of the deal arranged for in letter 1696.0413.Fb. See also 1695.0818.Ta and 1695.0902.Fa.
STRAFFORD, Earl of. See: Wentworth, Thomas.
STRATFORD, Francis, schoolfellow of Jonathan Swift, Hamburg merchant, a director of the South Sea Company. He lived abroad after suffering financial reverses and wrote to Prior from Paris in need of funds. He made an unproved claim on Prior’s estate for a debt which is perhaps alluded to in his letter to Prior. See Swift 3: 86n4 and 5: 223; H. B. Wright, “Matthew Prior: A Supplement to His Biography,” diss., Northwestern U, 1936, 48; and John Carswell, The South Sea Bubble (Phoenix Mill: Alan Sutton, 1993) 253-54. Mentioned in ODNB article on Swift.
SUNDERLAND, 2nd Earl of. See: Spencer, Robert.
SUNDERLAND, 3rd Earl of. See: Spencer, Charles.
SUTTON, Margaret (d. 1703), Lady Lexington, wife of Robert, daughter of Sir Giles Hungerford, Coulston, Wiltshire (mentioned in ODNB in Robert's entry, GEC). See also Lit. Works 868-70.
SUTTON, Robert (1661-1723), Lord Lexington, soldier and diplomat, succeeded as 2nd Baron Lexington 1668. Privy Councillor 1692. His diplomatic posts included Envoy Extraordinary to German Emperor (Vienna) 1694-97 and Ambassador Extraordinary to Spain and Plenipotentiary 1712-13. Commissioner of Trade and Plantations 1699-1702 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26805?docPos=3>, GEC). See also Lit. Works 868-70.
SWIFT, Jonathan (1667-1745), writer and Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin. Member of the Brothers Club 1711, Tory pamphleteer (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26833>). Close friend of Prior’s. For his correspondence see David Woolley's edition (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1999-2007) in four volumes, as well as Harold Williams’ edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963-65) in five volumes. There are numerous editions of Gulliver’s Travels and his other works. See also Lit. Works.
SWINFORD (var. Schweinfurt), John, a clerk in the office of the Secretaries of State 1695 (until July), chief clerk May 1699-June 1700, Nov. 1700-Dec. 1701, May 1702-Dec. 1706. During the time of his extant letter to Prior, he was serving the Earl of Jersey, whom he had previously served when Jersey was Envoy to the United Provinces (1695-97) (Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 880.
TALBOT, Adelaide (d. 1726), Duchess of Shrewsbury, wife of Charles, daughter of the Marchese Paleotti of Bologna and christened Adelhida (Saint-Simon 7: 1032; ODNB under Charles’s entry). See also Lit. Works 404, 930-31.
TALBOT, Charles (1660-1718), Duke of Shrewsbury, succeeded as 12th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1668; created Duke in 1694, which title became extinct upon his death. Aided the revolution that forced James II from power; later accused of Jacobitism but contributed greatly to the successful accession of George I to the throne. Secretary of State 1689-90, 1694-98; Lord Chamberlain 1699-1700, 1710-15; Ambassador Extraordinary to France 1712-13; Lord Treasurer and one of the Lords Justices 1714 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26922?docPos=1>, GEC, Brit. Dipl. Reps.) See also Lit. Works, esp. 129, 402, 867, 929.
TALBOT, James (1665?-1708), clergyman; admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, 1683, Fellow 1689, Regius Professor of Hebrew 1699-1704 (Alumni Cantab.). See also Lit. Works 876.
TALLARD, Comte de. See: Hostun, Camille d’.
TASIEN D’ALLONNE, Abel. See: Allonne, Abel Tasien d’.
TAYLOUR (var. Taylor), John, Treasury official, including chief clerk 1695-1714 and junior secretary 1714-15 (Treasury Officials). John G. Sperling (The South Sea Company, Kress Library of Business and Economics Pub. 17 [Boston: Baker Library, Harvard Grad. School of Bus. Adm., 1962] 19) describes him as joint secretary with William Lowndes whom Treasury Officials describes as senior secretary.
TELLIER, Michel le (1643-1719), Jesuit priest and confessor to Louis XIV from 1709 (Saint-Simon 7: 1046). See also Legg 334.
THYNNE, Thomas (bap. 1640, d. 1714), 1st Viscount Weymouth, was created Viscount in 1682, in which year Longleat also passed into his hands. Served with Prior on the Board of Trade and Plantations; First Lord of the Board 1702-07 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27424?docPos=1>, Officials of the Boards of Trade). Prior visited Longleat in 1703 (Lit. Works 888).
TILSON, George (d. 1739), secretary to envoy to Prussia, Baron Raby, 1703-06 (Brit. Dipl. Reps.); Under Secretary of State 1708-38 and Collector of State Papers 1725-38 (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
TOLL, Ashburnham, from at least as early as 1702 one of the Commissioners for the Salt Duties (Calendar of Treasury Books, vol. 17, pt. 1: 238). He is also cited in 1701 as the recipient “by mesne assignments” of an annuity originally granted to Charles Cornwallis in 1697 (Calendar of Treasury Books 16: 375). In about 1630, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Ashburnham, married Sir Frederick Cornwallis, later Baron Cornwallis of Eye (GEC). This suggests a kinship between Ashburnham Toll and the Cornwallis family; but where the Toll family comes in, if there is a kinship, has not been discovered. Prior’s letter to Toll indicates a close friendship between the two men rather than a professional relationship.
TONSON, Jacob (1655/6-1736), Prior’s publisher and the principal publisher of his day (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27540?docPos=2>, Lit. Works).
TOOKER, James, possibly the James Tooker (b. 1668?) noted in Alumni Cantab. as having been admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1686 and before that to the Middle Temple in 1682. The Tooker Prior wrote to acted in some financial capacity for the widow of the Earl of Jersey.
TORCY, Marquis de. See: Colbert de Croissy, Jean-Baptiste.
TOWNSHEND, Charles (1674-1738), 2nd Viscount Townshend, Whig statesman, succeeded as Viscount in 1687. Plenipotentiary to France 1709, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to United Provinces 1709-11, Secretary of State 1714- 16 and 1721-30 (Brit. Dipl. Reps., Officials of the Secretaries of State, ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27617?docPos=1>). See also Lit. Works 159, 874.
TREASURY. See: Lords of the Treasury (as of Oct. 1714).
TRELAWNY, Bishop Sir Jonathan (1650-1721), succeeded as 3rd Baronet in 1681. Held several bishoprics, including Bristol, Exeter, and finally Winchester, to which he was appointed in 1706 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27689>, Burke’s Peerage, [102nd ed., 1959]). See also Lit. Works 452, 950.
TRENCHARD, Sir John (1649-95), Whig Member of Parliament, Chief Justice of Chester, Secretary of State 1693-95 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27705?docPos=1>, Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 159, 874-75.
TROMER, Christopher, Dutch secretary to the 1st Earl of Portland, stationed at The Hague (Marion E. Grew, William Bentinck and William III [New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1924] 142, 387, 392; Manuscript Description of Eg. 1707 from BL online catalogue <http://molcat.bl.uk/msscat/HITS0001.ASP?VPath=d!\dataload\msscat\html\17437.htm &Search=Eg+1707&Highlight=F>).
TRONCHIN. See: Dubreuil, Jean Tronchin.
TRUMBULL, Sir William (1639-1716), lawyer, staunch defender of Protestanism, Member of Parliament, diplomat, Commissioner of the Treasury 1694-95, Secretary of State 1695-97 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27776?docPos=2>, Treasury Officials, Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 869-70.
TUCKER, John, held various positions in office of the Secretaries of State, including Under Secretary 1694-95, 1695-97, 1700-01, 1702-06. Also Keeper of State Papers 1702-14 (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
TUDWAY, Thomas (c. 1650-1726), organist, composer, Doctor of Music. Under the patronage of Edward, Lord Harley, "[...] he compiled his comprehensive six-volume manuscript collection of English church music [...] for which he is best known" (Spink, Ian. “Tudway, Thomas [c.1650–1726].” ODNB. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. Online ed. Ed. Lawrence Goldman. Oct. 2007. 21 Feb. 2008 <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27798>). See also Alumni Cantab. and Lit. Works 105, 861.
TURNER, Bishop Francis (1637-1700), Master of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1670-79. Became Bishop of Ely in 1684; removed from that office in 1690 for refusing to take oath of allegiance to William and Mary. Deeply involved in the events surrounding the Glorious Revolution and Jacobite efforts that followed (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27849?_fromAuth=1>). See also Lit. Works, esp. 815.
UXBRIDGE, Earl of. See: Paget, Henry.
VALINCOUR (var. Valincourt), Jean-Baptiste-Henri du Trousset de (1653-1730), writer, member of and historian for l’Académie française (1699), Secretary General of the Navy (NBG). See also Saint-Simon 7: 1066.
VANDERBENT, Mr., a representative of George Stepney at The Hague, authorized to receive money from Prior on Stepney’s behalf.
VANE, Christopher (1653-1723), Lord Barnard, created Baron in 1698. Member of Parliament 1675-79, a Privy Councillor 1688-89 (GEC).
VERNON, James (bap. 1646, d. 1727), Whig Member of Parliament; Under Secretary of State 1689-90, 1693-97; Secretary of State 1697-1702 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28243>, Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also Lit. Works 869, 883-84.
VILLEROY, Duc de. See: Neufville, François de.
VILLIERS, Edward (1655?-1711), Viscount Villiers; from 13/23 Oct. 1697 1st Earl of Jersey. Elevated to the peerage in 1691. Among various positions, Ambassador Extraordinary to France 1698-99, Envoy Extraordinary to United Provinces (1695-97), Secretary of State 1699-1700 (Brit. Dipl. Reps., Officials of the Secretaries of State). See also ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28289?docPos=2>, Lit. Works, esp. 873, and GEC. His death is described by Prior in 1711.0908.Fa.
VILLIERS, William (1682?-1721), from 13/23 Oct. 1697 Viscount Villiers; from 26 Aug./6 Sept. 1711 2nd Earl of Jersey. Member of Parliament 1705-08, Jacobite (GEC; ODNB, father's, Edward's, entry). Prior’s correspondence with him occurred at the end of Villiers’ boyhood.
VOYSIN DE LA NOIRAYE (var. Voisin), Daniel-François (1654-1717), French minister who was Secretary for War 1709-14. He succeeded Pontchartrain as Chancellor in 1714 (NBG, Saint-Simon 7: 1087).
WALL, Mr., informer. A son of Richard Wall of Tipperary and a brother of Eleanor (d. 1732), wife of Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe (d. 1702); he is described in some detail in Prior’s letters to Shrewsbury of 18/28 June and 2/12 July 1695 (1695.0628.Fa, 1695.0712.Fa). He is to be distinguished from one Matthew Wall (HMC Buccleuch 2: 196-97).
WANLEY, Humfrey (1672-1726), antiquarian and librarian. From 1708, librarian to the 1st and 2nd Earls of Oxford. Assisted Prior with preparation of the 1718/[19] folio edition of his poems for the press (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28664>, Lit. Works 975). See also Wright, C. E., and Ruth C. Wright, eds. The Diary of Humfrey Wanley 1715-1726. 2 vols. London: The Bibliographical Society, 1966.
WARR (var. Warre), Richard, Under Secretary of State in various administrations from 1676-1713 (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
WENTWORTH, Thomas (1672-1739), Earl of Strafford, military man and diplomat. One of his diplomatic appointments was as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Provinces for negotiating the Treaty of Utrecht. It was believed that Queen Anne’s failure to give Prior the same status was due to Strafford’s refusal to serve with him, a man of “low birth.” Strafford was impeached for his part in the treaty and was excluded from the 1717 Act of Grace. He is identified as the 3rd Earl by the GEC, but the title was newly created for him in 1711 since he had not been in the direct line to inherit it from the 2nd Earl, who died in 1695 without an heir to the title (DNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29059?docPos=7>, GEC, Brit. Dipl. Reps.). See also: Plenipotentiaries at Utrecht.
WESTMORLAND, Earl of. See: Fane, Vere.
WEYMOUTH, Viscount. See: Thynne, Thomas.
WHITWORTH, Charles (bap. 1675, d. 1725), diplomat. At time of his correspondence with Prior, he had been appointed English plenipotentiary for negotiations between the German Emperor and France over matters unresolved by the Treaty of Utrecht. Later (1721), created Baron Whitworth of Galway (Brit. Dipl. Reps., DNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29336?docPos=1>).
WIGLEY, Henry (1662?-1701), clergyman, Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, 1687-98 (Alumni Cantab.).
WILLIAMSON, Sir Joseph (1633-1701), government administrator, Member of Parliament, and diplomat. Under Secretary of State 1660-74, Secretary of State 1674-79, Keeper of State Papers 1661-1701, Ambassador Extraordinary to United Provinces 1697-99, one of the plenipotentiaries to congress for Treaty of Ryswick for whom Prior was secretary 1697 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29571?docPos=1>, Brit. Dipl. Reps., Officials of the Secretaries of State).
WILMINGTON, Earl of. See: Compton, Spencer.
WINCHESTER, Marquess of. See: Paulet, Charles.
WOLSELEY, Robert (1648/9-97), son of Sir Charles (d. 1714). Envoy Extraordinary to Flanders 1692-96 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29849/29851>, under father's entry; Brit. Dipl. Reps.).
WOODSTOCK, Viscount. See: Bentinck, William Henry.
WOOLHOUSE, John Thomas (1666-1734), oculist, possibly serving James II in that capacity. Lived and worked in Paris c. 1700-30 (ODNB <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29954>).
YARD, Robert, official in the office of the Secretaries of State 1668-1702, including Under Secretary of State 1694-1702. One of the writers of the office’s gazette (Officials of the Secretaries of State).
[ ? ]. Unnamed, unidentified correspondents.