Political
LORD LANSDOWNE PAYING FOR MRS CROMFORD'S EPITAPH
LANSDOWNE
(William Petty-Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, 1737-1805, Prime Minister)
Rare Autograph Letter Signed Lansdowne to an unnamed correspondent
saying that he is very sorry that you should have the trouble of calling at my door so frequently as you mention without finding me, but I have been latterally out of town, and when I am in town I always go out at one o'clock unless prevented. I have the honour to inclose to you a draft to pay my subscription to Dr Cromford's family, and I took the liberty of sending you the different epitaphs which have been sent me. I never rec'd the Latin Epitaph which is mentioned nor do I think there would be any propriety in a Latin Epitaph to be read in a retir'd Country Churchyard. If it depended upon me I should prefer the simplest of them, or one perhaps still more simple, but whatever epitaph Mrs Cromford and her friends prefer, I will take care to have properly executed this summer when I go into Hampshire..., 2 sides 4to, Berkley Square, Sunday night, no date annotated in another hand
Item Date: 1795
£1,250
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Background
Lansdowne was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman. In March 1782, following the downfall of the North ministry, Shelburne agreed to take office under Lord Rockingham on condition that the King would recognise the United States. Following the sudden and unexpected death of Lord Rockingham on 1st July 1782, Shelburne succeeded him as Prime Minister. Shelburne's appointment by the King provoked Charles James Fox and his supporters, including Edmund Burke, to resign their posts on 4th July 1782. Burke scathingly compared Shelburne to his predecessor Rockingham. One of the figures brought in as a replacement was the 23-year-old William Pitt, son of Shelburne's former political ally, who became Chancellor of the Exchequer. He succeeded in securing peace with America and this feat remains his most notable legacy. When Pitt became Prime Minister in 1784, Shelburne, instead of receiving a place in the Cabinet, was created Marquess of Lansdowne. Though giving general support to the policy of Pitt, he from this time ceased to take an active part in public affairs. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1803.
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