Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/337

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us. m. APRIL 29, ion.] NOTES AND QUERIES.


331


dukes) were present. It was through Treco thick's persuasions that the old Duke of Newcastle attended (Albemarle,

  • Memoirs of Marquess of Rockingham,'

i. 319-20).

Burke is said to have written in one of his letters that " Trecothick is certainly a man of strong principles and good natural sense, but his experience of the world is but moderate." David Garrick summed up three of the City politicians as " the intrepid Wilkes, the resolute Oliver, or the wiser Trecothick" (Burke' s 'Works,' ed. 1852, i. 127). Burke himself wrote of Trecothick' s " known and well-grounded aversion to Wilkes and Townshend " (*&., i. 176).

In January, 1768, Trecothick purchased from one of the coheiresses of Sir John Leigh of Addington, near Croydon, for 38,500Z., " the manor of Addington, the capital mansion house, impropriate rectory, and advowson," the whole estate being computed at 5,000 acres, of which 500 were wood, and 1,000 waste ; and in 1772 he began to build a modern house. In 1773 the exterior of the church was faced at his cost with brick (Thome, ' Environs of London,' i. 6). He was far from well in March, 1770, and he died on 28 May, 1775, aged 56. He was buried in the Leigh vault under the chancel of Addington Church, and a large marble urn with an inscribed tablet was placed in 1776 to his memory by his widow in a niche against the centre of the east wall of the chancel (Manning and Bray, ' Surrey,' ii. 565). A monument of white marble was placed against the south wall to the memory of his wife Grizzell (married Boston, U.S., 2 March, 1747, died at Addington 31 July, 1769, aged 41), daughter of Charles Apthorp of Boston, U.S., and sister of the Rev. East Apthorp, whom Trecothick made his chaplain on his election as Lord Mayor. The cha- racter of Trecothick was in return eulogized by Apthorp in the sermon which he preached at Guildhall Chapel on the day of the election of the new Lord Mayor, 29 Septem- ber, 1770 (Nichols, * Literary Anecdotes,' iii. 96).

Trecothick' s second wife, whom he married in 1770, was Ann, daughter of Amos Meredith of Henbury, Cheshire. Sir Joshua Reynolds began a fine portrait of her, when she was Lady Mayoress (July, 1770). She is repre- sented at full length, " in white dress and plum-coloured sash " ; and the picture seems to have been paid for in two instal- ments, viz., 151. in November, 1771, and 78Z. 15s. in March, 1775. It was put up for


sale, as Lady Montagu, by John W. Brett, at Christie's, 23 June, 1838, but was with- drawn from the auction. It was afterwards bought by Lord Francis Egerton, and is still at Bridgewater House (Leslie and Taylor, ' Sir Joshua Reynolds,' i. 375-9 ; Graves and Cronin, ii. 658, iii. 987). On 17 April, 1777, the widow (now dignified by the names of Ann Margaretta) was married by licence, at St. George's, Hanover Square, to Assheton Curzon, who was created in 1794 Baron Curzon of Perm, and in 1802 Viscount Curzon. She died on 13 June, 1804 (G. E. C., 'Peerage,' iii. 444).

Trecothick by his will (dated 25 January, 1774, and proved 8 June, 1775) left part of his property to trustees, so that his wife might have an annuity of 200Z., in addition to her jointure of 6001. per annum, and his sister Hannah, wife of James Ivers, 1001. a year for life. His sister's two daughters were to receive 501. per annum each until the age of 21 or marriage, when they had instead a capital sum of 1,OOOZ. each ; and her son James Ivers obtained 2001. a year until the age of 21. The Rev. East Apthorp had 501. a year for life, and each of his children 2001. when they attained to 21 or on marriage. The sum of 800Z. was to be invested : a third of the income was to be given to the poor of the parish of Addington at Christmas, and two -thirds to the vicar, provided he con- stantly resided in the vicarage house. The treasurers of the City of London Lying-in Hospital obtained 5001. ; the S. P. G. 200Z. ; and Christ's Hospital, St. Bartholomew's, the London, Bethlehem, and St. Thomas's Hospitals 200Z. among them. His wife was to reside " in the house I am now build- ing," with lands of 200 acres, and with 10 acres of meadow, " opposite the house where I now reside"; and she was to have the use of the old house until the new one was built. The household goods, four coach horses, and a coach were also left to her. All the consignments of sugar from his plantations in the West Indies went to his partner George Apthorp, with 100?. a year for life. In default of issue (and he had none), the rest of his property went to his nephew James Ivers, and he was to take the name of Trecothick.

James Trecothick died at Broadstairs on 1 1 September, 1843, in his 90th year (Gen. Mag., 1843, pt. ii. p. 444), and was buried in the vault under the chancel of Addington Church, a tablet being erected to his memory by his six surviving children. He opposed the enclosure of the Addington hills and Shirley Common ; about 85 acres