Volume 9 of Hutchin’s Extra Illustrated is the thinnest volume of the series, but still has plenty of interesting additions!
The first item we wanted to mention was a cartoon entitled ‘A trip from Wareham to Uxbridge by Worcester, or, Many a slip between the cup and the lip’. There have been several political cartoons included in the volumes that we have looked at so far, but these are often difficult to understand without a knowledge of the politics of the day!
The cartoon in volume 9 has a letter included with it that helps give some context to the picture, however, this letter contradicts information about the cartoon found in other sources.
The cartoon depicts a lady, identified as Miss Calcraft in all sources, crying ‘False! Perfidious! Deceitful vi…’ as a man and a woman walk arm in arm towards Worcester Cathedral.
The description of this cartoon (found on the Grosvenor Prints website) identifies the man as Henry Somerset, Earl of Worcester and the Lady as Jane Paget, daughter of Lord Anglesey. However, the letter in the volume claims they are Miss Jane Frances Erle-Drax and Lord Paget, Marquis of Anglesey and Earl of Uxbridge.
Both sources agree that the man was involved with Miss Calcraft, the letter claiming she had his baby, before transferring his affections to ‘Jane’, and that he then went on to marry another woman.
The lady holds a paper that reads ‘Crazy Jane’, a nickname that appears to have been given to both Miss Paget and Miss Drax. The identifying of the man as the Earl of Worcester seems to be correct as the note held by the man comforting Miss Calcraft is clearly signed ‘eternally yours, Worcester’, making it more likely that the online description is the correct one.
Whoever he is, the man does not come out of these events in a positive light, however both men went on to have successful careers. In contrast, despite doing some research we have been unable to even discover poor Miss Calcraft’s first name!
There is more information available about Miss Drax, who married John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge in 1827. Sawbridge changed his name to Erle-Drax when he inherited the Drax estate following the death of Jane Drax’s brother. In the letter describing the cartoon Erle-Drax is described as a wicked old man. He was the man responsible for the building of the long wall that runs alongside the modern A31, including the lion gate and the gate with the stag on the top, which many people claim has five legs. This is not true, the ‘fifth leg’ being a tree branch added for support. A picture of John Erle-Drax and of the Charborough estate also appear in this edition.
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Another interesting character featured in this edition is George Bubb Doddington, Baron of Melcombe Regis. Doddington was a career politician who is largely remembered because he kept a detailed diary of his political activities. This diary gives an important insight into Georgian politics. This edition of Hutchin’s includes a portrait, a biography, two letters written by him and a small cutting.
There are also many drawings of the manor house at Eastbury that he had built. The house was started in 1718 and completed in 1738. It was demolished in 1782.
The cutting describes Doddington’s ostentatious home and remarks;
‘It was said of Doddington, that he kept ‘a tame booby or two’ in his establishment, for the purpose of playing off on them his raillery and wit. The persons here alluded to were a Mr Wyndham, his relation and heir; Sir William Breton, Keeper of the Privy Purse to the King; and a Dr Thompson, a medical practitioner. They seem to have been a singular trio, composed, as Richard Cumberland informs of, of ‘a misanthrope, a courtier and a quack’’.
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Finally, there is a letter, that has been taken from a book entitled ‘A select collection of letters’, which describes a journey taken from Exeter to London, which passes through Dorset. The author is not named, but his descriptions of the towns that he passes through are entertaining. His strongest opinions seem to be about food and drink – he is very pleased with the beer in Dorchester, which he describes as ‘pale as Sack, and as soft as Sherry, and as strong as Brandy – Rare Beer, indeed!’, but finds the wine in Puddletown ‘small and sour’.
Our favourite passage from his travels through Dorset describes his journey through Cranborne Chase:
‘We stopt in Cranbourn Chase, at a small Hut upon the high Way; where I gulped a thwacking Glass of rare French Brandy, and eat a Biscuit; the Ways here are very good, being all upon the Down, and you see on every Side Flocks of Sheep: we dined this Day upon Beef and Carrots, the October was not strong enough.’
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This blog is part of our monthly series on the 12 extra-illustrated volumes of “Hutchins’ History and Antiquities of Dorset.”
Part one: An introduction to the history and antiquities of Dorset.
Part two: The Pitt family, a piano player, and a plague of caterpillars.
Part three: Coastline, Castles and Catastrophe
Part four: A Phenomenon, Fake News and a Philanthropist
Part five: Antiquities, Adventurers, and an Actress
Part six: A Gaol, a Guide and a Man of Great Girth
Part seven: Physicians, fires and false allegations
Part eight: Graves, Grangerising and a Man who wore Green