Sir Gregory Page-Turner, 3rd Baronet (1748 – 1805)
Leaving those ancient walls, the boasted
seat
By Henry rear’d “for learning’s calm retreat;
Taught to deride the master and the rod,
And scorning bounds prescribed to roam abroad:
Lo. Porcius sports, with Oxon’s sons enrolled,
His Father’s title and his Mother’s gold;
Begown’d, assumes an academic stride,
And vaunts his liberty yet unenjoyed.
Three studious years, in learning thus he mounts,
Till natal days a. score and one he counts.
Then farewell books, and farewell tutor grave,
My lord must wander over land and wave.
Attend, O Muse, and in descriptive strains
Our traveler follows o’er fair Europe’s plains.
To Sportive France, behold him first consigned,
Changing his climate, not, alas! his mind;
He marks no manners, laws, or such dull stuff,
But learns with grace to take a pinch of snufl“.
To fume, to execrate earth, seas, and air,
If the rude zephyr discompose his hair,
Or if a summer shower relentless bloat
The roseate bloom of his immaculate coat.—
France left, he flies to the Lavinian shore,
And every classic valley gallops o’er;
The sacred relics of immortal Rome
Too slight appear his minutes to consume;
The chisel‘s stroke, the pencil’s glowing; dye,
With all their magic, pass unheeded by.
Victim
of Venus and immoderate wine,
An aged youth, behold poor Purcius Pine,
And like a tree cut down in early bloom,
Drop, are prime manhood, to th‘ untimely tomb;
His powers bestow Britannia’s peace to shield,
To guide the senate, or to grace the field,
Fell dissipation wastes, and renders vain,
As the rough thistle blasts the desert’s plain.
He was educated at Eton 1762; and then Hertford College, Oxford. 1766; During the Christmas vacation in the years 1762, 1763, and 1764', the plays the Distressed Mother, Mourning Bride, Elvira, the Earl of Essex, and the farce of Miss in her Teens, were produced and acted at Sir Edward Turner’s house at Ambroseden; in. each of these performances his oldest son Gregory took. a principal part and acquitted himself much to the satisfaction of the neighbouring gentry, who witnessed them.
In June 1766, Mr. Turner entered Hertford College, Oxford, but losing his father in the following October, he left it the next year without taking a degree. In 1768 he quit England for the purpose of making a grand tour, during which he visited Dijon. (Captivated by the romantic beauties of Dijon he stayed some time there, and purchased some exquisite statues, which he forwarded as a present to his great-uncle Sir Gregory Page, at Blackheath .) He visited Rome and was introduced to the Grand Duke of Tuscany and other distinguished personages. It was she that he sat for his portrait by Pompeo Batoni (now in the Manchester City Art Gallery ) . In 1766, he matriculated at Hertford College, Oxford, where, presumably, he formulated the plan with fellow student Richard Paul Jodrell to undertake a grand tour. In 1768-1769, Page-Turner and Jodrell traveled to Europe under the guidance of the experienced tutor William Patoun. Patoun had written the “Advice on Travel in Italy”, Sir Gregory and his 3 siblings all made the grand tour traveling extensively in Europe. Pompeo Batoni painted Sir Gregory's portrait in about 1768. Shortly before this portrait was painted in Rome, Gregory Page-Turner succeeded to his father's title and inherited the fortune and estates of his great uncle. His Grand Tour - a trip for young gentlemen across Europe to study art, history, and politics - was therefore lavish and comprehensive, which Batoni captures vividly. Page-Turner's fashionable scarlet outfit was of a sort popular on the Tour. A well-thumbed map of Rome, a view of the Colosseum, and a bust of Minerva (goddess of wisdom and, in Rome, also of war) confirm his knowledgeable, appreciative presence in the city, while his elegant, slightly swaggering pose, loosely adapted from the Apollo Belvedere, further suggest his refinement and self-assurance. The marble bust is a studio prop that appears in at least four other Grand Tour portraits of English sitters by Batoni, alluding not only to their roles as collectors and connoisseurs of classical art but also to their right to the spoils of war and to rule through military prowess. Pompeo Batoni was born in Lucca and trained first with his father, a goldsmith. He moved to Rome in 1727, where he was initially apprenticed to Francesco Fernandi, called Imperiali (1679-1740), then to Sebastiano Conca (c. 1680-1764) and Agostino Masucci (1691-1758). He had many commissions for altarpieces, and for religious, historical, mythological, and allegorical paintings, although he remains best known as a portraitist, notably for his numerous portraits of Grand Tourists in Rome.
After three years of absence, he returned to his native country, and chiefly resided at his seat at Ambrosden until such time as he determined upon its demolition.
He entered Lincolns. In 1765. He married on 2 Jan. 1785, Frances, daughter of Joseph Howell, of Elm, Cambridgeshire he had 3 sons and 1 daughter. He succeeded to the baronetcy on 31 Oct. 1766; His great Uncle was Sir Gregory Page, 2nd Bt., of Wricklemarsh and Thomas Page of Battlesden. On 4 Aug. 1775, he took the name of Page before Turner 15 Nov. 1775.
“Sir Gregory Gigg” "Designd by H.W.Bunbury Esqr.. / London, Publish''d July 23d 1782 by J R Smith, No. 83 Oxford Street, London" Etching and mezzotint.
Sir Gregory Page-Turner had a notable reputation in society and became a victim of satire and social commentary. A young man driving (right to left) one of the new high two-wheeled gigs. Its small body is poised high on springs above the large wheels; the driver leans forward to whip his pair of high-stepping horses, which are about to descend a precipitous hill. He wears the plain high-crowned hat which was so great a novelty in 1781 and top-boots. On the panel of the gig is a draped escutcheon with a monogram or cipher. In the foreground are bushes and rough ground with a milestone, "Miles XXI". 23 July 1782. Inscription Language: Inscription Content: Lettered with title and "Designed by H.W.Bunbury Esqr.. / London, Publish''d July 23 rd, 1782 by J R Smith, No. 83 Oxford Street, London" Etching and mezzotint. The satirical print refers to Sir Gregory Page-Turner 3rd Baronet 1748 ? 4 January 1805 who inherited a substantial fortune and was known to be a man of fashion who frequented the Vauxhall gardens he was a wealthy landowner and politician in late 18th century England, serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Thirsk for 21 years.. ''Sir Gregory Gigg, was also satirized on the stage or the City Beau'' is the title of a song in O''Keefe's Son in Law, played at the Haymarket 1779, the songs only being printed. He was one of the greatest beaus of his day, and generally beyond the reigning fashion. Red heels and feathered hats were then common, but he once appeared in Vauxhall Gardens in a pink silk suit, so exactly fitted to his body, that he was followed by a crowd os spectators, who debated aloud whether the young Baronet had been crammed into, or sewn up in the dress he then wore.
Sir Gregory Page-Turner had a substantial town House 15 Hertford Street Mayfair. He was unmarried whilst living there (he married in 1785). He was amongst interesting neighbours all who lived in various Houses of the 20 Houses in Hertford Street including Sir John Lindsay, 4th Earl of Sandwich, Nathaniel Bayly MP, General Burgoyne, Captain Sir John Lindsay, Charles, 1st Earl Grey and his wife Elizabeth, George Pitt, Lord Rivers, John Hume, Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas, Honourable Topham Beauclerk, Sir Francis Molineux, and James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton. The Town House he retained until March 1780, when it was sold by Messrs Christie and Ansell. The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser carried the following description of the property:
An Elegant
Leasehold house with suitable offices etc, desirably situated on the south side
of Hertford Street, Mayfair, late in the possession of Sir Gregory Page-Turner,
Bart. The premises contain two good rooms on each floor, a spacious hall and
stone staircase, a detached kitchen, etc. are held on lease for upwards of eighty
years unexpired.
Sir Gregory Page-Turner had an extravagant style bordering on narcissism, which is exhibited in the vividly coloured and masterfully painted costume he wears in the Batoni portrait. Page-Turner stands at a green marble writing desk wearing an overcoat, a waistcoat, and a pair of trousers, all finely embroidered scarlet, and assuming a pose that has been adapted from the Apollo Belvedere. Adding a degree of gravitas to the ostentation of Page-Turner’s demeanor and costume is the collection of antiquities, literature, and cartography arranged on the table behind, including one of Batoni’s favourite accessories – a bust based on the Minerva Giustiniani. With his body turning to the right, Page-Turner rests his left hand on a map, which, drooping over the side of the desk, presents itself to the viewer almost entirely directly. Looking closer (fig. 6.12), we can see that the map has been given the title “Pianta di Roma”. The zigzag of the Tiber’s course snakes from top to bottom, coloured in a faint blue, whilst the distinctive trident pattern of the roads emanating from the Porta del Popolo is visible in the centre right. Page-Turner’s hand, whilst stopping the map from slipping, simultaneously blocks St Peter’s and the Vatican from view. For much of its history, Rome had been mapped with east at the top. But in 1748, the Italian cartographer Giovanni Battista Nolli published a map of Rome that would prove to be a defining moment in the city’s cartographic representation. Seen by many as the high point in Roman cartography, Nolli re-oriented the city so that the north appeared at the top, just like the map held by Page-Turner. Nolli’s map actually came in two sizes: a monumental twelve-sheet map entitled Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII, and a reduced single-sheet version called La Topografia di Roma, called the grande and the Piccola map respectively. The incredible detail of Nolli’s Nuova Pianta di Roma ensured that it was still being used in some form or other for over 200 hundred years. Given away by the northern orientation, the ultimate source of the map is thus easily identifiable as Nolli. However, Batoni does not recreate the full geographic and aesthetic details. Bowron contended that de Lalande’s map must have ‘circulated in the city in copies for tourists before its publication’ in the guidebook, thus allowing Page-Turner to obtain a copy a year in advance and it is this map that forms the focus of this third section and ties these three portraits together, for Batoni would go on to use this map in two further portraits of grand tourists. But if we consider a more literal translation, such as ‘brought to light’, then a certain irony arises in relation to Batoni’s portrait of Gregory PageTurner. The map’s surface is not only dimmed by the shadow of the sitter’s body but some parts are obscured outright by his hand and the inwardly curling right side. This play between light and shadow on the map makes apprehending the city’s topography a difficult, even irresolvable, task for the viewer. That being said, Batoni gives the impression that Page-Turner was studying the map at the moment just before the one captured in this portrait. With one hand firmly holding the map and the other turned upwards while he turns his body away from the table, Page-Turner is caught in a pose of learned declamation. The tension thus created by the viewer not being fully able to see the map’s image strikes at the heart of a critical aspect of ‘processual’ mapping: how maps are continuously reproduced in an interplay with their discursive and material contexts. In this conception of mapping, the kinds of highlighting and obscuring that result from the material effects of lighting have a role to play in creating meaning.
Grand Tourists were led across Europe by tutors to study art, history, and politics for two or three years. The Grand Tour focused on Italy, particularly Rome, and often incorporated new archaeological sites such as those at Herculaneum and Pompei, near Naples. Ancient antiquities were heavily trafficked across Europe and continental works of art flooded into Britain. A period of especially active collecting took place between the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 and the rise of Napoleon in the 1790s. As more artists and designers also visited the continent their work became increasingly informed by travel. The serious themes of classical antiquity and European art led to a new departure in painting called the Grand Style. This championed classical, historical, or literary subjects, and inspired radical changes in portraiture and landscape. Widespread interest in Greek and Roman remains also fostered fresh interpretations of ancient designs by pioneers of decorative art such as Josiah Wedgwood. Sir Gregory Page-Turner visited Italy 1768-9 traveling from Geneva to Turin, Milan, Parama, Reggio, Modena, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Rome, and Venice before leaving for Vienna . he sat for Batoni in Rome, where he also saw the funeral of Pope Clement XIII.
exhibited in 1788 at the Royal Academy.
A correspond sent extracts of the Dissertation to the Gentleman's Magazine (.vii.1791, p. 705), calling the artist "an ingenious French gentleman" whom he had met at Sir Gregory Page-Turner's (Vispré exhibited an oil portrait of the baronet at the Royal Academy in 1788).
Sir Edward Turner, 2nd Baronet had a country house, Ambrosden House, built by the architect Sanderson Miller in the 1740s. Sir Gregory never lived at Ambrosden, thought the house too big and in 1767 sought to demolish part of it to make it smaller. This proved impractical so in 1768 he had the entire house demolished. He died at the age of 56 and was buried in Bicester.
He had married Frances, the daughter of Joseph Howell in January 1785. Their son Gregory Osborne Page-Turner (1785–1843) succeeded him to become the fourth baronet. Frances was the second daughter of Joseph Howell of Elm, in the county of Norfolk, by whom he had the following children :
Sir Gregory Osborne Page Turner 1785–1843 4th Bt
Frances Stacpole Page-Turner 1787-1804
Sir Edward George Thomas Page-Turner 1789–1846 5th Bt (father of Sir Edward Henry Page-Turner, 6th Baronet 1823-1874 )
Anne Leigh Guy Page-Turner 1791–1852
Francis William Martin Page-Turner 1794–1818 died unmarried
Turner’s estates were said to be worth £24,000 a year, and between 1780 and 1790 he invested over £80,000 in Government stock. In 1784 he was returned for Thirsk on the Frankland interest, almost certainly having purchased his seat. In Parliament, he spoke fairly often, and in almost every speech stressed that ‘whatever his abilities were ... his property rendered him independent, and he always delivered his sincere sentiments according to his conscientious opinion’. In fact, Gregory Page-Turner generally supported Pitt, whom he greatly admired. He voted for the bill to regulate East India Company affairs ‘because he ... had confidence in the right honourable gentleman and was thence persuaded the bill would be a good one’. And in the debate on Pitt’s Irish proposals, 12 May 1785, he said ‘he did not understand the resolutions, but could vote with a clear conscience from his confidence in the right honourable gentleman’. When Gregory Page-Turner opposed Pitt on the shop tax, and between 1786 and 1788 supported various attempts by Fox and others to have it repealed, he professed ‘great reluctance ... to oppose any tax that right honourable gentleman [Pitt] has introduced into this House’. He also, again reluctantly, opposed Pitt on the post-horse bill, 11 May 1787. He voted with Pitt in the first division on the Regency, 16 Dec. 1788, but in the debate over restrictions on the Regent said he must oppose Pitt, ‘to whom on a former occasion he had been proud to pay just compliments’, because he objected to the clause preventing the Regent from creating peers, and ‘contended that such commoners as deserved well of their country had a right to look up to the honours of the peerage, the conferring of which was no expense to the country’. Once more he voted with the Opposition, on 11 Feb. 1789, but in the consolidated list was marked as ‘Administration’. He died 4 Jan. 1805.
Sir Gregory Page-Turner and his Son Sir Gregory Osborne Page-Turner
As an elected Member of Parliament In 1787, Sir Gregory opposed the shop tax in his place in the House of Commons, and in 1792 supported Mr. Gilbert’s plan for bettering the condition of
the poor—He was chiefly distinguished among his friends for his ready and flowing
wit, and his bon-mot were often original.
He died at his house in Portland-place, St. Marylebone, co. Middlesex, January
the 4th, 1805, and was buried in his family vault at Bicester.
Sir Gregory Osborne Page Turner, the present baronet, was born September 28th, 1785; and at an early age placed at the school of the Rev. Mr. Hooker, and then of the Rev. M. Dodd, at Greenford in the county of Middlesex,
and afterward under the tuition of the Rev. John Smith, at Eatonbray, co. Bedford: from the latter place he was removed to Harrow, and subsequently to
the Rev. W. Haggitt’s, at Byfleet, co. Surrey. In October 1805, he entered Brazen-nose College, Oxford, where he took the degree of A. M. the
14th of June, 1809, and that of D.C.L. the 17th of June, 1818.
On January 4th, 1805, he succeeded his father in his titles and estates and
in 1810 served the office of sheriff for the county of Bedford.* On April 28th, 1818, he married Helen Eliza, the only daughter of John Wolsey Bayfield,
Esq. by whom he has two children, Helen Elizabeth, born February 6th, 1820,
and a son born January the 23rd, and baptized by the name of Gregory Osborne.
ARMS. Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Argent, a fer-de-mouline pierced Sable for
Turner; 2d and 3d, Azure, a fess indented, between three martlets Or, For Page. Crest. A lion passant, gardant, Argent, holding in his dexter-paw a fer-de-mouline
Sable (as in the arms,) (ducally crowned Or.
Comments
Post a Comment