INTRO
Rogues Gallery Uncovered
Bad behaviour in period costume
A non-judgmental hornpipe accompanying the scandalous lives of history’s greatest libertines’ lotharios and complete bastards
This podcast contains adult themes, a touch of colourful language and several blatantly nautical references.
If words such as mainbrace, mizzen mast and spigot make you feel uncomfortable, please reconsider your listening choices
YO HO HOE
Docking in as many ports as possible with 18th century navel Casanova…
Admiral Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol
Arghh
Before we begin, a - what I’m happy to say is becoming a regular roguish shout out- to a listener who drops me a line about the podcast.
I’m this case its Andre Steynberg who got hold of me via simon@roguesgalleryonline.com – address is in the show notes.
I’m assuming Andre is based in South Africa as in answer to my request for non-European rogues , he gave me a fabulous list of South African ones.
Cheers Andre
Soldier, big-game hunter, journalist, and spy Frederick "Fritz" Joubert Duquesne is in the list
As is cattle and horse thief, ladies man , dealer in illegal diamonds, smuggler and friend of the poor." George St Leger Lennox
And
infamous bank robber Andre Stander.
I really appreciate that Andre and if anyone else has any non European rogue suggestions they would like to send my way, id be very happy.
You can get in touch via the website roguesgalleryuncovered.com – link in show notes
Or email me directly.
Right, I hope you have your sea legs because
The following tale is written in the present tense of the period in which its set…. and as such, may contain attitudes and opinions of the protagonists and their times which would today be considered unacceptable.
As I’m not a swashbuckling 18th century naval adventurer and lothario – although I will admit to often wishing that I was – those attitudes and opinions are OBVIOUSLY – not mine.
GENOA 1755
Captain Augustus Hervey is in a darkened room hiding under a married ladies’ bedclothes.
The lady in question is lying in the bed next to him.
She is tantalisingly near but the young naval officer cannot allow his eager fingers to explore further because her husband (who is unaware of the lecherous presence beneath his marital sheets) is approaching the foot of the bed with a lighted candle, asking if he can come closer in order to show off some Indian handkerchiefs.
There is no acceptable nautical phrase for this particular situation.
Hervey himself is not the handsomest of fellows but is well connected, has a generous purse, enough self-confidence to fill a ship of the line and acts upon his whims without delay or fear.
This combined with a libidinous appetite which would shame a rampant stag has made him a “cocksman” of extraordinary success and of which Great Britain can be proud.
Breathing with difficulty and trying to look as flat as possible (not easy under the circumstances) “The English Casanova” lets his mind drift back across a naval career that was no less active on land as it was at sea.
Florence 1748
Ah Florence, the temperate climate, the famous bridges and the art treasures of the Medici.
Within days of his arrival, Hervey determined that Florentine husbands were not as possessive in their nature as other Italians.
This was fortuitous because one of his favourite pastimes of an evening was to escort a great many of their wives down to the bridge at La Trinita.
Underneath its arches on the banks of the Arno was where amorous Florentines often gathered to indulge in clandestine “Knocking” and easy access clothing was the norm.
If the husbands had been jealous types they might have been concerned by the fact that Hervey usually took his walks naked save for a silk robe and a straw hat.
Whilst in Florence Hervey also spent many a happy hour entertaining female company in the secluded shrubbery of his ex-patriot friend Mr Mann.
Mann had worked hard to transform his expansive Italian lawn into a replica of the infamous pleasure gardens at Vauxhall - until scandal and concerns about shadowed debauchery forced him to put up some lanterns.
Great Days.
Lisbon 1748
Ah Lisbon, basking in the Portuguese sunshine, the perfect place for Hervey to reacquaint himself with Signora Ellena Paghetti, the lady who took his virginity during his first visit as a callow sixteen-year-old.
They discussed how they had fared in the years since and then picked up exactly where they had left off - fortunately she was “still very handsome”.
Hervey also made a new friend in the lively Spanish form of the Duke de Bagnos.
These two Sons of Venus spent much of their time together frequenting a popular brothel or “Nunnery” called “Odivellas.”
With upwards of 700 “Nuns” to choose from (including two royal mistresses) Hervey found his spiritual needs well attended.
De Bagnos also introduced Hervey to a Portuguese style of courtship which involved wearing a voluminous cloak to conceal ones identity and standing beneath a ladies window whispering sweet words in the hope of being invited up.
Hervey tried this approach with one Signora Brezio and although it took him a few nights of aroused loitering he eventually got permission to shimmy up her foliage and divest himself of his cloak (and shoes and breeches.)
His greatest cloaked moment came in the company of de Bagnos and a French gentleman by the name of Monsieur de Vergennas.
All similarly attired, they visited upwards of thirty houses of pleasure in a single busy morning.
It’s fair to say that end of that, a feeble nor westerly would have blown Hervey off the edge of the dock and into the River Tagus.
Good Times.
Paris 1749
Ah Paris, the beautiful gardens of the Tuileries, the dazzling art collection of the Palais Royal and the opulent splendour of the French court.
On his arrival, Hervey was presented to King Louis 15TH and the queen- who both ignored him.
Madame de Pompadour however was more convivial and “The handsomest creature I think I ever saw” but sadly she was immune to the Hervey charm.
Within weeks he was spending his money like a sailor on shore leave (which he was) and ingratiating himself with the cream of Parisian society.
One such example was Madame de Monconseil, who caught his eye when (as a favour for his mother) he stopped off at her apartments to deliver a letter.
To his great disappointment, her gratitude did not extend beyond saying “Merci”.
Hervey was further disappointed when in a fever of the most genuine affection he offered an actress known as The “Corrolina” 17 shillings for a quick “Dock” but was firmly and unequivocally rebuffed….“Zut Alors”
As a staunch patron of the arts Hervey was not one to admit defeat and turned his attention from the theatrical stage to the opera.
He began regular and exhausting assignations with two operatic dancers known as The “Bellno” and The “Lani”.
He was fond of The “Bellno,”a “Handsome” woman who’s younger sister was on intimate terms with his new friend the Duke of Chartres, but less enamoured of The “Lani” who claimed she had been a virgin until they met.
As a gentleman, Hervey paid both her and her mother a considerable sum of money to compensate for the loss but suspected he had been gulled so the designing little trollop was soon sent packing.
A visit to the Château de Bagatelle did however reacquaint him with Madame de Monconseil who had reconsidered just how grateful she was for receiving that letter and gave the pleasantly surprised sailor an intimate tour of her boudoir.
Then there was:
Madame Coupe, “ a most luscious jouissance” whom he saw every night for over a week before becoming bored.
Mademoiselle Blotin, whom he took to bed as her chaperone mother snoozed on a couch in the next room.
Baronne Blanche, “A great black lewd woman, about 30” who gave him little choice but to become intimate, despite his grave misgivings.
Madame de Mirancourt, who made a great show of being shy and virtuous before spending all night with him.
Throughout this time, he was also still regularly seeing (to) both The “Bellno” and Madame de Monconseil so its little surprise that he fell ill during a party in St Cloud and under doctors’ orders was purged, sweated and bled until he felt restored.
When he met Madame Caze however he knew it was something special.
He immediately stopped seeing Madame de Monconseil (who upbraided him in a most violent manner ) and generously passed The “Bellno” on to one of his friends after giving her some money for a nice dress.
Madame Caze was married but this did not stop Hervey pursuing her with the kind of single minded determination which would one day build the Empire.
He engineered spending all of his time in her company and showered her with trinkets such as a locket with a secret compartment - which concealed a miniature of his face.
She finally succumbed and when he presented her with a single ruby set with diamonds, her passions became delightfully inflamed – until her mother walked into the room unannounced and clothing was speedily re arranged.
Shortly afterwards, a frustrated Madame Caze declared she was her own mistress and instructed Hervey to visit her alone in her rooms one afternoon.
Before you could say “Do you ever do any actual sailing?” he was banging hard at her door and stayed until after midnight, remarking later, “I never tasted such exquisite delight nor was I ever more fit for the scene”.
Their affair blossomed with Hervey enjoying exhausting five hour sessions in her company.
They attended church together (for proprieties sake) and Hervey was shocked to hear her declare “before God” that she would bestow her favours on no one but him.
He rightly considered that Madame Caze’s husband would suspect something was amiss when his dutiful wife suddenly refused his demands in bed.
This was true, yet despite seething with suspicion Madame Caze’s husband had no actual proof of her indiscretions apart from a close call when he saw her kissing Hervey as they stood next to a horse.
Brimming with indignation, the furious spouse strode over to remonstrate. And in a moment of swift nautical thinking, Hervey placed a fur muff from the horse’s saddle in front of his crotch, concealing the fact that he had been getting far more than a simple peck on the cheek.
Sulkily, the luckless cuckold returned to his lodgings.
Happy Memories.
Genoa 1755
Ah Genoa, its famous lighthouse, its doctors who took care of Hervey’s hand when he punched his impertinent steward in the face and most delightfully of all, Madame Brignole.
She was young, rich and married (of course) but Hervey had set his sights upon her and had succeeded in enjoying her favours during numerous snatched moments.
That was not enough however and he insisted upon spending at least one full night with her and hang the risks.
Which is why after complaining of an eye infection during a soiree at which Hervey himself was a guest, she retired to her darkened room to sleep alone.
Hervey made his apologies to her husband and the assembled company and left soon after, returning by an open window to burrow under her bedclothes and wait for everyone else to go to sleep.
The husband’s show of concern and fascination with handkerchiefs could have ruined everything but Madame Brignole pleaded that she was in too much discomfort and insisted he leave her be.
He graciously complied and Hervey graciously “lay till near daylight and performed wonders”
Hervey and Madame Brignole continued with this arrangement for several evenings.
Hervey would often spend hours motionless under the sheets while she entertained the dinner guests who her husband insisted adjourn to her room so she would not miss out on the conversation.
It’s a man’s life in the Navy.
Hervey has become known as “The English Casanova” - his journals from which most of this episodes tale is based details amorous encounters with 58 women, most of them married, and it only covers the years 1746 – 1759, goodness knows how many else there were.
He was certainly an eccentric.
In 1752 when in command of HMS Phoenix he sailed around the Mediterranean with his own ship board cook and musicians. Its said that he even kept a per leopard and an antelope on the ship as he’d been given them as a gift in Algiers.
What impressed/pissed off his crew the most however was the fact that he installed one of his mistresses and her maid on the ship to keep him company on windy nights
Mademoiselle Sarrazin he said was “a delightful fine woman … cheerful and ready to oblige”
He managed to keep her on board for six months.
Nice one
He didn’t spend all of time shagging however
Hervey served during the Seven Years war between the uk and France and witnessed the heart breaking sight of a total English navel defeat at the battle of Menorca.
This was especially galling for him as in the run up to the battle, Hervey had captured many French merchant vessels and these were being held in port at Menorca.
He was due a not inconsiderable fortune in prize money but the French decided to attack the island and get their ships back.
Admiral Byng in charge of the English fleet was tasked with defeating them but , owing to in part to widespread sickness among his sailors couldn’t get the upper hand and retreated to Gibraltar.
Hervey watched as Byngs reputation and his hard fought cash bonus sank like a stone when the French successfully captured the island.
Hearvey clearly wasn’t the kind of guy to hold a grudge however because when Byng was court martialled he came out in favour of him and was a vocal supporter.
This didn’t do Byng a a lot of good though and he was executed by firing squad flagship in 1757 on the deck of hms monarch.
This name is a little ironic as the court martial recommended leniency and it was only because King George ii was in a bad mood with prime minster pitt at the time that the sentence was carried out.
Hearvey was married – to a woman named Elizabeth Chudleigh who had a high position at court.
The two had secretly married in the 1740s and because Hervey was away all the time and was quite brazen about his womanizing Elizabeth took her fair share of lovers too.
Obviously when Hervey found out he was livid and resolved never to speak to here again.
He finally found some level of contentment after his naval career had ended when he entered into a long term relationship with a former artists model named Mary Nesbitt. She also has a reputation for promiscuity in her youth and had connections with the infamous Hellfire club – of when we will be hearing in a later episode.
Under her maiden name she was known as “Hellfire Davis” so seems the perfect match for an aging rake.
For the full ins and outs of his life in the Georgian navy I can heartily recommend the book
August Hervey’s journal – the adventures ashore and afloat of a navel Casanova edited by David Erskine.
I am tempted to make a crass remark about Hornblower at this point but I will refrain
Next time of Rogues gallery Uncovered ]
Because YOU demanded it
DILDOES DEFAMATION AND DISGUISE
England's greatest libertine, peddling filth and Pushing his luck with The Rogues Rouge
John Wilmot 2nd Earl of Rochester
This might be a two tale in one episode special so for double the fun make sure you subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice and tell your disreputable friends.
During the next fortnight while I’m elbow deep in Restoration smut and bawdy poetry I shall also be trying to set up an Etsy shop for my Rouges gallery Uncovered merchandise.
If you are a regular listener to this podcast you will know that as this involves technology and I’m a luddite with a short temper it will probably not go as planned, so expect a somewhat frazzled Simon in the next episode.
If you want to peruse the merch shop by the way you will find a link in the show notes or visit rougheshgallery uncovered .com
So far its t shirts and mugs featuring the eye catching titles of some of your favourite episode.
Look a real jim dandy with “Drunkenness blasphemy and mine” emblazoned across your chest while sipping from an” everything is more fun in period costume” mug.
What a way to enter spring.
On that note , im off to do battle with the 21st century have a great fortnight stay roguish, stay in touch and ill see you yesterday.
