William Jerdan: Autobiography

“Not having the honour to be known to your lordship, it becomes me to apologise for this intrusion; though I hope its motives and its object will plead my excuse. As the Editor of a Literary Periodical work it has happened to me to form the acquaintance of a very estimable individual, and to have taken that interest in his welfare which I think his merits and misfortunes can hardly fail to inspire. That individual, my lord, is Mr. Conway, who is known, as I believe, to your lordship, as he certainly is to Lord William Seymour, to Lord Robert, and to the rest of your lordship’s family. In his distress he has
EFFORTS IN BEHALF OF MR. CONWAY. 247
entrusted me with the story of his birth and struggles in life; but I hope your lordship will do him the justice to believe that this was not done till necessity overcame the long-cherished sentiments of delicacy, pride, and honour; and me the credit to be assured that my interference is unprompted by any considerations but those of respect to the House of Hertford—of regard for a worthy man suffering undeservedly—and of humanity; perhaps I might add, if without offence, of natural justice. To your lordship, as the head of the family, I am, from your general public character, emboldened to appeal without fear of misconstruction. I write to solicit the favour of an interview, in which, should there be no insurmountable obstacle in the way, I am persuaded I shall be able to impress on your lordship the extreme hardship of his case, and persuade you even to overstrain a point to become his advocate and benefactor. That he has not been successful on the stage is not his fault, for to ability he joins industry, perseverance, and a respect for himself. May I be allowed to say, that that stature and personal appearance which gives dignity to a noble station (and which he inherits in a remarkable degree from his parentage) is not auspicious to dramatic effort.

“Still, my lord, Mr. Conway is in need of little help, and this is so honourable to his discretion that I do hope that what your lordship’s interest could do with a breath will not be withheld from one who has such peculiar claims, independently of his deserts, to consideration.

“The testimony of a stranger can have but slight weight; but I will not close my letter without expressing my opinion of the value and integrity of Mr. Conway. Had he no pretensions, I aver that I would deem it an act reflecting lustre on any nobleman to take him by the hand; and
248 AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
sincerely do I pray that his father in acknowledging him will place him above the calamities of life, beyond which his humility looks for nothing.

“Should your lordship have the kindness to appoint a period when I can wait upon you, I shall be proud of the honour.

“My Lord,
“Your lordship’s most respectful and
“obedient humble servant,

“WILLIAM JERDAN.”

William Augustus Conway (1789-1828) Originally Rugg; he was an English actor at Covent Garden, and from 1823 in the United States. The nature of his relationship with the elderly Hester Thrale Piozzi has been disputed; he died a suicide.

William Jerdan (1782-1869) Scottish journalist who for decades edited the Literary Gazette; he was author of Autobiography (1853) and Men I have Known (1866).

Lord William Seymour-Conway (1759-1837) The son of the first marquess of Hertford; he was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford and was MP for Coventry (1783-84), Downton (1785-90), and Oxford (1790-96).

INFORMATION FROM TEI HEADER

Source Description:

Author: Jerdan, William, 1782-1869

Title: The Autobiography of William Jerdan. 4 vols (London: Arthur Hall, Vertue & Co., 1852-53).

Electronic Edition:

Series: Lord Byron and his Times: http://lordbyron.org

Encoding Description: Any dashes occurring in line breaks have been removed. Obvious and unambiguous compositors’ errors have been silently corrected.

Markup and editing by: David Hill Radcliffe

Completed June 2010

Publication Statement:

Publisher: Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities, Virginia Tech

Availability: Published under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License