|
COPYRIGHT 2004 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)
JOHN 3RD EARL OF BUTE: PATRON AND COLLECTOR by Francis Russell Published by Francis Russell, Tel: 020 7389 2073, 9.5 [pounds sterling], pp. 279, ISBN 0951259512
Parliament has so dominated the writing of English political history that the royal household has been sidelined. Moreover, the absence of a tradition of court literature as strong as the French, and prudent bonfires of such compromising documents as the letters to George III from Lord Bute, subject of this remarkable study--and to John Brown from Queen Victoria--have erected walls of silence around this elusive institution.
In reality, well into the 19th century the court was the centre of power and pleasure in London. Someone as independent as Swift spent years haunting St James's palace in search of a job. It contained a Secretary of State's office and...
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|
Bookmark this article
Print this article
Link to this article
Email this article
Digg It!
Add to del.icio.us
RSS
