- William Coxe
William Coxe (
March 17 ,1747 -June 8 ,1828 ), Englishhistorian , son of Dr. William Coxe, Physician to the Royal Household, was born inLondon . After his father's death his mother Martha married John Christopher Smith, who wasHandel 'samanuensis and son of his friend Johann Christoph Schmidt.Education at Eton & Cambridge
Educated at
Eton College , he proceeded toKing's College, Cambridge , and was elected a fellow of this society in 1768.Holy Orders & Gentlemen's Tutor
In 1771 he took holy orders, and afterwards visited many parts of Europe as tutor and travelling companion to various noblemen and gentlemen, including
Lord Herbert , son of theEarl of Pembroke andSamuel Whitbread of the brewing family.Church career
In 1786 he was appointed vicar of
Kingston upon Thames , and ~fl 1788 rector ofBemerton ,Wiltshire . He also held the rectory ofStourton, Wiltshire from 1801 to 1811 and that ofFovant from 1811 until his death. In 1791 he was madeprebendary of Salisbury, and in 1804Archdeacon ofWiltshire .Marriage
He married in 1803 Eleanora, daughter of
William Shairp , consul-general forRussia , and widow of Thomas Yeldham ofSt Petersburg .Works
During a long residence at
Bemerton Coxe was mainly occupied in literary work. His:
*"Memoirs of SirRobert Walpole " (London, 1798),
*"Memoirs of Horatio,Lord Walpole " (London, 1802),
*"Memoirs of John,Duke of Marlborough " (London, 1818-1819),
*"Private and Original Correspondence of Charles Talbot,Duke of Shrewsbury " (London, 1821),
*"Memoirs of the Administrations ofHenry Pelham " (London, 1829), are very valuable for their insight into the history of the 18th century.His "History of the House of Austria" (London, 1807, new ed. 1853 and 1873), and "Memoirs of the Bourbon Kings of Spain" (London, 1813), give evidence of careful and painstaking work on the part of the author. The style, however, as in all his works, is remarkably dull.
His other works are mainly accounts of his travels:
*"Sketches of the Natural, Political and Civil State of Switzerland" (London, 1779)
*"Account of the Russian Discoveries between Asia and America" (London, 1780)
*"Account of Prisons and Hospitals in Russia, Sweden and Denmark" (London, 1781)
*"Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden and Denmark" (London, 1784)
*"Travels in Switzerland" (London, 1789)::"in a series of letters to [the son of]William Melmoth , esq.", printed for T. Cadell, London, three volumes.::::Dedicated toHenry William Portman ,esq., ofBryanston .
*"Letter on Secret Tribunals of Westphalia" (London, 1796)
*"Historical Tour in Monmouthshire" (London, 1801).He also edited Gay's "Fables", and wrote a "Life of John Gay" (Salisbury, 1797), "Anecdotes of G. F. Handel and J. C. Smith" (London, 1798), and a few other works of minor importance. Some of his books have been translated into French, and several have gone through two or more editions.
* Coxe, William (1780). [http://ebook.lib.hku.hk/CTWE/B36599281/ Account of the Russian discoveries between Asia and America] London: Cadell. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
External Links / See also
[http://www.barnelms.com/WilliamCoxeandhistravels.htm] William Coxe : Traveller and Historian
References
*1911
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