Arthur Maynwaring
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Arthur Maynwaring or Mainwaring (9 July 1668 – 13 November 1712), of
Ightfield Ightfield is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 529. Within the civil parish boundaries is another small village - Calverhall. Ightfield is situated in a rural area, w ...
,
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, was an English official and Whig politician who sat in the English and
British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
from 1706 to 1712. He was also a journalist and a polemic political author.


Early life

Maynwaring was born at Ightfield, the son of Charles Maynwaring of Ightfield, and his wife Katherine Cholmondeley, daughter of Thomas Cholmondeley of
Vale Royal Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham. History The ...
,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
. His grandfather was Sir Arthur Mainwaring. He was educated at
Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...
and matriculated at
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, on 23 November 1683, aged 15. In 1687 he was admitted at the
Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
. Maynwaring supported the losing Jacobite side at the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
. For many years, he lived with his uncle, Francis Cholmondeley, who refused to take the oaths to William and Mary, and was encouraged in his Stuart sympathies by a non-juring relation, Sir Philip Egerton. From Cheshire he came to live with his father in Essex Street,
Strand, London The Strand (commonly referred to with a leading "The", but formally without) is a major street in the City of Westminster, Central London. The street, which is part of London's West End Theatre, West End theatreland, runs just over from Tra ...
, to study law. He wrote an article in favour of James II and attacking the supporters of the Revolution, which attracted the attention of his Whig relations, Lord Cholmondeley and the Duke of Somerset. These, with
Earl of Burlington Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the duk ...
introduced him to the circle of
Lord Somers Baron Somers, of Evesham in the County of Worcester, is a title that has been created twice. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1697 for Sir John Somers, so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as Lord Chance ...
and other prominent Whigs, and Maynwaring altered his politics.


Political career

On his father's death around 1693, Maynwaring inherited an estate, gave up the law, and raising money on Ightfield, devoted himself to political and social life. When the
treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included the Dutc ...
in 1697 reopened communication with France he went to Paris, where he met Boileau and
La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...
. Now a Whig, he was made a member of the
Kit-Cat Club The Kit-Cat Club (sometimes Kit Kat Club) was an early 18th-century English club in London with strong political and literary associations. Members of the club were committed Whigs (British political party), Whigs. They met at the Trumpet Tavern ...
, and received through Montague a commissionership of customs. In 1705
Sidney Godolphin Sidney Godolphin is the name of: * Sidney Godolphin (colonel) (1652–1732), Member of Parliament for fifty years * Sidney Godolphin (poet) (1610–1643), English poet * Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of G ...
rewarded his political services by appointing him auditor of imprests. His relationship with the actress
Anne Oldfield Anne Oldfield (168323 October 1730) was an England, English actress and one of the highest paid actresses of her time. Early life and discovery She was born in London in 1683. Her father was a soldier, James Oldfield. Her mother was either Ann ...
began somewhat earlier. He was a close friend of
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...
, and considered himself her secretary. Maynwaring was elected in a contest as Member of Parliament for the borough of Preston on the interest of the Earl of Derby, at a by-election on 27 December 1706. Early in 1708 he was appointed secretary to the Duchess of Marlborough, whom he saw as a key ally in forwarding the Whig cause. He was returned unopposed as Whig MP for Preston at the
1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...
. He supported the naturalization of the Palatines, and between 1709 and 1710 was a fiery advocate of the prosecution of
Henry Sacheverell Henry Sacheverell (; 8 February 1674 – 5 June 1724) was an English high church Anglican clergyman who achieved nationwide fame in 1709 after preaching an incendiary 5 November sermon. He was subsequently impeached by the House of Commons and ...
. He also became embroiled in the Court intrigues at the time of the Duchess's falling out with the Queen and the ascendency of Mrs Masham. At the
1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...
, he was returned instead as MP for West Looe. Maynwaring's health gave way, as he went down with
consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...
. He worked on at journalism, incessantly, towards the end of the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
, and kept up his duties as auditor in person.


Works

A first literary effort, ''Tarquin and Tullia'', an outspoken satire on William III and
Mary II Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Sh ...
, was published by Maynwaring quite soon after moving to London. The next year, in the ''King of Hearts'', he ridiculed
Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington Privy Council of England, PC (13 January 1652 – 2 January 1694) was a Member of Parliament#United Kingdom, Member of Parliament, Privy Council of England, Privy Councillor, Protestant protagonist in the ...
, and his Cheshire men entering London in state. The verses, published anonymously, sold well, were attributed to
John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
, and made the author's fortune. He wrote a number of prologues for Anne Oldfield. Maynwaring attacked Sacheverell and his supporters in a merciless fashion in the ''Letters to a Friend in North Britain''. ''Hannibal and Hanno'', a defence of the
Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...
, belongs to the same period. The exact part taken by Maynwaring in the ''Whig Examiner'', the first number of which appeared on 14 September 1710, five weeks after its rival the Tory ''Examiner'', is not clear. Dissatisfied with the shared name ''Examiner'', while running the paper, he planned ''The Medley'', and on 5 October the first number was issued. During the ten months that it lasted the ''Medley'' was almost entirely Maynwaring's own work, hounding the ''Examiner'' with criticisms. Robert Harley to try to gag it, but the attorney-general refused to move. With 1711 the Tory position seemed secure; on 26 July the ''Examiner'' was dropped, and in the following week the last ''Medley'' was printed.
Grub Street Until the early 19th century, Grub Street was a street close to London's impoverished Moorfields district that ran from Fore Street east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate north to Chiswell Street. It was pierced along its length with narrow ent ...
,
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...
pronounced, was dead. He published an attack on French policy towards the close of the year; in 1712 he was engaged on a history of the march to the
battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim (; ; ) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the reconstituted G ...
, based on a diary kept by Francis Hare. A fragment was printed, by John Oldmixon.


Death and legacy

Maynwaring died on 14 November 1712. He never married but had an illegitimate son Arthur by his mistress of eight years, Ann Oldfield. He left his property equally between Anne Oldfield, his sister who had nursed him during his final illness, and his son Arthur Maynwaring to be used on his education. Three months after his death, 9 February 1713, the Tory ''Examiner'' attacked his character, and
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...
replied.


Notes

;Attribution


External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mainwaring, Arthur 1668 births 1712 deaths English writers English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall British MPs 1710–1713 People educated at Shrewsbury School Whig members of the pre-1707 English Parliament