In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Stuart Handley re-examines the early career of Hugh Boulter, briefly bishop of Bristol before being posted to Ireland, offering some corrections to his life story.
Thomas Lindsay, archbishop of Armagh, died in the summer of 1724, after a long illness. Although William King, archbishop of Dublin, was widely expected to succeed to the Primacy, he was passed over in favour of Hugh Boulter, bishop of Bristol and dean of Christ Church in Oxford. Boulter came to embody the ‘English interest’ in the Irish Church and in Irish politics in general, as was demonstrated in his published correspondence covering his early period as archbishop of Armagh, Letters written by His Excellency Hugh Boulter…to several ministers of state in England, and some others: Containing an account of the most interesting transactions which passed in Ireland from 1724 to 1738 (1770). In 2016 a new edition was published, with an extensive introduction, edited by Kenneth Milne and Patrick McNally. This blog seeks to add to the account of his early career in this volume (written by Milne) and the biography of Boulter in the Oxford DNB (authored by McNally).
One of the most interesting aspects of Boulter’s early life was his marriage, which took place on 12 November 1719, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Charles Savage of Mark Lane, a mere three days before his consecration as bishop of Bristol (15 November). Thomas Hearne, the Jacobite chronicler of Oxford affairs, described Boulter’s bride as the ’daughter of Mr. Savage, a packer in Mark Lane’. The ‘packer’ in question was Charles Savage, who described himself in his April 1729 will, as a merchant. However, he was still ‘a packer’ bequeathing all his packing equipment to his youngest son, Samuel. The will revealed the extent of his wealth, leaving his wife £10,000 and adding £1,000 to the portions of £3,000 given to his four daughters. His Mark Lane property was given to his eldest son, Charles Savage, junior, along with £6,000 in addition to the sums already given to him; the second son, William, received £5,000 and Samuel £4,000. It seems likely that Boulter was only able to marry once he had proved capable of providing Elizabeth Savage with a standard of living consistent with her wealthy background. A bishopric and a plumb deanery were sufficient to meet the demands of her father, especially as he retained his rectory of St. Olave, Southwark in commendum for three years.
Elizabeth Savage’s brother, Charles junior, is of considerable interest, as he is described in the introduction to the correspondence as an advisor in ‘currency’ matters to the archbishop of Armagh (Letters, p. 29). Having succeeded his father, Savage became very successful, serving as a director of the East India Company 1725-9, 1731-2, and then as a director of the Bank of England 1733-43, 1747-60, serving as deputy-governor 1743-5 and governor 1745-7.
During his early career Boulter associated with a group of Whig Churchmen, many of whom became senior members of the episcopal bench. In 1698 he was ordained by John Hough, bishop of Oxford (later of Lichfield and Coventry and then of Worcester); in 1716 he preached Edmund Gibson’s consecration sermon as bishop of Lincoln and succeeded him as archdeacon of Surrey. At Boulter’s own consecration, Archbishop Wake was assisted by Gibson, Hough, Richard Willis of Gloucester (later bishop Salisbury and Winchester) and William Talbot of Salisbury (later bishop of Durham). When the episcopate divided in May 1721 over Bishop Atterbury’s plans for a dormitory in Westminster School, Boulter was joined in the lobby of those opposing Atterbury’s scheme by (among others) Gibson, Talbot, Willis, White Kennett, bishop of Peterborough, Benjamin Hoadly, bishop of Bangor (later Winchester) and Lancelot Blackburne, bishop of Exeter (later archbishop of York).
Boulter’s career in the British House of Lords is briefly dealt with in the introduction to Boulter’s Letters, where it is stated that on 9 March 1721, he was the only bishop to vote against the engraftment bill for the South Sea Company (p. 38 note 39). The source for this is the Lords Journal for that date, which shows that the protest against the committal of the bill was actually signed by John Hervey, earl of Bristol, not the bishop. Similarly, it is stated that on 17 January 1723 Boulter ‘supported the right of the Quakers to affirm’ (p. 37 and note 36). The source for this is Cobbett’s Parliamentary History, vii. 945, which lists those protesting on 17 January 1722 against the decision to reject a petition from the London clergy against the Quaker affirmation bill. Again, the protester is the earl of Bristol, although two Tory bishops Archbishop Dawes of York and Atterbury of Rochester did join the protest.
Boulter did not sign any protests during his time in the British House of Lords. Significantly, Boulter also cast his vote in May 1721 in favour of reversing the decree in the cause of the duke of Marlborough against Strong, joining Hoadly of Bangor, Talbot of Salisbury, Blackburne of Exeter and Gibson of Lincoln. This put him in the good books of Sarah, duchess of Marlborough, and he was the recipient of several gifts of bucks from her park in the following years.
Boulter died in London on 27 September 1742 during a rare visit to England.
SNH
Further Reading:
The Boulter Letters, ed. Kenneth Milne and Patrick McNally (Four Courts Press, 2016)
