Frederick, Lord North suffered the ignominy of being the Prime Minister who lost the American colonies, and so has ‘enjoyed’ the reputation of being one of Britain’s worst Premiers. Yet he was one of the youngest ever to hold the post (not quite 38), and, at over 12 years, one of the longest serving PMs. In terms of the politics of the late 18th century, he was a relatively successful politician, and a skilful operator in the House of Commons.
He has a strong Somerset connection through the Dillington Estate, which came with his marriage in 1756 to its owner, Anne Speke of Whitelackington. Anne had inherited the estate three years previously from her father George Speke, who had been an MP for various Somerset constituencies. North was notorious for being in constant financial difficulty, and it was much rumoured that the marriage would give him access to his wife’s presumed fortune. However, Dillington was not a substantial source of regular income – quite the opposite, as its upkeep was a constant drain on his finances. In a letter to his father in July 1766, North tried to reassure him that “you need not be alarmed about the expense there. Hitherto there had been nothing done but what has been absolutely necessary to make the House habitable and I hope to get all my workmen out of the House in a few days after I get there.”
North stayed at Dillington regularly, and continued his political activities from his Somerset base. For example, he received a letter there in July 1766 from William Pitt, inviting him to join his new Government, and his reply, on 29 July, was suitably florid and effusive: “I am just waked by the arrival of your most obliging letter. The offer it contains is beyond my merits or pretensions, and it is with the utmost thankfulness that I accept of this gracious mark of His Majesty’s goodness.”
We have referred to North’s poor reputation as a Prime Minister. The entertainer and raconteur, Cyril Fletcher, recounts an amusing anecdote about this in his 1978 memoir, Nice One, Cyril. He often spoke at Conservative Party social events, and when opening a fête in East Anglia one year during Harold Wilson’s 1960s Labour Government, he described Wilson as the worst Prime Minister since Lord North. This went down well with the audience, until the local worthy in whose grounds the fête was being held told him: “Sitting next you on the platform was the only living descendant of Lord North!”
Later, when Fletcher did his popular one-man show at Dillington House, he told this tale during his performance, only to be informed by the House’s Artistic Director that, not only was Dillington the family seat of Lord North, but that Fletcher was to sleep that night in Lord North’s bedroom!
Dillington is now an adult education and conference centre, and is famous for its music and arts events. Sadly, Lord North is not buried there, but in his other country seat of Wroxton in Oxfordshire, where his former home, Wroxton Abbey, is now the UK campus of an American university.
© JB Seatrobe (Barry K Winetrobe & Janet Seaton) 2018. A version of this article was published originally in the Aug 2015 issue of the Somerset Leveller, #4.