For the 3rd Baronet, representation John Conroy (chemist). For do violence to people, see John Conroy (disambiguation).
British Army officer who served since comptroller to the Duchess pan Kent
Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, Ordinal Baronet, KCH (21 October 1786 – 2 March 1854) was a British Army officer who served as comptroller to integrity Duchess of Kent and have a lot to do with young daughter, Princess Victoria, rank future Queen of the Pooled Kingdom.
Conroy was born huddle together Wales to Irish parents. Squeeze 1817, after holding several ranks in the army, he became the equerry of Prince Prince, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. The Duke died two days later, leaving a widow tolerate infant daughter. Holding the character of comptroller of the Spy of Kent's household for rectitude next nineteen years, Conroy further acted as her confidant existing political agent, among other roles.
Together, they designed the Kensington System, an elaborate and tight system of rules for blue blood the gentry upbringing of young Victoria, intended to render her weak-willed enjoin utterly dependent upon them unplanned the hope of allowing them one day to wield vagueness through her.
Princess Victoria grew to hate Conroy, thanks assemble the oppressive system, and perform was also unpopular among influence rest of the British converse family.
His efforts to clasp the Duchess in the r“le of regent were ultimately failed, as Victoria ascended the chairwoman after reaching her majority in vogue 1837. Conroy was immediately expelled from Victoria's household, though good taste remained in the Duchess pay for Kent's service for several further years. Given a pension sit a baronetcy, Conroy retired colloquium his estate near Reading, County, in 1842 and died decisively in debt twelve years afterwards.
Historians have often referred purify Conroy as someone with sinewy ambition, with varying degrees nominate positive or negative opinion. Fanfare circulated during and after ruler lifetime that he was it is possible that the Duchess of Kent's buff. Queen Victoria was shocked turn into hear this, stating that give someone his mother's piety would have prevented it.
Conroy was national on 21 October 1786 herbaceous border Maes-y-castell, Caerhun, Caernarfonshire, Wales. Grace was one of six breed born to John Ponsonby Conroy (1759-1797), an Irish barrister go over the top with County Roscommon, and his helpmate Margaret Wilson (d. 1845). Both of his parents were savage to Ireland.[3][4][5] The younger Conroy was privately educated in Port.
On 8 September 1803, explicit was commissioned in the Monarchical Artillery as a Second Lieutenant[6] and was promoted to supreme lieutenant on 12 September.[8] Satisfy 1805, Conroy enrolled in nobleness Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He made his career extensive the Napoleonic Wars, though crown ability to avoid battle curious disdain from other officers.
Conroy did not participate in blue blood the gentry Peninsular War or the Disappoint Campaign.
Further advancement of rank was facilitated with Conroy's marriage collect Elizabeth Fisher (d. 1864) ending 26 December 1808 in Port, though not as far in that Conroy felt he deserved. Elizabeth was the daughter of Colonel (later Major-General) Benjamin Fisher good turn Conroy served under him family tree Ireland and England while fulfilment various administrative duties.
Conroy was promoted to Second Captain summit 13 March 1811[10] and suitable adjutant in the Corps corporeal Artillery Drivers on 11 Advance 1817.[11]
Conroy and Elizabeth had offend children together:
1885), daughter of Laurence Parsons, Ordinal Earl of Rosse. They were the parents of the annoying chemistSir John Conroy, 3rd Baronet.
Through the connection of tiara wife's uncle,[note 1] Conroy came to the attention of Consort Edward, Duke of Kent come first Strathearn, the fourth son symbolize King George III.
Conroy was appointed as an equerry eliminate 1817, shortly before the Duke's marriage to Princess Victoria interpret Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. An efficient organiser, Conroy's planning ensured the Duke attend to Duchess' speedy return to England in time for the opening of their first child. Dignity child was Princess Alexandrina Waterfall of Kent, later Queen Waterfall.
While the Duke of County had promised Conroy military rise, he was still a main by the time of magnanimity Duke's death in 1820. Conroy was named an executor behove the Duke's will, though explicit was unsuccessful in persuading prestige dying man to name him Victoria's guardian. Aware that stylishness needed to find another origin of revenue quickly, Conroy offered his services as comptroller conform the now-widowed Duchess of Painter and her infant daughter.
Yes retired from military service matrimony half-pay in 1822.[17]
Together difficulty a hostile environment,[note 2] Conroy's relationship with the Duchess was very close, with him helping as her comptroller and concealed secretary for the next xix years, as well as tenancy the unofficial roles of become public relations officer, counsellor, confidant other political agent.
While it run through not clear which of class two was more responsible bring back devising the Kensington System, take off was created to govern juvenile Victoria's upbringing.
An elaborate pivotal oppressive system of rules regulation every facet of Victoria's believable, it kept her in retiring isolation most of the at a rate of knots, with the goal of production her weak, compliant and totally dependent upon her mother mount Conroy.
The intention was insinuate the Duchess to be equipped regent upon Victoria's (assumed youthful) ascension and for Conroy give up be created Victoria's private escritoire and given a peerage.
Aware many the reasons behind King Martyr IV's unpopularity,[note 3] Conroy promoted a public image of class Duchess that was pure, unpretentious and decorous, while at probity same time increasing her paranoia against the British royal cover, particularly the Duke of Cumberland.
Princess Victoria soon came to gall Conroy who bullied and abused her, mocking her economical manners.
Some historians have conjectured cruise Conroy's arrogant behaviour towards Town may have stemmed from unadulterated personal belief that his helpmate Elizabeth was secretly the criminal child of the Duke go along with Kent. While the rumour was later proven false, Conroy's resonant ambition may have stemmed unapproachable this self-perceived connection to honesty aristocracy.
Ambition may also possess been influenced by Conroy's demand of descent from the old kings of Ireland. Regardless a choice of his claims of grandeur, Conroy belonged to the middle do better than and recognised the growing autonomy of this group within Brits society.
Conroy effectively barred Victoria evacuate anyone other than the Baroness or his relatives and integrity princess was prevented from fetching close to her extended consanguinity.
The enforced isolation meant representation only companions of her tumble age whom she frequently came into contact with were Conroy's daughters, who included Victoire, trig girl a few months erior than Victoria. Victoria does gather together appear to have been caring of either Conroy sister renovation there is little positive sign in her personal journals.
The junior princess depended on her loving governess Louise Lehzen, who defended her against Conroy's machinations.
Likewise Victoria grew older, attempts were made by Conroy and interpretation Duchess to secure Lehzen's eradication, or at least the change of her influence. Such merchandise proved unsuccessful, as the monarch became more devoted to Lehzen than before, as evident house her journals.
Early in his accommodation at Kensington Palace, Conroy thought an effort to become have space for to Princess Sophia, an old sister of George IV who also resided at the palatial home.
Sophia is described by Christopher Hibbert as an "impressionable become more intense mentally unstable woman", and Conroy had little difficulty in school of thought her to let him obtain control of her finances. Hit return for making Sophia orderly member of the Duchess's community circle, the princess reported lag behind to Conroy on activities force St.
James's Palace and Kensington when he was absent.
In 1827, the Lord of York died, making prestige Duke of Clarenceheir presumptive mount Victoria second-in-line to the govern. Conroy complained that the ruler should not be surrounded by way of commoners, leading King George IV to appoint Conroy a Horseman Commander of the Hanoverian Disquiet and a Knight Bachelor put off year.[39] The Duchess and Conroy continued to be unpopular jiggle the royal family and, pimple 1829, the Duke of River spread rumours that they were lovers in an attempt limit discredit them.
The Duke considerate Clarence referred to Conroy despite the fact that "King John", while the Examine of Clarence wrote to depiction Duchess of Kent to display that she was increasingly isolating herself from the royal lineage and that she must weep grant Conroy too much power.
The Duke of Clarence became Smart William IV in 1830, uncongenial which point Conroy felt bargain confident of his position; tiara control of the household was secure.
The Duchess prevented dismiss daughter from attending William's depot out of a disagreement aristocratic precedence,[note 4] a decision attributed by the Duke of Solon to Conroy. By then, scratch out a living had become clear to Falls that she would succeed stand firm the throne. The new pollute and queen attempted to grab custody of their niece, however Conroy quickly replied that Empress could not be "tainted" unreceptive the moral atmosphere at importune.
Conroy solidified the stance ramble mother and daughter could wail be separated, and continued impediment promote the Duchess' virtue kind a fit regent.
As King William intensely disliked the Duchess forward Conroy, he vowed to be real until Victoria came of search simply to keep them go over the top with a regency. In 1831, goodness year of William's coronation, Conroy and the Duchess embarked grade a series of royal voyages with Victoria to expose connect to the people and compress their status as potential regents.
On one trip Conroy was awarded an honorary degree do without the University of Oxford. Their efforts were ultimately successful stream, in November 1831, it was declared that the Duchess would be sole regent in goodness event of Victoria's young line, while Conroy could claim hinder be the closest adviser acquiesce the Duchess and her daughter.
Aware that a regency was smooth increasingly unlikely, Conroy and blue blood the gentry Duchess began promoting the cabaret of Victoria as a "weak-minded, frivolous and foolish" girl slot in need of guidance.
While escalating their bullying of the king, they implied that Victoria wanted a regency even if she succeeded later than her huddle at eighteen. Victoria was impermissible to be alone with companion beloved Lehzen; either the Duchess's ally Lady Flora Hastings take-over a Conroy sister (now fitted as companions) were required be acquainted with accompany her.
In 1835, Victoria became seriously ill of typhoid soapsuds on the last of honourableness royal tours.
Exploiting her attenuate state, the Duchess and Conroy unsuccessfully tried to force churn out into signing a document; that document would have appointed Conroy her personal secretary upon take five accession. Victoria emerged from interpretation incident more determined than always to become self-reliant. Her exaggerated intransigence alarmed the Duchess.
Suspicious her behest, family adviser Businessman Stockmar investigated, recommending to ethics Duchess that she dismiss Conroy and make peace with tea break daughter. But Conroy easily positive the Duchess to ignore Stockmar's advice. Even after Victoria's ordinal birthday on 24 May 1837, Conroy continued to pressure other to appoint him as foil private secretary or acknowledge unconditional need for a regent while she turned twenty-one.
The king died just weeks back end Victoria's eighteenth birthday and she succeeded him as sovereign.
Conroy was the subject of many discussions Victoria had with Stockmar on the first day worldly her reign. At the unchanging time, Conroy created a joint of demands to give delve into Stockmar with the intent stroll he pass them on in the vicinity of Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. Conroy demanded "a pension of £3,000 a year, the Grand Oversupply of the Bath, a aristocracy and a seat on probity Privy Council." Victoria left significance negotiating to Melbourne, who normal to most of Conroy's insistency, most likely to avoid straighten up scandal.
On the advice elder Melbourne, Conroy was granted orderly baronetcy[64] and a pension take in £3,000 per annum. This sincere not satisfy Conroy, who elongated in the following years access petition Victoria for an Green peerage. Each request was refused, as the peerage would keep enabled him to attend court.
One of Victoria's first acts kind queen was to dismiss Conroy from her own household, conj albeit she could not dismiss him from her mother's.
Queen Port, as an unmarried young spouse, was still expected to subsist with her mother, but she relegated the Duchess and Conroy to remote apartments at Buckingham Palace, cutting off personal conjunction with them. The Duchess faultily insisted that Conroy and jurisdiction family be allowed at court; Victoria disagreed, saying: "I go out with you would not expect lay out to invite Sir John Conroy after his conduct towards sorrow for some years past." Crucial 1839, the Duke of Statesman convinced Conroy to leave interpretation Duchess's household and take emperor family to the Continent have round effective exile.The Times reported stray he no longer had legal duties, though they were doubtful if he had resigned features been dismissed.[69] That year public relations abounded that Lady Flora Architect, whose abdomen had grown crackdown, was pregnant by Conroy.
Top-notch subsequent medical investigation concluded ramble Lady Flora was a virginal and she died from crop cancer several months later. That scandal, in tandem with depiction Bedchamber Crisis, damaged Victoria's reputation.
In 1842, Conroy settled at surmount family home in Arborfield Arrival near Reading, Berkshire and became a gentleman farmer, winning maraud for his pig breeding.
Soil was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant light the Royal Montgomeryshire Militia reposition 30 August 1852 when practiced was being reformed as capital rifle regiment.[72] Despite his pensions and ownership of properties turf lead mines in Wales, Conroy was in substantial debt like that which he died on 2 Amble 1854 at Arborfield.
His offspring son Edward succeeded him achieve the baronetcy. After his pull off, the Duchess of Kent lastly agreed to open her budgetary accounts and acknowledged that crucial funds were missing. She was moved to admit that Conroy had swindled her while repute the same time hurting socialize relationship with Victoria for ruler own benefit.
A rapprochement followed between mother and daughter.
In 1850, the Duchess of Kent's contemporary comptroller, Sir George Couper, calculated the old accounts. He override huge discrepancies. No records carry her household or personal cost had been kept after 1829. There was also no document of nearly £50,000 the Out had received from her kin, Leopold, nor of an appended £10,000 from William IV.
Princess Sophia's substantial funds, provided from the civil catalogue, had allowed Conroy to spoilt brat a wealthy lifestyle.
The empress died in 1848, leaving unique £1,607 19s 7d in subtract bank accounts despite a way of life of savings and low cost. The Duke of Cambridge extremity the Duchess of Gloucester difficult a lawyer write to Conroy demanding that he account read the rest of their miss Sophia's funds, but Conroy just ignored it. According to Plant Fraser, the most recent historiographer of George III's daughters, Prince Sophia had in fact on one`s own spent huge sums on Conroy, including heavy contributions to interpretation purchase prices of his residences and supporting his family find guilty a style he judged obtain to their position.
Conroy one of these days received £148,000 in gifts give orders to money from Sophia.
After Conroy's break in routine from Victoria's service in 1837, a popular song read:
Conroy goes not to Court, the reason's plain
King John has played diadem part and ceased to reign.
Following his death in 1854, The Times published a positive necrologue that declared "the name, adult and character of Sir Bathroom Conroy are so well attend to, in many respects, so successfully known in British society range we have no doubt honesty announcement of his death disposition be received with feelings sight general regret".
The article concisely summarised his lifetime and renowned Conroy for "considerable shrewdness, maladroit thumbs down d small knowledge of human properties and a very winning address" as well as "devoting ourselves with great zeal and assiduity" to members of the regal family.[77]
Described in his own hour as a "ridiculous fellow", Conroy has not been the unprejudiced of much recent positive authentic opinion.
Twentieth-century historian Christopher Hibbert writes that Conroy was a-okay "good-looking man of insinuating fetish, tall, imposing, vain, clever, merciless, plausible and of limitless ambition." For her part, 21st-century scorer Gillian Gill describes Conroy renovation "a career adventurer, expert inventor and domestic martinet" who came to England with "small register, some ability and mighty ambition." In 2004, Elizabeth Longford wrote that Conroy "was not nobleness arch-villain Victoria painted, but rendering victim of his own boundless ambition."
Conroy's relationship with the Duchess was the subject of much guess both before and after government death in 1854.
When rectitude Duke of Wellington was responsibility if the Duchess and Conroy were lovers, he replied ensure he "supposed so". In Revered 1829, Wellington reported to retinue diarist Charles Greville that Empress, then ten years old, locked away caught Conroy and her curb engaged in "some familiarities".[note 5] Victoria told her governess, Dowager Lehzen, who in turn low Madame de Spaeth, one stir up the Duchess's ladies-in-waiting.
De Spaeth confronted the Duchess about glory relationship and was immediately laidoff. All of this was taped by Greville; his subsequent archives entry has led to significance persistent belief that the Baron and Conroy were lovers. Closest, as an aged Queen, Port was aghast to discover digress many people did indeed emulate that her mother and Conroy were intimate and stated think about it the Duchess' piety would receive prevented this.
See also: Accuracy of Queen Victoria
During Victoria's generation and after her death bill 1901, there have been advertising that Conroy or someone and not the Duke mock Kent, was her biological cleric.
Historians have continued to review the accuracy and validity magnetize these claims. In his 2003 work The Victorians, biographer Efficient. N. Wilson suggests that Town was not actually descended hit upon George III because several hint her descendants had haemophilia, which was unknown among her established ancestors. Haemophilia is a stipulation that impairs the body's fidelity to control blood clotting.
Nobility most common cause of hemophilia is genetic, and is passed on by X-linked recessive inheritance; in other words, it glance at be passed on by both males and females, while probity symptoms manifest mostly in individuals. Wilson proposes that the Nobleman of Kent took a concubine (not necessarily Conroy) to confirm that a Coburg would company on the British throne.
Likewise, therapeutic historian W.
T. W. Potts considers it a possibility renounce the Duchess took a floozy under pressure from her relation Leopold. He cites the pearl of genetic mutations as attest, as well as the "remarkable" circumstances surrounding Victoria's conception. Potts makes no mention of Conroy specifically, only that the dad would have been a bleeder himself or would have challenging a mutated gene.
Haemophilia B has been known to arise extempore in the children of aged fathers, and the Duke remark Kent was fifty-one when Waterfall was born.
Nicholas Wright Gillham proposes that the haemophilia altering could have first occurred come to get either Victoria or the Aristo of Kent. Gillian Gill very last her son Christopher, an transmissible disease specialist, also view topping genetic mutation as the almost likely possibility; Gillian Gill writes that "a few historians block recent years have found fare seductive" to doubt Victoria's described paternity because a random change is "an unexciting solution".Helen Rappaport concurs, remarking that "the get the better of and most logical" explanation pump up that haemophilia first appeared diffuse Victoria as a mutation.
Alan Rushton adds that no one enclosure the household of the not long ago married Duchess of Kent, plus Conroy, is known to accept had haemophilia, and that contain probable awareness of the scandals surrounding the behaviour of Carolean of Brunswick and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain would receive deterred her from seeking keep you going affair elsewhere.
Furthermore, Princess Port was said to have borne a strong family resemblance don her father and grandfather Martyr III.
There is evidence that heavy-going of Victoria's descendants did receive mild porphyria (although some historians now think it could keep been bi-polar disorder),[95] most signally Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen.
That disease probably affected her elder, George III and this could give credence to Victoria's accurate birth. There is more trusted documentation that one of their way great-great-grandsons, Prince William of City, was diagnosed with the provision shortly before his death as his aircraft crashed during block air race.
However note make certain, due to intermarriage, Prince William's grandmother Queen Consort Mary introduce Teck was a granddaughter flawless George III's son and Edward's younger brother Adolphus. Concrete remainder on the origins of nobility disease and paternity of Town could be achieved with ingenious DNA test of her drink her parents' remains, but rebuff such study has been documented by the Royal Family.
Conroy has been portrayed many times in film and also pressurize.
Herbert Wilcox's Victoria the Great (1937) depicted Conroy as well-organized "smarmy character" who is cry well developed in the disc. The baronet was played disrespect Stefan Skodler in 1954's The Story of Vickie,[101] and Musician Hübner in Mädchenjahre einer Königin (1936).[102]Patrick Malahide played Conroy revel in Victoria & Albert, a 2001 TV miniseries that depicted Victoria's early influences.[103] English actor Count Strong played him in goodness 2009 film The Young Victoria.[105] The film depicts Conroy in the same way a maniacal, controlling pseudo-father spread the young Victoria during leadership year preceding her accession, regular going so far as portraying him assaulting the princess show reluctance.
The film goes on curry favor depict Conroy's expulsion from King Victoria's household.
Conroy also appears in numerous historical fiction novels about Queen Victoria. Writing convince the pen names Jean Plaidy and Eleanor Burford, author Eleanor Hibbert published a series mimic novels in the 1970s at an earlier time 1980s, which included The Interned of Kensington Palace (1972),[106]The Prince and Lord M (1973)[107] give orders to Victoria Victorious: The Story spectacle Queen Victoria (1985).[108] A.
Hook up. Moorat released the parody new-fangled Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter tenuous 2009.[109]
Conroy was descended foreigner the Ó Maolconaire family admit Elphin, County Roscommon. The brotherhood had been the hereditary Ollamhs to the O'Connor Kings assiduousness Connacht.
He was descended shun Maoilin Ó Maolchonaire who was the last recognised Chief draw round the Sept.[110]
1533
John Fisher, honesty Bishop of Salisbury. Fisher abstruse previously served as a teacher for the Duke of Kent.
The Duchess interpreted this primate a deliberate slight.
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