The Veracity of the Poet Richard Savage

Abstract

IN 1858 articles were published by W. Moy Thomas in which he considered the question whether the poet, playwright, and author Richard Savage (1697–1743) was an imposter in his claim to be the extra-marital child born to Anne Countess of Macclesfield, then going by the name of Mrs or Lady Smith, on 16 January 1697. Thomas concluded that the claim was false and that the historical Richard Savage was an imposter.1 Thomas’ conclusions have been widely accepted and relied upon. The Oxford Companion to English Literature, both the third and the fifth editions is just one of many examples of this acceptance.2 There are, however, several compelling reasons for suggesting that Thomas was wrong and that Savage was in fact the Countess’ illegitimate son. Some at least of these facts are not mentioned by Thomas, while he appears to have overlooked the significance of others. The evidence, given in the House of Lords, during the Macclesfield divorce case of 1698 proved beyond any doubt whatever that Lady Macclesfield had borne a son on 16 January 1697 in a house in Fox Court, Brook Street Holborn.3 Much of this evidence had already been given in affidavits filed in the Court of the Arches but no verdict was ever given in the court.4 The essential evidence was that of the midwife, Mrs Pheasant, who was then also going under an alias of Lee; in addition there was evidence from Lady Macclesfield's personal maid, Dinah Alsopp, and several other witnesses. The boy was baptised on 18 January 1697 at St Andrew's Church Holborn under the name of Richard Smith.5 The evidence further proved that the child had been handed over by his original wet nurse to one Ann Portlock.6 Thomas claimed that the child would as a result have been called Portlock and that evidence of the death of a child called Portlock established that the child Smith /Savage had died in infancy.7 No futher evidence was adduced by Thomas in support of this claim.