Lord Fordwich's grand tour 1756-60

About this book

In January 1757 George Nassau Clavering-Cowper left England to undertake his Grand Tour of Europe. Styled Viscount Fordwich, he was 18 years old and heir to an earldom. In most cases a young gentleman?s Grand Tour took about a year, Lord Fordwich?s lasted three. The first two years were spent at the renowned Academy in Lausanne. Then in April 1759 he set out on a trip which took him through the Rhineland, Bavaria and Austria, then south to Italy. By June he had arrived in Venice, from where he travelled on to Padua, Bologna, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena. He then spent a month in Naples and another six weeks in Rome. While in Florence he fell passionately in love with a beautiful Florentine lady known as the Marchesa Corsi. The 2nd Earl Cowper died in September 1764 without ever having seen his son return home. Apart from one short visit to England in 1786, the 3rd Earl Cowper remained in Florence until his death in 1789. The journal, financial records and correspondence were all written in French, and the task of transcribing, translating and editing this material has been undertaken by Sheila White and Philip Sheail.