John Elwes (politician)
John Elwes MP (born John Meggot or Meggott; 7 April 1714 – 26 November 1789) was a member of parliament (MP) in Great Britain for Berkshire (1772–1784) and an eccentric miser, suggested to be an inspiration for the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.[1] Dickens made reference to Elwes in Bleak House (1853) – along with another notable 18th century miser, Daniel Dancer – and some years later in his last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend.[2] Elwes was also believed to inspire William Harrison Ainsworth to create the character of John Scarfe in his novel The Miser's Daughter.[3][4]
Family background and early life[edit]
Elwes (birth name "Meggot") was born on 7 April 1714 to Robert Meggot, a Southwark brewer (grandson of Sir George Meggot, MP for that same borough),[5] and Amy, daughter of Gervase Elwes, MP for Sudbury, Suffolk, and granddaughter of Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st Baronet, MP for Suffolk (see Elwes baronets).[6][7] His maternal grandmother, Lady Isabella Hervey, was also well-known as a miser.[8][9]
He received an education in the classics at Westminster School. After leaving, he travelled to Geneva where he embraced his skill for horsemanship and hunting. He was known as one of the best riders in Europe. It was at this time that he was introduced to Voltaire, to whom he was reported to bear a remarkable resemblance. However, Elwes was far more impressed with the quality of the horses at his riding school than by the genius of the French philosopher.
First inheritance[edit]
Elwes inherited his first fortune from his father who died in 1718 when Elwes was just four years old. Although his mother was left £100,000 in the will (approx. £18,000,000 as of 2021), she reputedly starved herself to death because she was too cheap to spend it. With her death, he inherited the family estate including Marcham Park at Marcham in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), purchased by his father in 1717.
Second inheritance[edit]
The greatest influence on Elwes' life was his miserly uncle, Sir Hervey Elwes, 2nd Baronet, of Stoke College and MP for Sudbury, whom Elwes obsequiously imitated to gain favour. Sir Hervey prided himself on only spending little more than £110 on himself per annum. The two of them would spend the evening railing against other people's extravagances while they shared a single glass of wine. In 1751, in order to inherit his uncle's estate, he changed his name from Meggot to Elwes. Sir Hervey died on 18 September 1763, bequeathing his entire fortune to his nephew. The net worth of the estate was more than £250,000 (approx. £40,500,000 as of 2021), a figure that continued to grow despite Elwes' inept handling of his finances.
Political career[edit]
In 1772, with the help of Lord Craven he became a Member of Parliament for Berkshire (his election expenses amounted to a mere eighteen pence).[13] He entered the House of Commons in a by-election as a compromise candidate to replace Thomas Craven, which began the first of three terms. He held his seat unopposed until he stood down at the 1784 election. Elwes sat with either party according to his whim, and he never once rose to address the House of Commons. Fellow members mockingly observed that since he possessed only one suit, they could never accuse him of being a "turncoat". Being a member of parliament did, however, cause Elwes to frequently travel to Westminster. He made the journey on a poor lean horse, the route chosen being always the one whereby he could avoid turnpike tolls. He was known to put a hard-boiled egg in his pocket, and midway on his journey would sit under some hedge and eat his egg or sleep. After twelve years, he retired rather than face the prospect of laying out any money to retain his seat.
Moneylending[edit]
Despite his exceptional frugality, Elwes lost huge sums of money to his colleagues in unrepaid loans, uncollected debts and dubious investments. He believed that one did not ask a gentleman for money, regardless of the circumstances. On one notable occasion Elwes, unsolicited, lent Lord Abingdon £7,000 to enable him to place a bet at Newmarket. On the day of the race, Elwes rode on horseback to the racetrack with nothing to eat for fourteen hours save a piece of pancake which he had put into his pocket two months earlier and which he swore to a startled companion was "as good as new".
In literature[edit]
The first account of Elwes' life was Edward Topham's The Life of the Late John Elwes: Esquire (1790), which was initially published in his paper The World. The popularity of this account is attested by the seven editions printed in the book's first year and the many later reprintings under various titles.[16] The compendium Biographical Curiosities (1797, by James Ridgway) also included Elwes.[17]
Elwes is believed to have inspired William Harrison Ainsworth to create the character of John Scarfe in his novel The Miser's Daughter (1842).[18][19]
Ebenezer Scrooge may have been partly based on Elwes.[20] Charles Dickens made reference to Elwes in Bleak House (1853)—along with another notable 18th-century miser, Daniel Dancer—and some years later in his last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend (1865).[21]