WY992/4

Report of the illness of Lord MaCartney

c.1806

From: 1806 To: 1806

In last July Lord MacCartney caught a violent cold which brought on his complaint. Doctor said he must return to town which they did, after ten days he thought he was recovered and so went back to Chirwick. In less than a week he had another bad attack even worse than the one he had before. Around February his spirits were low and he no longer got any pleasure out of reading. He hardly ate anything and complained of perpetual thirst and drank ”immense quantities of various sorts of beverage”. Second bout of gout came about two weeks after the first. One night his stomach was so bad that the Doctor was called “who gave him a large glass of Brandy which relieved him wonderfully”. After a few days however he became worse so that “sent for Sir Walter Farquham, who gave him medicines, and all of them constantly recommended, Brandy, Madeira wine and hot things.” When he got a bit better he ate cold salt beef, hard eggs, suet pudding and other things of the kind.” Lord MacCartney knew he was dying and that “the Physicians thought so, but they would not say this to me, they indeed most positively assured me there was not the smallest occasion for alarm, that his constitution was strong . . . “ but that if he could be persuaded to rest himself and try to eat proper things he would soon be well. “ When Lady MacCartney said that she hoped he would be well enough to go to Chirwick after Easter he replied, “after Easter I shall be underground, alas, alas.” The Monday before his death, “he . . . . had greater difficulty in breathing. Yesterday Lord Hertford and General Benson “met here . . . with the lawyer who opened and read the will and has left Jane” 2,000 guineas a year, three hundred pounds so to pay the rent of Corney House and two thousand pounds to dispose of in my own family . . . nothing is mentioned in the will respecting the place of internment but Lord MaCartney has repeatedly told me that he wished to be buried at Chirwick”. He had also asked “that he might be opened after his death and having said the same to Home the surgeon, I consented to this being done yesterday morning” [seeWY992/3]. Talking about the inflammation of part of his stomach, “probably increased by the hot medicine they gave and were continually urging me, to persuade him to take, so it was too true what he said poor man that they had all totally mistaken his case. A postscript says “ I will add that General Benson is a very worthy intelligent man”.

item

Macartney, George [1st Earl Macartney],
Farquham, Walter,
Benson,
Macartney, Jane [Countess Macartney]

CORRESPONDENCE, general death, brandy, medical conditions, wills