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TAL off five of his daughters in the course of a few days—a calamity which drew forth expressions of sympathy from all classes of the community. Shortly after, on the resignation of Bishop Blomfield, Dr. Tait was appointed to the see of London, on the suggestion, it is said, of her majesty herself. He was consecrated to the episcopal office in November, 1856, and was sworn a privy councillor. In this important situation he has distinguished himself by his liberality, incessant activity and zeal, and especially by his self-denying labours among the poor. He was offered, but declined, the archbishopric of York in 1862.—J. T.  TALBOT, the surname of one of the oldest and most powerful noble families in England. The first person of note who bore this name was Richard de Talbot, mentioned in Doomsday-book. His second son, was the ancestor of the great house of Shrewsbury. The Talbots settled in Herefordshire in the reign of Henry II., obtained large possessions, high honours and offices, and intermarried with the powerful families of Basset, Beauchamp, Boteler, Stafford, and Strange, and even with the blood-royal. The greatest man of the family was—

, sixth Baron Talbot, and first earl of Shrewsbury, who was born in 1373. He was the second son of Richard, Lord Talbot of Goodrich castle, Herefordshire, and on the death of his elder brother, Gilbert, became heir to the family titles and estates. Having married the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Nevil, Lord Furnival, he was summoned to parliament in 1409 by this title. In the first year of Henry V. (1413) he was imprisoned in the Tower, in consequence of a s uspicion that he favoured the house of York; but he speedily regained his freedom, and in 1414 was appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland, which was then in a very disturbed state. During the seven years in which he held this post he subdued many of the native chiefs, and at length captured Donald M'Murrough, chief of Leinster, and consigned him to the tower of London. Lord Talbot subsequently gained great distinction in the French wars of Henry V., displayed remarkable bravery at the siege of Rouen, and attended the English monarch in his triumphant entry into Paris. On the death of Henry, Talbot was created a knight of the garter, and was a second time appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland. His highest renown, however, was attained in France, in supporting the claim of his sovereign to the throne of that kingdom. He served for some time under the famous duke of Bedford the regent, gained numerous battles, captured many towns, and made his name more terrible to the enemy than that of any other leader. After the death of Bedford, the management of the war devolved almost solely upon him. He was associated with the earl of Salisbury in the memorable siege of Orleans, which was raised in 1429 by Joan of Arc. At the battle of Patay, which took place soon after, the English army was routed, and Talbot after performing prodigies of valour was taken prisoner by the enthusiastic heroine. He was exchanged for Xantrailles in 1433, according to the English account, but the French affirm that he was set at liberty by that general without a ransom. Having raised fresh troops in England, he again took the field, defeated the French in various encounters, and captured Beaumont-sur-Oise, Pontoise, and several other strong places. He was rewarded for these great services with the dignity of marshal of France, and the title of earl of Shrewsbury (1442). In 1446 he was, for the third time, sent to Ireland as lord-lieutenant, and was elevated to the peerage of that kingdom as earl of Wexford and Waterford. Meanwhile the English affairs in France continued steadily to decline, and Talbot was once more sent thither to replace the duke of York in command of the English army, and was appointed lieutenant-general of Aquitaine. He was taken prisoner at the capture of Rouen in 1449, and did not regain his liberty until the following year, when he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome. In 1452 he was once more despatched to Guienne with four thousand men to the assistance of the inhabitants of that province, who had revolted against the French king. Bordeaux, and a number of other towns and forts immediately opened their gates to the renowned warrior. But having marched at the head of a small force to raise the siege of Castellan, which the French had invested with a powerful army, he was overwhelmed by numbers, and fell in battle, July 20, 1453, in the eightieth year of his age. The death of this great leader, and of his son. Lord Lisle, who perished at the same time, forms the subject of a most touching scene in Shakspeare's Henry VI. Their remains were conveyed to England, and interred at Whitchurch in Shropshire, where a splendid monument has been erected to the memory of the "English Achilles" as he was termed by the French. With him perished the English dominion in France. He was a faithful subject, a sincere patriot, a generous enemy, and an exact observer of his word. His son and successor—

, second earl. Lord-treasurer of England, fell at the battle of Northampton in 1460, fighting on the side of the Red Rose. His third son. Sir Gilbert, whose descendants ultimately succeeded to the earldom of Shrewsbury, commanded the right wing of the earl of Richmond's army at the battle of Bosworth, and was rewarded by the victor with the honour of knighthood, and with the grant of the manor of Grafton and other lands. Two years afterwards he contributed powerfully to the overthrow of the adherents of Lambert Simnel at the battle of Stoke. , the fourth earl, also fought in the same battle.—, fifth earl, held several important offices under Queen Mary, and distinguished himself by his bravery, prudence, and fidelity. In spite of his steady adherence to the religion of his ancestors, Elizabeth on her accession to the throne admitted the earl to her privy council. His only son, sixth earl, was the richest and most powerful peer of his time, and after the execution of the duke of Norfolk, was appointed earl marshal of England His second wife was the famous Bess of Hardwick, who had been already thrice married, and had persuaded her successive husbands to intrust her with the entire control of their large estates. Lodge says, "She was a woman of a masculine understanding and conduct, proud, furious, selfish, and unfeeling. She was a builder, a buyer and seller of estates, a money-lender, a farmer, and a merchant of lead, coals, and timber." She died at a great age in 1607, and immensely rich, having laid the foundation of two dukedoms, and erected the magnificent mansions of Chatsworth, Hardwicke, Oldcotes, and Haddon.—, twelfth earl, and first duke of Shrewsbury, was born in 1660. He succeeded to the family titles and estates at a very early age, his father having been killed in a duel with the duke of Buckingham, who had seduced his countess. It was said, that the abandoned woman held the duke's horse, in the dress of a page, while he was fighting her husband. The young earl was gifted by nature with a pleasing person, a singularly sweet temper, and excellent abilities, which he cultivated with such assiduity that he was allowed to be one of the most accomplished scholars as well as one of the finest gentlemen of his time. So refined, conciliatory, and engaging were his manners, that William III. used to call him "the king of hearts," and Bolingbroke said of him, "I never knew a man so formed to please and to gain upon the affection, while challenging the esteem." He had been brought up in the hereditary religion of his family, but having studied long and closely the points in dispute between the reformed and Romish churches, and consulted both the priests of his own faith and the learned Tillotson, he declared himself a protestant in 1679. After the accession of James royal solicitations, promises, and threats were tried equally in vain to seduce him back to the faith he had renounced; and having, in 1687, steadfastly refused to support the dispensing power claimed by the king, he was deprived both of his commission as colonel of a regiment of horse, and of the lord-lieutenancy of Staffordshire. He was one of the seven whig leaders who invited the prince of Orange to England, and was appointed one of the secretaries of state in the first ministry of King William, when he was only twenty-eight years of age. But his peculiar temperament unfitted him for the toils and troubles of office. He was averse to business, his temper was timid and shrinking, and his health soon became impaired. Beset with difficulties on all sides in the troubled state of the country after the Revolution, annoyed not less by the violence and unreasonableness of his party, of whom he was the idol, than by the malignity of the enemies of the government, he completely lost heart, and implored the king to relieve him from the burden of office. He was prevailed upon, however, to retain his post till 1690, when, irritated by finding his counsels rejected, he suffered himself in a fatal hour for his own peace and reputation to be drawn into a correspondence with the exiled king, probably through the influence of his intriguing and utterly unprincipled mother. Shrewsbury's remorse now became intolerable; his agitation threw him into a low fever, and William was at length compelled to accept the resignation so often tendered. A few months later, however, the disaster at Beechy Head roused his old spirit, and hastening to Whitehall he placed his services in this crisis at the disposal of the king. In 1694 