Extract - from Henry Green's Knutsford

On a grave-stone in the centre of the south-western portion of the church-yard, it is recorded, "Underneath is interred the Body of THOMAS WHALEY, Esquire of the City of Dublin, who died November 2nd., 1800. Aged 34 years."This gentleman, better known by the name of "Jerusalem Whaley", had come, in an almost expiring state, to the George Inn ¹, and there soon after died. A strange circumstance took place just before his funeral; the body had been placed in a leaden coffin and brought into the old assembly-room, - and the workmen had just made up the coffin, when Mr. Robinson, an Irishman, who also was a dancing master of that day, stepping upon the coffin, danced a hornpipe over the body, - a piece of levity, not to call it an indecency, which our best feelings unite to condemn. Mr. Whaley was a Member of the Irish Parliament and had a mansion on Steven's Green in Dublin. For a wager of five thousand pounds sterling - a more trustworthy account says twenty thousand pounds - he had undertaken to walk, except where the sea intervened, from Liverpool to Jerusalem, play fives against the walls, and return within twelve months. The journey was accomplished and the wager won. What a path is here opened, were we inclined to pursue it, for tracing out his course; through France and Germany, - across the Danube and the mountains of the Balkan, and over the Straits of Constantinople, - amid the defiles of Mount Taurus, - and along the vallies of Lebanon, - till the adventurer stood in sight of the Holy City; and, were Whaley capable of such emotion, like the soldiers of the Crusade, wept from very joy that his eyes at length saw the turning point of his long pilgrimage. There is something mournful in the thought that one who could execute such labours, died in the very prime of his manhood, and left behind him no more worthy memorial of his power ².

The current traditions of the town record, though as we shall see with some inaccuracies, that after performing the great feat mentioned above, he took an oath never again to enter his native country, and yet to dwell upon Irish soil. To accomplish the vow, nearly seventy years since, the exact date I do not know, he built a mansion, now converted into an hotel and called Fort Anne, at Douglas in the Isle of Man; but previous to laying the foundation, he caused enough of Irish soil to be shipped over to Douglas to allow six feet in depth of Irish earth to underlay the whole of the house.³ In the dining room of the hotel there are two fine portraits, one of himself, the other, it is said, of his wife, - he in the character of a sportsman, and she as a lady, in the Mrs. Siddons style of beauty. The lady in question had indeed once nearly realised the character of tragedy itself, - for in a moment of strong excitement she struck at Mr. Whaley with a dagger, but without any fatal result. The portraits have recently been repaired and reframed by the proprietor of the hotel.[see footnote 37 to Preface of Memoirs]

It was the centre portion of Fort Anne which Mr. Whaley erected, the wings have since his time been added. "This large edifice occupies one of the most lofty and commanding positions of any building on the island. Situated on the brow of Douglas Head, it embraces a very extensive view, comprising the town of Douglas, with its harbour, and vessels lying immediately beneath; the Tower of Refuge, the whole of the picturesque and beautiful bay, the numerous buildings which line the shore, Bank' s How, Kirk Onchan , and the bold outline of the Insular mountains; while to the east is the open sea, and in clear weather the Lancashire and Cumberland mountains can he distinctly seen in the distance."

At the assemblies in Douglas Mr. Whaley, like Beau Nash at Bath, filled the office of Master of Ceremonies ⁴. He was a man of a strong, powerful frame of body, but his character betrayed much eccentricity. While he resided in Dublin, there are two anecdotes current respecting him, which show both his oddity and his determination at all risks to accomplish his purpose; one is, that for a wager he jumped over a mail coach, as it stood in Grafton-Street, but to perform the exploit, he placed a feather bed on one side of the coach, and from the window of the first floor on the other side leaped across the interval; the second anecdotes relates, that not being invited to a wedding, at which he thought he had a right to be a guest, he determined to accompany the party to church, - for this purpose he stationed himself at a balcony close to which the carriages would pass, and leaped down upon one of them, as it was going by; the rudeness and temerity met a fitting reward, - the uninvited guest broke a leg in the mad-cap adventure.

Other information has been communicated to me by a resident in Douglas. He married ⁵ a beautiful Miss Courtney, whose portrait with his own hangs in the dining room at Fort Anne, and by her had two sons and a daughter. Next he married the Honourable Miss Lawless who brought up Miss Courtney's children as her own. "I do remember," writes my informant, "Mrs. Whaley coming back to Fort Anne, and both the sons with her, and also Miss Whaley a pretty girl, who married well in Sussex, and I think is still living; - her name is Taylor." It is added, - "Tom Whaley, the eldest son, became proprietor of Fort Anne on Mrs. Whaley's death, and tried to finish the wing next the sea, - he died; then Dick had it and he tried to finish the wing, and he died; and then Mrs. Taylor sold the place."⁶

A lady who was Miss Whaley's school-fellow for a short time in Chester, informs me, that Miss Whaley's coming to school was invested by the young ladies with great mystery; for she was brought to the house very late at night; and without any of her future companions knowing even of her arrival, she appeared in the morning among them as one utterly unannounced. This lady also speaks of her beauty.

"Thomas Whaley, Esquire of the City of Dublin," had a favorite and trusty servant, Jack, who lost his life in his master's employment. The intercourse between Douglas and Liverpool was, in those days, very uncertain and accompanied by danger. During the building of Fort Anne, Jack was sent to Liverpool for a sum of money, which he obtained; but on returning in an open vessel, he was shipwrecked and drowned - the money being on his person when his body was washed ashore. Other anecdotes of "Jerusalem Whaley", might, doubtless, be obtained from one or two old men in Douglas who knew him, - but these are sufficient, - some may say more than sufficient, in connexion with Knutsford.

It is, however, necessary for correcting one or two inaccuracies in the traditional account of our walking hero, to give what is recorded of him in the Correspondence of the First Marquis Cornwallis, just published, Vol. III pp 182,183, ⁷ Viscount Castlereagh in a letter to the Duke of Portland, dated Dublin Castle, Friday Feb 7th., 1800, writes, "Sir R. Butler, Mahon, and Fetherstone were taken off by the county cabals during the recess, and Whaley absolutely bought by the Opposition stock-purse. He received, I understand, £2000 down, and is to receive as much more after the service is performed." On the next day the Marquis Cornwallis also wrote on the same subject, the defection of some of the usual supporters of the Government, to his Brother the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry; -

"Dublin Castle, Feb 8th.,1800.

Dear James, - Our situation is critical; twelve of our supporters deserted to the enemy on the last division. One was bought during the debate (Jerusalem Whaley, the Chancellor's brother-in-law.) The enemy, to my certain knowledge, offer five thousand pounds ready money for a vote. If we had the means, and were disposed to make such vile use of them, we dare not trust the credit of Government in the hands of such rascals. I have suspended Lord Downshire from the command of his regiment until H. M.'s pleasure shall be known, for sending the Anti-Union petition of his friends in the county of Down, to be signed by the officers and soldiers. He came to me to remonstrate, but I told him my mind in strong language and he went away as meek as a lamb. How it will end God only knows ! I think there are not more than four or five of our people that can either be bought off or intimidated, but there is no answering for the courage or integrity of our Senators.

Yours, &c. Cornwallis."

The following is added in a Note, p.182:-

"Thomas Whaley, of Chapel Whaley (brother to the Countess of Clare,) b.1766; d. Nov;. 2nd 1800; m. June 1800-, Mary Catherine, dau. of Nicholas 1st. Baron Cloncurry. He was elected for Newcastle, 1785, before he was of age which was not unusual in Ireland, and sat for it to 1790, and for Enniscorthy⁸ from 1797, to June 1800. He acquired the sobriquet of "Jerusalem Whaley", in consequence of a bet, said to have been for £20,000 that he would walk (except where a sea passage was unavoidable) to Jerusalem and back within twelve months. He started Sept 22, 1788 and returned June 1st1789. The lawless behavior of the yeomanry corps which he commanded, obtained for him another less-agreeable appellation, "Burn-chapel Whaley "⁹. His residence Steven's Green was, in 1855, converted into a nunnery. Sir J. Barrington states that £4000 was paid to Mr. Whaley by Mr. Gould, M.P. for Kilbeggen."

Added Notes

Henry Green(1801-1873) arrived in Brook Street Chapel, Knutsford as a dissenting minister in 1827 and remained until his death in 1873 - the Chapel, originally Presbyterian, became Unitarian during the mistritry of Robt Lord 1740-1790, Elizabeth Gaskell, Victorian Novelist, is also buried in the chapel graveyard. Green was the son of a paper maker in Hyde Kent and educated at Glasgow University (MA). He does not name his correspondent on the Island who would appear to have been ignorant of the later ownership of Fort Anne. Sullivan would appear to place too much weight on some of his account.

Added Footnotes

1 Later the Royal George Hotel, King Street, Knutsford
2 Obvious total conjecture by Green - the vast majority of the journey was by sea
3 It is not clear where this story arose, there would appear to be no collaboration in the Memoirs- the central portion and earliest built part of the house would occupy at least 2,500 sq feet or about 300sq yards which given a 2 yrd depth requires 600 cubic yards - topsoil is generally estimated at about 1 ton per cubic yard thus some 600tons required. Possibly there was some confusion with the construction of the gun battery some 300yrds along the headland built according to Welch during the panic of a threatened French invasion
4 Again not clear where this statement arose - in the Memoirs Whaley states his intention to lead a reformed life - he is noted as 1st Lieutenant in the Strangers Volunteer Company of 1797 which indicates some standing amongst the strangers resident in Douglas - however A W Moore in his Douglas 100 years ago states re Fort Anne: "he dedicated to Venus and Bacchus From traditions which survive, it is evident that both these deities received no stinted worship there" but gives no supporting reference
5 No such marriage has been found tho it seems that she was accepted as his wife
6 Thomas Whaley junr predeceased his step-mother, dying in 1820 whereas she died 1830 having sold the estate to Whaley's daughter Sophia Isabella Taylor als Whaley and her husband;
7The Correspondence of Charles. First Marquis Cornwallis, Vol III John Murray 1859 (the 2nd ed of which is online via Google Books tho unfortuneately missing the last page of the index which may have given other references to Whaley)
8 Enniscorthy was an Irish 'Rotten Borough' with 12 electors - it was suggested that it cost Whaley £4,000 for the seat, which was what he received for his vote during the debate on the proposed union of the Irish + Westminster Parliaments
9 Confusion here with his father (see Preface to the Memoirs)