The Lord Cornbury Scandal: The Politics of Reputation in British America

by Patricia U. Bonomi

For more than two centuries, Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury--royal governor of New York and New Jersey from 1702 to 1708--has been a despised figure, whose alleged transgressions ranged from raiding the public treasury to scandalizing his subjects by parading through the streets of New York City dressed as a woman.
Now, Patricia Bonomi offers a challenging reassessment of Cornbury. She explores his life and experiences to illuminate such topics as imperial political culture; gossip, Grub Street, and the climate of slander; early modern sexual culture; and constitutional perceptions in an era of reform. In a tour de force of scholarly detective work, Bonomi also reappraises the most "conclusive" piece of evidence used to indict Cornbury--a celebrated portrait, said to represent the governor in female dress, that hangs today in the New-York Historical Society.
Stripping away the many layers of "the Cornbury myth," this innovative work brings to life a fascinating man and reveals the conflicting emotions and loyalties that shaped the politics of the First British Empire.
<!-- copy for pb reprint-for catalog quotes should go below short description-->
"A tour de force of historical detection.--Tim Hilchey, New York Times Book Review

"Bonomi's book is more than an exoneration of Cornbury. It is a case study of what she aptly calls the politics of reputation."
--Edmund S. Morgan, New York Review of Books

"A fascinating, authoritative glimpse into the seamy underside of imperial politics in the late Stuart era.--Timothy D. Hall, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

"An intriguing detective story that....casts light upon the operation of political power in the past and the nature of history writing in the present.--Alan Taylor, New Republic

For more than two centuries, Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury--royal governor of New York and New Jersey from 1702 to 1708--has been a despised figure whose alleged transgressions ranged from looting the colonial treasury to public cross dressing in New York City. Stripping away the many layers of "the Cornbury myth," Patricia Bonomi offers a challenging reassessment of this fascinating figure and of the rough and tumble political culture of the First British Empire--with its muckraking press, salacious gossip, and conflicting imperial loyalties. -->

Genres: History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot say why but I LOVE the 18th century, which is the reason I picked up this book in the first place. I’m glad I did. It took me on an interesting romp and made me consider things much closer to home than Edward Hyde. Certainly Bonami reminds us how necessary it is to dispassionately and critically consider how the press and public opinion are shaped and misshapen. If this book were magically plopped down in the early 18th century, the Grub Street Press would probably rip the author apart. The content, however, is less threatening today because time insulates us from the emotion surrounding the issues. But what a great lesson the author provides in cultivating temperance of thought when dealing with the media.

We humans are marvelously but frustratingly complex and because of this, so are our thought processes, communication, mythology, politics, technology, and art. Put three people in a room, add a cup of controversy, a pinch of contention and mix thoroughly. In a surprisingly small snippet of time these people will say things; do things; create things; react to things; destroy things; feel things; and think things. In about 60 minutes you will find a bounty of material to deconstruct and analyze until (as Grandma used to say) the cows come home. So what happened in those 60 minutes when those three peeps were doing their thang? A lot happened. If you were charged with learning of their engagement (or non-engagement) with their environment and with each other during the allotted time, you could write quite a bit. Maybe you could talk with some of them, but perhaps some have already left the room and you are forced to discover what happened through less direct means. Imagine doing the same thing by looking through a small scope, at a distance of hundreds and sometime thousands of years? But that’s what historians do for the rest of us. A critical job of the historian is to actually decipher “what happened” instead of “what we would like to have happened”. Being knowledgeable, intelligent, and articulate are certainly requirements for the job. But the best historians, the ones who bring us JOY by challenging us as well as informing us, have a canny, tacit grasp of human nature that makes them insightful and broad-minded. IMHO the finest among them check their egos at the door and focus dispassionately on their work. I know little of Bonami, but I think she does a solid job of looking at the extant evidence in a dispassionate manner.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about things like character assassination and sleazy politics. Both distress me A LOT, but I stayed engaged because of Bonami’s careful consideration of the material, and my fascination with this period in history.

[Tova · Rating 4 out of 5]

18th Century Gossip Girl vibes, with Edward Hyde, Viscount of Cornbury as the Carter Baizen of the whole situation.