James Boswell died in 1795 believing he had touched and kissed a cache of Shakespeare's original letters and papers discovered by a Mr. Ireland. His friend, Edmond Malone, publicly exposed the lot as a forgery just a year later.
Christian Frederick Anthony Bentick
Christian Frederick Anthony Bentick
Born 1734Died 1768
Alias:
Heer van Rhoon
Count Bentinck de Varel
Biography:
Son of Willem Bentinck and Charlotte Sophie von Aldenburg. Married (1760) to Maria Catharina van Tuyll van Serooskerken, daughter of Jan Maximiliaan van Tuyll van Serooskerken and Baroness Ursulina van Reede (1719-1747).
Life with Boswell:
Boswell supped at Count Bentinck's on May 5, 1764. Boswell in Holland identifies the count as CFA Bentinck. Boswell had apparently met him sometime earlier, and possibly even on April 28 at Willem Bentinck. (Note 1) If I understand the memo in BiH correctly, the count had a copy of Boswell and Erskine's Letters between the Hon. Andrew Erskine and James Boswell Esq. in his library. They dined together a few days later, and on June 6, shortly before leaving Utrecht, Boswell received a few letters of recommendation from the Count for his tour of the German courts.
Bentinck later served as an intermediary in the correspondance between Boswell and Belle de Zuylen.
Note 1: The Count Bentinck here mentioned may be identical with the Comte de Rhoon mentioned on April 28, hence my notes to Willem Bentinck. However, Boswell seems to distinguish father and son by referring to the elder as Comte de Rhoon and the young count as Count Bentinck.
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