Stuart spectacles

Pair of spectacles with leather case

European, 18th century
Glass, metal, leather, marbled card

If you visit the castle’s Print Room, you will spot a pair of spectacles on display amongst highlights from the Stuart and Jacobite collection. The spectacles date from the 18th century and are in an early style which was worn on the bridge of the nose. The wearer would have to tilt their head back slightly and carefully balance the spectacles on the nose, as they did not have anything to secure them at the sides. These spectacles were very simply made with glass lenses and a metal frame, but they are accompanied by their own luxurious Italian leather case with a marbled card interior and gold embossed details. The case hints at the wealth and status of the original owner of the spectacles – recorded to be Henry Benedict Stuart (1725 – 1807), the grandson of the last Stuart King, James II. 

Henry Benedict Stuart was the youngest son of James Francis Edward Stuart, known as the ‘Old Pretender’. A pretender is someone who claims that they have the right to rule. James Francis Edward Stuart was born shortly before his father James II was exiled to Europe in 1688 and grew up in France. He and his sons attempted to lead uprisings several times to take back the throne for the Stuart family by force. His son Charles Edward Stuart, Henry Benedict Stuart’s older brother, led the most famous and last attempted rebellion in 1745. He sailed from France to Scotland and gathered support amongst the Scottish Highland clans. He then attempted to march to London but had to turn back after his army suffered setbacks and defeat. After Charles Edward Stuart died in 1788, Henry Benedict Stuart was the last male successor of the Stuart family.

Portrait of Henry Benedict Stuart by Anton Raphael Mengs, Musee Fabre

In 1745, Henry Benedict Stuart travelled to Paris to gather support for his older brother Charles’ campaign to restore the Stuart family to power. He succeeded in securing troops and arms, but due to delays he did not reach England in time to help Charles with his uprising. He was only around twenty years old at the time. In 1747, Henry Benedict Stuart chose a quieter, more peaceful life when he joined the Holy Roman Church and became a Cardinal. Most portraits of Henry Benedict Stuart depict him wearing the red robes and cap of a Cardinal. The last portrait of him wearing armour was made around 1746 in France, in pastel by Maurice Quentin de la Tour. There is a copy of this famous portrait in the castle collection, which is painted in oil paints on canvas instead. It is on display in the Print Room and was our object of the month for July 2021.

Portrait of Henry Benedict Stuart, painted after Maurice Quentin de la Tour, 18th century, oil on canvas, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.3034

Henry Benedict Stuart’s spectacles are not the only everyday item which belonged to a member of the Stuart family in the collection. Denys Eyre Bower was fascinated with the Stuarts and collected anything he could find that was linked to them. The collection includes a knife, a pair of buttons, and a coggie (Scottish drinking cup) which all apparently belonged to Charles Edward Stuart. For the Jacobites, even ordinary objects were important if they had belonged to a Stuart family member, especially around the time of the famous 1745 rebellion. Owning such objects was another way to show devotion and loyalty to the cause.

Steel knife with agate handle attributed to ‘the captured baggage of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden’, c. 1740, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.1635

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.