PALMER, Roger, 1st Earl of Castlemaine (1634-1705) — London
Courtier & diplomat; author; globemaker. Wrote ‘An account of the present war between the Venetians and Turks; with the state of Candie’ 1666, containing two maps etched by Wenceslaus Hollar (see BME 2011). Invented a new stationary “English Globe” produced in collaboration with Joseph Moxon (see BME 2011) in 1679. The globe, fixed to a pedestal carrying a dial marked with a stereographic projection of the stars, was recommended by Isaac Newton and certified by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It was invented after Moxon had demonstrated his three-inch pocket globe to the Earl in 1672. It was said to perform all the functions of an astrolabe, Moxon publishing an accompanying handbook, ‘The English globe : being a stabil and immobil one, performing what the ordinary globes do, and much more’ 1679.
Born 3 Sep 1634 and baptised 4 Sep 1634 at Dorney, Buckinghamshire, the son of Sir James Palmer (1585-1658) and his second wife Catherine Herbert (1600?-1666). Educated at Eton from 1648, at King’s College, Cambridge, from 1652 and later at the Inner Temple. Despite his father’s alleged warning, “If you persist in marrying that woman, I predict that you will live to be the most miserable man in the world”, he married the beautiful and notorious Barbara Villiers (1640-1709), daughter of the second Viscount Grandison, 14 Apr 1659 at St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. Elected to parliament for New Windsor 27 Mar 1660. His wife became the mistress of Charles II, which led both to Palmer’s earldom and his separation from her, a breach made final when he had a bastard child baptised in a Catholic ceremony. He travelled as far afield as Constantinople and Syria, spending time in the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Italy, including Rome, for a time taking service with the fleet of the Venetian Republic, and subsequently served against the Dutch under James, Duke of York. He published ‘An account of the present war between the Venetians & Turk; with the state of Candie’ 1666, and ‘A short and true account of the material passages in the late war between the English and the Dutch’ 1671. An avowed Catholic, Castlemaine robustly defended his religion in various pamphlet wars, and papers relating to a considerable number of legal actions are in NA. Falsely accused, he was caught up in the Titus Oates conspiracy, arrested and committed to the Tower 31 Oct 1678. Brought to trial in Jun 1680, he was soon acquitted. In 1681 he published ‘The Earl of Castlemain’s manifesto’ in response. The accession of James II in 1685 temporarily changed his fortunes, being appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the Vatican, and later becoming a privy councillor. He retired to Montgomeryshire after the Glorious Revolution, but was arrested at Oswestry and committed to the Tower in February 1689 on suspicion of treason and later charged with “endeavouring to reconcile this kingdom to the see of Rome”. His final years largely alternated between spells in prison and spells overseas. He died at Oswestry 21 Jul 1705, and was buried at St. Mary Welshpool. A will dated 30 Nov 1696 left the bulk of his estate to a nephew.
BM. LHD. NA. ODNB. Pepys. Taylor (1954). Tooley. Wallis & Robinson. Webster.