Henry Hare 1693-1749

Henry HARE, 3rd Baron Coleraine 1689-1749

Biographical Note

Born at Blechingley, Surrey, eldest son of Hugh Hare, (1668-1707) and Lydia Carlton. His father died in 1707, and when his grandfather Henry Hare 1636-1708 died a year later, Henry inherited the title. He matriculated at Corpus Christ College, Oxford in 1712. Undertook three tours of Italy during his lifetime, acquiring many books. He died at [[location::Bath] in 1749 without (legal) heirs.

Books

He inherited many books from his grandfather (and possibly from his father) but also collected widely himself including prints, drawings, coins and medals. His books covered a wide range of subjects but were particularly strong in 16th century Italian literature. The dispersal of his collection upon his death was complicated by his separation from his wife [[family::Anne], whom he had married in 1718, and his subsequent "unorthodox and legally unrecognized conjugal arrangement with Rose Duplessis, or du Plessis (1710–1790)" (ODNB). Eventually, the bulk of his estate went to Anne; upon her death in January 1754, some books were sold to bookseller Thomas Osborne who listed them for sale later that year. Others were bequeathed to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, along with his collection of drawings from his Italian tours.

Characteristic Markings

Many of the books contain one of two armorial bookplates commissioned by Henry but he did not otherwise mark his books obviously.