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Frederick Hankey (1821-1882)
Son of Sir Frederick Hankey and his second wife Caterina, Frederick (Fred) was born on 14 Jul 1821 at Corfu and was baptised there on 1 Dec 1821.
He was a junior clerk in the Government Statistical Department from 3 Jul 1838 until his resignation on 6 Jul 1841. A week later, on 13 Jul 1841, he purchased a commission as Cornet in the 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (Carabineers); on 31 Mar 1843 he purchased a commission as Lieutenant; in 1846 he was serving with the Scots Fusilier Guards; on 8 Dec 1846 he was placed on half pay (63rd (The West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot); 1845-1850 [probably 1847] his retirement from the 75th Regiment of Foot was listed.
Having left the Army he settled in Paris. He lived with his mistress Angelina (Annie) Sophie Vernon Beckett (an actress and ‘a very common woman’) in a flat on the second floor of a house at 2 Rue Laffitte, as a tenant of 4th Lord Hertford.
During his time in Paris, Frederick Hankey built up an extensive library of erotic literature, referred to by Algernon Swinburne in a letter to George Powell on 29 Jul 1869:
‘His erotic collection of books, engravings, etc., is unrivalled upon earth unequalled, I should imagine, in heaven. Nothing low, nothing
that is not good and genuine in the way of art and literature is admitted.’
In addition to collecting, the ‘perverse and debauched Fred Hankey’ supplied erotica to Algernon Swinburne, Richard Monckton Milnes (1st Baron Houghton), General Studholme Hodgson, Sir Richard Burton and Henry Spencer Ashbee and a number of ‘gentlemen’ of similar tastes. Burton’s biographer wrote:
‘At the end of October [1859] Richard [Burton] spent a few weeks in France. In Paris he met Frederick Hankey, by a letter of introduction from Monckton Milnes. Hankey was a bizarre acquaintance of Milnes; a gentleman by birth (he was the son of Sir Frederick Hankey the Governor of Malta), he had resigned his commission in the Guards in 1847 to settle in Paris and pursue his chief interest in life: obscene, pornographic, sadistic and masochistic literature, and aberrant sexual practices. Characteristically, Richard was instantly attracted. Hankey interested and amused him, and had many anecdotes to add to Richard’s fund of information on sexual matters. By 1857 Hankey was functioning as a book runner for Milnes, finding and smuggling into England unusual books, and objects, for Fryston’s famous library.[Monckton Milnes, later Lord Houghton, had his seat at Fryston Hall, near Ferrybridge, Yorkshire.]
Hankey himself I should take to be about 50 years old, lean, tall, with yellow hair, a white skin, and soft blue eyes, a good forhead, and yet his expression is entirely devoid of energy or determination. In his youth he must have been good looking, but effeminate . His apartments are situated in the best part of Paris, 2 Rue Laffitte, look out on the Boulevarde, and face the Café Anglais and Opéra Comique, but in spite of their excellent situation they are not convenient, and as kept by Hankey and his mistress are entirely wanting in comfort.
Frederick was joint author of Instruction Libertine, a girl’s guide to the knowledge of good and evil, 1860.
Fred died on 8 June 1882 at Paris, and was buried at Père La Chaise cemetery. It seems he left a French will leaving his estate to his long-time mistress. Angelina Vernon Beckett continued to live at 2 Rue Laffitte until 1893-94, but what then became of her, or whether she returned to England, is not known.
There is an old Spaniard Mr Gayanga, Librarian to the King of Spain, who says he knows a Mr Hankey who lives always in Paris, over the Café de Paris, who told him once that the Hankey who built the Mansions [Queen Anne’s Mansions] was a near relation of his. This Mr Hankey is a man of about 45, eccentric and immoral, and lives with an actress who is not his wife, & who is a very common woman. He has never left Paris for 32 years, except last summer when he came over to London for 5 weeks, in order to get a favourite white cat stuffed, that he had had for years and at last it died. He used to be much richer than he is now, but lost his money by starting all sorts of French companies. He goes in for all sorts of speculations, & is said to be mad, but Mr Gayanga says he is only eccentric. It sounded so like Arthur, that I asked if he was sure he was alive, & he says that he met him in the Exhibition in May, & had a long talk with him. He says he is tall, thin & fair. Do you know who it can be? Mr G says he is a son of ‘Hankey the Banker’ & that he told him so himself. He says the Duke of Hamilton who died in Paris was a great friend of his, & that the rooms he is now in over the Café de Paris once belonged to the Duke.
By Henry Alers Hankey (c.1867)
‘On the evening of July 13 1882, called at the house No. 3, Rue Lafitte where I had always heard he had resided to ask Concierge what had been done with him. Heard that for the past 25 years he had left No. 3 for the house opposite, No. 2 Rue Lafitte, where he had lived ever since & died about 3 weeks ago. Concierge said he heard death was caused by blood poisoning, but he had suffered for some time previously as well from gout for years past. He was up about 3.30 p.m. & dead at 5.30 p.m. His body was taken to a protestant service in the Church in the Rue Chauchat & buried in the Cemetery of Père La Chaise. Age about 60. Concierge said Madam Hankey continues to occupy the apartment & is about 5 years younger than he was. Both the houses at 2 & 3 belonged to the Marquis of Hertford & now belong to Sir Richard Wallace both friends of Frederick Hankey.’
By Henry Alers Hankey (1882)