Regency Men: Frederick ‘Poodle’ Byng

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The Honorable Frederick Gerald “Poodle” Byng (1784-1871) was the fifth son of Viscount and Viscountess Torrington. At one time an ensign in the Army, then a Foreign Office Clerk, he would later go on to be a St. Hanes vestryman and member of the Westminster commission of sewers. Following his retirement from the Foreign Office in 1839, he was known to devote himself to sanitary innovation.

Considering a notable Regency beaux, there are varied stories for his nickname. One was that the Duchess of Devonshire christened him poodle for his very curly hair; an alternative story has George Canning giving him that sobriquet because of his curls. Byng was known to say a former lady he had courted called him that.

Poodle was later known to travel around in his curricle with a pet poodle.  A story was said that when Brummel saw him one day with the poodle at his side, he called out: “Ah, how d’ ye do, Byng? A family vehicle, I see.” (Hon. Frederick Gerald Byng (1784-1871) (historyhome.co.uk))

Poodle was not his only nickname.  An notorious gossip and question asker, he was also nicknamed Paul Pry.

These were not the limits of his eccentricities:

they eat sandwiches Poodle was the subject of many stories and most of them centred round his appointment by Canning to look after the amusements and comforts of the Sandwich majesties George IV entertained these strange royalties at Windsor and was so much interested in them that he gave orders that Byng should make daily reports to Canning whereby hangs an amusing tale One morning Byng entered the Minister's room shaking his head sadly Has anything unfortunate occurred inquired the Foreign Secretary Nothing sir exceedingly unfortunate but something rather disagreeable Neither of them dead I hope No sir said the equerry despondently What makes you look so serious then 66 Why sir you must not be surprised at what I am going to say I have for some time observed a change in their Majesties condition brought on as I suspect by their change of diet The
change first showed itself in miliary eruption it then assumed a more inveterate form of cutaneous derangement in short sir I am compelled to state to you that both the King and Queen have got the What The itch Canning with an effort controlled his features and when he could trust himself to speak with affected concern inquired remembering the sobri quet of his informant Are you sure it is not the mange Poodle did not turn a hair nor even look as if he saw the joke but said merely And in that case sir In that case continued his tormentor why your own experience will of course suggest to you the most efficient remedy People were never tired of chaffing Byng about his charges and when they sickened of the measles and died Jekyll spread the report Poodle gave them the measles of which they died and I believe as Poodle is poor Government gave him leave to take what he could find in their royal pockets But even this topic came to an end and it made its final bow in Jekyll's diary on July 17 1824 We dined at A Ellis's last
week with the Poodle who has buried his measled Majesties 1 Byng who was in the Foreign Office for some years seems to have picked up a good deal of miscellaneous information which he imparted as a witty lady put it in the style of a word to the wise thus he would assure all and sundry that tea should be bought at the India House in chests how French silks stain and English do not and other trifles of next to no importance He had the distinction to rouse the ire of Harriet Lady Granville who wrote in January 1822 that she and Lady Morley are both disgusted with the Poodle Never was there such a hard self ish ill tempered presumptuous animal I have promised Govero never again to abuse anybody who has a single good quality which reduces me to lay it on thick when I find such a fair two legged piece of game as this However the Ambassadress's anger did not last long for within a couple of years she was writing of him in friendly strains Perhaps Byng grew more passed for in 1834 when he tolerable as time was in Paris Lady 1 Theodore Hook asked to note their death in John Bull did so in a couplet Waiter two Sandwiches cried Death And their wild Majesties resigned their breath
Granville found that he amused and interested her about politics putting many dots upon many i's One of the last glimpses of him is to be found in Creevey who wrote on September 30 1836 I dined at Poodle Byng's on Monday the Honble Mrs Byng having been lady's maid to the Poodle's mother You know I have the greatest aversion to playing at company with such kind of tits but as Charles Greville Cullen Smith and Luttrell and two or three more of your men upon town took no objection it was not for me to find fault Modest humble Creevey Byng's career began when he appeared as Page of Honour at the marriage of the Prince of Wales in 1796 and closed shortly after the marriage of another Prince of Wales in 1863 at which latter function he officiated as Gentleman Usher Melville, L. (1908). The Beaux of the Regency; Volume 1. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC.

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4 Responses to Regency Men: Frederick ‘Poodle’ Byng

  1. M. L. Kappa says:
    March 19, 2024 at 12:24 pm

    I seem to remember he makes an appearance in one of the Geogette Heyer books?

  2. Anonymous says:
    March 31, 2024 at 7:46 am

    Features in Heyer’s novel, Arabella.