The Beautiful Englishman, by Chris Stephens, is a new publication from Bristol Books which paints a fascinating portrait of a Somerset-based Georgian socialite.

Described by Marie Antoinette as ‘le bel Anglais’ after she met him at Versailles, the extravagant Reverend Doctor Thomas Sedgwick Whalley was a playwright, poet, cleric, horticulturist, traveller and bon vivant.

Among his social circle were such influential figures as the polymath Dr Erasmus Darwin, the politician and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce, and playwright, poet and philanthropist Hannah More.

Whalley lived from 1746 until 1828, and enjoyed an affluent life, as the first two of his three marriages were to wealthy women.

Drawing from source material including Whalley’s own journals - edited and published by his nephew - as well as his personal correspondence with Anna Seward, Mrs Thrale Piozzi and the actress Sarah Siddons, readers are given an intimate snapshot of Whalley’s life, loves and travels.

During his early life at Wells, Thomas formed a strong bond with his elder sister Elizabeth. After her early death, he dedicated his life to bringing up her nine-year-old daughter, Frances, who would later be known as the ‘Queen of Bath’ before being hurriedly married.

From his early Grand Tour to literary soirees at Royal Crescent, Bath - as described by Fanny Burney - and lazy summers at Mendip Lodge, the ‘maison de plaisance’ he had built above Langford, Thomas enjoyed a lavish lifestyle until his death in France, where he had gone to rescue Frances from penury.

Author Chris Stephens is an emeritus Professor of the University of Bristol and received an OBE in 1999 for his services to dental education. When he retired from academic dentistry in 2002, he was able to devote more time undertaking charitable work for the Woodland Trust and the Dry Stone Walling Association.

His interest in local history was fired after being asked to organise the  rebuilding of the dry stone walls in the Trust’s Dolebury Warren Wood  which is where  he discovered the ruins of Mendip Lodge and set about researching its history and that of its builder, Thomas Sedgwick Whalley.

Chris was able to channel all his acquired knowledge into bringing Whalley to life on screen, portraying him in the recently-released Redcliffe Films production, Hannah More.

The Beautiful Englishman: The Life, Loves & Travels of a Georgian Socialite is priced at £12 and is available from book and gift shops or online from www.bristolbooks.org (ISBN: 9781909446212).