Richard Harcourt
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| Portrayed by James Purefoy | |
| Full Name | Richard John Harcourt |
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| Title | Mr Harcourt |
| Associated Noble House(s) | none |
| Date of Birth | 1756 |
| Father | John Harcourt |
| Father's Rank | Gentry |
| Mother | Beatrice Harcourt |
| Mother's Rank | Gentry |
| Town Residence | Avonleigh Hall, Hertfordshire |
| Income | £20,000 |
| School | Eton |
| University | Oxford (Balliol College) |
| Year of Marriage | 1783 |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Harcourt nee Sutton |
| Spouse's Rank | Gentry |
| Issue | Amelia (1788), Grace (1791, stillborn), James (1799) |
Richard Harcourt was a gentleman of an old, established family based in Hertfordshire, with a respectable fortune. He grew up the only son and heir to Avonleigh Hall, educated at Eton and then Oxford as all the men of his family had been, and was a kind and amiable young man.
In the summer of 1782 he first met Miss Elizabeth Sutton at a house party, and very quickly found himself charmed by her beauty and gentle nature. When chance threw them together again in London the next year, he decided to propose. His family were not thrilled by the match as Miss Sutton was known for having a fragile constitution, but Richard was quite in love and would not be talked out of it. They married in early 1783.
The marriage was indeed a very happy one, but Elizabeth's poor health proved an obstacle when it came to starting a family. For five years they remained childless, Elizabeth suffering more than one miscarriage, but she and Richard were overjoyed when their daughter Amelia was born in 1788. Pregnancy and birth were both very hard on Elizabeth and in the years that followed she again suffered several miscarriages and the stillbirth of another daughter, Grace, in 1791. They doted on Amelia, however and would have been content with only her - but fate proved kind in 1799 and Elizabeth was able to bear a healthy son, James.
With two beautiful children, both of whom adored each other, the Harcourts happiness was complete. Amelia had inherited a little of her mother's constitution, and one fever in particular had damaged her hearing, so Elizabeth and Richard were keen to delay her coming out. But Amelia longed for a season with girls her own age and Richard could not bring himself to disappoint her, so in 1806 they travelled to London for Amelia to make her debut.
It was there that tragedy struck and half-way through the Season, after a particularly rainy day, Elizabeth contracted a severe fever. Ever devoted to his wife, Richard nursed her, but after a few days succumbed to the fever himself. They died within days of each other in mid April 1806, leaving their children utterly devastated.
Richard is an NPC and belongs to Sarah
