acquaintance. He settled to his mechanical experiments at Hare Hatch, where he worked with Gainsborough, a brother of the painter, settled at Henley. The Society of Arts gave him a silver medal for a new ‘perambulator’ or land-measuring machine in 1768, and he invented a ‘turnip-cutter’ and a one-wheeled chaise. Hearing that Erasmus Darwin had invented a carriage, he made a phaeton on the new principle, which was approved by the Society of Arts. This led to an acquaintance with Darwin, whom he visited at Lichfield, and to a further acquaintance with Miss Seward and others of the Lichfield circle. At Hare Hatch he acquired the friendship of Thomas Day [q. v.], author of ‘Sandford and Merton,’ who had been at his college and was now a neighbour. Day sympathised with his principles, and Edgeworth's son was brought up on the system of their common idol, Rousseau. Edgeworth's father dying in 1769, he came into possession of the family estates, and gave up all thoughts of the law. At Christmas 1770 he spent some time at Lichfield, near which his friend Day had settled. At Seward's the friends met the two sisters Honora and Elizabeth Sneyd, two of the daughters of Edward Sneyd, youngest son of Ralph Sneyd of Bishton, Staffordshire. During 1771 Day transferred his affections from Honora to Elizabeth. Meanwhile Edgeworth had become strongly attached to Honora. Day remonstrated eloquently with him, and Edgeworth honourably resolved to fly from a dangerous situation. He therefore accompanied Day to France at the end of 1771. In Paris he showed his boy to Rousseau as an illustration of Émile. The friends went to Lyons, where Edgeworth resolved to stay for some time, being interested in a scheme for altering the course of the Rhone. His wife joined him in 1772, but returned under the care of Day at the beginning of winter, in order to be confined in England. The works on the Rhone were greatly injured by a flood. While Edgeworth was preparing new plans he heard that his wife had died (March 1773), after giving birth to a daughter, Anna. He at once returned to England, went to Lichfield, and there married Honora Sneyd 17 July 1773. After three years at Edgeworthstown, where he built and planted, he returned to England, and took a house at Northchurch, near Great Berkhampstead. A lawsuit necessitated his return to Ireland, and he felt that he ought to settle upon his own estates. His wife consented, but her health suddenly broke down. They stayed at Lichfield and in the neighbourhood for the benefit of Darwin's advice, but Mrs. Edgeworth became weaker, and died 30 April 1780. On her deathbed she advised him to marry her sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth soon consented, in spite of ‘officious friends’ who objected to marriage with a deceased wife's sister. After one clergyman had withdrawn his consent to perform the ceremony, they were married at St. Andrew's, Holborn, 25 Dec. 1780.
In 1782 the Edgeworths went to Ireland, where he settled on his estates, and became an energetic and intelligent landlord. He greatly improved the condition of his tenantry, tried a number of schemes for the reclamation of bogs and improvement of roads, and took some part in politics. In 1783 he was aide-de-camp to Lord Charlemont, and one of the body of volunteer delegates who met at Dublin in November of that year. The years 1791 and 1792 were chiefly spent at Clifton, Bristol, for the health of his son, and there his daughter Anna Maria married Dr. Beddoes. On returning to Ireland he found the country disturbed by expected rebellion and invasion. He took up his old scheme for telegraphs, and vainly endeavoured to secure its adoption by government. The events of 1798 having shown its importance, he succeeded in getting the government to erect a line from Dublin to Galway in 1804, but it was dropped as the fear of invasion declined. His third wife died in November 1797. In the following spring he was visited by Miss Beaufort, whose father was Daniel Augustus Beaufort [q. v.] He married her 31 May 1798, remarking that the disturbed state of the country was an additional reason for acquiring at once the right to protect her. He raised a corps at Edgeworthstown, but before it was armed the rebels approached, and he had to retire to Longford. The defeat of the French by Lake enabled him to return in five days to his house, which had been spared on account of a kindness previously shown by him to one of the rebels. Edgeworth was M.P. for St. Johnstown, co. Longford, in the last Irish parliament (1798–1800), and after some hesitation voted against the union on the ground of the means used to enforce its adoption. He refused to listen to offers of personal advantages.
After this time Edgeworth visited England occasionally, and during the peace of Amiens went to Paris with his daughter, where their literary reputation and their relationship to the Abbé Edgeworth [q. v.] secured them many attentions. Besides his lively interest in his daughter Maria's writings he continued his schemes for improving the country. From 1806 to 1811 he served on a board for inquiring into Irish education; in 1810 he made a report to another commission upon the reclamation of bogs, and injured himself by
