Johann Kaspar Wettstein

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Johann Kaspar Wettstein (born February 1, 1695 in Basel ; † October 27, 1760 in Tunbridge Wells ) was a Swiss theologian , private tutor , chaplain , court chaplain to the Prince of Wales Friedrich Ludwig von Hanover and educator of the sons of Lord Huntington .

life and work

Johann Kaspar Wettstein was the second eldest son of the politician Johann Rudolf Wettstein and Ursula, née Mangold (1656–1738).

From 1707 Wettstein studied theology at the University of Basel with Samuel Werenfels , Jakob Christoph Iselin , Johann Ludwig Frey and Hieronymus Burckhardt. In 1714 he finished his studies. In 1716 Wettstein was in Paris , Villeneuve the tutor to a certain Sarrau. In 1719 Wettstein received the post of house chaplain with the Dutch ambassador in Paris, Baron Cornelius Hop. In 1722 Wettstein fell ill and returned to Basel. In 1723 he traveled back to Paris, where he worked as a chaplain for Lukas Schaub , who had been the English ambassador in Paris since 1721.

When Schaub was recalled to London in 1724, Wettstein traveled with him to work for him as a private secretary. Through Schaub's mediation, Wettstein received the order from Sir Lionel Tollemache 3rd Earl of Dysart (1648–1727) to accompany his seventeen-year-old grandson Lord Huntingtower (1708–1770) as a court master on an educational journey through Europe. In 1725 she traveled to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Basel.

Due to Sir Lionel Tollemache's death, they had to leave Switzerland for London in March 1727. In the spring of 1728 the journey continued and took them to Paris, Lyon, Turin, Milan and Venice. Later they went to Innsbruck, Hanover and at Christmas 1728 they were back in London. Since his deceased client Wettstein paid poorly or not at all and the young Earl of Dysart, who had inherited his grandfather's title, did not think of paying Wettstein either, he had to get into debt while traveling.

In 1733 Dysart tried to get rid of his financial obligations to Wettstein by giving him the vacated parish of his Helmingham estate . Although the parish was also in debt, the employment at least ensured him a regular income.

In 1735 Wettstein traveled back to his mother in Basel - she died in January 1738 - and to deal with his financial affairs, i.e. H. especially to settle his debts. In April 1736, through the mediation of Lukas Schaub and John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville , Wettstein became the English teacher of Friedrich Ludwig von Hanover.

Wettstein was now able to live in London again and had his parish provided by a vicar, which was generally practiced at the time. His relationship with John Carteret deepened and so Wettstein accompanied a son of Carteret on a major European trip in 1740/1741. This took them to many German courts, such as Dresden, Gotha, Weissenfels, Altenburg, Breslau and Petersburg. Her return journey took her to Vienna, Basel and Rotterdam.

When England entered the War of the Austrian Succession , Wettstein accompanied Lord Carteret as private secretary to Holland and Hanover, then to the army; he wrote a relation about the decisive battle at Dettingen . During the short time Carteret was in charge of government from February 1742 to November 1744, Wettstein frequently received requests from his home country for placement in English Swiss regiments and other things, such as how he served his home country as a welcome informant in England.

In 1747 Wettstein married the thirty-one year old Anna Elisabeth Sarasin (1716–1781). She was the eldest daughter of Franz Sarasin-Fattest (1695–1746) and Susanne Katharina Sarasin-Fatta (1697–1754). Her brothers were Lukas Sarasin-Werthemann and Jakob Sarasin -Battier. His wife brought a sizable inheritance into the marriage. Wettstein and his wife had two daughters; the first was stillborn in 1749. Augusta, the second daughter, was born in 1752 and died in 1753.

After the death of Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover in 1751, Wettstein's position as chaplain to the Princess of Wales remained; He left the parish in Helmingham provided by a vicar. In 1752 the Royal Prussian Academy in Berlin named Wettstein a member and in 1754 he became a member of the Royal Society in London. Wettstein visited Basel for the last time in 1754. In 1760, suffering from asthma forced him to take a spa stay in Tunbridge Wells , where he died on August 15, 1760. His wife later married the officer in French service, Gottlieb Philipp von Gingins (1731–1783).

Johann Kaspar Wettstein found his final resting place in the cemetery of St Mary's Church in Speldhurst.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Historical Family Lexicon of Switzerland - Persons. Retrieved December 9, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Wettstein, Johann Kaspar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss theologian
DATE OF BIRTH February 1, 1695
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel
DATE OF DEATH October 27, 1760
Place of death Tunbridge Wells