Count Alvise Zenobio proposed Society for Constitutional Information 24.11.1786 by John Horne Tooke 2nded John Paradise
Alvise Zenobio 1757 -1817 from noble family of Verona & Venezia (the birthdate 1762 given on GD website probably based on obituary notice which said in 56th year but see Giormani & Torrens). Owned 3 votes in United Company of Merchants of England 1789. Member Soc for Encouragemt Arts, Manufactures Commerce 1789-1800. Sub 1785 to Maria (by Elizabeth Blower), 1789 to French translation of Sheridan's School for Scandal, 1793 to The Traditions by Mary Sherwood, & to Macklin's Man of the World, 1795 (address Venice) to Brydson's Heraldry. His works published in London mostly by J Ridgway included The French Constitution 1792, Address to the People of England 1792, Answer to Mr Pitt's Speech on Reform 1795, Letters to Hon C J Fox (from Paris) 1800. Involved in charities Royal Universal Dispensary Holborn, Philanthropic Society, Royal Humane Society, London Library Society, Lambeth Asylum for Orphan Girls. Boyle's Cout Guide 1793 Piccadilly. See John Williams (DNB c.1732-1795). The following details from many newspaper articles: Zenobio was ordered to leave England in January 1794 but his friends (supposedly John Horne Tooke) had him arrested for debt and he was in the Kings Bench prison 22.3.1794 at suit of Richard Miles, Samuel Gibbard, Jane Robertson & others until 11.3.1795 when he was discharged from prison and ordered to leave England in 3 days. He sailed from Yarmouth to Hamburg, went to Paris where he was suspected of spying. The Republic of Venice confiscated his estates but when Venice came under Austrian control in 1797 the Count's fortune was restored to him (he also held an Austrian title). In December 1798 he returned to England but only to pass from Hamburg to Yarmouth (?) to Falmouth to Lisbon, where he was put under house arrest on suspicion of favouring the French, then went to Africa. In September 1804 he returned to England from Denmark but was sent back at once. In 1806 he was allowed to return to live in England. From 1805 Venice was under French rule and in 1809 he published letters critical of Napoleon to the people of Tyrol and of Venice which he claimed led to the loss of all his estates in those regions, though the confiscation may have preceded the letters. He probably retained estates in Verona. Morning Post 5.1.1818 he died on 1.1.1818 in his 56th year (apparently when in good health and planning to return to Venice), he was a nephew of Emo, late admiral of Venice, about the year 1790 he would risk £5000 a night at Baxter's club. Zenobio's will proved PCC 17.1.1818 Count Alvise otherwise Louis Zenobio late of Leicester Square but now of Maddox St dated 23.2.1811 made Emanuel Harrington of the Audit Office, Adam St Adelphi and William Smith of the Strand principal assistant at Coutts & Co his executors, and left £500 to Catherine wife of Henry Wilford now or late of Poppin Court, Fleet St gent but parted from him by articles of separation and now living in Zenobio's house, and the residue to his sister Alba wife of Alesandro Albuzzi a Venetian nobleman. By a codicil (now of Clarendon Hotel, New Bond St) dated 1.10.1811 he changed the executors to Paul Le Maitre jeweller of Castle St, Holborn (who proved it as Paul Thomas) and Ronnaldo Zotti of Broad St, Carnaby Market gent. A second codicil dated 6.9.1817 was proved on 19.3.1818 and entitled Mrs Catherine Lovell to £1000 which his agent in Verona had begun to pay. Emanuel Harrington of 17 Adam St Adelphi and William Clarke of 2 James St Adelphi swore to his handwriting and Zenobio was described as late of Duke St, St James. Catherine Lovell had married Henry Wilford at St Martin i t Fields 22.4.1809 by banns and she was perhaps the Catherina Lovel dau of Charles by Jane his wife born 11.1.1788 and baptised 27.1.1788 at St Margaret Westminster. In the will PCC 1833 of Emanuel Harrington dated 21.4.1822 he referred to Catherine Lovell otherwise Wilford as his wife, and also mentioned his brother Armand Harrington of Quimper, France where Emanuel & Catherine were also living, though Emanuel 's last address before he died was at York Hotel, Waterloo Rd, Surrey. The will of Catherine Harrington otherwise Wilford of Harrington Cottage Mold, Flintshire where she owned a colliery was proved PCC 1840. St James Chronicle 14.2.1799 reported Zenobio being in Lisbon with his wife but a spy report on him in Paris in 1795 said he was travelling with an Englishwoman aged nearly 30 who passed for his wife. Bodleian Abinger e.33 (which was available online but now seems not to be), Godwin's appendix to diary, mentioned Tooke and Gawler teasing Zenobio about a love interest of his. The Annual Biography and Obituary 1818 vol 2 p309 had more info on him though with suspect dates. And see ivsla.it/store for a book about him in Italian by Giormani & Torrens which I'm now struggling through (my Italian being very weak)