Another one time resident was Thomas Raikes, the brother of the more justly celebrated Robert Raikes. Although not a literary man, the former is remembered mainly for his entertaining Journal.
Raikes was called Apollo by the club wits of the day because he rose in the east and set in the west, in allusion to the hours he spent alternately in his banking house in the City and the clubs of the West End.
He was in the habit of entertaining here - not only merely fashionable people, but such brighter luminaries as Pope and the elder Charles Mathews, the actors, Tom Sheridan, the son of the great Richard Brinsley, Charles Calvert, etc.
Indeed the first time Raikes ever met Mathews was when Pope once brought him to dinner in Grosvenor Square, when, as Raikes recorded, "his imitations of Kemble, Munden, Bannister, Quick, etc., were inimitable."
It was on this occasion that Pope (to the story in Raikes's own words)
"alluded to some old gentleman in the country, who was so madly attached to the society of Mathews, that whenever he came to town he went straight to his house, and if he did not find him at home, would trace him, and follow him wherever he might happen to be.
This did not excite much attention; but at about nine o'clock, we all heard a tremendous rap at the street door, and my servant came in to say that a gentleman was in the hall, who insisted on speaking with Mathews. The latter appeared very much disconcerted, made many apologies for the intrusion, and said he would get rid of him instantly, as he doubtless must be the individual who so frequently annoyed him. As soon as he had retired, we heard a very noisy dialogue in the hall between Mathews and his friend, who insisted on coming in and joining the party, while the other as urgently insisted on his retreat.
At length the door opened, and in walked a most extraordinary figure, who sat down in Mathews' place, filled himself a tumbler of claret, which he pronounced to be execrable, and began in the most impudent manner to claim acquaintance with all the party, and say the most ridiculous things to every one. We were all, for the moment, thrown off our guard; but we soon detected our versatile companion, who had really not taken three minutes to tie up his nose with a string, put on a wig, and otherwise so metamorphose himself, that it was almost impossible to recognise him."
Arrest
When Raikes was in Paris in 1820, he was induced by John Warrender to visit a fortune teller, who, among other predictions, said, "Vous serez arreté dans six mois par un huissier pour cause de dette." This was verified in the following way:
"I was then in very prosperous circumstances," said Raikes, "living in Grosvenor Square. The repairs of that house had been performed by contract, the builder failed before his work was concluded, and the assignees claimed of me the whole amount of the agreement, which I would only pay as far as it had been fairly earned. The difference was only £150, but the assignees really did send a bailiff into my house, and arrested me, while my carriage was at the door to convey me to dinner at York House, where the story caused considerable merriment at the time."