Frederica Johnston

As already mentioned in the house history, Frederica Johnston was one of the daughters of Sir Alexander Johnston.

The news of her social activities between 1824 - 1845 attending such events as the King or Queen’s Drawing Room were many. Strangely nothing emerged about Caroline or Janet Mary attending these events, so we can assume Frederica was the main family socialite. Then later in the early 1860s amongst the newspaper reports a more disturbing story appears. It relates to Frederica involved in a scandalous court case at the Old Bailey.

This was reported the length and breadth of the country with varying attempts at the truth and with tantalising headlines such as:

‘The Tender Lady and her Foreign Victimiser’

‘Miss Johnstone and the Artist’

‘The Love Letter Case’

It seems little has changed in journalism. To summarise this complex case, Frederica had become intimately involved with an Italian artist Vincent Collucci. The relationship of a few years was at times volatile although marriage had been discussed but finally dropped. Love letters had been exchanged and Frederica wanted these returned. A meeting at The Pantheon, Oxford St was arranged and Frederica agreed to place £1900 (circa £192,360 today), in a parcel to pay for the letters’ return. This plan was executed and all was well until Frederica discovered immediately afterwards that the letter parcel only contained torn newspaper.

She immediately confessed to her brother, Patrick Francis Campbell Johnston, (who was also her guardian) who then, after unsuccessful negotiations with Vincent brought a prosecution probably foreseeing further blackmail.

The case reached the Old Bailey with Collucci being sentenced to 3 years’ penal servitude. It would seem Vincent was needy and mentally disturbed and Frederica overly generous but very vulnerable. A sad story and what would her father have made of it?

Research by Anne Smedley (March 2024)

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