| Authorised form of name | Gascoigne; Sir; Bernard (1614 - 1687); royalist army officer and diplomat |
| Other forms of name | Bernardino |
| Other forms of surname | Guasconi |
| Gascoin |
| Dates | 1614 - 1687 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Place of birth | Florence, Italy, Europe |
| Date of birth | 1614 |
| Place of death | Haymarket, St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 10 January 1687 |
| Occupation | Diplomat; Soldier |
| Activity | Career:
Man-at-arms in the service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany; served in Lombardy, Piedmont and Germany; joined the King's Army (c1644); wrote account of occurrences in England for Ferdinand Grand Duke of Tuscany (1647); taken prisoner at Colchester and condemned to be shot but his life was spared (1648); returned to Florence (1650); lived in England (1660-1664 and 1667); negotiated to give the English government secret intelligence from Venice and France (1664); attended Cosimo, Prince of Tuscany, on his visit to England (1669); English envoy at Vienna (1672-1673) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 20/06/1667 |
| Date of ejection or withdrawal | 22 July 1685 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Expelled due to non-payment of arrears |
| Relationships | Parents: Giovanni Battista di Bernardo Guasconi and Clemenza Altaviti |
| OtherInfo | Gascoigne became naturalised English in 1681. A first bill for Gascoigne's naturalisation was read in the House of Lords in 1661 but did not proceed further although he was able to obtain a patent of denization as Sir Bernard Gascoigne of Florence in October 1661. He did not contribute to the Society's activities and was later expelled. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Hunter; Shaw LD; ODNB
References:
Knowles Middleton W E. 1978-9. 'Some Italian Visitors to the Early Royal Society', in Notes and Records, vol. 33, pp. 157-173
Notes:
Proposed by Henry Howard, Duke of Norfolk. He does not seem to have been a conventional Knight, but rather, in 1661, obtained a 'patent of denization by the name of Sir Bernard Gascoigne of Florence' (DNB). According to Hunter, he was expelled in 1685.
ODNB has April or May 1614 as date of birth. ODNB has 20 January 1687 OS as date of death. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/96913503 |
| Code | NA8381 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| LBO/7/137 | Copy letter from Bernard Gascoine to Henry Oldenburg | 15 December 1675 |