Background
The son of Henry Wyndham and Arundel Penruddocke, he was born at Dinton, Wiltshire, on 29 May 1737 at precisely 55 minutes past five in the morning.
The son of Henry Wyndham and Arundel Penruddocke, he was born at Dinton, Wiltshire, on 29 May 1737 at precisely 55 minutes past five in the morning.
He was brought up in Street Edmund"s College, Salisbury, the house acquired by his great-grandfather Sir Wadham Wyndham, and seat of one of the city"s, and indeed county"s most influential families. This exactly foretells the course in life for both brothers. He joined the Coldstream Guards as a lieutenant and became a captain on 3 May 1758.
On 2 July 1771 he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and promptly retired from the army.
At the time it was required that commissions were purchased and in his will his father records having paid £3,200 in total for the purpose, a not inconsiderable sum. Wyndham"s military career did not prevent him from continuing to enjoy most of his regular amusements.
He reached home, however, in time to stay with the Portmans at Bryanston for the Blandford Races and to accompany his father on 12 August to their Exton estate for the shooting season. His ability to enjoy so much that life had to offer was made possible by a charming personality and considerable inherited wealth.
Bubb Dodington"s papers went to Colonel Wadham"s brother, Henry Penruddocke Wyndham, resulting in the publishing of the famous diary.
Despite a lifetime of continuous expenditure, at his death in 1812 his estate was valued at over £500,000, approximating to some £25m in today"s terms.