(1724 - 91), antiquarian, o. s. of Bp. Joseph Wilcocks; Ch.Ch. Oxf. 1740; MA 1747; FSA 1765; unm.
1760 - 1 Frascati, Rome (by 14 Jun. - 5 Jul. 1760), Florence ( - by 25 Jul.), Lombardy, Venice (three weeks), Verona, Rome (by Oct. 1760), Naples (Jan. - Feb. 1761), Capua (3 Mar.), Rome (by 1 Aug.) [Paris Apr. 1762]
Having inherited a good estate, Wilcocks chose to devote his life to classical scholarship. He passed two years in Italy where he was universally admired, from Clement XIII, who called him 'the blessed heretick' (DNB), to the Abb? Grant, for whom he was 'this heavenly man', 'the incomparable Mr Willcocks'. In the course of his stay he prepared his Roman Conversations [1763], subtitled Being some of the Principal Characters of Roman History (The Subjects of six weeks Conversation at or near Rome) Compiled for the Use of Places of Education, particularly Westminster School; the conversations had taken place between 'three young Englishmen' and 'a Clergyman of the Church of England, who had attended one of these young Gentlemen at School'. He was also to publish in 1763 a paper on the subterranean apartments at Civita Turchino.
The Abb? Grant's letters reveal something of Wilcocks's travels in Italy.1 On 14 June 1760 he had just returned from Frascati to Rome and was thinking of going to Tuscany for the summer, then returning to Rome and going on to Naples. He was still in Rome on 5 July, when Grant was to take Wilcocks to see Cardinal Spinelli and examine Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible (5 Jul.). Soon afterwards Wilcocks made a three-month tour through Tuscany, Lombardy and Venice which, commented Grant, did 'his health infinite service' (22 Oct.); by 25 July he had gone with Thomas Jenkins to Florence to meet Thomas Wynn (later 1st Baron Newborough) and Sir Henry Mainwaring.2 Wilcocks spent three weeks at Venice with Wynn, and they went on to Verona, Wilcocks returning to Rome early in October (22 Oct.). In January and February 1761 he was in Naples (9 Jan.) where he procured an account of the prisons for James Grant of Castle Grant (7 Feb.). On 3 March 'Monsieur Welleaocks Inglese' was in Capua.3 He was again in Rome by July, intending to return home before winter (1 Aug.). Laurence Sterne saw him pass through Paris in April 1762.4
Wilcocks had had some contact with artists in Rome; Thomas Robinson (later 2nd Baron Grantham) introduced him to Benjamin West, whom he helped in his study of ancient costume through the examination of cameos,5 and in 1764 James Martin saw in Forrester's Rome studio 'some beautiful Views' done for 'Lord Tavistock, Mr Wilcox & Mr Crew'.6
1. Seafield MSS, GD 248/99/3 and GD 248/3/607; dates of letters in brackets. 2. Seafield MSS, GD 248/49/2 (J. Plimmer, 25 Jul. 1760). 3. ASN cra 1277. 4. Sterne Letters, 159. 5. Galt, West, 1:131. 6. Martin jnl.MSS (9 Jul. 1764).