John Holles, Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Tankard with the arms, supporters, coronet, and motto of John Holles

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, KG, PC (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was a prominent English peer and politician.

Early life

Holles was born in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, the son of the 3rd Earl of Clare and his wife Grace Pierrepont. Grace was a daughter of The Hon. William Pierrepont and granddaughter of the 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull.

Politics

He was a supporter of William of Orange and Mary Stuart, and in November 1688 waited on the Prince of Orange as a representative of the risings in York and Nottingham.[1]

Holles was elected MP for Nottinghamshire as Lord Houghton on 14 January 1689, but was called to the House of Lords two days later when his father died and he became the 4th Earl of Clare. He became Gentleman of the Bedchamber to William III and Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. He was created the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of the 2nd creation, in 1694. The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a title which was created three times in British history. The first creation had become extinct when his father-in-law Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, died without a male heir. On 30 May 1698, he was appointed Knight of the Order of the Garter.[2] As Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire he took personal command of the Nottinghamshire Militia.[3]

Family

On 1 March 1690, Holles married his first cousin, Lady Margaret Cavendish, a daughter of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle. She was the heiress of all of the duke's estates in the East Midlands and Northumberland.[1] He inherited more estates from his relative, Denzil Holles, 3rd Baron Holles.[1]

They had one child, Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles (1694–1755), who married the 2nd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer and was mother to Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland.

In 1710 he purchased Wimpole Park in Cambridgeshire and the Manor of Marylebone. The Marylebone lands passed to his son-in-law Harley who named Holles Street in his memory.[4]

A rivalry was formed between John and his sister, Elizabeth, when she married Christopher Vane, 1st Baron Barnard.[5]

Death

Detail of the monument to Holles in Westminster Abbey

The duke died in 1711 from injuries received in a fall from his horse while hunting near Welbeck.[6] He left his Cavendish estates to his son-in-law, Edward Harley (later 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer) and the remainder of his property to his nephew Thomas Pelham, subsequently 1st Duke of Newcastle (third creation) and prime minister.[2] He was buried on 9 August 1711 in St. John's Chapel in Westminster Abbey.[7] A large monument to Holles stands in the north transept of the abbey. Designed by James Gibbs and carved by Francis Bird with the aid of John Michael Rysbrack, it consists of a reclining figure of Holles flanked by statues representing Wisdom and Sincerity.[8][9]

Records

Correspondence and estate records of John Holles, including letters to his wife, are held at the department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham, principally in the Holles Papers (Pw 2), part of the Portland (Welbeck) Collection.

References

  1. ^ a b c Biography of John Holles, 3rd Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 4th Earl of Clare (1662-1711), Manuscripts and Special Collections, University of Nottingham
  2. ^ a b "HOLLES, John, Lord Houghton (1662–1711), of Haughton, Notts. and Warwick House, Holborn, Mdx". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. ^ Col George Jackson Hay, An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force), London: United Service Gazette, 1905, p. 368.
  4. ^ Bebbington, Gillian. (1972) London Street Names. London: B.T. Batsford. pp. 164 & 176. ISBN 0713401400
  5. ^ Mounsey, Chris. Christopher Smart: Clown of God. London: Bucknell University Press, 2001. p. 23
  6. ^ Abel Boyer (1712). The history of the reign of Queen Anne. Vol. 10. p. 381.
  7. ^ Chester, Joseph (1876). The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster. London. p. 272.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ "Holles Family". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Monument to John Holles, Duke of Newcastle". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 19 October 2022.

External links

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Political offices Preceded byThe Duke of Buckingham and Normanby Lord Privy Seal 1705–1711 Succeeded byThe Bishop of Bristol Military offices Preceded byThe Marquess of Carmarthen Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull 1699–1711 Succeeded byRichard Sutton Legal offices Preceded byThe Duke of Devonshire Justice in Eyrenorth of the Trent 1711 Succeeded byThe Duke of Leeds Honorary titles Preceded byThe Earl of Craven Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex 1689–1692 Succeeded byThe Earl of Bedford Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex 1689–1692 Preceded byThe Duke of Devonshire Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire 1694–1711 VacantTitle next held byThe Earl of Clare VacantTitle last held byThe Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull Custos Rotulorum of Nottinghamshire 1694–1711 Preceded byThe Duke of Leeds Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire 1699–1711 VacantTitle next held byMarquess of Carmarthen Custos Rotulorum of the East Riding of Yorkshire 1699–1711 Succeeded byMarquess of Carmarthen Preceded byThe Duke of Buckingham and Normanby Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire 1705–1711 Succeeded byThe Duke of Buckingham and Normanby Peerage of England New creationTitle last held by Henry Cavendish Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2nd creation1694–1711 Extinct Preceded byGilbert Holles Earl of Clare 1689–1711
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