John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was an English peer and politician. He was styled Lord Houghton from 1666 until he became Earl of Clare in 1689. He was created Duke of Newcastle in 1694 in recognition of his loyalty to the Williamite regime, and later served as Lord Privy Seal.

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. He was a patron of John Dryden and in 1681 the playwright dedicated The Spanish Friar to Holles with the words "a Protestant play to a Protestant patron".

Politics Holles was hostile to James II's regime and was in contact with Everhard van Weede Dijkvelt in 1687.

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.

Described in the The History of Parliament as a "vapouring and wealthy Whig", in 1705 he was appointed Lord Privy Seal and he was sworn of the Privy Council of England on 29 March the same year.

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

Death

The duke died in 1711 from injuries received in a fall from his horse while hunting near Welbeck. 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. 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.

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. Coat of arms