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.
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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. As such, he was a supporter of William of Orange and Mary Stuart during the Glorious Revolution, and in November 1688 waited on William as a representative of the risings in York and Nottingham.
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 a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to William III and was appointed a justice of the peace, Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex and Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex in 1689. 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. In 1699 he was appointed Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull. As Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire he took personal command of the Nottinghamshire Militia.
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. In 1706, he was among the commissioners tasked with negotiating the Acts of Union 1707 with Scotland. Despite his limited administrative ability, by this stage Holles was very influential and controlled at least ten members of parliament. He was retained in his offices by the Harley ministry following the 1710 British general election, but died the following year.
Family
On 1 March 1690, Holles married his first cousin, Lady Margaret Cavendish, a daughter of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle. As his favourite daughter, she was the heiress of all of the duke's estates in the East Midlands and Northumberland. This inheritance was subsequently challenged unsuccessfully by Lady Margaret's sisters. Holles inherited more estates from his relative, Denzil Holles, 3rd Baron Holles. By 1694, his income was reckoned to be £40,000 per year.
Holles and Cavendish 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 Estate in Cambridgeshire and the Manor of Marylebone. The Marylebone lands passed to his son-in-law Harley who named Holles Street in his memory.
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. He was buried on 9 August 1711 in St. John's Chapel in Westminster Abbey. 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.
