Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness

Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, PC (17 May 1718 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as Lord Darcy and Conyers, was a British diplomat and politician.[1][2]


The Earl of Holderness

Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office
6 April 1757  27 June 1757
MonarchGeorge II
Preceded byWilliam Pitt
Succeeded byWilliam Pitt
In office
18 June 1751  23 March 1754
MonarchGeorge II
Preceded byThe Duke of Bedford
Succeeded byThomas Robinson
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
In office
23 March 1754  25 March 1761
MonarchGeorge II
George III
Preceded byThe Duke of Newcastle
Succeeded byThe Earl of Bute
Personal details
Born17 May 1718
Died16 May 1778(1778-05-16) (aged 59)
Syon Hill, London, England
NationalityGreat Britain
Spouse(s)Mary Doublet
ChildrenAmelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen
OccupationDiplomat, politician

Career

In 1741 he collaborated with G.F. Handel in the production of Deidamia.[3] From 1744 to 1746 he was ambassador at Venice and from 1749 to 1751 he represented his country at The Hague. In 1751 he became Secretary of State for the Southern Department, transferring in 1754 to the Northern Department, and he remained in office until March 1761, when he was dismissed by King George III in favour of Lord Bute, although he had largely been a cipher in that position to the stronger personalities of his colleagues, successively the Duke of Newcastle, Thomas Robinson, Henry Fox, and William Pitt the Elder. From 1771 to 1776 he acted as governor to two of the King's sons, a solemn phantom as Horace Walpole calls him. He left no sons who survived childhood,[2] and all his titles became extinct except the Baronies of Darcy de Knayth and Conyers, which were baronies by writ inherited from his father, and the Portuguese countship of Mértola, inherited from his mother. In those peerages he was succeeded by his daughter, Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen.

David Hume wrote, "It is remarkable that this family of d'Arcy [sic] seems to be the only male descendant of any of the Conqueror's barons now remaining among the Peers. Lord Holdernessae [sic] is the heir of that family".[4]

Family

He was the only surviving son of Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, and his wife Lady Frederica Schomberg. On 29 October 1743, Darcy married Mary Doublet, daughter of Francis Doublet and Constantia Van-der-Beck. The couple had three children, only one of whom survived childhood:[2]

See also

References

  1. "D'Arcy, Robert" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  2. Record for Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness on thepeerage.com
  3. A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760 by Eleanor Selfridge-Field, p. 492
  4. History of England (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975), p. 16 n. 14.
  5. Wildeman, Marinus Godefridus, De grafboeken der Groote of St. Jacobskerk te 's Gravenhage, (1620-1830)... Robijns Publishers, 1898
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
?
Minister at Venice
1744–1746
Succeeded by
Sir James Gray
Preceded by
?
Minister at the Hague
1749–1751
Succeeded by
Joseph Yorke
Political offices
Preceded by
The Duke of Bedford
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
17511754
Succeeded by
Thomas Robinson
Preceded by
The Duke of Newcastle
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
17541761
Succeeded by
The Earl of Bute
Preceded by
William Pitt
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
1757
Succeeded by
William Pitt
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Sir Conyers Darcy
Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire
17401778
Succeeded by
The Earl Fauconberg
Preceded by
The Marquess of Rockingham
Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire
17621765
Succeeded by
The Marquess of Rockingham
Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire
17631776
Preceded by
The Duke of Dorset
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
17651778
Succeeded by
The Lord North
Peerage of England
Preceded by
Robert Darcy
Earl of Holderness
17221778
Extinct
Baron Darcy de Knayth and Conyers
17221778
Succeeded by
Amelia Osborne
Titles of nobility
Preceded by
Frederica Mildmay
Count of Mértola
17511778
Succeeded by
Amelia Osborne

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