Henry Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham
Encyclopedia
Henry de Nassau, Lord d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham PC (1673 – 5 December 1754), was a British
peer
and courtier
, a member of the House of Orange-Nassau
and second cousin once removed to King William III
of England. He inherited the lordship of Ouwerkerk
(known in English as Overkirk and in French as Auverquerque) in Holland, and was a count
of the Holy Roman Empire
.
He was born in The Hague
to the Dutch general Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque (called "Lord Overkirk" by the English) and his wife Frances van Aerssen, and baptised there 30 May 1673. On 12 January 1697, he married Lady Henrietta Butler, daughter of the Earl of Ossory
and sister of the 2nd Duke of Ormonde
. In 1698, during his father's lifetime, he was created Baron Alford, Viscount Boston and Earl of Grantham
by William III.
Despite Grantham's marriage to the sister of one of most notorious participants in the 1715 Jacobite rising, George I
appointed him Lord Chamberlain
to the household of the Princess of Wales
in 1717, and Grantham retained his position when the Prince of Wales
succeeded as King George II
in 1727 and the Princess became Queen Caroline. He remained her Lord Chamberlain until her death in 1737.
Grantham later involved himself in a project to create an orphanage
for abandoned children
in London
, the first of its kind in the nation. The charity became known as the Foundling Hospital
and received its royal charter
on 17 October 1739. Lord Grantham was one of its founding Governor
s.
Grantham owned a house in Albemarle Street
, Westminster
that is now part of the premises of the Royal Institution
, and a country house in Chiswick
, called Grove Park.
Lord Grantham died on 5 December 1754 and was buried a week later at St James's Church, Piccadilly
, Westminster.
and Charles Butler, Earl of Arran, and had five children, of whom only two daughters survived into adulthood:
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, a member of the House of Orange-Nassau
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...
and second cousin once removed to King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
of England. He inherited the lordship of Ouwerkerk
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel is a village in the Krimpenerwaard polder, in the province South Holland, the Netherlands. It is situated along the river Hollandse IJssel and has over 4000 inhabitants....
(known in English as Overkirk and in French as Auverquerque) in Holland, and was a count
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
He was born in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
to the Dutch general Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque (called "Lord Overkirk" by the English) and his wife Frances van Aerssen, and baptised there 30 May 1673. On 12 January 1697, he married Lady Henrietta Butler, daughter of the Earl of Ossory
Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory
Vice-Admiral Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, KG, PC, PC was the eldest son of the James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and Lady Elizabeth Preston, and an Irish politician born at Kilkenny Castle.-Life and career:...
and sister of the 2nd Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde KG KT was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the third of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom of Ormonde...
. In 1698, during his father's lifetime, he was created Baron Alford, Viscount Boston and Earl of Grantham
Earl of Grantham
Earl of Grantham was a title in the Peerage of England created on 24 December 1698, along with the titles Viscount Boston and Baron Alford, for Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, with a special remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to his three brothers Cornelius, Maurice and Francis, in like...
by William III.
Despite Grantham's marriage to the sister of one of most notorious participants in the 1715 Jacobite rising, George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
appointed him Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
to the household of the Princess of Wales
Princess of Wales
Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
in 1717, and Grantham retained his position when the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
succeeded as King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
in 1727 and the Princess became Queen Caroline. He remained her Lord Chamberlain until her death in 1737.
Grantham later involved himself in a project to create an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
for abandoned children
Child abandonment
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling .-Causes:Poverty is often a...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the first of its kind in the nation. The charity became known as the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
and received its royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
on 17 October 1739. Lord Grantham was one of its founding Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s.
Grantham owned a house in Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received led to his suing for libel and to his eventual imprisonment...
, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
that is now part of the premises of the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
, and a country house in Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, called Grove Park.
Lord Grantham died on 5 December 1754 and was buried a week later at St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James’s Church, Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren....
, Westminster.
Family
Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque married on 12 January 1697 his cousin Lady Henrietta Butler (died 11 October 1724), youngest daughter of Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory by his wife Emilia van Nassau (a sister of Lord Overkirk), and sister of James Butler, 2nd Duke of OrmondeJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde KG KT was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the third of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom of Ormonde...
and Charles Butler, Earl of Arran, and had five children, of whom only two daughters survived into adulthood:
- Henry (27 October 1697 – 19 June 1718), styled Viscount Boston from 24 December 1698.
- Thomas (born abt 1700, died 27 April 1730), styled Viscount Boston, apparently unmarried.
- Lady Frances de Nassau d'Auverquerque (born 1700s, d. 5 April 1772), who married 4 Jun 1737 St Paul's Benet Wharf (against her father's wishes) Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel) William Elliot of WellsWilliam Elliot of WellsWilliam Elliot of Wells was an army officer, courtier, and Member of Parliament during the reign of George II.The son of William Elliot of Wells , the younger William was christened 17 January 1696 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster...
. Their only child died young. - Emilia Mary (born 1700s, died aged 10)
- Lady Henrietta de Nassau d'Auverquerque (bapt 17 October 1712, died 23 September 1747), who married 27 September 1732 William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl CowperWilliam Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl CowperWilliam Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper , styled Viscount Fordwich between 1718 and 1723, was a British peer and courtier....
1709–1764). Her son the 3rd Earl CowperGeorge Clavering-Cowper, 3rd Earl CowperGeorge Nassau Clavering-Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper was an English peer who went on the grand tour as a young man, but actually emigrated. Despite becoming a Member of Parliament and inheriting lands and the title of Earl Cowper in England, he remained in Italy. He amassed a valuable art collection...
(1738–1789) became his uncle Lord Grantham's heir general after his aunt, Lady Frances Eliot's, death in 1772, and was created a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1778 (which title expired in 1905 with the death of the last Earl CowperFrancis Cowper, 7th Earl CowperFrancis Thomas de Grey Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper KG, PC, DL , known as Viscount Fordwich from 1837 to 1856, was a British Liberal politician...
). The current representative of this line is Lord Lucas (b. 1951), who is also Lord DingwallLord DingwallLord Dingwall is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1609 for Sir Richard Preston, with remainder to his heirs whatsoever. In 1619 he was further honoured when he was made Baron Dunmore and Earl of Desmond in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to heirs male...
in the Peerage of Scotland, and a co-heir to the Barony Butler since 1905.