John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare (May 1564 – 4 October 1637) was an English nobleman.

He was the son of Denzel Holles of Irby upon Humber

Irby upon Humber

Irby upon Humber or Irby-on-Humber is a small village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated on the A46 road south-west of Laceby....

 and Eleanor Sheffield (daughter of Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield of Butterwick

Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield of Butterwick

Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield, of Butterwick was an English nobleman, the son of Sir Robert Sheffield and his second wife Jane Stanley, daughter of George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange and Joan le Strange, 9th Baroness Strange...

). His great-grandfather was William Hollyes

William Hollyes

Sir William Holles rose from apprenticeship to a mercer to become master warden of his company and Lord Mayor of London.He was the son of Thomas Holles of Stoke, Coventry....

, Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

.

Holles married Anne Stanhope (daughter of Sir Thomas Stanhope

Sir Thomas Stanhope

Sir Thomas Stanhope was a Tudor MP for Nottinghamshire in England.He was the eldest son of Sir Michael Stanhope and Ann Rawson, the eldest of eight surviving children. He was 12 years old when his father was executed in 1552...

) on 23 May 1591 in Shelford, Nottinghamshire. Through his marriage to Anne, he inherited Thurland Hall in Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

 which was also known as Clare Place. The family seat was at Haughton Hall in the parish of Bothamsall

Bothamsall

Bothamsall is a village and civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England.According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 it had a population of 185.- History & Amenities :...

. Haughton Hall was demolished in the late eighteenth century.

He was comptroller of the household

Comptroller of the Household

The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...

 of Prince Henry

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales

Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...

 until the prince's death on 6 November 1612.

He was created 1st Baron Haughton on 9 July 1616 and 1st Earl of Clare

Earl of Clare

Earl of Clare was a title of English nobility created three times: once each in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and Ireland. The title derives from Clare, Suffolk, where a prominent Anglo-Norman family was seated since the Norman Conquest, and from which their English surname sprang from...

 on 2 November 1624.

He was Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Nottinghamshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...

 from 1604 to 1611 and 1614 to 1616.

He is buried in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham

St. Mary's Church, Nottingham

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....

.

Children

• John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare
  John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare
  -Family:He was born in Haughton, Nottinghamshire, the eldest son of John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare and Anne Stanhope, and the brother of Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles....
  
   (1595–1666), married Elizabeth Vere.
• Robert Holles (b. 1597), married Ursula Cooper
• Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles
  Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles
  Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles PC was an English statesman and writer, best known as one of the five members of parliament whom King Charles I of England attempted to arrest in 1642.-Early life:...
  
   (1599–1680)
• Francis (died without offspring)
• William (died without offspring)
• Eleanore Holles, married Oliver Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel, became Countess of Tyrconnel, buried in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham
  St. Mary's Church, Nottingham
  The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....
  
   11 April 1681
• Arabella Holles (died October 1631), married Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
  Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
  Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...