John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth
Encyclopedia
John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth (15 April 1690 – 22 November 1762), known as John Wallop, 1st Viscount Lymington from 1720 to 1743, was a British peer
and Member of Parliament
.
Wallop was the third son of John Wallop, of Farleigh Wallop
and his wife Alicia, daughter of William Borlase
. The Wallops were an old and influential Hampshire
family; his great-grandfather was the regicide Robert Wallop
. His father died about 1694, and he succeeded an elder brother, Bluett Wallop, in the family estates in 1707. Wallop was educated at Eton
in 1708, in Geneva
from 1708 to 1709, and took his Grand Tour
through Italy and Germany in 1710.
In 1715
, Wallop was returned as a Whig
Member of Parliament
for both Andover
, where a family interest existed, and Hampshire
, choosing to sit for the latter. In 1717, he took the side of Stanhope
and Sunderland
over Walpole
and Townshend
and was rewarded with appointment as a junior Lord of the Treasury
. He was re-elected without opposition at the ensuing by-election
in Hampshire. However, he voted against the Government on the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Act
s.
On 20 May 1716, Wallop had married Lady Bridget Bennet (d. 12 October 1738), the daughter of Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville
. They had six sons and four daughters:
When Sunderland fell in 1720 after the South Sea Bubble, Wallop was put out of the Treasury. He was compensated with a peerage, being created Viscount Lymington and Baron Wallop on 11 June 1720. In 1731, he suggested to Queen Caroline
(through the medium of her favorite, Charlotte Clayton) that he should replace the Duke of Bolton
as the Government's electoral manager in Hampshire, but nothing immediately came of this.
On 11 January 1732 (O.S.) he was appointed Justice in Eyre
for the forests north of Trent
. In 1733, when the Duke of Bolton broke with Walpole over the proposed Excise Bill, he was stripped of most of his offices; Lymington succeeded him as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire
, Vice-Admiral of Hampshire, and Vice-Admiral of the Isle of Wight. In July 1734, the Duke of Montagu
, who had succeeded Bolton as Governor of the Isle of Wight, resigned that office and Lymington received it as well, although he resigned office as Justice in Eyre that year. The disaffection of Bolton threatened the Whig interest in Hampshire. Lymington worked in "perfect harmony" with Lord Harry Powlett
, Bolton's brother and one of the Whig candidates, but Bolton's opposition to Anthony Chute
, the other Whig, resulted in the defeat of Chute and the victory of one of the Tory candidates, Edward Lisle. Bridget, Viscountess Lymington, having died in 1738, Lymington remarried on 9 June 1741 to Elizabeth, widow of Henry Grey
and daughter of James Griffin, 2nd Baron Griffin of Braybrooke; they had no children.
Upon Walpole's fall in 1742 (due in part to the failed siege of Cartagena
, which had claimed the life of Lymington's second son), the Duke of Bolton regained all of his prior offices in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
, to Lymington's loss. As in 1720, Lymington was compensated with a peerage, and was created Earl of Portsmouth on 11 October 1743. He regained the offices of Governor and Vice-Admiral of the Isle of Wight in 1746, when Bolton supported the abortive ministry of Bath
and Granville
and was deprived of those posts by the Pelhams. Two of his sons died in 1749: Bluett
, his youngest, in June, and John, Viscount Lymington
in November. Upon his death in 1762, he was succeeded by his grandson John Wallop, 2nd Earl of Portsmouth
.
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 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,...
.
Wallop was the third son of John Wallop, of Farleigh Wallop
Farleigh Wallop
Farleigh Wallop is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately south of Basingstoke. The parish includes about .Since 1486, Farleigh Wallop has been the home of the Wallop family, including John Wallop, Henry Wallop, and Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth.-External...
and his wife Alicia, daughter of William Borlase
William Borlase (died 1665)
William Borlase was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1665.Borlase was the son of Sir William Borlase of Marlow who was MP for Wycombe...
. The Wallops were an old and influential Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
family; his great-grandfather was the regicide Robert Wallop
Robert Wallop
Robert Wallop was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times from 1621 to 1660. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War and was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England....
. His father died about 1694, and he succeeded an elder brother, Bluett Wallop, in the family estates in 1707. Wallop was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in 1708, in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
from 1708 to 1709, and took his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
through Italy and Germany in 1710.
In 1715
British general election, 1715
The British general election of 1715 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...
, Wallop was returned as a Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
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 both Andover
Andover (UK Parliament constituency)
Andover was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1307, and again from 1586, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough in Hampshire,...
, where a family interest existed, and Hampshire
Hampshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Hampshire was a county constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832...
, choosing to sit for the latter. In 1717, he took the side of Stanhope
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope PC was a British statesman and soldier who effectively served as Chief Minister between 1717 and 1721. He is probably best remembered for his service during War of the Spanish Succession...
and Sunderland
Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Sir Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland KG PC , known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was an English statesman...
over Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
and Townshend
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Bt, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State, directing British foreign policy...
and was rewarded with appointment as a junior Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
. He was re-elected without opposition at the ensuing by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Hampshire. However, he voted against the Government on the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Act
Schism Act 1714
The Schism Act 1714 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The Act stipulated that anyone who wished to keep a public or private school, or act as tutor, must first be granted a licence from a bishop. Also, he must conform to the liturgy of the Church of England and to have taken in the...
s.
On 20 May 1716, Wallop had married Lady Bridget Bennet (d. 12 October 1738), the daughter of Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville
Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville
Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville KT PC , known as The Lord Ossulston between 1695 and 1714, was a British peer.-Political career:...
. They had six sons and four daughters:
- Hon. Bridget Wallop (20 February 1717 – 26 June 1736)
- John Wallop, Viscount LymingtonJohn Wallop, Viscount LymingtonJohn Wallop, Viscount Lymington was a British politician, styled Hon. John Wallop from 1720 to 1743.The eldest son of John Wallop, 1st Viscount Lymington, Wallop was educated at Winchester School from 1731 to 1734 and at Christ Church, Oxford in 1735. From 1739 to 1740, he was mayor of...
(1718–1749) - Hon. Borlace Wallop (3 June 1720 – April 1741), ensignEnsign (rank)Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the Royal Regiment of Foot GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, aide-de-campAide-de-campAn aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to General Wentworth, carried orders at the attack on Fort Saint Lazarus and died of fever soon thereafter - Hon. Mary Wallop (17 August 1721 – 13 April 1722)
- Hon. Charles WallopCharles WallopCharles Wallop was a British politician.The third son of John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth, Charles was educated at Winchester School from 1732 to 1739 and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1740 to 1743...
(1722–1771) - Hon. Anne Wallop (d. 3 March 1759), unmarried
- Hon. Bluett WallopBluett WallopBluett Wallop was a British soldier and politician.The fourth son of John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth, Bluett was appointed a Page of Honour to George II on 8 November 1739. He served the King on campaign in Flanders in 1743 and 1744...
(1726–1749) - Hon. Elizabeth Wallop (d. June 1727)
- Henry Wallop, died in infancy
- Bennet Wallop, died young
When Sunderland fell in 1720 after the South Sea Bubble, Wallop was put out of the Treasury. He was compensated with a peerage, being created Viscount Lymington and Baron Wallop on 11 June 1720. In 1731, he suggested to Queen Caroline
Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state...
(through the medium of her favorite, Charlotte Clayton) that he should replace the Duke of Bolton
Charles Powlett, 3rd Duke of Bolton
Lieutenant-General Charles Powlett , 3rd Duke of Bolton KG PC was a British nobleman and politician....
as the Government's electoral manager in Hampshire, but nothing immediately came of this.
On 11 January 1732 (O.S.) he was appointed Justice in Eyre
Justice in Eyre
In English law, the Justices in Eyre were the highest magistrates in forest law, and presided over the court of justice-seat, a triennial court held to punish offenders against the forest law and enquire into the state of the forest and its officers...
for the forests north of Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. In 1733, when the Duke of Bolton broke with Walpole over the proposed Excise Bill, he was stripped of most of his offices; Lymington succeeded him as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire
Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. Since 1688, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire.*William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester 1551–?*William Paulet, 3rd Marquess of Winchester bef...
, Vice-Admiral of Hampshire, and Vice-Admiral of the Isle of Wight. In July 1734, the Duke of Montagu
John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu
John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, KG, KB, PC , styled Viscount Monthermer until 1705 and Marquess of Monthermer between 1705 and 1709, was a British peer...
, who had succeeded Bolton as Governor of the Isle of Wight, resigned that office and Lymington received it as well, although he resigned office as Justice in Eyre that year. The disaffection of Bolton threatened the Whig interest in Hampshire. Lymington worked in "perfect harmony" with Lord Harry Powlett
Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton
Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton PC , known until 1754 as Lord Harry Powlett, was a British nobleman and Whig politician, the second son of Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton and Frances Ramsden...
, Bolton's brother and one of the Whig candidates, but Bolton's opposition to Anthony Chute
Anthony Chute
Anthony Chute was an Elizabethan poet and pamphleteer. Very little is known about him.Chute appears to have been a protégé of Gabriel Harvey. Harvey refers to him in his work Pierces Supererogation, saying that Chute was an orator and a herald...
, the other Whig, resulted in the defeat of Chute and the victory of one of the Tory candidates, Edward Lisle. Bridget, Viscountess Lymington, having died in 1738, Lymington remarried on 9 June 1741 to Elizabeth, widow of Henry Grey
Henry Grey (MP)
Henry Grey was a British politician, born Henry Neville.The younger son of Richard Neville of Billingbear House in Berkshire and Katherine Grey, daughter of Ralph Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Werke, he changed his surname to Grey in 1707 to inherit the estates of his uncle Ralph Grey, 4th Baron Grey of...
and daughter of James Griffin, 2nd Baron Griffin of Braybrooke; they had no children.
Upon Walpole's fall in 1742 (due in part to the failed siege of Cartagena
Battle of Cartagena de Indias
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was an amphibious military engagement between the forces of Britain under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon and those of Spain under Admiral Blas de Lezo. It took place at the city of Cartagena de Indias in March 1741, in present-day Colombia...
, which had claimed the life of Lymington's second son), the Duke of Bolton regained all of his prior offices in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, to Lymington's loss. As in 1720, Lymington was compensated with a peerage, and was created Earl of Portsmouth on 11 October 1743. He regained the offices of Governor and Vice-Admiral of the Isle of Wight in 1746, when Bolton supported the abortive ministry of Bath
William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath
William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, PC was an English politician, a Whig, created the first Earl of Bath in 1742 by King George II; he is sometimes stated to have been Prime Minister, for the shortest term ever , though most modern sources reckon that he cannot be considered to have held the...
and Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, KG, PC , commonly known by his earlier title as Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763.-Family:...
and was deprived of those posts by the Pelhams. Two of his sons died in 1749: Bluett
Bluett Wallop
Bluett Wallop was a British soldier and politician.The fourth son of John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth, Bluett was appointed a Page of Honour to George II on 8 November 1739. He served the King on campaign in Flanders in 1743 and 1744...
, his youngest, in June, and John, Viscount Lymington
John Wallop, Viscount Lymington
John Wallop, Viscount Lymington was a British politician, styled Hon. John Wallop from 1720 to 1743.The eldest son of John Wallop, 1st Viscount Lymington, Wallop was educated at Winchester School from 1731 to 1734 and at Christ Church, Oxford in 1735. From 1739 to 1740, he was mayor of...
in November. Upon his death in 1762, he was succeeded by his grandson John Wallop, 2nd Earl of Portsmouth
John Wallop, 2nd Earl of Portsmouth
John Wallop, 2nd Earl of Portsmouth , styled Hon. John Wallop from 1743 to 1749 and Viscount Lymington from 1749 to 1762, was a British nobleman.He was the son of John Wallop, Viscount Lymington and his wife Catherine...
.