Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (fifth creation)
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Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, KB
(1697–1759) was a wealthy English
land-owner and patron of the arts. He is particularly noted for commissioning the design and construction of Holkham Hall
in north Norfolk
. Between 1722 and 1728, he was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Norfolk
.
He was the son of Edward Coke (Coke is pronounced "Cook") and Carey Newton. As a young man, Coke embarked on a six-year 'Grand Tour
', returning to England in the spring of 1718. During his time overseas in Rome
in 1715, he made the acquaintance of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
, the aristocratic architect
at the forefront of the Palladian revival movement in England, and of William Kent
. Both were later to be engaged by Coke to work on his mansion at Holkham
which housed the considerable collection of works of art that Coke had accumulated on his travels. In 1717, during these travels he purchased the Codex Leicester
, containing some of the works of Leonardo da Vinci
, the Italian artist and scientist.
However, Coke was badly affected by financial losses when his investments in the South Sea Company proved worthless. This delayed the building of Coke's planned new country estate for over ten years. It was not until around 1732 that Burlington and Kent made their first drawings for the new mansion
. Norfolk architect Matthew Brettingham
was also influential in its design (though he attributed the design of the Marble Hall to Coke himself). Work on the foundations began in 1734, but it was to be 30 years before work was completed.
Coke, who had been created Earl of Leicester
in 1744, died in 1759, five years before the completion of Holkham, having never fully recovered his financial losses. Thomas had been predeceased by his only son, the rake Edward Coke, Viscount Coke
(whose marriage to Mary Campbell proved disastrous and childless). Therefore Holkham was inherited by Thomas's nephew Wenman Coke
, who died in 1776 and was succeeded by his son Thomas William Coke, later 1st Earl of Leicester of Holkham.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1697–1759) was a wealthy English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
land-owner and patron of the arts. He is particularly noted for commissioning the design and construction of Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
in north Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Between 1722 and 1728, 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,...
(MP) for Norfolk
Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
Norfolk 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. It was represented by two Members of Parliament...
.
He was the son of Edward Coke (Coke is pronounced "Cook") and Carey Newton. As a young man, Coke embarked on a six-year '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...
', returning to England in the spring of 1718. During his time overseas in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1715, he made the acquaintance of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork PC , born in Yorkshire, England, was the son of Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Earl of Cork...
, the aristocratic architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
at the forefront of the Palladian revival movement in England, and of William Kent
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
. Both were later to be engaged by Coke to work on his mansion at Holkham
Holkham
Holkham is a village and civil parish in the north-west of the county of Norfolk, England. Besides the small village, the parish includes the major stately home and estate of Holkham Hall, and an attractive beach at Holkham Gap...
which housed the considerable collection of works of art that Coke had accumulated on his travels. In 1717, during these travels he purchased the Codex Leicester
Codex Leicester
The Codex Leicester is a collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci. The codex is named after Thomas Coke, later created Earl of Leicester, who purchased it in 1717...
, containing some of the works of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, the Italian artist and scientist.
However, Coke was badly affected by financial losses when his investments in the South Sea Company proved worthless. This delayed the building of Coke's planned new country estate for over ten years. It was not until around 1732 that Burlington and Kent made their first drawings for the new mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
. Norfolk architect Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham , sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an 18th-century Englishman who rose from humble origins to supervise the construction of Holkham Hall, and eventually became one of the country's better-known architects of his generation...
was also influential in its design (though he attributed the design of the Marble Hall to Coke himself). Work on the foundations began in 1734, but it was to be 30 years before work was completed.
Coke, who had been created Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
in 1744, died in 1759, five years before the completion of Holkham, having never fully recovered his financial losses. Thomas had been predeceased by his only son, the rake Edward Coke, Viscount Coke
Edward Coke, Viscount Coke
Edward Coke, Viscount Coke , styled The Hon. Edward Coke from 1728 to 1744, was a British Member of Parliament....
(whose marriage to Mary Campbell proved disastrous and childless). Therefore Holkham was inherited by Thomas's nephew Wenman Coke
Wenman Coke (d. 1776)
Wenman Coke , known as Wenman Roberts until 1750, was a British landowner and politician.-Background:Born Wenman Roberts, he was the son of Major Philip Roberts and Anne, daughter of Edward Coke. He assumed the surname of Coke in lieu of his patronymic in 1750...
, who died in 1776 and was succeeded by his son Thomas William Coke, later 1st Earl of Leicester of Holkham.