Christopher Vane, 1st Baron Barnard (21 May 1653 – 28 October 1723) was an English peer. He served in Parliament for Durham after his brother, Thomas, died 4 days after being elected the MP for Durham. Then, again from January 1689 - November 1690 for Boroughbridge. He served in the Commons as a Whig collaborator during the passage of the Bill of Rights which his father, Sir Henry Vane, the Younger had fought for religious and civil liberty before his beheading in 1662. He is known for his disputes with his heirs and for employing Peter Smart, father of the poet

Christopher Smart Christopher Smart (11 April 1722 – 20 May 1771) was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines, ''The Midwife'' and ''The Student'', and a friend to influential cultural icons like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fie ...

, as a steward.

Early life

Christopher Vane was the son of

Henry Vane the Younger Sir Henry Vane (baptised 26 March 161314 June 1662), often referred to as Harry Vane and Henry Vane the Younger to distinguish him from his father, Henry Vane the Elder, was an English politician, statesman, and colonial governor. He was brie ...

and Frances Wray, daughter of

Sir Christopher Wray Sir Christopher Wray (1524 – 7 May 1592) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Early life and career Wray, the third son of Thomas Wray, seneschal in 1535 of Coverham Abbey, Yorkshire, by Joan, daughter of Robert Jack ...

. He inherited

Raby Castle Raby Castle () is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Ed ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

and

Fairlawne Fairlawne is a Grade I listed house in Shipbourne, Kent, England, about 30 miles southeast of central London. The Fairlawne Estate is extensive and stretches to Plaxtol. Architecture Fairlawne was rebuilt for Sir Henry Vane the Elder in 1630–5 ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

,Mounsey p. 23 on the beheading of his father at

Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher grou ...

in 1662.

Career

Vane was MP for

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

from 1675 to 1679, and a Whig sitting for

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the mai ...

from January 1689 to November 1690 (removed by petition of Sir Brian Stayplton). He was made a

Privy counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in July 1688, and in 1698, was created Baron Barnard of

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automato ...

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

. During his time at Raby Castle, Christopher hired John Bazire and Peter Smart, father of Christopher Smart.Mounsey p. 24 A struggle between his wife and his daughter-in-law Lucy Jolliffe ensued after 1703 and Christopher refused to pay the inheritance annuity to his son, William, after William was to be given the

estate. Christopher accomplished this task by giving Fairlawne and Raby Castle to John Bazire and Peter Smart "for the use of the said Lord Barnard and his heirs forever."Sherbo p. 4 William took a lawsuit over the inheritance to the House of Lords, and during this time Christopher and his wife lived at Raby Castle.

Family

On 9 May 1676, he married Elizabeth Holles, daughter of

Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare (24 April 1633 – 16 January 1689) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. He was styled Lord Haughton from 1637 until he succeeded to the title Earl of Clare in 1666. Life Holles was t ...

. There was immediate bad feeling between Christopher and Elizabeth, on one side, and her brother and co-heir

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne John Holles, Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was an English Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. Early life Holles was born in Edwinstowe, Nottingha ...

. They had three children: * Henry Vane (1676–1676), died in infancy. * Gilbert Vane, 2nd Baron Barnard (1678–1753), married to Mary Randyll (1681–1728), mother of

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, mistress of

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

. *

William Vane, 1st Viscount Vane William Vane, 1st Viscount Vane (1682 – 20 May 1734), of Fairlawn, Kent, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1734. Early life Vane was baptized on 17 February 1682, the second surviving son of Christ ...

(c. 1680–1734), married to Lucy Jolliffe.

Later years

When his son Gilbert married Mary Randyll, Elizabeth started a quarrel with her daughter-in-law, which forced Christopher and Elizabeth to move back to Fairlawne. Mary was described as "scandalous" by Christopher Vane (and it was thought that her daughter,

Anne Vane Anne Vane (17 September 1710 - 27 March 1736), also known as "the Hon. Mrs. Vane," was a maid of honour to Caroline of Ansbach and mistress to her son Frederick, Prince of Wales. Life Vane was the first daughter of Gilbert Vane, second Baron Bar ...

, followed her mother's example.Matthew Kilburn, 'Vane, Anne (d. 1736)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200
accessed 19 Feb 2017
/ref> In 1712, Christopher hired John Proud, the steward of Raby Castle, to engage 200 workmen to strip the castle.Mounsey p. 25 Owen Stanley Scott described the way that the castle was stripped: :"of its lead, glass, doors, and furniture, even pulling up the floors, cutting down the timber, and destroying the deer, and 'of a sudden in three days' did damage to the tune of £3000, holding a sale at which the household goods, lead, etc., were sold for what they would fetch" In response, Gilbert sued Christopher for the damages to the castle in the case ''Vane vs. Lord Barnard'' 1716. He died on 28 October 1723, aged 70 at

Shipbourne Shipbourne ( ) is a village and civil parish situated between the towns of Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in the English county of Kent. In 2020 it was named as the most expensive village in Kent. It is located i ...

, and was buried in the parish church. He wrote in a codicil to his will that Peter Smart would receive £40 a year. Also, he bequeathed £200 to Christopher Smart and £50 to the other children of Peter Smart.Mounsey p. 27 The reason for Christopher Smart's legacy has been seen by some as a sign that the future poet was "the pride of Fairlawne";Sherbo p. 6 others disagree without an offered explanation. Christopher Smart never received this money, as it was tied up and lost in a court battle.Mounsey p. 28 In response to this loss,

Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, PC (c. 1705 – 6 March 1758), known as Lord Barnard between 1753 and 1754, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1726 to 1753 when he succeeded to a peerage as Baron Barnard. Lif ...

, Christopher's grandson through Gilbert, took the young Christopher Smart in at Raby Castle and paid for his education at Durham School.

Notes

References

* Forster, John, Esq. of the Inner Temple., ''Eminent British Statesmen, Vol 4, Sir Henry Vane the Younger'', London: Printed by A. Sro'rrrswonue, 1838. * King, Henry Melville. ''Sir Henry Vane Jr.: Governor of Massachusetts and Friend of Roger Williams and Rhode Island'', Providence, Rhode Island: Preston and Rounds Company, 1909. * Willcock, John, M. A., D. D. ''Life of Sir Henry Vane the Younger Statesman & Mystic'', London: The Saint Catherine Press, 1913 * Mounsey, Chris. ''Christopher Smart: Clown of God.'' London: Bucknell University Press, 2001. * Scott, Owen Stanley. ''Raby: its Castle and its Lords.'' Barnard Castle: Harry Ward, 1915. * Sherbo, Arthur. ''Christopher Smart: Scholar of the University.'' Michigan State University Press, 1967. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Christopher Vane, 1st Baron 1653 births 1723 deaths Peers of England created by William III People from Shipbourne

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1689–1690 Barons Barnard