Henry Thurstan Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, (3 August 1825 – 29 January 1914), known as Sir Henry Holland, Bt, from 1873 to 1888 and as The Lord Knutsford from 1888 to 1895, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician, best known for serving as

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies. History The position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increas ...

from 1887 to 1892.

Background and education

The son of Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet, a prominent physician, Knutsford was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...

, and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, and took his degree in 1847. He studied law, and was called to the bar at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1849. He practiced law privately until 1867, when he became legal advisor to the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...

Political career

In 1870 Knutsford became assistant colonial undersecretary, serving until 1874, and in 1873, having succeeded his father as 2nd Baronet, he was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

as a

. In Lord Salisbury's first administration (1885–1886), Knutsford served as

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The financial secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in His Majesty's Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Excheq ...

and then as Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education. He served in this role again at the beginning of Salisbury's second ministry (1886–1887), but was soon promoted to Colonial Secretary (in January 1887). As Colonial Secretary, Knutsford was largely concerned with

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

n affairs, being the Colonial Secretary who granted the charter for Cecil Rhodes's

British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expect ...

in 1887. In 1888 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Knutsford, of Knutsford in the County Palatine of Chester. In 1895, Knutsford was not included in Salisbury's new government. He was further honoured the same year when he was made Viscount Knutsford, of Knutsford in the County Palatine of Chester.

St John′s Ambulance

Lord Knutsford was a Director of the Ambulance department of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John in England, and Chairman of the

St John Ambulance Association St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

. The association mobilized detachments serving in

during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

(1899–1902), with Lord Knutsford raising support for the work. In July 1902 he received an Award for conspicuous service to the order.

Family

Holland married Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of Nathaniel Hibbert, in 1852. They had twin sons and one daughter: *Hon. Edith Emily Holland (1853–1923) *

Sydney Holland, 2nd Viscount Knutsford Sydney George Holland, 2nd Viscount Knutsford (19 March 185527 July 1931) was a British barrister and peer. Background and education Knutsford was the eldest twin son of the Conservative politician Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, and his ...

(1855–1931) *Arthur Holland-Hibbert, 3rd Viscount Knutsford (1855–1935) Elizabeth died in April 1855, only a few weeks after the birth of her twin sons. On 25 November 1858, Holland married Margaret Jean Trevelyan (1835–1906), by whom he had a daughter and three sons: *Henry Macaulay Holland (16 September 1859 – 6 April 1878) *Hon. Margaret Alice Holland (5 September 1861 – 1937), married Reginald Abel Smith *Capt. Hon. Cecil Trevelyan Holland (26 October 1862 – 1941) *Hon. Lionel Raleigh Holland (1865–1936) Lady Knutsford was also involved with the

, and in July 1902 received an Award for conspicuous service for her work as Chairman of the Special Committee formed to despatch medical comforts to the Brigade units during the

. Lord Knutsford remained a widower until his death in January 1914, aged 88. His funeral was held at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

. He was succeeded in his titles by his elder twin son,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

Arms

References

External links

* * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Henry 1st Viscount Knutsford Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Golders Green Crematorium Knutsford Secretaries of State for the Colonies Alumni of University College, Durham Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria