Margaret Coke, Countess of Leicester (16 June 1700 – 28 February 1775) was a British peer.
She was born Lady Margaret Tufton, the third daughter of
Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet
Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet, 18th Baron de Clifford PC (30 August 1644 – 30 July 1729)G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The Complete Peerage of England, ...
by his wife Catherine, daughter of
Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC (24 June 1630 – 26 July 1691), styled Lord Cavendish until 1676, and Viscount Mansfield from 1676, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1676, and then ...
.
On 3 July 1718, she was married to
Thomas Coke. Their only child
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
was born on 6 February 1726. Coke was raised to the peerage as
Baron Lovel
There have been four baronies and one viscountcy created in the name of Lovel or Lovell.
Baron Lovel, of Titchmarsh (England, 6 February 1299)
* John Lovel, 1st Baron Lovel (1254–1311)
* John Lovel, 2nd Baron Lovel (1289–k.1314), died at B ...
on 28 May 1728 and his wife became known as the Lady Lovel.
On 30 July 1729, her father Lord Thanet died. He was also 18th
Baron de Clifford
Baron de Clifford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1299 for Robert de Clifford (''c.''1274–1314), feudal baron of Clifford in Herefordshire, feudal baron of Skipton in Yorkshire and feudal baron of Appleby in Westmo ...
, and as he had no surviving male issue this title fell into
abeyance
Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...
between five co-heirs: Margaret, her two elder sisters Catherine (widow of
Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes
, issue-link =
, issue-pipe =
, full name =
, native_name =
, styles =
, other_titles =
, noble family = Watson
, house-type =
, father = Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of R ...
) and Anne (widow of
James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury
James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury (8 June 1691 – 9 October 1728), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1691 to 1694, was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. Salisbury was the son of James Cecil, 4th Earl of Salisbury, and Frances Bennett, ...
), and her two younger sisters
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
(widow of
Anthony Grey, Earl of Harold
Anthony Grey, 3rd Baron Lucas, styled Earl of Harold (21 February 1695 – 21 July 1723) was a British peer and courtier.
Grey was the eldest son of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, and his wife, Jemima Crew.
On 17 February 1718, Anthony married ...
) and Isabella (wife of
Lord Nassau Powlett
Lord Nassau Powlett (23 June 1698 – 24 August 1741) was an English army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1720 to 1734 and in 1741.
Powlett was the only son of Charles Powlett, 2nd Duke of Bolton by his third wife H ...
). The abeyance was terminated in Margaret's favour on 3 August 1734, and she became 19th Baroness Clifford in her own right.
Her husband, who had spent many years of his youth abroad on the
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
, returned to England determined to build an
English country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
in the
Palladian style
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
. This was realised as
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall ( or ) is an 18th-century English country house, country house near the village of Holkham, Norfolk, England, constructed in the Neo-Palladian style for the Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (fifth creation), 1st Earl of Leicester ...
, which took decades to build, from the 1730s to the 1760s. Margaret oversaw the finishing and furnishing of the house.
[Holkham Hall]
". Coke Estates Ltd. Retrieved on 19 June 2008.
On 9 May 1744, Lord Lovel was created
Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837.
Early creations ...
, and his wife became the Countess of Leicester. Their son Edward (now styled Viscount Coke) died without issue on 31 August 1753, and Lord Leicester died on 20 April 1759.
Lady Leicester died on 28 February 1775, and her barony again fell into abeyance. The co-heirs were now
Edward Southwell Edward Southwell may refer to:
* Edward Southwell, 20th Baron de Clifford (1738–1777), British politician
* Edward Southwell Sr. (1671–1730), Irish politician
* Edward Southwell Jr. (1705–1755), Irish politician
{{hndis, Southwell, Edward ...
(grandson of the eldest sister Catherine);
James Cecil, 6th Earl of Salisbury
James Cecil, 6th Earl of Salisbury (20 October 1713 – 19 September 1780) was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. He was the son of James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and his wife, Anne Cecil, Countess of Salisbury. He was known for his ...
(son of the second sister Anne); the fourth sister Mary (now widow of
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, PC (10 August 1694 – 25 December 1754), was an English Tory politician and peer who twice served as Lord Privy Seal from 1742 to 1743 and 1744 to 1754. Leveson-Gower is best known for his political career ...
); and the fifth sister Isabella, (widow of Sir
Francis Blake Delaval) or her daughter Isabella (wife of
John Perceval, 3rd Earl of Egmont
John James Perceval, 3rd Earl of Egmont (29 January 1737/8 – 25 February 1822),''The Third Register Book of the Parish of St James in the Liberty of Westminster For Births & Baptisms. 1723-1741''. 16 February 1737. styled Viscount Perceval ...
). The abeyance was terminated in favour of Edward Southwell on 17 April 1776.
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120316230552/http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/Thanet1628.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120301185712/http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/index1369.htm
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leicester, Margaret Coke, Countess Of
1700 births
1775 deaths
17th-century English nobility
18th-century English nobility
17th-century English women
18th-century English women
British countesses
Clifford, Margaret Coke, 19th Baroness Of
Daughters of British earls
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
Barons de Clifford