Sir Frescheville Holles (8 June 1642 – 28 May 1672) was an English

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer and politician who sat in 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. ...

from 1666 to 1672. He was killed in action fighting in the Anglo-Dutch war. Sir Frescheville Holles 1641-72 and Sir Robert Holmes 1622-92 by Peter Lely

Sir Frescheville Holles 1641-72 and Sir Robert Holmes 1622-92 by Peter Lely

Holles was the son of

Gervase Holles Gervase Holles (9 March 1607 – 10 February 1675) was an English lawyer, antiquarian and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He fought in the Royalist army in the English Civil War. Holles was the son of Frescheville ...

and his second wife Elizabeth Molesworth. Gervase Holles had been

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and MP for Grimsby. Frescheville Holles was a major in the Westminster militia and commanded a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

called the ''Panther''. He was recommended for the navy by

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cru ...

.Westminster Abbey - Holles Family
/ref> and lost an arm at the

Four Days Battle The Four Days' Battle, also known as the Four Days' Fight in some English sources and as Vierdaagse Zeeslag in Dutch, was a naval battle of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar that ...

in 1666 while commanding HMS ''Antelope''.National Maritime Museum
Accessed 16 December 2022. He was knighted in June the same year (1666). In 1667, Holles was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

. In 1667 he was also made a captain in the

2nd Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

but lost his command in 1669, becoming

Mayor of Grimsby Below is a list of mayors of the town of Grimsby in the English ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. The first recorded Mayor of Grimsby was in 1201. After 1835 the mayoral year usually began in November, although after 1949 it sometimes began ...

that year instead in the footsteps of his father. In January, 1672 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. In March 1672, he and

Sir Robert Holmes Sir Robert Holmes ( – 18 November 1692) was an English Admiral of the Restoration Navy. He participated in the second and third Anglo-Dutch Wars, both of which he is, by some, credited with having started. He was made Governor of the Isle of ...

sailed from Portsmouth and attacked the Dutch

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

convoy in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

on its return home. This foray had official sanction and led to the

Third Dutch War The Third Anglo-Dutch War ( nl, Derde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog), 27 March 1672 to 19 February 1674, was a naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France. It is considered a subsidiary of the wider 1672 to 1678 ...

. Holles was in command of HMS ''Cambridge'' at the

Battle of Solebay The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The battle began as an attempted raid on Solebay port where an English fleet was anchored and large ...

on 28 May 1672 when he was killed at the age of 29. He was given a funeral in Westminster Abbey and was buried in St Edmund's chapel in an unmarked grave.

Family

Holles married Jane, daughter of Richard Lewis, and widow of Valentine Crome, a London merchant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holles, Frescheville 1642 births 1672 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Great Grimsby Knights Bachelor Royal Navy officers Mayors of Grimsby English MPs 1661–1679 English military personnel killed in action Place of birth missing Royal Navy personnel of the Second Anglo-Dutch War Fellows of the Royal Society Royal Navy personnel of the Third Anglo-Dutch War Burials at Westminster Abbey