Sir John Holland, 2nd Baronet (c. 1669 – by July 1724), of Quidenham Hall,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

was a British Whig politician who sat in the

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and British House of Commons from 1701 to 1710.

Early life

Holland was the second, but eldest surviving son of Thomas Holland of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and his second wife Elizabeth Meade, daughter of Thomas Meade of Wenden Lofts, Essex. He was educated at Bury St Edmunds grammar school under Mr Leeds, and was at Christ's College, Cambridge from September 1685 to 1687. He succeeded his father in 1698. In May 1699, he married Lady Rebecca Paston, daughter of William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth and his wife Charlotte FitzRoy, illegitimate daughter of Charles II of England. He succeeded his grandfather Sir John Holland, 1st Baronet to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and Quidenham on 19 January 1701.

Career

Holland was returned in a contest as

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 o ...

for

at the second general election of 1701. He made his first recorded speech on 24 February 1702 and was a teller for the Whigs six times. He was returned again at the 1702 English general election and continued to be very active in Parliament, particularly as a teller for the Whigs. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

he was returned unopposed as a Whig MP for Norfolk. He seconded the nomination of the Court's candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705 and acted as teller for the Whigs on several occasions. He was returned again as a Whig for Norfolk at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. In March 1708 he spoke for the Bishop of Carlisle’s cathedrals bill, and was appointed on 11 March to the committee to draw up an address to press for continued vigorous prosecution of the war, and subsequently reported from the committee. He voted for the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709. In March 1709 he was appointed Comptroller of the Household, and was sworn a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

on 2 June 1709. On 14 December 1709 he was asked to prepare the articles of impeachment against Dr Sacheverell, and became a manager of the impeachment. He voted for the impeachment and helped present the prosecution’s case on 28 February 1710. The Norfolk Whigs decided not to put him forward at the 1710 British general election, probably because his fellow Whigs did not like his generally remiss behaviour, and he was unable to secure another seat then or at the 1713 British general election. He was dismissed from his office in the household in June 1711 but he was paid his arrears of salary and was given an extra £250 as royal bounty in 1712. Holland did not receive anything from George I and turned against the Norfolk Whig establishment. He did not stand at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

, but challenged the Townsend-Walpole interest unsuccessfully at Great Yarmouth at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Th ...

Death and legacy

Holland died in about 1724, and was buried at Quidenham. Through his wife, Rebecca, their two sons and three daughters were great-grandchildren of Charles II. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son William.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, John 1660s births 18th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Parliament of England for Norfolk Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Norfolk English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain