William Holles Vane, 2nd Viscount Vane (14 February 1714 – 5 April 1789), was a British Whig politician. He is best remembered for his devotion to his openly unfaithful wife

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the ...

, who despised him.

Early life

William Holles Vane was the third son of

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 ...

, and his wife Lucy (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Jolliffe). His paternal grandfather was

Christopher Vane, 1st Baron Barnard 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 ...

and Lady Elizabeth Holles (a 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 ...

and sister of

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle John Holles, Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was an English peer. Early life Holles was born in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, the son of the 3rd Earl of Clare and his wife Grace Pierrepont. Grace was a d ...

). He

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, on 12 October 1730. His older brothers, Christopher and John, predeceased their father, and William succeeded to the viscountcy on 20 May 1734.

Unconventional marriage

He married the widowed Lady William Hamilton in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

on 19 May 1735. The marriage immediately proved to be a failure and the new Viscountess Vane tried to procure a legal separation. She did not hide her contempt for him or her extramarital relationships, but he was obsessed and remained devoted to her despite the social embarrassment brought to him by her continuous sexual infidelity and financial difficulties caused by her excessive spending. During their visit to Paris in 1736, she eloped with Sewallis Shirley, the sixth son of

Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers PC (20 October 1650 – 25 December 1717)—known as Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, from 1669 to 1677 and Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, from 1677 to 1711—was an English peer and courtier. S ...

. Lord Vane desperately tried to persuade her to return, employing about fifty people to search for her in August 1736 and promising a reward in the newspapers for any information about her location in January 1737.

John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont, PC, FRS (12 July 16831 May 1748), known as Sir John Perceval, Bt, from 1691 to 1715, as The Lord Perceval from 1715 to 1722 and as The Viscount Perceval from 1722 to 1733, was an Anglo-Irish politician. Earl ...

, wrote: After Shirley left her, she took up a liaison with

Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley, KT (18 February 1715 – 9 January 1755) was the son of Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, and the former Lady Louisa Lennox. Biography He was made an ensign in the 1 ...

. In 1741, Vane offered her an income and a separate household on the condition she returned to him. Ten years later, she published ''Memoires of a Lady of Quality'',It was included in the last volume of

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (baptised 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for picaresque novels such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' (1751) a ...

's '' Adventures of Peregrine Pickle''. in which she describes her marriage and sexual escapades. Lord Vane is portrayed as a repulsive man whose sexual attempts "were like the pawings of an imp, sent from hell to teize icand torment some guilty wretch". The narrative suggests that he suffered from

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...

. The couple spent the rest of their lives living in separate households, which (along with his efforts to bring his wife back) contributed to his financial downfall. Deeply indebted, Lord Vane was compelled to sell an estate in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

Caverswall Castle Caverswall Castle is a privately owned early-17th-century English mansion built in a castellar style upon the foundations and within the walls of a 13th-century castle, in Caverswall, Staffordshire. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle i ...

, and give up his country seat in

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 ...

. Lady Vane spent the last two decades of her life bedridden and died in 1788. Lord Vane died the next year at his home in

Downing Street Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk ...

, London, and the Vane viscountcy became extinct.

References

External links

William Vane, 2nd Viscount Vane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vane, William Vane, 2nd Viscount 1714 births 1789 deaths Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland William Vane, 2nd Viscount Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford