Arms of William Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland

William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland, KG (27 July 1766 – 29 January 1842), styled Viscount Barnard until 1792 and known as The Earl of Darlington between 1792 and 1827 and as The Marquess of Cleveland between 1827 and 1833, was a British landowner, slave holder and politician.

Background and education

Styled Viscount Barnard from birth, he was the son of

Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington (1726 – 8 September 1792) was a British peer. Life He was the son of the 1st Earl of Darlington and educated at Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with a MA on 3 July 1749. He joined the Army as an E ...

, son of

Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, PC (c. 1705 – 6 March 1758), known as Lord Barnard between 1753 and 1754, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1726 to 1753 when he succeeded to a peerage as Baron Barnard. Lif ...

and Lady Grace FitzRoy, daughter of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland Charles Palmer, later Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, KG, Chief Butler of England (18 June 1662 – 9 September 1730), styled Baron Limerick before 1670 and Earl of Southampton between 1670 and 1675 and known as T ...

, son of King Charles II by his mistress

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of En ...

. His mother was Margaret Lowther, daughter of Robert Lowther,

Governor of Barbados This article contains a list of viceroys in Barbados from its initial colonisation in 1627 by England until it achieved independence in 1966. From 1833 to 1885, Barbados was part of the colony of the Windward Islands, and the governor of Barbad ...

, and sister of

James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (5 August 173624 May 1802) was an English country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 27 years from 1757 to 1784, when he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Earl of Lonsdale. ...

. He was baptised at the Chapel Royal at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

(with the names William Harry which he later changed to William Henry). He was educated at

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 ...

.thepeerage.com Sir William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland
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Public life

Barnard was Whig

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

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...

from 1788 to 1790 and for

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a small town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The ...

from 1790 to 1792. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He also succeeded his father as

Lord Lieutenant of County Durham This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Durham. *Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland 1552–? * Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon 2 August 1586 – 1595 *''vacant'' *Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 4 February ...

, a post he held until his death. In 1794 he was announced as the

Lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

of a regiment to be raised, the Durham Regiment of

Fencible The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Frenc ...

Cavalry. In 1810 he successfully laid claim to the Pulteney Estate in Bath after the

Countess of Bath Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

died intestate in 1808. In 1827 he was created Marquess of Cleveland, a revival of the Cleveland title held by his ancestors. He was Bearer of the Third Sword at King William IV's

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

on 8 September 1831. In 1833 he was made Baron Raby, of

Raby Castle Raby Castle () is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Ed ...

in the

County Palatine of Durham The County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge, commonly referred to as County Durham or simply Durham, is a historic county in Northern England. Until 1889, it was controlled by powers granted under the Bishopric of Durham. The county and Northum ...

, and Duke of Cleveland. He was further honoured when he was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1839. His promotions through the ranks of the peerage were not uncontroversial. Greville noted in his diary on 8 September 1831:

”
Howe Howe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor Titles * Earl Howe, two titles, an ext ...
told me yesterday morning in Westminster Abbey that Lord Cleveland is to be made a duke, though it is not yet acknowledged if it is to be so. There has been a battle about that; they say that he got his
boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
to be made a marquis and got rid of them to be made a duke".

Slave holder

According to the '' Legacies of British Slave-Ownership'' at the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, Cleveland was awarded compensation in the aftermath of the

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in most parts of the British Empire. It was passed by Earl Grey's reforming administrati ...

with the

Slave Compensation Act 1837 The Slave Compensation Act 1837 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 3) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on 23 December 1837. It authorised the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt to compensate slave owners in the Briti ...

. Cleveland was associated with "T71/898 Barbados claim no. 3184 (Lowther)", he owned 233 slaves in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

and received a £4,854 payment at the time. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

Family

Cleveland married his cousin, Lady Catherine Powlett (1766–1807), daughter of

Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton Admiral Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton PC (6 November 1720 – 25 December 1794) was a British nobleman and naval officer. Origins He was the second son of Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton by his wife Catherine Parry. Career He was educa ...

, on 17 September 1787 at her father's seat,

Hackwood Park Hackwood Park is a large country estate that primarily consists of an early 18th-century ornamental woodland and formal lawn garden and a large detached house. It is within the boundaries of Winslade, an overwhelmingly rural parish immediately sou ...

. They had eight children: * Henry, Earl of Darlington, later 2nd Duke of Cleveland (1788–1864). *Lady Louisa Catherine Barbara Vane (1791–1821), married Major Francis Forester and had issue. * Lord William Vane, later 3rd Duke of Cleveland (1792–1864). *Lady Caroline Vane (born and died 1795). *Lady Augusta Henrietta Vane (1796–1874), married Mark Milbank and had issue, including

Sir Frederick Milbank, 1st Baronet Sir Frederick Acclom Milbank, 1st Baronet (21 April 1820 – 28 April 1898), was a British Liberal Member of Parliament. Career Milbank was elected to the House of Commons for the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1865, a seat he held until 1885, an ...

. *Lady Arabella Vane (1801–1864), married Richard Arden, 3rd Baron Alvanley. * Lord Harry Vane, later 4th Duke of Cleveland (1803–1891). *Lady Laura Vane (1807–11 November 1882), married

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

William Henry Meyrick and had issue. After his first wife's death in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in June 1807, Cleveland married as his second wife, Elizabeth Russell (c. 1777–1861), daughter of Robert Russell, on 27 July 1813. There were no children from this marriage. Cleveland died at

St James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was one of the three or f ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, in January 1842, aged 75, and was buried at

Staindrop Staindrop is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately north east of Barnard Castle, on the A688 road. According to the 2011 UK Census the population was 1,310, this includes the hamlets of Cleatlam an ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. His eldest son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

succeeded in the dukedom. The Duchess of Cleveland died in January 1861.

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, William Vane, 1st Duke Of 1766 births 1842 deaths Dukes of Cleveland Knights of the Garter Lord-Lieutenants of Durham Barnard, William Vane, Viscount

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Barons Barnard Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV