William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (
Dutch: ''Hans Willem Bentinck''; 20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch-born English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
,
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...
,
Stadtholder
In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, and future King of England. He was reportedly steady, sensible, modest and usually moderate. The friendship and cooperation stopped in 1699.
Biography
Early life and nurse to Prince William
Hans Willem was born in
Diepenheim,
Overijssel
Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
, the son of Bernard, Baron Bentinck, and was descended from an ancient and noble family of
Guelders
The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.
Geography
The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...
and
Overijssel
Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
. He was appointed first page of honour and
chamberlain. When, in 1675, Prince William was attacked by
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, his physicians suggested he sleep with one of his pages to absorb "animal spirits" from a young, healthy body. Bentinck was the page and he nursed the prince assiduously back to health. This devotion secured for him the special and enduring friendship of William. From that point on, Bentinck had the Prince's confidence, and in their correspondence, William was very open.
Communicator
In 1677 he was sent to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to solicit for Prince William the hand of
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
, daughter of
James, Duke of York
James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
and future King of England. He was again in England on William's behalf in 1683 and in 1685. Later, in 1688, when William was preparing to assist in the
overthrow of (now King) James including an invasion by Dutch troops, Bentinck went to some of the German princes to secure their support, or at least their neutrality. He had also been, since 1687, a medium of communication between his master and his English friends. Bentinck superintended the arrangements for the invasion, including raising money, hiring an enormous transport fleet, organising a propaganda offensive, and preparing the possible landing sites, and also sailed to England with Prince William.
Titles and military service
The revolution accomplished, William (now King of England) made Bentinck
Groom of the Stole
The Groom of the Stool (formally styled: "Groom of the King's Close Stool") was the most intimate of an English monarch's courtiers, initially responsible for assisting the king in excretion and hygiene.
The physical intimacy of the role natur ...
, first gentleman of the bedchamber, and a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
. In April 1689 he was created
Baron Cirencester,
Viscount Woodstock and, in its second creation,
Earl of Portland
Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...
. (The first creation of the earldom had been made for
Richard Weston in 1633, but it became extinct in 1688.) He commanded some cavalry at the
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
in 1690, and was present at the
Battle of Landen
The Battle of Landen, also known as Battle of Neerwinden took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now part of Belgium. A Kingdom of France, French army under François-Henri de Montmor ...
, where he was wounded, and at the
Siege of Namur in 1695.
Diplomat
Bentinck's main work was of a diplomatic nature. In 1690 he was sent to The Hague to help solve the problem between William and the
burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch .
In so ...
s of Amsterdam. He was caught up in the corruption scandal concerning the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
in 1695; the board was losing its monopoly under pressure from a New Company and was engaging profusely in bribery in an attempt to renew its charter. He was however cleared in the matter. Having thwarted the
Jacobite plot to murder the King in 1696, he helped to arrange the
peace of Ryswick
The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included the Dutc ...
in 1697. In 1698 he was ambassador to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
for six months. While there, he opened negotiations with
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
for a partition of the Spanish monarchy, and as William's representative, signed the two partition treaties (
Treaty of The Hague (1698)
The 1698 Treaty of The Hague, also known as the 1698 Treaty of Den Haag or First Partition Treaty was one of two attempts by France, Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic to achieve a diplomatic solution to the issues that led to the 1701–1714 ...
).
Resignation and land gifts
William Bentinck had, however, become very jealous of the rising influence of another Dutchman,
Arnold van Keppel, and, in 1699, he resigned all his offices in the royal household. He did not forfeit the esteem of the King, who continued to trust and employ him. Portland had been loaded with gifts, and this, together with the jealousy felt for him as a foreigner, made him very unpopular in England. He received 135,000 acres (546 km
2) of land in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, and only the strong opposition of a united
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...
prevented him obtaining a large gift of crown lands in North
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. For his share in drawing up the partition treaties, he was impeached in 1701, but the case against him did not proceed. He was occasionally employed on public business under
Queen Anne until his death at his residence,
Bulstrode Park in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
. Portland's eldest son
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters
* Henry (surname)
* Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone
Arts and entertainmen ...
succeeded him as earl, and was granted the titles of
Marquess of Titchfield and
Duke of Portland in 1716.
Codex Bentingiana
While living in the Netherlands, Bentinck maintained a garden boasting many botanical rarities. Illustrations of these plants were collected under the name ''Codex Bentingiana''. This work has since disappeared from the botanical scene.
Family
Lord Portland was married twice. On 1 February 1678, he married his first wife,
Anne Villiers (died 30 November 1688), daughter of
Sir Edward Villiers and his wife Lady
Frances Howard, daughter of the
2nd Earl of Suffolk.
They had seven children:
*
Lady Mary Bentinck (20 August 167920 August 1726), who married, firstly, the
2nd Earl of Essex on 28 February 1692 and had one son and two daughters. She married, secondly, Sir Conyers D'Arcy (died 1 December 1758), circa August 1714 and had no issue.
* Willem Bentinck (3 March 168126 May 1688)
*
Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland
Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland (17 March 1682 – 4 July 1726) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Jamaica from 1721 to 1726. Styled Viscount Woodstock from 1689 until 1709 ...
(17 March 16824 July 1726)
*Lady Anna Margaretha Bentinck (19 March 16833 May 1763), who married Arent van Wassenaar, Baron van Wassenaar circa 1701 and had at least one daughter.
*Lady Frances Wilhelmina Bentinck (18 February 168431 March 1712), who married the
4th Baron Byron (4 January 16708 August 1736) on 19 December 1706 and had four children.
*
Lady Eleonora Sophia Bentinck (born 8 April 1687)
*
Lady Isabella Bentinck (4 May 168823 February 1728), who married the
1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull on 2 August 1714.
He was briefly engaged to
Stuarta Werburge Howard (1669-1706), a granddaughter of King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
, but the engagement was either broken or abandoned. Instead, he married on 12 May 1700, his second wife,
Jane Martha Temple (167226 May 1751), daughter of
Sir John Temple, and widow of
John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton.
They had the following children:
*
Lady Sophia Bentinck (4 April 17015 June 1741), who married the
1st Duke of Kent on 24 March 1729 and had issue.
*Lady Elizabeth Adriana Bentinck (27 June 17031765), who married Rev. The Hon.
Henry Egerton (died 1 April 1746) on 18 December 1720 and had issue.
*The Hon.
William Bentinck, 1st
Count Bentinck (6 November 170413 October 1774), who married Charlotte Sophie, Countess von Aldenburg (4 August 17155 February 1800) on 1 June 1733 and had two sons. In 1990, after the extinction of the male line from his half-brother
the 1st Duke of Portland, his descendant
Henry Bentinck, 7th Count Bentinck became the
11th Earl of Portland. One of his sons,
Captain John Albert Bentinck,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, of Terrington St Clement in Norfolk, a Count of the Empire, founded the line of Bentinck of
Indio
Indio may refer to:
Places
* Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England
* Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States
People with the name
* Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson
* Índi ...
in the parish of
Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey () is a town and civil parish in Devon, England. It is located on the edge of Dartmoor, which gives rise to the slogan used on the town's boundary signs: ''The Gateway to the Moor''. It is often known locally as ''Bovey''. About so ...
in Devon.
*
Lady Harriet Bentinck (12 November 170510 June 1792), who married
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassill (bef. 169717 March 1758) on 15 October 1728 and had two children.
*The Hon. Charles John Bentinck (2 June 170818 March 1779), who married Lady Margaret Cadogan on 11 January 1738.
*
Lady Barbara Bentinck (20 October 17091 April 1736), who married the
2nd Baron Godolphin (170725 May 1785) on 18 February 1734; no issue.
In 1718, as the Dowager Countess of Portland, Jane was appointed Governess to the daughters of
George Augustus, Prince of Wales (later King George II), with a salary of £2000 a year.
References
*
Further reading
* Grew, M. E. ''William Bentinck and William III (Prince of Orange). The Life of Bentinck, Earl of Portland, from the Welbeck Correspondence'' ( 1924)
* de Kavanagh Boulger, Demetrius Charles, and Lord William Henry Cavendish Bentinck. ''Lord William Bentinck'' (Clarendon Press, 1897
online
* Onnekink, David. ''The Anglo-Dutch Favourite: The Career of Hans Willem Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649–1709)'' (2017) a major scholarly biography
* Onnekink, David. "'Mynheer Benting now rules over us': the 1st Earl of Portland and the Re-emergence of the English Favourite, 1689–99." ''English Historical Review'' 121.492 (2006): 693–713
online* Onnekink, David. "The earl of Portland and Scotland (1689–1699): a re-evaluation of Williamite policy." ''Scottish Historical Review'' 85.2 (2006): 231–249.
External links
* N. Japikse, ed.,
van Willem III en van Hans Willem Bentinck, eersten graaf van Portland'.
Biography of the 1st Earl, with links to online catalogues, from Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of NottinghamThe Invasion of England in 1688: a learning resource based on the 1st Earl's papers, developed by Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham* David Onnekink,
The Anglo-Dutch Favourite - The career of Hans Willem Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649-1709)'' (Ashgate Publishing, 2007)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland, William Bentinck, 1st Earl of
1649 births
1709 deaths
People from Hof van Twente
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland ( Dutch: ''Hans Willem Bentinck''; 20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch-born English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, ...
British royal favourites
Peers of England created by William III
17th-century Dutch diplomats
Dutch nobility
Garter Knights appointed by William III
Pages of Honour
Diplomatic peers
Bentinck
17th-century English diplomats
Dutch emigrants to England
Members of the Privy Council of England
Grooms of the Stool
Earls of Portland