Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln,
KB (1539 – 29 September 1616) was an English
peer, styled Lord Clinton from 1572 to 1585.
Known for repeated accusations of extortion, abduction and arson, among other things, Henry was likely among the most feared and hated noblemen in England during his time as
Earl of Lincoln
Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the peerage of England, most recently in 1572. The Hereditary peerage, earldom was held as a subsidiary title by the Duke of Newcastle, Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, from 1768 to 1 ...
.
Life

The eldest son of the
1st Earl of Lincoln, by second wife Ursula, daughter of
William, 7th Baron Stourton, Henry Clinton was appointed a
Knight of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
in 1553. He was returned to the
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 ...
, representing the constituency of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
in 1571, having been commissioned a
Captain of Horse in the
Royal Guards in 1569. He also served as
Vice-Admiral of Lincolnshire and
of Yorkshire.
He inherited the
earldom
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used.
The titl ...
and
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
from his father in 1585. By his father's will, which Henry initially contested (its provision to his step-mother a life interest in various properties), he inherited
Tattershall Castle
Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England. Since 1925 it has been in the care of the National Trust.
History
Tattershall Castle has its origins in either a stone castle or a fortified manor house, built by Robert de ...
; his wife Elizabeth had a life interest in the family property at
Sempringham
Sempringham is a village in the civil parish of Pointon and Sempringham, in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south from the A52 road, east from Grantham and north from Bourne. The hamlet is on the wester ...
, and subsequently, Lincoln feuded with the poet
Tailboys Dymoke, son of his brother-in-law
Robert Dymoke, over some obnoxious verses.
In his time, Clinton was one of the most brutal, feared and hated feudal lords in Britain. Several records speak of the Earl launching attacks against barons near him, sometimes sending properly equipped troops. The Earl is frequently credited with sabotage, extortion, abduction and arson and at one point expanded his castle walls into the nearby churchyard. The Earl was often away from his seat at
Tattershall Castle
Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England. Since 1925 it has been in the care of the National Trust.
History
Tattershall Castle has its origins in either a stone castle or a fortified manor house, built by Robert de ...
in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, often staying at London due to his frequent entanglements with the law.
Clinton was sent as ambassador to the baptism of the
Landgrave of Hesse's daughter
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth''
* Princess Elizabeth ...
in 1596, departing from Yarmouth in June with his son Edward Clinton, Richard Brackenbury, John Wroth, and
Richard Fiennes. According to
Anthony Bacon he was not a success as a diplomat. The embassy was described in a published account by Sir Edward Monings, ''The Landgrave of Hessen his princelie receiving of her Maiesties embassador'' (London, 1596). They lodged for three days at the castle of
Zappenburg and were met near
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
by an African servant of the Landgrave riding a camel.
In January 1600 Clinton wrote to the
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
, mentioning that he was short of money. He was waiting for £500 from the
Countess of Bedford and had already pawned his best jewels with
Robert Brook
Robert Brook (floruit 1590-1600) was a London goldsmith.
Brook worked in London's Lombard Street.
In 1594 he lent money to Bartholomew Gilbert and Robert Howe, who had a large diamond for sale. He raised the money to redeem the diamond for hims ...
a London goldsmith. In April 1601, when he was supposed to host Queen Elizabeth I at his mansion in
Chelsea, Clinton, perhaps due to realizing that he could not offer a great enough feast due to his financial situation, simply left Chelsea without informing the Queen's party. His actions caused great uproar from the Queen's close advisors, as can be seen in letters sent to the Earl, as they had knocked on both gates of the mansion and despite being able to see Clinton's servants looking out at them from the windows, had not been let in.
Clinton later attributed the incident to a "misunderstanding".
At the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns (; ) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas diplomacy) of the two separate realms under a single ...
, Clinton and
Francis Norris were sent north by the
Privy Council to meet
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
at
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
and escort her towards London. However, at
Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
and
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Wiske in the Vale of Mowbray and had a population of 16,832 in 2011. Northallerton is an administrative centre for York and North Yorkshire ...
they heard reports of a delay caused by the queen's illness at
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
, and sought permission from
Lord Cecil to return home.
The significant depopulation of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
in 1607 may be attributable to the Earl's actions.
He died at Sempringham, being succeeded by his son
Thomas, 3rd Earl of Lincoln.
Family
Clinton married firstly in 1557 Lady Catherine Hastings (born 11 August 1542), daughter of the
2nd Earl of Huntingdon, and
Catherine Pole, and had:
*
Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln
Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln (1568 – 15 January 1619), was an English peer, styled Lord Clinton from 1585 to 1616.
Life
Educated at Oxford ( MA 1588), Clinton represented the constituencies of Lincolnshire in 1601 and Great Grimsby f ...
**
Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln
Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln, KB (1599 – 21 May 1667), styled Lord Clinton until 1619, was an opponent of Charles I during and preceding the English Civil War.
Family
The eldest son of the 3rd Earl of Lincoln and Elizabeth Knyve ...
***
Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton
****
Edward Clinton, 5th Earl of Lincoln
Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
(1645–1692)
* Sir Edward Clinton, married Mary Dighton, and had:
** Francis Clinton, married Priscilla Hele, and had:
***
Francis Clinton, 6th Earl of Lincoln
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie29 ...
, married second Susannah Penyston, and had:
****
Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln
Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln, (16847 September 1728), was the elder surviving son of Francis Clinton, 6th Earl of Lincoln and his second wife Susan Penyston (died 1720), younger daughter of Rev Anthony Penyston (son of Sir Thomas Penys ...
*** Priscilla Clinton, married
Sir Willoughby d'Ewes, 2nd Baronet, of Stowlangtoft (died 13 June 1685)
* Lady Elizabeth Clinton, married
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
Arthur Gorges
Sir Arthur Gorges (c. 1569 – 10 October 1625) was an English sea captain, poet, translator and courtier from Somerset.
Origins
He was the son of Sir William Gorges (d.1584) of Charlton, in the parish of Wraxall, Somerset, Wraxall in Somerset, ...
Lord Lincoln married secondly after 20 October 1586 Elizabeth Morrison (died c. 4 July 1611), daughter of Sir Richard Morrison, of
Cassiobury, Hertfordshire, and had:
* Sir Henry Clinton (1587–1641), married firstly Eleanor Harington, married secondly in 1624 Elizabeth Hickman, and by his first wife had two surviving sons:
** Henry Clinton (1611–1670), married Jane Markham, leaving two co-heiresses (
Elizabeth Willoughby and
Catherine Disney).
** Norreys Clinton (1617–1693), married third Margaret Raines, and had:
*** Norreys Clinton (1651–1736), married Elizabeth Kendall, and had:
**** Kendall Clinton (1692–1740), married Frances Wilkinson, and had:
***** Norreys Clinton (1720–1764), married Martha Thompson, and had:
****** Rev Preb Dr Charles Fynes-Clinton (died 1827), married Emma Brough, and had:
Henry Fynes Clinton
Henry Fynes Clinton (14 January 1781 – 24 October 1852) was a 19th-century English classical scholar and chronologist, who sat as a Tory Member of Parliament.
Family background
He was born at Gamston, Nottinghamshire, the eldest son of ...
(died 1852) and Clinton Fiennes-Clinton (died 1833),
MPs for
Aldborough; g-g-g-grandfather of
Edward Fiennes-Clinton, 18th Earl of Lincoln
Edward Horace Fiennes-Clinton, 18th Earl of Lincoln (23 February 1913 – 7 July 2001) was an aristocratic Australian engineer, who succeeded to his family's earldom of Lincoln (''cr.'' 1572) by primogeniture upon the death in 1988 of his ...
, 10th cousin of
Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle.
References
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of
1539 births
1616 deaths
Nobility from Lincolnshire
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 ...
10
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 ...
Knights of the Bath
Clinton, Henry
16th-century English nobility
17th-century English nobility