Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham (born Hendrik van Nassau, 16735 December 1754), was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, courtier and peer who was a member of the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

and second cousin once removed to

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

. He inherited the lordship of Ouwerkerk (known in English as ''Overkirk'' and in French as ''Auverquerque'') in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, and was a

count 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: ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Life

He was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

to the Dutch general Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque (called "Lord Overkirk" by the English) and his wife Frances van Aerssen, and baptised there 30 May 1673. On 12 January 1697, he married his first cousin Lady Henrietta Butler, daughter of Thomas Butler,

Earl of Ossory Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

and sister of James Butler, Duke of Ormonde. In 1698, during his father's lifetime, he was created Baron Alford, Viscount Boston and Earl of Grantham by William III. Despite Grantham's marriage to the sister of one of the most notorious participants in the

1715 Jacobite rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Earl ...

, George I appointed him

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

to the household of Caroline,

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...

in 1717, and Grantham retained his position when the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

succeeded as King George II in 1727 and the Princess became Queen Caroline. He remained her Lord Chamberlain until her death in 1737. Grantham was commissioned an ensign in the

2nd Regiment of Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

on 17 November 1727. He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 October 1731, and on 5 July 1735, was promoted captain-lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. Grantham later involved himself in a project to create an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

for abandoned children in London, the first of its kind in the nation. The charity became known as the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

and received its

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

on 17 October 1739. Lord Grantham was one of its founding Governors. Grantham owned a house in

Albemarle Street Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray (publishing house), John Murray was based here, and Oscar ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

that is now part of the premises of the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

, and a country house in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

, called Grove Park. Lord Grantham died on 5 December 1754 and was buried a week later at

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, England. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. The churc ...

, Westminster.

Family

Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque married on 12 January 1697 his cousin Lady Henrietta Butler (died 11 October 1724), youngest daughter of Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory by his wife Emilia van Nassau (a sister of Lord Overkirk), and sister of

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde James FitzJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, (1665–1745) was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the third of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the Earl of Ormond (Ireland), earldom of Ormond. Like his grandfather, the 1st Duke, ...

and Charles Butler, Earl of Arran, and had five children: * Henry (27 October 1697 – 19 June 1718), styled Viscount Boston from 24 December 1698. * Thomas (1700 – 27 April 1730), styled Viscount Boston, apparently unmarried. * Lady Frances de Nassau d'Auverquerque (born 1700s, d. 5 April 1772), who married 4 Jun 1737 St Paul's Benet Wharf (against her father's wishes) Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel) William Elliot of Wells. Their only child died young. * Emilia Mary (born about 1702, died 1712) died at the age of aged 10 * Lady Henrietta de Nassau d'Auverquerque (bapt 17 October 1712, died 23 September 1747), who married 27 September 1732

William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper (13 August 1709 – 18 September 1764), styled Viscount Fordwich between 1718 and 1723, was an English peer and courtier. Born William Cowper, he was the eldest son of William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper a ...

1709–1764). Her son the 3rd Earl Cowper (1738–1789) became his uncle Lord Grantham's heir general after his aunt, Lady Frances Eliot's, death in 1772, and was created a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

in 1778Hugh Belsey, 'Cowper, George Nassau Clavering, third Earl Cowper (1738–1789)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008
accessed 26 April 2010
/ref> (which title expired in 1905 with the death of the last Earl Cowper). The current representative of this line is Lord Lucas (b. 1951), who is also Lord Dingwall in the Peerage of Scotland, and a co-heir to the Barony Butler since 1905.

Arms

Arms of the Earls of Grantham

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grantham, Henry de Nassau dAuverquerque, 1st Earl of 1673 births 1754 deaths 17th-century English nobility 18th-century English nobility Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque Emigrants from the Dutch Republic Immigrants to England Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Nobility from The Hague Earls in the Peerage of England Peers of England created by William III Coldstream Guards officers Grenadier Guards officers Burials at St James's Church, Piccadilly Caroline of Ansbach