John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare (13 June 1595 – 2 January 1666) was an English nobleman.

Life

Holles was born in Haughton, Nottinghamshire, the eldest son of

John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare (May 1564 – 4 October 1637) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Denzil Holles of Irby upon Humber and Eleanor Sheffield (daughter of Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield of Butterwick). His great-grand ...

and Anne Stanhope, and the brother of

Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, (31 October 1598 – 17 February 1680) was an English statesman, best remembered as one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest by Charles I in January 1642 sparked the First English Civil War. When fight ...

. Styled Lord Haughton from 1624, he was member of parliament for

East Retford East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

in three parliaments (1623–1626) before succeeding to the peerage in 1637. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, at the siege of Bois-le-Duc in 1629, he served as a volunteer under the command of his father-in-law,

Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565 – 2 May 1635) was an English army officer who served in the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War. A brother of Francis Vere, he was sent to the Electoral Palatinate by James VI and I in 1620. ...

. Although he had quarrelled with

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (13 April 1593 (New Style, N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English people, English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament of England, Parliament ...

, who had married his sister, Arabella, in 1641 he opposed the Earl of Strafford's

impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, and during the trial asked several questions favourable to his defence. After Parliament sentenced Strafford to death by

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

, he pleaded hard with King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

for Strafford's life, but without success. He took some part in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, but "he was very often of both parties, and never advantaged either". His attitude has been described as one of "dubious neutrality". He was made Recorder of Nottingham in 1642. After

the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, he gained a pardon from King Charles II.

Family

Holles married Elizabeth Vere, daughter of

, on 4 September 1626. They had eight children: *John Holles, died young *

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 wa ...

(1633–1689) *Lady Anne Holles (1635 – 1707), married Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton *Lady Eleanor Holles (1636 – 1709), whose will endowed Lady Eleanor Holles School. *Lady Elizabeth Holles (1638 – 1666), married Wentworth FitzGerald, 17th Earl of Kildare *Lady Arabella Holles (1639 – 1707), married Sir Edward Rossiter of Somerley *Lady Susan Holles (1640 – bef May 1710), married c. July 1663 Sir John Lort, 2nd Baronet *Lady Diana Holles (1641 – 1716), married Harry Bridges of Keynsham *Lady Penelope Holles (1643 – 1684), married on 13 April 1667 Sir James Langham, 2nd Baronet Holles is buried in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham.

Coat of arms

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clare, John Holles, 2nd Earl Of 1595 births 1666 deaths English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 Earls of Clare