John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (7 April 164824 February 1721) was an
English poet and
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician of the late
Stuart period who served as
Lord Privy Seal and
Lord President of the Council. He was also known by his original title,
Lord Mulgrave.
Life
John Sheffield was the only son of
Edmund Sheffield, 2nd Earl of Mulgrave, and succeeded his father as
3rd Earl and
5th Baron Sheffield in 1658.
At the age of eighteen he joined the fleet, to serve in the
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...
; on the
renewal of hostilities in 1672 he was present at the
Battle of Sole Bay, and in the next year received the command of a ship. He was also made a colonel of infantry, and served for some time under
Turenne. He was made a
Knight of the Garter in 1674. In 1680 he was put in charge of an expedition sent to relieve the
Garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
of the town of
Tangier, which was then under siege by
Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif. It was said that he was provided with a rotten ship in the hope that he would not return, but the reason of this abortive plot, if plot there was, is not exactly ascertained. At court he took the side of the
Duke of York and helped to bring about the
Duke of Monmouth's disgrace.
In 1682 he was dismissed from the court, apparently for putting himself forward as a suitor for the
Princess Anne (who that year was aged 17 while Sheffield was 35 and himself not yet married), but on the accession of King
James II, he received a seat in the
Privy Council, and was made
Lord Chamberlain. (He later married
Catherine, the daughter of the king's mistress,
Catherine Sedley). He supported James in his most unpopular measures, and stayed with him in London during the time of his flight. He also protected the Spanish ambassador from the dangerous anger of the mob. He acquiesced, however, in the "
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
", and in 1694 was made
Marquess of Normanby. In 1696 he refused in company with other
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
peers to sign an agreement to support
William III as their "rightful and lawful king" against
Jacobite attempts, and was consequently dismissed from the privy council. On the accession of Queen Anne, of whom he was a personal favourite, he was appointed
Lord Privy Seal and
Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1703 was created
Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.
During the predominance of the
Whigs between 1705 and 1710, Buckingham was deprived of his office as Lord Privy Seal, but in 1710 he was made
Lord Steward, and in 1711
Lord President of the Council. After Queen Anne's death he was not reappointed. He died on 24 February 1721 at his house in
St. James's Park, on the site of the present
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
. Buckingham was succeeded by his son,
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings and nobles
*Ed ...
(1716–1735), on whose death the titles became extinct.
Literary works
Buckingham was the author of ''An Account of the Revolution'' and some other essays, and of numerous poems, among them the ''Essay on Poetry'' and the ''Essay on Satire''. It is probable that the ''Essay on Satire'', which attacked many notable persons, "sauntering Charles" amongst others, was circulated in MS. It was often attributed at the time to
Dryden, who accordingly suffered a thrashing at the hands of
Lord Rochester's bravoes for the reflections it contained upon the earl. Mulgrave was a patron of Dryden, who may possibly have revised it, but was certainly not responsible, although it is commonly printed with his works. Mulgrave adapted
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
, breaking it up into two plays, ''Julius Caesar'' and ''Marcus Brutus''. He introduced choruses between the acts, two of these being written by
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
, and an incongruous love scene between
Brutus and
Portia. He was a constant friend and patron of Pope, who expressed a flattering opinion of his ''Essay on Poetry''. This, although smoothly enough written, deals chiefly with commonplaces.
In 1721
Edmund Curll published a pirated edition of his works, and was brought before the bar of the House of Lords for breach of privilege accordingly. An authorized edition under the superintendence of Pope appeared in 1723, but the authorities cut out the ''Account of the Revolution'' and ''The Feast of the Gods'' on account of their alleged Jacobite tendencies. These were printed at
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 ...
in 1727. Pope disingenuously repudiated any knowledge of the contents. Other editions reappeared in 1723, 1726, 1729, 1740 and 1753. His ''Poems'' were included in
Johnson's and other editions of the British poets.
Family
On 18 March 1685, in the chapel of
Littlecote House,
Ramsbury, Wiltshire, Buckingham married as his first wife Ursula Stawell, a daughter of George Stawell by his marriage to Ursula Austen. She died on 13 August 1697.
He married secondly Catherine Greville, a daughter of Fulke Greville, 5th Baron Brooke, and Sarah ( Dashwood), on 12 March 1698 in
St Clement Danes,
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, ...
. She also died young, on 7 February 1703.
Buckingham married, thirdly, Lady Catherine Darnley (1680 – 13 March 1743), an illegitimate daughter of
King James II and
Catherine Sedley, on 16 March 1705 in
St Martin-in-the-Fields,
Covent Garden, London. They had three sons of whom
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings and nobles
*Ed ...
survived, and succeeded him as 2nd
Duke of Buckingham (he died unmarried on 30 October 1735, when all his titles became extinct).
Around 1706, Buckingham sired an illegitimate son,
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
with Frances Stewart,
[She is called in Playfair's ''Baronetage'' (1811), "S, C, Stewart, afterwards Mrs. Lambert." Her forename, however, was presumably Frances .] and, then or afterwards, wife of The Hon. Oliver Lambart, younger son of
Charles Lambart, 3rd Earl of Cavan. Upon the death of his half-brother Edmund, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Charles inherited the family estates and was the first of the
Sheffield baronets.
Notes
References
*
Attribution:
*
*
Further reading
*
* John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the Tragedy of Marcus Brutus, introduction by Michael Wilding, (Shakespeare Adaptations, second series) Cornmarket Press, London, 1970
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham and Normanby, John Sheffield, 1st Duke of
John
1648 births
1721 deaths
17th-century English nobility
18th-century English nobility
18th-century English poets
Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) officers
Knights of the Garter
Lord-lieutenants of Middlesex
Lord-lieutenants of the East Riding of Yorkshire
Lord-lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire
Lord Presidents of the Council
Lords Privy Seal
Members of the Privy Council of England
English male poets
Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison
5
Royal Navy personnel of the Second Anglo-Dutch War