William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland (27 July 1766 – 29 January 1842), styled Viscount Barnard until 1792 and known as The Earl of Darlington between 1792 and 1827 and as The Marquess of Cleveland between 1827 and 1833, was a British landowner, slave holder and politician.

Background and education

Styled Viscount Barnard from birth, he was the son of Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington, son of Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, and Lady Grace FitzRoy, daughter of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland Charles Palmer, later Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, Chief Butler of England (18 June 16629 September 1730) was an English nobleman and illegitimate son of Charles II. He was styled Baron Limerick before 1670 ...

, son of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. His mother was Margaret Lowther, daughter of Robert Lowther, Governor of Barbados, and sister of James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale. He was baptised at the Chapel Royal at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

(with the names William Harry which he later changed to William Henry). He was educated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

.thepeerage.com Sir William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland
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Public life

Barnard was Whig Member of Parliament for

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

from 1788 to 1790 and for

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...

from 1790 to 1792. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat 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 ...

. He also succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, a post he held until his death. In 1794 he was announced as the Lieutenant-colonel of a regiment to be raised, the Durham Regiment of Fencible Cavalry. In 1810 he successfully laid claim to the Pulteney Estate in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

after the Countess of Bath died intestate in 1808. In 1827 he was created Marquess of Cleveland, a revival of the Cleveland title held by his ancestors. He was Bearer of the Third Sword at King William IV's

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

on 8 September 1831. In 1833 he was made Baron Raby, of

Raby Castle Raby Castle () is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Ed ...

in the

County Palatine of Durham The County Palatine of Durham was a jurisdiction in the North of England, within which the bishop of Durham had rights usually exclusive to the monarch. It developed from the Liberty of Durham, which emerged in the Anglo-Saxon period. The g ...

, and Duke of Cleveland. He was further honoured when he was made a Knight of the Garter in 1839. His promotions through the ranks of the peerage were not uncontroversial. Greville noted in his diary on 8 September 1831:

” Howe told me yesterday morning in Westminster Abbey that Lord Cleveland is to be made a duke, though it is not yet acknowledged if it is to be so. There has been a battle about that; they say that he got his
boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
to be made a marquis and got rid of them to be made a duke".

Slave holder

According to the '' Legacies of British Slave-Ownership'' at the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, Cleveland was awarded compensation in the aftermath of the

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which abolished slavery in the British Empire by way of compensated emancipation. The act was legislated by Whig Prime Minister Charl ...

with the Slave Compensation Act 1837. Cleveland was associated with "T71/898 Barbados claim no. 3184 (Lowther)"; he owned 233 slaves in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

and received a £4,854 payment at the time. Retrieved 15 September 2021.

Family

On 17 September 1787, he married his cousin, Lady Catherine Powlett (1766–1807), daughter of Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton, at her father's seat, Hackwood Park. Together, they had eight children: * Henry, Earl of Darlington, later 2nd Duke of Cleveland (1788–1864); he married Lady Sophia Poulett, the eldest daughter of John Poulett, 4th Earl Poulett, in 1809. * Lady Louisa Catherine Barbara Vane (1791–1821), who married Maj. Francis Forester in 1813 and had issue. * Lord William Vane, later 3rd Duke of Cleveland (1792–1864); he married Lady Grace Caroline Lowther, a daughter of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, in 1815. * Lady Caroline Vane (1795–1795), who died young. * Lady Augusta Henrietta Vane (1796–1874), who married Mark Milbank and had issue, including Sir Frederick Milbank, 1st Baronet. * Lady Arabella Vane (1801–1864), who married Richard Arden, 3rd Baron Alvanley. * Lord Harry Vane, later 4th Duke of Cleveland (1803–1891); he married Lady Dalmeny, the daughter of Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope and widow of Archibald Primrose, Lord Dalmeny, in 1854. * Lady Laura Vane (1807–1882), who married Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Meyrick and had issue. After his first wife's death in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in June 1807, Cleveland married as his second wife, Elizabeth Russell (c. 1777–1861), daughter of Robert Russell, on 27 July 1813. There were no children from this marriage. Cleveland died at

St James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian architecture, Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was ...

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, ...

, in January 1842, aged 75, and was buried at Staindrop,

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. His eldest son Henry succeeded in the dukedom. The Duchess of Cleveland died in January 1861.

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, William Vane, 1st Duke Of 1766 births 1842 deaths 201 Knights of the Garter Lord-lieutenants of Durham Barnard, William Vane, Viscount

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 ...

British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Barons Barnard Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV English slave owners