John Manners, Marquess of Granby
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General
John Manners, Marquess of Granby PC, (Kelham
, 2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770, Scarborough), British
soldier
, was the eldest son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland
. As he did not outlive his father, he was known by his father's subsidiary title, Marquess of Granby. He is probably best know today for being popularly supposed to have more pubs named after him than any other person - due, it is said, to his practice of setting up old soldiers of his regiment as publicans when they were too old to serve any longer.
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, and was returned as Member of Parliament
for the family borough of Grantham
in 1741.
of a regiment raised by the Duke of Rutland
to assist in quelling the Jacobite Rebellion
of 1745. This corps never got beyond Newcastle
, but young Granby went to the front as a volunteer on the Duke of Cumberland
's staff, and saw active service in the last stages of the insurrection. Very soon his regiment was disbanded, but he retained his rank and campaigned in Flanders
in 1747.
In 1752, the Government suggested to George II that Granby be appointed colonel of the prestigious Royal Horse Guards
(Blues), in order to secure the parliamentary support of his family. The king initially refused to make the appointment. In the meantime, Granby advanced his parliamentary career, and was returned for Cambridgeshire
in 1754. Though he despised faction in government, he allied himself with Viscount Royston
, the other knight of the shire, a government whig
. The king came to view him more favorably, and he defended the Newcastle ministry
in the House of Commons
. He was promoted major-general in 1755, and was at last made Colonel of the Blues in 1758.
During the Seven Years' War
Manners was sent to Germany
in command of a cavalry brigade. While leading a charge at the Battle of Warburg
, he is said to "have lost his hat and wig, forcing him to salute his commander without them". This incident is commemorated by the British Army tradition that non-commissioned officers and troopers of the Blues and Royals
are the only soldiers of the British Army who may salute without wearing headdress. He was promoted to Lieutenant General
in 1759: later that year he fought at the Battle of Minden
as commander of the second line of cavalry. He was then appointed overall commander of the expedition replacing Lord George Sackville
in August 1759. He went on to lead the troops to victory at the Battle of Warburg
in 1760 and the Battle of Villinghausen
in 1761. His opponent, the duc de Broglie
, was so impressed that he commissioned a portrait of Granby by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
. He trusted George Grenville
who promptly appointed him Master-General of the Ordnance
under his ministry in 1763.
Granby supported the government's issue of general warrants and prosecution of Wilkes
, but in 1765 spoke against the dismissal of army officers for voting against the government in Parliament. In May 1765, Lord Halifax
attempted to persuade George III to appoint Granby Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
, in the hopes that his popularity would help quell the riot of the London silk weavers. The king refused, having promised the reversion of the post to the Duke of Cumberland
, but obtained Granby's retention as Master-General of the Ordnance in the new Rockingham ministry
, although Granby did not co-operate with the ministry and voted against the repeal of the Stamp Act
.
Under the Chatham Ministry
, Granby was appointed commander-in-chief on 13 August 1766. Despite rumors of his retirement, he vigorously electioneered during the 1768 season, and increased the Rutland interests seats to seven, at some expense. With the resignation of Chatham
, he found himself somewhat isolated in the Grafton Ministry
. While he had opposed the attempts of the government to expel Wilkes from his seat in Middlesex
, his personal dislike of Wilkes overcame his principles, and he voted in favor of the expulsion on 3 February 1769 and for the seating of Henry Luttrell
afterwards. It was to prove a serious political mistake. Junius
, a political writer, attacked the ministry accusing Granby of servility towards the court and personal corruption. Granby's great popularity might have let him ride out the affair, but his reversal on Wilkes provided new ammunition. Worse still, a reply to Junius by his friend Sir William Draper, intended in his defense, essentially validated the charge that the hard-drinking and personable Granby was easily imposed upon by less scrupulous acquaintances.
Ultimately, it was not the attacks of Junius, but the return of Chatham that brought about his departure from politics. Granby had always respected Chatham, and through the intermediation of John Calcraft
, was eventually persuaded to break with the ministry. On 9 January 1770, he announced that he had reversed himself once more on the propriety of expelling Wilkes, and shortly thereafter resigned as commander-in-chief and master-general of the ordnance, retaining only the colonelcy of the Blues.
Once out of office, Granby found himself hard-pressed by his creditors, and the loss of his official salaries had weakened his financial position. In the summer of 1770, he unsuccessfully campaigned for George Cockburne
at the Scarborough by-election.
Blackborne, a Lincoln's Inn
barrister and Manners family adviser who frequently resided at Belvoir, was away at the time, visiting a family relation of Manners' and received the disturbing news on his return to Belvoir. He wrote to George Vernon at Clontarf on 12 February 1771, bemoaning Granby's proclivities that had brought him to ruin:
"You are no stranger to the spirit of procrastination. The noblest mind that ever existed, the amiable man whom we lament was not free from it. This temper plunged him into difficulties, debts and distresses; and I have lived to see the first heir of a subject in the Kingdom have a miserable shifting life, attended by a levee of duns, and at last die broken-hearted."
He married Lady Frances Seymour (1728–1761), daughter of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
on 3 September 1750. They had six children:
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General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
John Manners, Marquess of Granby PC, (Kelham
Kelham
Kelham is a small village in Nottinghamshire variously estimated as "3.36 miles," "3 miles," or "2.92 miles"to the northwest of Newark on a bend in the A617 road near its crossing of the River Trent.-Historical:...
, 2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770, Scarborough), British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, was the eldest son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland
John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland
John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland KG PC was an English nobleman, the eldest son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and Catherine Russell...
. As he did not outlive his father, he was known by his father's subsidiary title, Marquess of Granby. He is probably best know today for being popularly supposed to have more pubs named after him than any other person - due, it is said, to his practice of setting up old soldiers of his regiment as publicans when they were too old to serve any longer.
Early life
He was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and was returned as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the family borough of Grantham
Grantham (UK Parliament constituency)
Grantham was a Parliamentary constituency in Lincolnshire, England.The constituency was created in 1468 as a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until the union with Scotland, and then to the Parliament of Great Britain...
in 1741.
Military career
Four years later he received a commission as colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of a regiment raised by the Duke of Rutland
John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland
John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland KG PC was an English nobleman, the eldest son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and Catherine Russell...
to assist in quelling the Jacobite Rebellion
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
of 1745. This corps never got beyond Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, but young Granby went to the front as a volunteer on the Duke of Cumberland
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William , was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and as such is also known as "Butcher" Cumberland...
's staff, and saw active service in the last stages of the insurrection. Very soon his regiment was disbanded, but he retained his rank and campaigned in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in 1747.
In 1752, the Government suggested to George II that Granby be appointed colonel of the prestigious Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
(Blues), in order to secure the parliamentary support of his family. The king initially refused to make the appointment. In the meantime, Granby advanced his parliamentary career, and was returned for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridgeshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights...
in 1754. Though he despised faction in government, he allied himself with Viscount Royston
Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke
Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke FRS , and eldest son of the 1st earl, was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1741 he became a fellow of the Royal Society...
, the other knight of the shire, a government whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
. The king came to view him more favorably, and he defended the Newcastle ministry
First Newcastle Ministry
The First Newcastle Ministry was a British government that existed from 1754 until 1756, headed by the Duke of Newcastle. After the death of the previous Prime Minister, his brother Henry Pelham, Newcastle had formed a fresh administration...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. He was promoted major-general in 1755, and was at last made Colonel of the Blues in 1758.
During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
Manners was sent to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in command of a cavalry brigade. While leading a charge at the Battle of Warburg
Battle of Warburg
The Battle of Warburg was a battle fought on 31 July 1760 during the Seven Years' War. The Battle was a victory for the Hanoverians and the British against the French. British general John Manners, Marquess of Granby achieved some fame for charging at the head of the British cavalry and losing his...
, he is said to "have lost his hat and wig, forcing him to salute his commander without them". This incident is commemorated by the British Army tradition that non-commissioned officers and troopers of the Blues and Royals
Blues and Royals
The Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
are the only soldiers of the British Army who may salute without wearing headdress. He was promoted to Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in 1759: later that year he fought at the Battle of Minden
Battle of Minden
The Battle of Minden—or Thonhausen—was fought on 1 August 1759, during the Seven Years' War. An army fielded by the Anglo-German alliance commanded by Field Marshal Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of France Louis, Marquis de Contades...
as commander of the second line of cavalry. He was then appointed overall commander of the expedition replacing Lord George Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville PC , known as the Hon. George Sackville to 1720, as Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770, and as Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and politician who was Secretary of State for America in Lord North's cabinet during the American...
in August 1759. He went on to lead the troops to victory at the Battle of Warburg
Battle of Warburg
The Battle of Warburg was a battle fought on 31 July 1760 during the Seven Years' War. The Battle was a victory for the Hanoverians and the British against the French. British general John Manners, Marquess of Granby achieved some fame for charging at the head of the British cavalry and losing his...
in 1760 and the Battle of Villinghausen
Battle of Villinghausen
The Battle of Villinghausen was a battle in the Seven Years' War fought on 15 and 16 July 1761 between a large French army and a combined Prussian-Hanoverian-British force led by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.-Background:...
in 1761. His opponent, the duc de Broglie
Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie
Victor François de Broglie, 2nd duc de Broglie was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France...
, was so impressed that he commissioned a portrait of Granby by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Political career
Granby returned to England as a hero: a painting by Edward Penny, entitled "The Marquess of Granby Relieving a Sick Soldier" showed him acting as a man of charity rather than as a soldier and this assured his appeal to the people. He sought to steer a path independent of party politics but supported the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
. He trusted George Grenville
George Grenville
George Grenville was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham...
who promptly appointed him Master-General of the Ordnance
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...
under his ministry in 1763.
Granby supported the government's issue of general warrants and prosecution of Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
, but in 1765 spoke against the dismissal of army officers for voting against the government in Parliament. In May 1765, Lord Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, KG, PC was a British statesman of the Georgian era.-Early life:...
attempted to persuade George III to appoint Granby Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief , was the professional head of the British Army from 1660 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff . From 1870, the C-in-C was subordinate to...
, in the hopes that his popularity would help quell the riot of the London silk weavers. The king refused, having promised the reversion of the post to the Duke of Cumberland
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William , was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and as such is also known as "Butcher" Cumberland...
, but obtained Granby's retention as Master-General of the Ordnance in the new Rockingham ministry
First Rockingham Ministry
The First Rockingham Ministry was a British ministry headed by the Marquess of Rockingham which served between 1765 and 1766 during the reign of George III. The government was made up mainly of his followers known as the Rockingham Whigs. The most influential member of the government was the Duke...
, although Granby did not co-operate with the ministry and voted against the repeal of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
.
Under the Chatham Ministry
Chatham Ministry
The Chatham Ministry was a British government led by William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham that ruled between 1766 and 1768. Because of Pitt's former prominence before his title, it is sometimes referred to as the Pitt Ministry...
, Granby was appointed commander-in-chief on 13 August 1766. Despite rumors of his retirement, he vigorously electioneered during the 1768 season, and increased the Rutland interests seats to seven, at some expense. With the resignation of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
, he found himself somewhat isolated in the Grafton Ministry
Grafton Ministry
The Grafton Ministry was the British government headed by Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton which served between 14 October 1768 – 28 January 1770...
. While he had opposed the attempts of the government to expel Wilkes from his seat in Middlesex
Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesex is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
, his personal dislike of Wilkes overcame his principles, and he voted in favor of the expulsion on 3 February 1769 and for the seating of Henry Luttrell
Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton
General Henry Lawes Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton PC was a politician and soldier.-Military career:Educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, Luttrell was commissioned into the 48th Regiment of Foot in 1757. In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, he became Deputy Adjutant-General...
afterwards. It was to prove a serious political mistake. Junius
Junius
Junius was the pseudonym of a writer who contributed a series of letters to the Public Advertiser, from 21 January 1769 to 21 January 1772. The signature had been already used, apparently by him, in a letter of 21 November 1768...
, a political writer, attacked the ministry accusing Granby of servility towards the court and personal corruption. Granby's great popularity might have let him ride out the affair, but his reversal on Wilkes provided new ammunition. Worse still, a reply to Junius by his friend Sir William Draper, intended in his defense, essentially validated the charge that the hard-drinking and personable Granby was easily imposed upon by less scrupulous acquaintances.
Ultimately, it was not the attacks of Junius, but the return of Chatham that brought about his departure from politics. Granby had always respected Chatham, and through the intermediation of John Calcraft
John Calcraft
John Calcraft the elder , of Rempstone in Dorset and Ingress in Kent, was an English army agent and politician.-Business career:...
, was eventually persuaded to break with the ministry. On 9 January 1770, he announced that he had reversed himself once more on the propriety of expelling Wilkes, and shortly thereafter resigned as commander-in-chief and master-general of the ordnance, retaining only the colonelcy of the Blues.
George Cockburne
Captain George Cockburne was a naval administrator who went on to be Comptroller of the Navy.-Career:Cockburne was appointed Comptroller of the Navy and promoted to Captain in 1756. In 1770, while still comptroller, he stood unsuccessfully in the Scarborough by-election with support from the...
at the Scarborough by-election.
Death
Granby died at Scarborough, Yorkshire, in 1770. The outpouring of grief was real and sustained. His friend and associate LevettLevett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
Blackborne, a Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
barrister and Manners family adviser who frequently resided at Belvoir, was away at the time, visiting a family relation of Manners' and received the disturbing news on his return to Belvoir. He wrote to George Vernon at Clontarf on 12 February 1771, bemoaning Granby's proclivities that had brought him to ruin:
"You are no stranger to the spirit of procrastination. The noblest mind that ever existed, the amiable man whom we lament was not free from it. This temper plunged him into difficulties, debts and distresses; and I have lived to see the first heir of a subject in the Kingdom have a miserable shifting life, attended by a levee of duns, and at last die broken-hearted."
Family
He had two illegitimate children by an unknown mistress:- George MannersGeorge Manners (MP)Captain George Manners was a British soldier and politician, the illegitimate son of John Manners, Marquess of Granby.Manners was enrolled at Eton from 7 July 1757 until 1762...
(c. 1746–1772) - Anne Manners, married John Manners-Sutton, her first cousin
He married Lady Frances Seymour (1728–1761), daughter of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
on 3 September 1750. They had six children:
- John Manners, Lord Roos (29 August 1751 – 2 June 1760, London)
- Lady Frances MannersFrances MannersLady Frances Manners , Countess of Tyrconnel, was the daughter of John Manners, Marquess of Granby and his wife Lady Frances Seymour....
(1753 – 15 October 1792) - Charles Manners, 4th Duke of RutlandCharles Manners, 4th Duke of RutlandCharles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland KG, PC was a British politician and nobleman, the eldest legitimate son of John Manners, Marquess of Granby...
(1754–1787) - Lady Catherine Manners, died young
- Lord Robert Manners (1758–1782)
- Lady Caroline Manners, died young
Footnotes
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