Arthur Howe Holdsworth
Arthur Howe Holdsworth (1780–1860) of Mount Galpin in the parish of Townstal and of Widdicombe in the parish of Stokenham,[1] both in Devon, was an English merchant and politician.
Background
The Holdsworth family's roots lay in Yorkshire, and a vicar ancestor moved to Devon in 1620. The vicar's son Arthur entered trade and, aided by the Champernowne family,[2] began a lucrative trade with Newfoundland. By 1672 he was mayor of Dartmouth and an imposing figure on the local business scene. In the following two centuries the Holdsworth family came to dominate the mercantile and cultural life of Dartmouth. They were leaders in the trade with Newfoundland and with Portugal, where they owned estates. Their interests extended into trade with the Baltic, the West Indies and America.[3]
"The family continued to prosper," according to David K. Brown in his book The Way of the Ship in the Midst of the Sea, "helped in 1725 by the award of 'The Waters of the Dart' from the Duchy of Cornwall in 1725 which entitled them to levy tolls on all goods landed between Salcombe and Torbay, a rich perquisite which lasted until 1860. The Holdsworths and their relations held most of the important posts in and around Dartmouth: Freemen, Mayors, Governor of the Castle since 1725, Rector of Stokenham and Brixham, etc. The family home was Widdicombe House, near Torcross, built in 1785 and enlarged in 1820. They also owned Brookhill, Dartmouth."[4]
Life
He was from a Devon mercantile and trading family, the son of Arthur Holdsworth, a Member of Parliament in Devonshire, prominent shipowner and merchant.
Following Holdsworth's stinging defeat for his Parliamentary seat in 1832 by
At his death in 1860, Holdsworth left an enormous estate.[8]
Family
Arthur Howe Holdsworth in 1807
Arthur Howe's Holdsworth's eldest son Arthur Bastard Eastabrook Holdsworth lived at Widdicombe House after the death of his father.
References
- ^ Swete, John, Names of the Noblemen and Principal Gentlemen in the County of Devon, their Seats and Parishes at the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century, 1810, published in 1811 edition of Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.7
- Sir Humphrey Gilbert. At the heart of the family dynastic influence lay Sir Arthur Champernowne, who served as Vice-Admiral of the West, while residing at Dartington Hallin Devon.
- ^ Arthur Howe Holdsworth, 1780–1861, dartmouth-history.org.uk[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Way of the Ship in the Midst of the Sea, David K. Brown, Periscope Publishing Ltd., 2006
- ^ Arthur Holdsworth Conversing with Thomas Taylor and Captain Stancombe by the River Dart, 1757, Arthur Devis, Paul Mellon Collection, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., www.nga.gov
- ^ Kingsbridge and Its Surroundings, Sarah Prideaux Fox, G. P. Friend, Plymouth, 1874
- ^ Arthur Howe Holdsworth by William Brockedon, National Portrait Gallery, npg.org.uk
- ^ Will of Arthur Howe Holdsworth, CanadaGenWeb.org
- ^ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," Database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2R8-P3J : accessed 30 June 2015), Arthur Howe Holdsworth and Catherine Henrietta Eastabrooke, 16 Jul 1807; citing Walthamstow, Essex, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 0962531 IT 1.
- ^ ncestry.com. London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011
- ^ Will of Arthur Bastard Eastabrook Holdsworth, 1877, from Newfoundland Will Books, ngb.chebucto.org
- ^ Mansions and Country Seats of Staffordshire, Alfred Williams, Walter Henry Mallett, F. Brown, 1899
- ^ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, Kelly and Co., London, 1882
- ^ Visitation of England and Wales, Vol. 14, Joseph Jackson Howard, Frederick Arthur Crisp, England College of Arms, Privately Printed, 1906