John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
PC | |
---|---|
Lord President of the Council | |
In office 17 June 1751 – 2 January 1763 | |
Monarchs |
|
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | The Duke of Dorset |
Succeeded by | The Duke of Bedford |
Secretary of State for the Northern Department | |
In office 12 February 1742 – 24 November 1744 | |
Monarch | George II |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | The Lord Harrington |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Harrington |
In office 5 February 1721 – 21 February 1721 | |
Monarch | George I |
Prime Minister | The Earl of Sunderland (as First Lord of the Treasury) |
Preceded by | The Earl Stanhope |
Succeeded by | The Viscount Townshend |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
In office 6 May 1724 – 23 June 1730 | |
Monarchs | |
Prime Minister | Robert Walpole |
Preceded by | The Duke of Grafton |
Succeeded by | The Duke of Dorset |
Secretary of State for the Southern Department | |
In office 4 March 1721 – 31 March 1724 | |
Monarch | George I |
Prime Minister | Robert Walpole |
Preceded by | James Craggs the Younger |
Succeeded by | The Duke of Newcastle |
Personal details | |
Born | John Carteret 22 April 1690 Westminster, Middlesex, England |
Died | 2 January 1763 Westminster, Middlesex, Great Britain | (aged 72)
Political party | Whig |
Spouses | Frances Worsley
(m. 1710; died 1743)Sophia Fermor
(m. 1744; died 1745) |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark,
Origins
He was the son and heir of George Carteret, 1st Baron Carteret (1667–1695) by his wife, Lady Grace Granville (c. 1677–1744), suo jure 1st Countess Granville, 3rd daughter of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701)[citation needed] of Stowe House in the parish of Kilkhampton in Cornwall. The progeny of the marriage, Barons Carteret, Earls Granville, and Marquesses of Bath (Thynne), were co-heirs to her childless nephew William Granville, 3rd Earl of Bath (1692–1711). The family of Carteret was settled in the Channel Islands and was of Norman descent.[3]
Early life
John Carteret was educated at Westminster School, and at Christ Church, Oxford. Jonathan Swift said that "with a singularity scarce to be justified he carried away more Greek, Latin and philosophy than properly became a person of his rank". Throughout his life, Carteret showed not only a keen love of the classics but also a taste for and knowledge of modern languages and literature. He was almost the only English nobleman of his time who spoke German,[3] which allowed him to talk with and gain the trust of[4] King George I, who spoke little English. Walter Harte, the author of the Life of Gustavus Adolphus, acknowledged the aid that Carteret had given him.[5]
On 17 October 1710, Carteret married Lady Frances Worsley at
Upon reaching his majority of 21, Lord Carteret took his seat in the
Diplomat
Carteret's interests were in foreign, not domestic, policy. His serious work in public life began with his appointment, early in 1719, as
During this period of diplomatic work he acquired an exceptional knowledge of the affairs of Europe, and in particular of
Rivalry with Walpole
To Walpole, who looked upon every able colleague or subordinate as an enemy to be removed, Carteret was exceptionally odious. His capacity to speak German with the
In the first months of his tenure of office, he had to deal with the furious opposition to Wood's halfpence and to counteract the effect of Swift's Drapier's Letters. Carteret had a strong personal liking for Swift, who was also a friend of his wife's family. It is highly doubtful that Carteret could have reconciled his duty to the crown with his private friendships if the government had persisted in endeavouring to force the detested coinage on the Irish people. Wood's patent was, however, withdrawn, and Ireland settled down. Carteret was a profuse and popular Lord Lieutenant, who pleased both the British interest and the native Irish. He was at all times addicted to lavish hospitality and, according to the testimony of contemporaries, was "too fond of burgundy".[6][8] He remained in post until 1730.
Americas
Carteret had inherited a one-eighth share in the
Carteret's share was later defined as a 60-mile wide strip of land in
Queen Caroline
When Carteret returned to
Secretary of State
Carteret took the popular side in the outcry against Walpole for not declaring war on Spain. When the
Carteret succeeded in promoting an agreement between Maria Theresa and
Earl Granville
On 18 October 1744 Carteret became 2nd
The Countess Granville died on 7 October 1745, leaving one daughter, Sophia Carteret, who married
Whether he used the words that were attributed to him in the Annual Register for 1761 is more than doubtful, but the minutes of Council show that they express his meaning.[6]
Marriages and progeny
He married twice:
- Firstly to Frances Worsley (died 1743), daughter of Sir Robert Worsley, 4th Baronet,[9] by whom he had at least 6 children; 2 sons and 4 daughters:
- George Carteret, born 14 February 1716, baptised 11 March 1716 at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, eldest son who predeceased his father.
- Robert Carteret, 3rd Earl Granville (1721–1776), born 21 September 1721, baptised 17 October 1721 at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, eldest surviving son and heir.
- Louisa Carteret (c. 1712–1736) who married Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth of Longleat in Wiltshire, and was the ancestress of the Marquesses of Bath (created 1789) and Barons Carteret (of the second creation 1784).
- Grace Carteret (born 8 July 1713, baptised 22 July 1713 at St James, Westminster), who married Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart, and had issue.
- Georgiana Caroline Carteret (born 12 March 1715, baptised 5 April 1715 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster; died 1780), who married firstly John Spencer MP, and was the mother of John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer; she married secondly William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper
- Frances Carteret (born 6 April 1718, baptised 1 May 1718 at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster), who married (in 1748) John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale.
- George Carteret, born 14 February 1716, baptised 11 March 1716 at
- Secondly in 1744 he married Sophia Fermor (died 1745), daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret.[10] She died the following year during the birth of their only daughter:
- Sophia Carteret, who married William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, and had issue.
- Sophia Carteret, who married
Death and burial
He remained in office as President of the Privy Council until his death on 2 January 1763. His last act was to listen on his deathbed to the reading of the preliminaries of the
"However, in the course of that active period, the duties of my situation engaged me in an occasional attendance upon a nobleman, who, while he presided at his Majesty's councils, reserved some moments for literary amusement. His Lordship was very partial to this subject; and I seldom had the honour of receiving his commands on business, that he did not lead the conversation to Greece and Homer. Being directed to wait upon his Lordship, a few days before he died, with the preliminary articles of the Treaty of Paris, I found him so languid, that I proposed postponing my business for another time: but he insisted that I should stay, saying, it could not prolong his life, to neglect his duty; and repeating the following passage, out of Sarpedon's speech, he dwelled with particular emphasis on the third line, which recalled to his mind the distinguishing part, he had taken in public affairs. His Lordship repeated the last word several times with a calm and determinate resignation: and after a serious pause of some minutes, he desired to hear the Treaty read; to which he listened with great attention: and recovered spirits enough to declare the approbation of a dying Statesman (I use his own words) on the most glorious War, and most honourable Peace, this nation ever saw."
He died in his house in Arlington Street, London, on 2 January 1763. His remains were interred at Westminster Abbey.
Succession
The title of Earl Granville descended to his son Robert, who died without issue in 1776, when the earldom of this creation became extinct.
Legacy
Two
Namesakes of Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia;
John Carteret is depicted in the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides by Anton Lesser.
See also
References
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- ^ G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910–1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XII/1, p. 153.
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911, p. 362.
- ^ Browning p. 117.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 362–363.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chisholm 1911, p. 363.
- Thomas Ulick Sadleirp. 139: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935.
- ^ Rachel Wilson, 'The Vicereines of Ireland and the Transformation of the Dublin Court, c. 1703–1737' in The Court Historian, xix, no. 1 (2014).
- ^ "Frances Carteret (née Worsley), Lady Carteret". National Portrait Gallery.
- ^ "Sophia Carteret (née Fermor), Countess Granville". National Portrait Gallery.
- ^ "Homer, Iliad, Book 12, line 277". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ Wood, Robert (1769). An Essay on the Original Genius and Writings of Homer. pp. To the reader, vii.
Bibliography
- Ballantyne, Archibald. Lord Carteret: A Political Biography 1690 to 1763 (1887) online
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Granville, John Carteret, Earl". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 362–363. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Coxe, William, Memoirs of the administration of the Right Honourable Henry Pelham, collected from the family papers, and other authentic documents (2 vol. 1829) online
- Marshall, Dorothy. Eighteenth Century England (2nd ed. 1974) political history 1714–1784,
- Nichols, R.H. and F A. Wray, The History of the Foundling Hospital (London: Oxford University Press, 1935).
- Wilkes, John William. A Whig in power: the political career of Henry Pelham (Northwestern University Press, 1964).
- Williams, Basil. Carteret and Newcastle (reprint . Cambridge University Press, 2014)
- Williams, Basil. The Whig Supremacy: 1714–1760 (2nd ed. 1962).