Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (fifth creation)

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For other uses, see Thomas Coke.

The Earl of Leicester
Arms of Coke, Earls of Leicester: Per pale gules and azure, three eagles displayed argent[1]
Holkham Hall, Norfolk

Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester,

Members of Parliament for Norfolk. He was honoured by being created first Earl of Leicester
, in a recreation of an ancient earldom.

Life

He was the son of Edward Coke (Coke is pronounced "Cook") and

Palladian revival movement in England, and of William Kent. Both were later to be engaged by Coke to work on his mansion at Holkham Hall constructed in Palladian style which housed the considerable collection of works of art that Coke had accumulated on his travels. During these travels in 1717, he purchased the Codex Leicester, containing some of the works of Leonardo da Vinci
, the Italian artist and scientist.

Coke was later raised to the peerage as

country estate for over ten years. On top of that, he seemed to have lived a reckless life of drinking, gambling, and hunting,[2] as well as being a leading supporter of cock fighting.[3] It was not until around 1732 that Burlington and Kent made their first drawings for the new country house. Norfolk architect Matthew Brettingham was also influential in the design of the mansion (though he attributed the design of the Marble Hall to Coke himself). Work on the foundations began in 1734, but it was to be 30 years before work was completed. As he surveyed the result of his long years of labour and achievement, Lord Leicester lamented: "It is a melancholy thing to stand alone in one's own country. I look around not a house to be seen but my own. I am Giant of Giant Castle and have ate up all my neighbours my nearest neighbour is the King of Denmark."[4]

Coke, who had been made Earl of Leicester on 9 May 1744, died on 20 April 1759, five years before the completion of Holkham Hall, having never fully recovered his financial losses. Thereafter, his wife Lady Margaret oversaw the completion and furnishing of the house. He had been predeceased by his only son, the rake

Mary Campbell proved disastrous – he virtually imprisoned her at Holkham Hall – and childless.[5] Therefore, Holkham Hall was inherited by Thomas Coke's nephew Wenman Roberts
, the son of Major Philip Roberts and Thomas's sister Anne Coke.

Wenman took the name of Coke after inheriting the Coke estates and was succeeded on his death in 1776 by his son, another Thomas Coke, later 1st Earl of Leicester of Holkham, the MP and agricultural reformer.

See also

References

  1. ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1967, p.669
  2. ISBN 0-7100-9983-5
    .
  3. ISBN 1-85669-053-9
    .
  4. ^ Stirling, A. M. W. (1908). Coke of Norfolk and His Friends; The Life of Thomas William Coke, First Earl of Leicester of Holkham. John Lane Company. p. 62.
  5. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68372. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)

Further reading
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Norfolk
1722–1728
With: Thomas de Grey 1722–1727
Sir John Hobart
1727–1728 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Postmaster General of the United Kingdom
1733–1759
With: Edward Carteret 1733–1739
Sir John Eyles 1739–1745
Everard Fawkener 1745–1759 		Succeeded by
Masonic offices
Preceded by Grand Master of the Premier
Grand Lodge of England
1731–1732 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation Earl of Leicester
1744–1759 		Extinct
Baron Lovel
1728–1759
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