British politician and courtier
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent
,
KG
,
PC
(1671 – 5 June 1740) was a British politician and
courtier
. None of his sons outlived him, so his new title became extinct on his death. Though the house he built at
Wrest Park
in
Bedfordshire
has gone, parts of his very grand garden have survived relatively untouched.
Family
[
edit
]
He was a son of
Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent
, and
Mary Grey, 1st Baroness Lucas of Crudwell
. He succeeded his father as 12th
Earl of Kent
in 1702, having succeeded his mother as 2nd
Baron Lucas
earlier the same year. He was the grandfather, through his daughter Anne Grey, of
Henry Cavendish
, the preeminent English chemist and physicist of the late 18th century.
Political career
[
edit
]
Having taken his seat in the House of Lords and though regarded as lacking talent and ambition
[1]
he, as the politically expedient candidate, was made
Lord Chamberlain
and a
Privy Councillor
in 1704. Grey was unpopular; he was nicknamed 'Bug' for his body odour.
[2]
He traded his position for a dukedom in 1710, and was succeeded as Lord Chamberlain by the
Duke of Shrewsbury
. Contemporary commentators including
John Macky
and
Jonathan Swift
did defend Grey. He might have been, for his time, the right man in the right place.
[1]
After 1710 he served in politically minor positions:
Gentleman of the Bedchamber
,
Constable of Windsor Castle
,
Lord Steward of the Household
from 1716 until 1718, and
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
from 1719 until 1720. He was one of the
Lords Justices appointed during the absence of George I of Great Britain
.
In 1719, Grey was one of the main subscribers in the eighteenth-century
Royal Academy of Music
, a corporation that produced
baroque opera
on stage. At the age of 68, a year before his death, he took part, as a founding governor, in the creation of
Britain
's first home for
abandoned children
,
London
's
Foundling Hospital
.
Titles
[
edit
]
Grey succeeded his father as 12th Earl of Kent in 1702, having succeeded his mother as 2nd Baron Lucas earlier the same year. He was created
Marquess of Kent
, Earl of
Harold
and
Viscount Goderich
in 1706,
Duke of Kent
in 1710 for relinquishing his Lord Chamberlain position, and made a
Knight of the Garter
in 1712. Left without a male heir after the death of his son George Grey, Earl of Harold, in 1733, he was created
Marquess Grey
in 1740, with a special remainder to his granddaughter
Lady Jemima Campbell
and her heirs male. She also succeeded to the
Barony of Lucas
. All his other titles became extinct at his death.
Marriages and children
[
edit
]
Henry married firstly, in 1694,
Jemima Crew
(died 2 July 1728), a daughter of
Thomas Crew, 2nd Baron Crew
, and his second wife, Anne Armine, daughter of
Sir William Armine, 2nd Baronet
.
[3]
They had at least six children:
He married secondly Sophia Bentinck (died 5 June 1741) on 24 March 1729, a daughter of
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
, and his second wife Jane Martha Temple. They had a son and a daughter:
- ^
a
b
Philip Carter, 'Grey, Henry, duke of Kent',
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
, Oxford University Press, 2004
- ^
See - Paul J. DeGategno & R. Jay Stubblefield
Critical companion to
Jonathan Swift
: a literary reference to his life and works
(2006) p. 354.
- ^
John and J.B. Burke.
A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England
, Scott, Webster, and Geary, 1838. pg 3.
Google eBook
Sources
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Artists
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|