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Lancelot Holland (British Army officer)

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For the Royal Navy officer of World War II, see Lancelot Holland.

Lancelot Holland, also Launcelot (1781–1859) was a British Army officer and diarist. In later life he went into business, and became a company director. He was also a noted bibliophile and collector..

Background and early life

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He was a grandson of Lancelot Brown, the garden designer known as "Capability Brown"; his parents were the architect Henry Holland and Bridget Brown.[1] He went to Harrow School, where he overlapped with Henry Drury, entering the school in 1790 at age nine, and leaving in 1798.[2][3] He joined the army, possibly the 134th Foot.[4] In October 1798 he was an ensign in the 1st Foot Guards.[3]

In 1799 Holland accompanied Robert Craufurd who had been sent as military attaché on a mission in continental Europe, part of William Pitt's Grand Design for the War of the Second Coalition. Craufurd's other aide on this journey was William Proby, Lord Proby.[5][6] That year Holland was promoted to captain.[3] Craufurd married Holland's sister Mary Frances, in 1800.[7]

From around 1800 Holland was serving under Robert Brownrigg, who became Quartermaster-General to the Forces. Connections through his father's architectural work yielded him, in 1803, a visit as guest to Samuel Whitbread at Southill Park, and another to Lord Robert Spencer at Woolbeding House. In 1804 his duties took him to Ireland. On his return, he paid a call on Edmund Boyle, 8th Earl of Cork at Marston Bigot Park, where his father had recently been staying.[8] That year he was promoted to major.[3]

Buenos Aires expedition

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Holland was, from 1805 to 1807, officially Permanent Assistant to the Quartermaster General.[9] He was on Robert Crauford's staff for the unsuccessful British invasion of the Spanish Empire's territory by the River Plate in 1807.[10] His staff duties included copying out John Whitelocke's orders for the surrender.[11] Holland commented on the composition – largely people of colour – of the force that had defeated them.[12]

The diary Holland kept remained in manuscript, and was put up for sale in 1954.[13] It has partly been published in Spanish translation, as Expedición al Río de la Plata.[14] A review called it "the best account of the assault of July 5."[15] The manuscript went to University College, London.[16]

Later life

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Following the South American campaign, Holland joined the 89th Foot with rank of major.[9] He served once more with Crawfurd in the Peninsular War.[17] Craufurd was killed in action at the beginning of 1812. That year, Holland was in London, serving on the initial committee running the new (fourth) Drury Lane Theatre that had replaced the third theatre, built to a design by his father (died 1806), which had burned down in 1809.[18] He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1814, and at that point retired from the Army.[3][4]

In peace time Holland was a timber merchant, and gave evidence on the trade to a parliamentary committee in 1821;[19] the leading building timber firm Copland, Rowles & Holland had his father named third, and a cousin Henry Rowles named second.[20] He was one of the group from business and politics who salvaged John Maberly's linen factories from Maberly's personal ruin, and became a director of Richards of Aberdeen; he was involved by 1831, when the company was still Maberly & Co., shortly afterwards changed to Richards & Co. for the partner John Baker Richards.[21] He himself was later a partner.[22] Other directorships included Royal Exchange Assurance.[23]

Armorial bookplate of Lancelot Holland

As a collector, Holland owned an edition of Virgil by William Caxton described as "extremely rare".[24]

Holland died at home, at Langley Farm, Beckenham, aged 78.[25] He was buried in the churchyard of St George's Church, Beckenham.[26] After his death, in 1860, his books and Greek and Etruscan ceramics were sold.[27][28]

Family

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Holland married Charlotte Peters. They had 15 children.[1] The eldest son was Henry Lancelot Holland.[29] Of the daughters, Caroline married the Rev. Francis Storr, son of Paul Storr, and Julia married the Rev. Duncan Travers, son of Eaton Stannard Travers R.N.[30][31] The fourth daughter, Sophia, married in 1846 the Rev. Francis Bourdillon, and was mother of Francis William Bourdillon.[32][33][34]

Edward, the second son, was a cleric who graduated from Magdalen Hall, Oxford in 1840, and married Eliza Anne Honnywill, daughter of the West India merchant Richard Honnywill Jr. of Clifton, in 1843.[35][36][37] His father's address is given as Borough House; Banstead.[38] Charles, the fourth son, was another cleric, who graduated from University College, Oxford in 1839, and became rector of Petworth in 1859.[39] He married Emily Torlesse, daughter of the Rev. Charles Martin Torlesse.[40][41]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Brown, Jane (2012). Lancelot 'Capability' Brown: The Omnipotent Magician, 1716-1783. Pimlico. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-84595-179-5.
  2. ^ Tyerman, Christopher (2000). A History of Harrow School, 1324-1991. Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-19-822796-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gun, William Townsend Jackson (1934). The Harrow School Register, 1571-1800. Harrow Association. p. 87.
  4. ^ a b The Army List. May 1855. p. 5.
  5. ^ Ehrman, John (1996). The Younger Pitt: The Consuming Struggle. Constable. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-09-475540-6.
  6. ^ Fletcher, Ian (12 May 2021). Robert Craufurd: The Man and the Myth: The Life and Times of Wellington's Wayward Martinet. Pen and Sword Military. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-5267-7522-1.
  7. ^ Gates, David. "Craufurd, Robert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6630. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  8. ^ Stroud, Dorothy (1966). Henry Holland: His Life and Architecture. Country Life. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-600-43171-8.
  9. ^ a b Grainger, John D. (22 December 2020). The Royal Navy in River Plate 1806–1807. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-34166-9.
  10. ^ Hughs, Ben (17 October 2013). The British Invasion of the River Plate 1806-1807: How the Redcoats were Humbled and a Nation was Born. Pen and Sword. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-78159-066-9.
  11. ^ Graham-Yooll, Andrew (2002). Imperial Skirmishes: War and Gunboat Diplomacy in Latin America. Signal Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-902669-21-2.
  12. ^ Gott, Richard (7 November 2011). Britain's Empire: Resistance, Repression and Revolt. Verso Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-84467-738-2.
  13. ^ "Forthcoming Sales". The Burlington Magazine. 96 (611): 65–66. 1954. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 871340.
  14. ^ Holland, Lancelot (1975). Expedición al Río de la Plata (in Spanish). Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires.
  15. ^ Schmidt, Henry C.; H., J. E.; C., L. G.; Williams, John Hoyt; T., A. S.; W., A.; D., G. M.; G., R. W.; K., J.; K., M.; Lemmon, Alfred E.; Meyer, Michael C. (1986). "Inter-American Notes". The Americas. 42 (3): 340. doi:10.2307/1006931. ISSN 0003-1615. JSTOR 1006931. S2CID 151399453.
  16. ^ Grainger, J. D. (13 March 2015). British Campaigns in the South Atlantic 1805-1807. Pen and Sword. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-78346-364-0.
  17. ^ Durey, Michael (6 October 2015). William Wickham, Master Spy: The Secret War Against the French Revolution. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-317-31399-1.
  18. ^ "The Theatre Royal: Management, British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  19. ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1821). Reports from Committees. p. 28.
  20. ^ "Taprell, Stephen & Holland, William (1803-35), BIFMO". bifmo.history.ac.uk.
  21. ^ Simons, Nicholas (1845). Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Chancery: With Notes and References to Both English and American Decisions. Gould, Banks & Company. pp. 351–360.
  22. ^ "Details of Firm, Richards & Co., Legacies of British Slavery". www.ucl.ac.uk.
  23. ^ The Economist: Weekly Commercial Times, Banker's Gazette and Railway Monitor. Economist Newspaper Limited. 1853. p. 332.
  24. ^ Book-prices current; a record of the prices at which books have been sold at auction. Vol. XXXV. London Serjeants Press [etc.] 1921. p. 189.
  25. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, for the Year ... Edw. Cave, 1736-[1868]. 1859.
  26. ^ "Beckenham, Kent Archaeological Society". www.kentarchaeology.org.uk.
  27. ^ Holland, Lancelot (1860). Catalogue of the Valuable and Important Libraries of Lancelot Holland. J. Davy and sons.
  28. ^ The Athenaeum. J. Lection. 1860. p. 839.
  29. ^ Foster, Joseph (1881). The Baronetage and Knightage. Nichols and Sons. p. 385.
  30. ^ "Storr, Francis". Who's Who. A & C Black. Retrieved 9 September 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  31. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine. R. Newton. 1850. p. 530.
  32. ^ Burke, John; Burke, Bernard (1846). The Patrician. p. 190.
  33. ^ "Bourdillon, Francis (BRDN841F)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  34. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Bourdillon, Francis William" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  35. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Holland, Edward" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  36. ^ The Court Magazine and Monthly Critic, and Lady's Magazine and Museum: A Family Journal of the Belles Lettres, Music, Fine Arts, Drama, Fashion, Etc. Dobbs. July 1843. p. 19.
  37. ^ "Summary of Individual Richard Honnywill junior 1766–1842, Legacies of British Slavery". www.ucl.ac.uk.
  38. ^ Welch, Reginald Courtenay (1894). The Harrow School Register, 1801-1893. Longmans, Green. p. 689.
  39. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Holland, Charles (1)" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  40. ^ Howard, Joseph Jackson; Crisp, Frederick Arthur (1893). Visitation of England and Wales. Vol. XVII. London: Priv. printed. p. 121.
  41. ^ "Torlesse, Charles Martin (TRLS814CM)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
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