Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness - Revision history

imported>DonBeroni: Copyedited lede

2025-11-19T13:30:31Z

Copyedited lede

← Previous revision		Revision as of 13:30, 19 November 2025
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	{{Short description\|British diplomat}}		{{Short description\|British diplomat and politician}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=February 2021}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=February 2021}}
	{{Infobox officeholder		{{Infobox officeholder
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	\| children = [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]]		\| children = [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]]
	\| parents = [[Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness]] <br> [[Frederica Mildmay, Countess of Mértola\|Lady Frederica Schomberg]]		\| parents = [[Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness]] <br> [[Frederica Mildmay, Countess of Mértola\|Lady Frederica Schomberg]]
	~~\| nationality = [[Kingdom of Great Britain\|Great Britain]]~~
	\| party =		\| party =
	\| otherparty = <!--For additional political affiliations-->		\| otherparty = <!--For additional political affiliations-->
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	}}		}}

	'''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness''', {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|PC}} (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as '''Lord Darcy and Conyers''', was a British diplomat and politician.<ref name=dnb>{{cite DNB\|wstitle=D'Arcy, Robert}}</ref><ref name="Peerage RD">[http://www.thepeerage.com/p2746.htm#i27453 Record for ''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness'' on ''thepeerage.com'']</ref>		'''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness''', {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|PC}} (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as '''Lord Darcy and Conyers''', was a British diplomat and politician who served as [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department]] from 1754 to 1761.<ref name=dnb>{{cite DNB\|wstitle=D'Arcy, Robert}}</ref><ref name="Peerage RD">[http://www.thepeerage.com/p2746.htm#i27453 Record for ''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness'' on ''thepeerage.com'']</ref>

	==Career==		==Career==
			[[File:John Wootton (c.1682-1764) - George II at the Battle of Dettingen, with the Duke of Cumberland and Robert, 4th Earl of Holderness, 27 June 1743 - NAM. 1961-07-116 - National Army Museum.jpg\|thumb\|''[[George II at the Battle of Dettingen]]'' by [[John Wootton]], 1743. Holderness is shown with [[George II of Great Britain\|George II]] and the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland\|Duke of Cumberland]]]]
	In 1741 he collaborated with [[G.F. Handel]] in the production of [[Deidamia (opera)\|Deidamia]].<ref>A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760 by Eleanor Selfridge-Field, p. 492</ref> From 1744 to 1746 he was ambassador at [[Venice]] and from 1749 to 1751 he represented his country at [[The Hague]]. In 1751 he became [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]], transferring in 1754 to the [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department\|Northern Department]], and he remained in office until March 1761, when he was dismissed by [[George III of the United Kingdom\|King George III]] in favour of [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute\|Lord Bute]], although he had largely been a cipher in that position to the stronger personalities of his colleagues, successively the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle\|Duke of Newcastle]], [[Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham\|Thomas Robinson]], [[Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland\|Henry Fox]], and [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham\|William Pitt the Elder]]. From 1771 to 1776 he acted as governor to two of the King's sons, a solemn phantom as Horace Walpole calls him. He left no sons who survived childhood,<ref name="Peerage RD" /> and all his titles became extinct except the Baronies of [[Baron Darcy de Knayth\|Darcy de Knayth]] and [[Baron Conyers\|Conyers]], which were [[Hereditary peer#Baronies by writ\|baronies by writ]] inherited from his father, and the Portuguese [[Count of Mértola\|countship of Mértola]], inherited from his mother. In those peerages, he was succeeded by his daughter, [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]].		In 1741 he collaborated with [[G.F. Handel]] in the production of [[Deidamia (opera)\|Deidamia]].<ref>A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760 by Eleanor Selfridge-Field, p. 492</ref> From 1744 to 1746 he was ambassador at [[Venice]] and from 1749 to 1751 he represented his country at [[The Hague]]. In 1751 he became [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]], transferring in 1754 to the [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department\|Northern Department]], and he remained in office until March 1761, when he was dismissed by [[George III of the United Kingdom\|King George III]] in favour of [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute\|Lord Bute]], although he had largely been a cipher in that position to the stronger personalities of his colleagues, successively the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle\|Duke of Newcastle]], [[Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham\|Thomas Robinson]], [[Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland\|Henry Fox]], and [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham\|William Pitt the Elder]]. From 1771 to 1776 he acted as governor to two of the King's sons, a solemn phantom as Horace Walpole calls him. He left no sons who survived childhood,<ref name="Peerage RD" /> and all his titles became extinct except the Baronies of [[Baron Darcy de Knayth\|Darcy de Knayth]] and [[Baron Conyers\|Conyers]], which were [[Hereditary peer#Baronies by writ\|baronies by writ]] inherited from his father, and the Portuguese [[Count of Mértola\|countship of Mértola]], inherited from his mother. In those peerages, he was succeeded by his daughter, [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]].

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	*George Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (September 1745 – 27 September 1747)		*George Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (September 1745 – 27 September 1747)
	*Thomas Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (born and died 1750), buried 29 July 1750 in the [[Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)\|Great or St. James Church]] in [[The Hague]], the Netherlands<ref>Wildeman, Marinus Godefridus, [https://books.google.com/books?id=IjBnAAAAcAAJ De grafboeken der Groote of St. Jacobskerk te 's Gravenhage, (1620-1830)...] Robijns Publishers, 1898</ref>		*Thomas Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (born and died 1750), buried 29 July 1750 in the [[Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)\|Great or St. James Church]] in [[The Hague]], the Netherlands<ref>Wildeman, Marinus Godefridus, [https://books.google.com/books?id=IjBnAAAAcAAJ De grafboeken der Groote of St. Jacobskerk te 's Gravenhage, (1620-1830)...] Robijns Publishers, 1898</ref>
	*[[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen\|Lady Amelia Darcy]] (12 October 1754 – 27 January 1784); married firstly [[Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds\|Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen]], and had issue. The couple divorced in 1779. She married secondly [[John "Mad Jack" Byron]], father of [[George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron\|Lord Byron]], and had one daughter, [[Augusta Leigh]].		*[[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen\|Lady Amelia Darcy]] (12 October 1754 – 27 January 1784); married firstly [[Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds\|Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen]], and had issue. The couple divorced in 1779. She married secondly [[John "Mad Jack" Byron]], father of [[George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron\|Lord Byron]], and had one surviving daughter, [[Augusta Leigh]].

	==See also==		==See also==

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Netherlands to :Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Dutch Republic per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 May 7

2025-05-17T03:22:45Z

Moving Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Netherlands to Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Dutch Republic per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 May 7

New page

{{Short description|British diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Earl of Holderness
| honorific-suffix = [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]]
| image = Joshua Reynolds - Robert d’Arcy, 4th Earl of Holderness - Google Art Project.jpg
| imagesize = 240px
| order = [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]]
| office =
| term_start = 6 April 1757
| term_end = 27 June 1757
| monarch = [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]
| predecessor = [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]]
| successor = [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]]
| term_start1 = 18 June 1751
| term_end1 = 23 March 1754
| monarch1 = [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]
| predecessor1 = [[John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford|The Duke of Bedford]]
| successor1 = [[Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham|Thomas Robinson]]
| order2 = [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department]]
| term_start2 = 23 March 1754
| term_end2 = 25 March 1761
| monarch2 = [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]<br/>[[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]
| predecessor2 = [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|The Duke of Newcastle]]
| successor2 = [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|The Earl of Bute]]
| birth_date = 17 May 1718
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1778|5|16|1718|5|17|df=y}}
| death_place = Syon Hill, [[London]], [[England]]
| restingplace =
| birthname =
| spouse = [[Mary Darcy, Countess of Holderness|Mary Doublet]]
| children = [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]]
| parents = [[Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness]] <br> [[Frederica Mildmay, Countess of Mértola|Lady Frederica Schomberg]]
| nationality = [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| party =
| otherparty = 
| occupation = [[Diplomat]], [[politician]]
| religion =
| signature =
}}

'''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|PC}} (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as '''Lord Darcy and Conyers''', was a British diplomat and politician.<ref name=dnb>{{cite DNB|wstitle=D'Arcy, Robert}}</ref><ref name="Peerage RD">[http://www.thepeerage.com/p2746.htm#i27453 Record for ''Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness'' on ''thepeerage.com'']</ref>

==Career==
In 1741 he collaborated with [[G.F. Handel]] in the production of [[Deidamia (opera)|Deidamia]].<ref>A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760 by Eleanor Selfridge-Field, p. 492</ref> From 1744 to 1746 he was ambassador at [[Venice]] and from 1749 to 1751 he represented his country at [[The Hague]]. In 1751 he became [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]], transferring in 1754 to the [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department|Northern Department]], and he remained in office until March 1761, when he was dismissed by [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] in favour of [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|Lord Bute]], although he had largely been a cipher in that position to the stronger personalities of his colleagues, successively the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|Duke of Newcastle]], [[Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham|Thomas Robinson]], [[Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland|Henry Fox]], and [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]]. From 1771 to 1776 he acted as governor to two of the King's sons, a solemn phantom as Horace Walpole calls him. He left no sons who survived childhood,<ref name="Peerage RD" /> and all his titles became extinct except the Baronies of [[Baron Darcy de Knayth|Darcy de Knayth]] and [[Baron Conyers|Conyers]], which were [[Hereditary peer#Baronies by writ|baronies by writ]] inherited from his father, and the Portuguese [[Count of Mértola|countship of Mértola]], inherited from his mother. In those peerages, he was succeeded by his daughter, [[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen]].

[[David Hume]] wrote, "It is remarkable that this family of d'Arcy [sic] seems to be the only male descendant of any of the Conqueror's barons now remaining among the Peers. Lord Holdernessae [sic] is the heir of that family".<ref>''History of England'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975), p. 16 n. 14.</ref>

==Family==
He was the only surviving son of [[Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness]], and his wife [[Frederica Mildmay, Countess of Mértola|Lady Frederica Schomberg]]. On 29 October 1743, Darcy married [[Mary Darcy, Countess of Holderness|Mary Doublet]], daughter of Francis Doublet and Constantia Van-der-Beck. The couple had three children, only one of whom survived childhood:<ref name="Peerage RD" />
*George Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (September 1745 – 27 September 1747)
*Thomas Darcy, Lord Darcy and Conyers (born and died 1750), buried 29 July 1750 in the [[Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)|Great or St. James Church]] in [[The Hague]], the Netherlands<ref>Wildeman, Marinus Godefridus, [https://books.google.com/books?id=IjBnAAAAcAAJ De grafboeken der Groote of St. Jacobskerk te 's Gravenhage, (1620-1830)...] Robijns Publishers, 1898</ref>
*[[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen|Lady Amelia Darcy]] (12 October 1754 – 27 January 1784); married firstly [[Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds|Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen]], and had issue. The couple divorced in 1779. She married secondly [[John "Mad Jack" Byron]], father of [[George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron|Lord Byron]], and had one daughter, [[Augusta Leigh]].

==See also==
* [[Great Britain in the Seven Years War]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{UK National Archives ID}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-dip}}
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{{s-ttl|title= [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands|Minister at the Hague]] |years= 1749–1751}}
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{{s-off}}
{{succession box |
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}}
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box | before=[[Sir Conyers Darcy]] | title=[[Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire]] | years=1740–1778 | after=[[Henry Belasyse, 2nd Earl Fauconberg|The Earl Fauconberg]]}}
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{{s-aft | rows=2 | after=[[Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham|The Marquess of Rockingham]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl | title=[[Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire]] | years=1763–1776}}
{{succession box |
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{{s-reg|en}}
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{{s-non | reason=Extinct}}
|-
{{s-ttl | title=[[Baron Darcy de Knayth]] and [[Baron Conyers|Conyers]] | years=1722–1778}}
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{{s-reg|pt}}
{{succession box | title=[[Count of Mértola]] | before=[[Frederica Mildmay, Countess FitzWalter|Frederica Mildmay]] | after=[[Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen|Amelia Osborne]] | years=1751–1778}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holderness, Robert Darcy, 4th Earl Of}}
[[Category:1718 births]]
[[Category:1778 deaths]]
[[Category:Secretaries of state for the Northern Department]]
[[Category:Counts of Mértola|Darcy, Robert]]
[[Category:Diplomatic peers]]
[[Category:Earls of Holderness]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Republic of Venice]]
[[Category:18th-century British politicians]]
[[Category:Barons Darcy de Knayth|11]]
[[Category:Barons Conyers]]