KINGS CARPENTERS AND HERETICS BY S HOLBOURN, ANCESTRY OF JAMES HOLBOURNE OF THE SCOTTISH HOLBOURN FAMILIES

The Holburn crest of Scotland held the motto ‘Decus Summum Virtus’ which roughly translated is rendered : ‘Virtue, the Chief Ornament.’.25 The ancestors of James Holborne are seemingly of Scottish origin, although it is not as certain such was the case with regards to his descendants. It is clear that not all families with a common name, actually share a common ancestry, yet in the case of Major General James Holborne some link to the Attorney Sir Robert Holborne seems evident with the inferences I have cited in the State Papers of their times. Sir Robert’s origins, by his apparent grandfather appear to be in Northumberland, although nowhere is James specifically named as cousin or son of Nicholas of Chichester or William Holborne (who died in Kent) I suspect this to be the case.

Other than for references to his birth in 1706, that other James Holburn, of Menstrie, seems to appear out of the Scottish mists with no clues otherwise presently available to me to show his line of ancestry. James Holborne was born at Menstrie, in the county of Clackmannan, the son of James Holborne 26 also of Menstrie by his second wife Janet, the daughter of John Inglis, of Cramond, and was made a Baronet in 1706, on the 21st* of June. The title, I suspect was derived from his father who in turn looks to have been the grandson of the Major General James Holborne (above) and thus possibly even some relation of Nicholas of Chichester?

The James born in 1706 succeeded to his fathers title upon his fathers death in 1736/7. The father had formally been admitted as advocate on the 23rd of November in 1714 becoming thereafter an Examiner in the Exchequer. Like all of his brothers the young James entered into Naval Service. It has been said that he died at his home of Pencuit, Edinburgh about 1757/8, but the following extract from ‘battles of the British Navy’* implies a fatal wounding at sea:

‘A gallant action was fought this year 1757 by the Dispatch Sloop of Captain James Holborne, with a French privateer mounting 18 guns, with a crew of 170 men. The action lasted two hours, and the Privateer made several ineffectual attempts at boarding, but was beaten off with much loss. Captain Holborne, who behaved nobly, as mortally wounded by a flint stone about the size of a nutmeg. In the fray of the same battle, fought on the 23rd December a Captain Death# also died defending the ‘Terrible’, his ship, against the French..’

Also of interest earlier that same year (14th March) Admiral Byng^ was shot at Portsmouth Harbour, on board the 74 gun ‘Monarch’. Regarding James’s brothers, born of a marriage to Jean, the daughter of Alexander Spittal of Leuchat, both Francis, the third son (whom it seems had contrived to place his birth at about 1704) and William were recognised in their day on account of their deeds, although many of those undertaken privately by the Admiral seem rather suspicious. William like his other, elder but lesser known brother Alexander never rose beyond the position of a Captain in the Royal Navy. Sir Alexander of Menstrie, second but first surviving son of James succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his brother in 1757/8, 27 his brother James wounded in battle at sea may have survived the voyage home where he is otherwise reported as having died at Penncuick.

Sir Alexander had been a Captain in the Royal Navy, but later appears to have been embroiled in matters of intrigue that have remained a mystery to this day. For he had been for reasons unqualified for many years locked up as a prisoner of the King’s Bench, and was apparently unknown in Edinburgh some ten years before his actual death at Southwark on 22nd January 1772, where he had been confined to such ‘mean lodgings as called Harrow Dunghill’ at Southwark.

A number of incongruities exist pertaining to the decent of the Menstrie title. Aside from the difference of opinion as to the place of death of the first son James, his brother Alexander, 2nd Baron actually seems to have been declared dead a full decade before his time was up! For it is clearly stated that in the testament of Sir Alexander's daughter, Lady Jean Holborne that she, confirmed by the Commissary of Edinburgh, acknowledged her father was dead in 1762.

Her mother (unnamed) remained as his ‘widow’ for twelve years and did not remarry until in 1774, two years after his actual death, when she was wed to John Graham, a Newcastle surgeon. Sir Alexander’s daughter, Lady Jean Holburn seems to have kept whatever secret led him to his final disposition, imprisoned and forgotten by his brothers and kin. He died apparently insane. It is not beyond reason to suppose the acknowledged facts have been misrepresented at their original source, but it is also possible that a conspiracy existed to either silence Alexander or keep him unknown for other reasons. Could the Admiral, his brother have been involved in a plot hatched to secure the Menstrie title for his sons?

It is a matter of record and known that the Admiral’s brother, Captain William Holburn commanded the 80 gun ship the ‘Newark’ which he had taken as one of the fleet under Lord Anson in the summer of 1758 off Breast, where Admiral Sir Francis had command of the ‘Terrible’, later William was part of the fleet in the Mediterranean in 1759 and under Admiral Boscawen. Whilst engaged in a battle with the French fleet the Admiral’s own ship, the ‘Namur’ was deprived of it maneuverability, and thus the Admiral transferred his Command to the next best ship, the ‘Newark’. During this battle against De la Clue, off Gibraltar 56 Englishmen were killed with 196 wounded. Five of these fatalities occurred on board the ‘Newark’28 but the fleet were then able to proceed to victory against the French at Toulon.

Concerning Francis, considerably more is known. However, if he were born in 1704, as stated in the ‘House of Commons’ lists he would have been older than James by two years yet he is rated in the ‘History of Parliament’s list of Members between 1754~1790 as the third son of Sir James Holburne. William was the youngest son with James the eldest. As Alexander is recorded as the second son at his succession to the title upon the death of his brother James in 1757/8, some doubt must fall on this detail.

Nevertheless Francis entered the Navy in 1720 as a volunteer aboard the ‘St. Albans’ passing his examinations in 1725. He began his career in 1727 with a promotion to Lieutenant but within seven years he had progressed to Captain. It took him but twice that again to reach the elevated post of Admiral, as his appointment as Rear Admiral was made in 1740 a position he retained and improved over the following thirty years. He began to make a name for himself by 1742, with the capture of a Spanish ship. In 1749 after the war with Spain he was sent to Barbados to help secure the execution of the treaty terms and during this time he met, and in 1750, married a rich widow, Frances, the daughter of Guy Ball, a member of the Barbados Council. Frances had been made widow of Edward Lacelles,* Collector of Customs at Barbados where she and Sir Francis married. They returned to Britain in 1752. Admiral Holburne was still ambitious and keen to make plans for his future. He aroused some resentment amongst his peers with Admiral Lord Boscowen describing him in a private letter to his wife as being ‘Rich and contrived to insinuate himself into the good graces of Lord Anson’ whom Francis may have known anyhow as he had also known the Lord Morton as an intimate family friend and may well have owed his advancement in the Navy to Archibald, Duke of Argyll who ‘took him by the hand in his younger days and made him a Captain’, the young Lord Holburne was not without influential friends even twenty years before Boscowen’s grudging comments. Nevertheless Boscowen found duties for him and he held numerous commands around the Atlantic.

Into the late 1750’s when he was appointed a member of the Court Marshal that was convened to try the Admiral Byng in 1757. When the Tribunal was examined before the House of Lords, ‘all the Court Martial seemed terrified. . . . except old Admiral Holboune, who cursed and swore at the bar of the House, because Byng was not shot out of the way, without giving him the trouble of coming from Portsmouth’.~

In 1757 as ‘Vice Admiral of the Blue’ Francis embarked on a command at Louisburg as part of the defence of the American colony against the French influence at that port. Their were many delays and fever had struck his fleet, causing them to remain in port. On the night of the 24th of September they were caught up in a violent storm which drove several of his ships onto the shore and dismissed to some extent all of the fleet under his Command, causing further delays and difficulties requiring a major refit. Shortly after eventually returning to England he was appointed to the post of Port Admiral at Portsmouth which pretty much discontinued his active service at sea.* He held this post more or less continuously for the very unusual term of eight years. Captain Robert Pett, who was the ‘Vicualling Commissioner’ at Plymouth in 1759 is recorded as supplying the Admiral with fresh food for a blockade that year.^

~ The French and Indian war. 1754-63.

In 1760 Francis made political capital of his position when he stood for Provost in his native lands at Inverkeithing. It is reported that he unscrupulously brought in armed press gangs to a trades meeting and with his sword drawn and by intimidation and bribery secured the return of his party.

In November 1764 investigations into an arson attempt at Portsmouth, where Francis was Port Admiral was carried out in total secrecy. This being two years after the silencing of Alexander, for the most part it would seem the 1760’s was a time of intrigue for the Admiral and his brother. ‘Insanity’ is a curious thing, difficult to correctly diagnose even today. In the 1760's~70’s it must have posed real problems. It is fair however to point out that fear of it has always been a useful ploy in silencing those for whom no other way can be found to quieten, especially political dissenters and those with dangerous knowledge.

The enquiry that was held because of an attempt, allegedly a plot, to set fire to the entire Dockyard. The several Commanders in Chief and resident Commissioners were ordered to investigate the matter with the caution of utmost secrecy and as a result the report into the matter appears unavailable. As well as his port commission he progressed, encouraged by his friend and patron the Lord Argyll to contest the seat of Sterling at the General Election. Thus begun his political career. By 1761 Sir Francis Holburn had become M.P. for Stirling and in 1768~71 he held the seat of Plymouth. He was made a Lord of the Admiralty under the North administration, holding this office until he was made the Governor of Greenwich Maritime Hospital, by way of retirement, in January of 1771#, where he died several months later, that July. He was buried at Richmond in Surrey aged 67.

Neither his son, or his grandson Thomas William seems to have been inclined to return to Scotland. The marriage to Frances Lacelles produced the birth of a son for the Admiral, he, like his father was named Francis, who in 1786 was married to Alicia, the daughter of Thomas Brayne, of the County of Warwickshire. Some 14 years after the death of his uncle Alexander in 1772 whereupon he had succeeded to the family title. He died at Southampton in 1820, Francis’s widow who had been born in 1766 lived until 1829 and is laid to rest at Bath Abbey.

Sir Thomas William Holburn born about 1793 and following in the family tradition entered the Navy in or some time around 1805, on board the ‘Orion’ under Captain Edward Codrington with whom he fought at Trafalgar. After which he was involved in the blockade of Toulon, being a midshipman on the ‘Tonnant’ with which he served until 1812 when he became attached to Admiral De Courcey’s Brazilian based Command, aboard the ‘Foudroyant’. Shortly after in February 1813 being made Lieutenant, he later and thereafter succeeded his father as the Fifth Baronet in 1820, and became a Commander in 1855 but died unmarried at no 10 Cavendish Crescent, Bath in December of 1874 aged 81.

Sir Thomas William Holborne was to leave his large collection of pictures, plate, china and miniatures to the City of Bath, along with a large endowment. Originally his 256 pictures alone were somewhat overvalued at over an half a million pounds, until 1906 when Hugh Blaker, the then Curator of the Holburn Art Museum at Bath settled that 194 of them were not originals. The 62 remaining and genuine pictures were then valued at £15,000. Unfortunately, it is said that Sir Thomas had spent over one million pound on his treasures, of which about half was spent on the counterfeit pictures, it may have served him better to have remained at sea!

ANCESTRY OF JAMES HOLBORNE