Biography of John Granville 1st Earl Bath 1628-1701

In 1618 [his father] Bevil Grenville [aged 22] and [his mother] Grace Smith were married. They were fourth cousin once removed.

On 29th August 1628 John Granville 1st Earl Bath was born to [his father] Bevil Grenville [aged 33] and [his mother] Grace Smith.

In October 1652 John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 24] and Jane Wyche were married.

On 3rd September 1654 [his daughter] Jane Granville Baroness Gower was born to John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 26] and [his wife] Jane Wyche. She married before 22nd April 1690 George Carteret 1st Baron Carteret and had issue.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 29th June 1660. This day or two my maid Jane [Jane Wayneman] has been lame, that we cannot tell what to do for want of her. Up and to White Hall, where I got my warrant from the Duke to be Clerk of the Acts. Also I got my Lord's warrant from the Secretary for his honour of Earle of Portsmouth, and Viscount Montagu of Hinchingbroke. So to my Lord, to give him an account of what I had done. Then to Sir Geffery Palmer [aged 62], to give them to him to have bills drawn upon them, who told me that my Lord must have some good Latinist to make the preamble to his Patent, which must express his late service in the best terms that he can, and he told me in what high flaunting terms Sir J. Greenville [aged 31] had caused his to be done, which he do not like; but that Sir Richard Fanshawe [aged 52] had done General Monk's [aged 51] very well. Back to Westminster, and meeting Mr. Townsend in the Palace, he and I and another or two went and dined at the Leg there. Then to White Hall, where I was told by Mr. Hutchinson at the Admiralty, that Mr. Barlow, my predecessor, Clerk of the Acts, is yet alive, and coming up to town to look after his place, which made my heart sad a little. At night told my Lord thereof, and he bade me get possession of my Patent; and he would do all that could be done to keep him out. This night my Lord and I looked over the list of the Captains,. and marked some that my Lord had a mind to have put out. Home and to bed. Our wench very lame, abed these two days.

On 31st August 1661 [his son] Charles Granville 2nd Earl Bath was born to John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 33] and [his wife] Jane Wyche. He married (1) 22nd May 1678 Martha Osborne, daughter of Thomas Osborne 1st Duke Leeds and Bridget Bertie Duchess Leeds (2) 10th March 1691 Isabella van Nassau and had issue.

In 1665 [his son] John Granville was born to John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 36] and [his wife] Jane Wyche.

Around 1669 [his son-in-law] William Leveson-Gower 4th Baronet [aged 22] and Jane Granville Baroness Gower were married. She the daughter of John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 40] and Jane Wyche.

John Evelyn's Diary. 1st August 1676. In the afternoon, after prayers at St. James's Chapel, was christened a daughter of Dr. Leake's [aged 34], the Duke's [aged 42] Chaplain: godmothers were Lady Mary [aged 14], daughter of the Duke of York, and the Duchess of Monmouth [aged 25]: godfather, the Earl of Bath [aged 47].

John Evelyn's Diary. 27th November 1677. Dined at the Lord Treasurer's [aged 45] with Prince Rupert [aged 57], Viscount Falkenburg [aged 50], Earl of Bath [aged 49], Lord O'Brien [aged 35], Sir John Lowther [aged 22], Sir Christopher Wren [aged 54], Dr. Grew [aged 36], and other learned men.

On 22nd May 1678 Charles Granville 2nd Earl Bath [aged 16] and Martha Osborne [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Osborne 1st Duke Leeds [aged 46] and Bridget Bertie Duchess Leeds [aged 49]. He the son of John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 49] and Jane Wyche.

John Evelyn's Diary. 25th November 1682. I was invited to dine with Monsieur Lionberg, the Swedish Resident, who made a magnificent entertainment, it being the birthday of his King. There dined the Duke of Albemarle, Duke of Hamilton [aged 47], Earl of Bath [aged 54], Earl of Aylesbury [aged 56], Lord Arran [aged 24], Lord Castlehaven [aged 65], the son of him who was executed fifty years before, and several great persons. I was exceedingly afraid of drinking (it being a Dutch feast), but the Duke of Albemarle being that night to wait on his Majesty, excess was prohibited; and, to prevent all, I stole away and left the company as soon as we rose from table.

John Evelyn's Diary. 17th June 1683. I dined at the Earl of Sunderland's [aged 41] with the Earls of Bath [aged 54], Castlehaven [aged 66], Lords Viscount Falconberg [aged 56], Falkland [aged 27], Bishop of London, the Grand Master of Malta, brother to the Duke de Vendôme (a young wild spark), and Mr. Dryden [aged 51], the poet. After evening prayer, I walked in the park with my Lord Clarendon, where we fell into discourse of the Bishop of Salisbury (Dr. Seth Ward), his subtlety, etc. Dr. Durell, late Dean of Windsor, being dead, Dr. Turner, one of the Duke's chaplains was made dean.

John Evelyn's Diary. 18th December 1684. I went with Lord Cornwallis [aged 28] to see the young gallants do their exercise, Mr. Faubert having newly rail'd in a manage, and fitted it for the academy. There were the Dukes of Norfolk [aged 29] and Northumberland [aged 18], Lord Newburgh, and a nephew of (Duras) Earle of Feversham [aged 43]. The exercises were, 1. running at the ring; 2. flinging a javelin at a Moor's head; 3. discharging a pistol at a mark; lastly, taking up a gauntlet with the point of a sword; all these perform'd in full speede. The D. of Northumberland hardly miss'd of succeeding in every one, a dozen times, as I think. The D. of Norfolk did exceeding bravely. Lords Newburgh and Duras seem'd nothing so dextrous. Here I saw the difference of what ye French call "belle homme a cheval", and "bon homme a cheval;" the Duke of Norfolk being the first, that is, rather a fine person on a horse, the Duke of Northumberland being both in perfection, namely, a graceful person and excellent rider. But the Duke of Norfolk told me he had not ben at this exercise these 12 yeares before. There were in the field ye Prince of Denmark [aged 31], and the Lord Landsdown [aged 23], sonn of ye Earle of Bath [aged 56], who had ben made a Count of ye Empire last Summer for his service before Vienna.

John Evelyn's Diary. 17th February 1685. This morning his Ma* [aged 51] restor'd the staffe and key to Lord Arlington [aged 67], Chamberlaine; to Mr. Savell [aged 43], Vice-chamberlaine; to Lords Newport [aged 64] and Malnard [aged 62], Treasurer and Comptroler of the Household; Lord Godolphin [aged 39] made Chamberlaine to ye Queene [aged 26]; Lord Peterborow [aged 63] Groome of ye Stole in place of the Earle of Bath [aged 56]; the Treasurer's staff to the Earle of Rochester [aged 42]; and his brother the Earle of Clarendon Lord Privie Seale in place of the Marquis of Halifax [aged 51], who was made President of the Council; the Secretarys of State remaining as before.

John Evelyn's Diary. 22nd May 1685. So soone as ye Commons were return'd and had put themselves into a grand Committee, they immediately put the question, and unanimously voted the Revenue to his Ma* for life. Mr. Seymour made a bold speech against many Elections, and would have had those members who (he pretended) were obnoxious, to withdraw, till they had clear'd the matter of their being legally return'd; but no one seconded him. The truth is, there were many of the new members whose Elections and Returns were universally censur'd, many of them being persons of no condition or interest in the Nation, or places for which they serv'd, especially in Devon, Cornwall, Norfolk, &c. said to have ben recommended by the Court and from the effect of the new charters changing ye electors. It was reported that Lord Bath [aged 56] carried down with him [into Cornwall] no fewer than 15 charters, so that some call'd him the Prince Elector; whence Seymour told the House in his speech that if this was digested, they might introduce what religion and lawes they pleas'd, and that tho' he never gave heed to ye feares and jealousies of the people before, he now was really apprehensive of Popery. By the printed list of Members of 505 there did not appeare to be above 135 who had ben in former Parliaments, especialy that lately held at Oxford. In ye Lords House Lord Newport [aged 65] made an exception against two or three young Peeres, who wanted some moneths, and some only four or five daies of being of age.

John Evelyn's Diary. 6th October 1687. I was godfather to Sir John Chardin's [aged 43] son, christened at Greenwich Church [Map], named John. The Earl of Bath [aged 59] and Countess of Carlisle, the other sponsors.

Before 22nd April 1690 [his son-in-law] George Carteret 1st Baron Carteret [aged 22] and Jane Granville Baroness Gower [aged 35] were married. She by marriage Baroness Carteret of Hawnes. She the daughter of John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 61] and Jane Wyche.

On 10th March 1691 Charles Granville 2nd Earl Bath [aged 29] and Isabella van Nassau [aged 23] were married. He the son of John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 62] and Jane Wyche.

John Evelyn's Diary. 11th February 1694. Now was the great trial of the appeal of Lord Bath [aged 65] and Lord Montagu [aged 55] before the Lords, for the estate of the late Duke of Albemarle.

On 27th February 1696 [his daughter] Jane Granville Baroness Gower died.

John Evelyn's Diary. 18th June 1696. The famous trial between my Lord Bath [aged 67] and Lord Montague [aged 57] for an estate of £11,000 a year, left by the Duke of Albemarle, wherein on several trials had been spent £20,000 between them. The [his son] Earl of Bath [aged 34] was cast on evident forgery.

On 22nd August 1701 John Granville 1st Earl Bath [aged 72] died. His son Charles [aged 39] succeeded 2nd Earl Bath; he shot himself a month later.

John Evelyn's Diary. 2nd September 1701. Died the Earl of Bath [deceased], whose contest with Lord Montague [aged 40] about the Duke of Albemarle's estate, claiming under a will supposed to have been forged, is said to have been worth £10,000 to the lawyers. His eldest son shot himself a few days after his father's death; for what cause is not clear. He was a most hopeful young man, and had behaved so bravely against the Turks at the siege of Vienna, that the Emperor made him a Count of the Empire. It was falsely reported that Sir Edward Seymour [aged 68] was dead, a great man; he had often been Speaker, Treasurer of the Navy, and in many other lucrative offices. He was of a hasty spirit, not at all sincere, but head of the party at any time prevailing in Parliament.

On 22nd September 1701 father and son, John Granville 1st Earl Bath [deceased] and Charles Granville 2nd Earl Bath [deceased] were buried at St James the Great Church, Kilkhampton [Map].

[his daughter] Catherine Granville was born to John Granville 1st Earl Bath and Jane Wyche.

[his daughter] Jane Granville Baroness Gower was born to John Granville 1st Earl Bath and Jane Wyche. She married 1669 William Leveson-Gower 4th Baronet, son of Thomas Gower 2nd Baronet and Frances Leveson Baroness Gower, and had issue.