Tuesday 18 January 2011

Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle

Howard, Henry, 4th Earl Carlisle
Renowned as a connoisseur during his lifetime, he assembled the great collection of antique sculpture now at Castle Howard, as well as Italian paintings, gems and Old Master drawings. He died in 1758, having been made a Knight of the Garter the year before.

Henry Howard, fourth earl of Carlisle (1694-1758), politician and landowner, was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he matriculated on 2 May 1711. On his return from the grand tour he was elected in 1715 for the family seat of Morpeth, which he held until he inherited the earldom in 1738. Two years after becoming an MP he married (27 November 1717) Lady Frances, the daughter of Charles Spencer, third earl of Sunderland; the marriage produced five children-three sons and two daughters. He supported his father-in-law during the Whig schism and became an opponent of the Walpole government in the 1720s and 1730s, when he called for a reduction in the size of the standing army. He made several unsuccessful attempts to gain office after Walpole's fall, which came a few months before the death of his wife, on 27 July 1742. He married again, on 8 June 1743, this time to Isabella (1721-1795), the daughter of William Byron, fourth Baron Byron. He was made a KG in 1756. He died on 3 September 1758 and was buried at Castle Howard. The title passed to his one remaining son, Frederick Howard, fifth earl of Carlisle. His wife, who later married the antiquary Sir William Musgrave, died on 22 January 1795.

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