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Durham, John George Lambton, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Durham, John George Lambton, 1st earl of dûrˈ əm [key], 1792–1840, British statesman. A stormy liberal career in Parliament (1813–32), which earned him the nickname Radical Jack, culminated in ...

Stuart, Esmé, 1st duke of Lennox

(Encyclopedia)Stuart or Stewart, Esmé, 1st duke of Lennox ĕzˈmē [key], 1542?–1583, Scottish nobleman; cousin to James VI of Scotland (later James I of England). Born and reared in France, he succeeded his fat...

Simnel, Lambert

(Encyclopedia)Simnel, Lambert sĭmˈnəl [key], c.1475–1525, imposter and pretender to the English throne. Little is known of his early life, but before 1486 he caught the attention of an Oxford priest, Richard S...

Baring

(Encyclopedia)Baring bârˈĭng [key], British family of bankers. Sir Francis Baring (1740–1810) founded (1763) the John and Francis Baring Company, which he renamed Baring Brothers and Company in 1806. At first ...

York, Richard, duke of

(Encyclopedia)York, Richard, duke of, 1411–60, English nobleman, claimant to the throne. He was descended from Edward III through his father, Richard, earl of Cambridge, grandson of that king, and also through hi...

Huntingtower

(Encyclopedia)Huntingtower or Ruthven Castle rĭvˈən [key], Perth and Kinross, E central Scotland, near Perth. James VI (later James I of England) was held in the castle by the earl of Gowrie in the “raid of Ru...

Settle, Elkanah

(Encyclopedia)Settle, Elkanah, 1648–1724, English dramatist and poet. Thanks to the patronage of the earl of Rochester, Settle's heroic dramas for a time rivaled those of Dryden. His most successful play, the ela...

Ellesmere, Thomas Egerton, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Ellesmere, Thomas Egerton, Baron, 1540?–1617, jurist and statesman. A distinguished early career at law brought him appointment (1581) as solicitor general, and he became a favorite and adviser of Q...

Nottingham, Daniel Finch

(Encyclopedia)Nottingham, Daniel Finch, 2d earl of, 1647–1730, English politician, son of Heneage Finch, the 1st earl. A staunch supporter of the Church of England, he disapproved of James II's pro–Roman Cathol...

Mar, John Erskine, 6th (or 11th) earl of

(Encyclopedia)Mar, John Erskine, 6th (or 11th) earl of, 1675–1732, Scottish nobleman, leader of the Jacobites. He was nicknamed “Bobbing John,” probably because of his political vacillation. He succeeded his ...