Georgian Lords of the Manor of Langar

Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe (c1669 - 1735),

son of Sir Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe and his second wife Juliana. 

To find out about his dad, go back to Stuart lords of the manor.)

It cost a lot of money to be rich in the 18th century.

In 1719 Emanuel married Lady Charlotte von Kielmansegg, a niece of King George I. Charlotte's parents gave Emanuel £5000 and an income of £1500 a year and the King also gave the couple £750 a year, which was later raised to £1250. (In modern money, this totals over a million pounds.)

However, Emanuel wanted to be a Member of Parliament like many of his family before him. Being an MP in the 18th century could make a man a lot of money. However, it also cost a lot of money to get elected.  In those days only 5% of the people were allowed to vote and they expected to be bribed and invited to parties to vote for a candidate.  

 Emanuel was elected as the MP for Nottinghamshire in 1722 but he was left with very little money. Luckily, the Duke of Newcastle was a family friend and also the Government Foreign Secretary. In 1732 the Duke got Emanuel a job worth £7000 a year - he was to be the Governor of Barbados.

Barbados is a small tropical island in the Caribbean Sea 4000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The journey by sea took several months. Barbados was ruled by Britain and produced large amounts of sugar using slave labour. It was an island where some British people could make a fortune.

Unfortunately for Emanuel, his stay in Barbados did not last long.

He died there of disease in 1735. 

This Monument was Erected, by His Sorrowful Mother to ye Memory of Rt Honble SCROOPE Lord Visct HOWE: who in the year 1732, was by his Majesty KING GEORGE the IId; appointed GOVENOUR of BARBADOS. Being adorned with all those great and amiablle Qualification which Render a Man truly Noble, by His Conduct in that High Station He gained the Respect and Esteem that was Justly due to a Generous, Wise, Impartial & Disinterested GOVERNOUR. He departed this Life there March 28th 1734 in the 35th Year of His Age. He was Married 1719 to Mademoisell Keilmansegge, and Left Issue by Her, Four Sons & four Daughters.

 Lady Howe returns.

Emanuel's wife, Lady Charlotte Howe came back from Barbados to London after her husband's death. She had given birth to 10 children, six boys and four girls. The oldest was 15 years old when his father died and the youngest was just a toddler.

Lady Howe was appointed as a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales in 1745 and began to use her influence for the benefit of her children. Her eldest son, George was elected MP for Nottinghamshire in 1754, but was killed in battle in 1758. (See below.)

She then used her influence with the Duke of Newcastle (now the Prime Minister) to have her next son, Richard, become the Nottinghamshire MP and her next youngest, William, to have the parliamentary seat for Dartmouth. Lady Charlotte Howe remained active at the royal court and in politics well into her old age.

From the 17th century rich families had a house and estate in the country and a house in London. The family would come to their country house in summer and after Christmas go back to London to be involved in business and politics. 

Lady Howe spent much of her time at the family's house in Albermarle Street in an expensive and fashionable part of London. But she also found time to improve Langar Hall by adding a large columned portico to the front in the style of the an Ancient Greek temple - very fashionable at that time. 

She died in 1782 aged 87 at the Howe's London home in Albemarle Street, London but was brought back to be buried at Langar church. 

George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe (c1724 - 1758), son of Emanuel Scrope Howe above and Lady Charlotte Howe.

George Howe was only 10 years old when his father died. He was educated at Westminster School and Eton College and served as Member of Parliament for Nottingham. George Howe joined the 1st Foot Guards (Grenadier Guards) in 1745. By 1757 he was Colonel of the 55th Regiment of Foot.

At this time British and French settlers in North America were fighting over who should take possession of the the country. In 1758 George sailed to North America and prepared to fight the French.

Colonel Howe had new ideas about how battles should be fought and started to get the army ready for war in North America. 

He changed the soldiers' uniforms. British redcoats were fine on open battlefields where you wanted to impress the enemy with row upon row of red-coated soldiers and where you need to be able to identify your own troops, but they are not much use in a North American forest.

Howe had the long red jackets cut short and  the fancy lace and trimmings taken off. The tricorn hats were cut down to short brims and the leggings were made of wool instead of the stiff white linen gaiters. The men's hair was cut short. And Colonel George Howe did the same himself: he cut his own hair, washed his own clothes and took very little baggage onto the battlefield. And he began to teach the troops better ways of fighting in wooded country.

Killed in action

On 6 July 1758 the British army marched north to attack the French fort of Ticonderoga. But before they got there, Howe's regiment came across a troop of French soldiers and a battle began. Many died on both sides and one of those killed was Colonel Howe. Shot at close range by a French musketeer, he was fatally struck in the heart. 

George's body was taken and buried in St Peter's Church, Albany in New York state. (It is the only burial marker for a British lord in the United States.)

Howe was mourned in Britain and America. General Wolfe said of him, "He was the very best officer in the King's service. His loss is one of the greatest that could befall a nation".

The Massachusetts Assembly in America voted £250 to place a monument to his memory in Westminster Abbey.

Richard Howe, 4th Viscount Howe, 1st Earl Howe, First Lord of the Admiralty (1726 - 1799), brother of George Augustus Howe above.

Richard Howe was only 9 years old when his father died. Like his brother (above), he was educated at Westminster School and at Eton College. 

A sailor at 14

Richard Howe joined the navy, aged only 14, and sailed on the 'Severn,' one of a squadron of eight ships sent to capture Spanish treasure in South America. Violent storms forced the 'Severn' to return to England. Howe was lucky to survive. Of a crew of 300 sailors and soldiers, only 30 were fit enough to work the ship on the way back. The rest were sick or starving; almost 200 died. 

During the 18th century Britain was involved in a series of wars with other European countries. Howe fought the French and the Spanish in seas and oceans in America, Africa and around Britain, France and Spain, earning a reputation as a skillful officer. 

In 1759 he was one of the English sea captains who defeated the French navy at Quiberon Bay off the coast of Brittany, putting an end to the planned French invasion of Britain with an army of 100,000 French soldiers. 

• In 1758, when his elder brother died, Richard Howe became 4th Viscount Howe. 
• In 1762 he was elected Member of Parliament for Dartmouth. 
• From 1763 to 1765 he was a member of the Admiralty in charge of the Royal Navy.
• From 1765 to 1770 was Treasurer of the Royal Navy and promoted to Admiral.

In 1776 Richard Howe was appointed by King George III as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy in North America.

The 13 British colonies in North America had begun a struggle for independence from Britain. Howe was appointed by the British government as a peace commissioner with the American rebels, but the two sides could not come an agreement.

War broke out between Britain and the 13 colonies. When France joined the war on the American side, Howe's job was to stop French ships bringing soldiers or supplies to the Americans. He was not entirely successful as he did not have enough ships to do the job properly. 

The British government accepted defeat and signed a peace treaty with the 13 colonies in 1783 and the United States of America was born. 

The Glorious 

First of June 

1794

After the French Revolution of 1789, the King of France was executed and a Republic was declared. The French wanted to spread their revolution to other countries in Europe and declared war on surrounding countries including Britain. 

In 1793 Lord Howe was put in charge of the Royal Navy's English Channel fleet of ships.

The next year the Americans sent a convoy of ships carrying wheat to France. The harvest in France had been a bad one and many French people were starving. The French navy set out to protect the American convoy and Lord Howe set out to destroy it. The French fleet had 26 ships; Lord Howe had 25 ships to stop them.

 After sailing all over the Bay of Biscay for two weeks, the two sides finally met on 1st June. Battles at sea usually meant the two enemy lines of ships sailing in a line past each other and firing their cannons as they went. But Richard Howe had other ideas. He sent his ships right into the middle of the French line and won a decisive victory. When the news got back to England, there were huge celebrations.

But both sides claimed victory:

• The British captured six French ships and sank another.
•  No British ships were sunk.
• The British lost 1200 men.
• The French lost 4000 men with another 3000 men captured by the British.
• After the battle the British ships blockaded the French ships in port and they could take no further part in the war. 
• On the French side, because their ships had led Howe away from the American convoy of grain, the wheat was landed safely in France to feed the starving people.
  

The Glorious First of June 1794 was celebrated as a great victory in Britain. Medals and coins were made, commemorative plates and mugs were sold, paintings were painted, songs were composed, books and pamphlets printed, the streets of London were lit and street parties and concerts were held. 

Admiral Lord Howe of Langar was a national hero. 

Buried at Langar 

In 1782 Richard had been created Viscount Howe of Langar, and in 1788 Baron then

arl Howe. In June 1797 he was made a Knight of the Garter by King George III. 

Admiral Lord Howe died in 1799 at the age of 73 and was buried with great ceremony in the family vault at Langar Church.

There is also a fine memorial to him in St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The end of an era

The manor of Langar and Barnstone passed down through the family from 1285, usually from father to son, but also from father to daughter and brother to brother.

The family connection with Langar had begun in 1285 with Sir Robert de Tibetot and ended in 1818 when Baroness Sophia sold the estate - a period of 533 years.

  However, the family and the title of Lord Howe continues.

It is now held by Frederick Richard Penn Curzon, who was born in 1951.

He has a number of titles:  he is the 7th Earl Howe, 8th Viscount Curzon of Penn, 8th Baron Curzon of Penn and 9th Baron Howe of Langar.

The family home is no longer Langar Hall

but Penn House in Buckinghamshire.

 Click here to find out.

Click for earlier Lords of the Manor.