CECIL, John (1674-1721)

A consistent opposition member in the Commons under William and Mary, Burghley, as he was styled before acceding to the title, followed in his non-juror father’s footsteps by making a lengthy foreign tour, though it was curtailed when his governor embarked on a disastrous love affair. Bodl: Tanner 25, f. 44. Although he was able to make two lucrative marriages, Burghley’s own experience was not without its difficulties. The negotiations with the family of his first wife proved tortuous and almost came unstuck and after the death of Lady Burghley in 1698 the money from that match had to be returned. Belvoir, Rutland mss, letters and papers xxi, f. 118, Charles Bertie to Rutland, 7 Dec. 1695; HP Commons, 1690-1715, iii. 501. His second wife was one of the five daughters and coheirs of Sir John Brownlow, who had committed suicide a few years before. Wentworth pprs. 95. Although she brought less money than his former wife, she still contributed a substantial dowry to the Cecils’ coffers. HP Commons, 1690-1715, iii. 364. In 1721 Exeter estimated the annual value of his estate to be £9,000, not including revenue from Burghley itself and several other lands in his own possession, but his apparent wealth was substantially diminished by debts and annuities chargeable on the estate, which took account of more than half of his supposed receipts. Burghley House, Exeter mss, 51/19/2.

Exeter’s former tutor, Matthew Prior, had few illusions about the new earl. He described him to Edward Villiers, earl of Jersey, as ‘an obstinate mule’, though he conceded that the advantage of his personality was that once he had been shown the right way, ‘he will go in it to his journey’s end.’ Longleat, Bath mss, Prior pprs. 12, f. 422. As well as being mulish, Exeter was proud and easily offended. With the peerage he inherited the substantial Cecil interest in Stamford and Northamptonshire. He succeeded his father as recorder of Stamford in 1697 and employed his interest on behalf of Sir Justinian Isham^‡ and Thomas Cartwright^‡ during the elections for Northamptonshire in 1701. CSP Dom. 1697, p. 477; E.G. Forrester, Northamptonshire Elections & Electioneering, 1695-1832, 24-5. Despite this he frequently failed to make the most of his influence by standing aloof from natural allies when they failed to offer him suitable obeisance.

Having succeeded to the peerage the previous August, Exeter took his seat in the House almost two months into the new Parliament on 28 Mar. 1701. He then sat for only four days before absenting himself for the remainder of the session. In all, he attended the House for just 13 days during the entirety of his 20 year career in the Lords. On 5 Jan. 1702 he was noted as missing at a call of the House. Later that year, Exeter officiated as chief almoner at Queen Anne’s coronation. This perhaps indicated an easing of relations with the court after his years of opposition during the previous reign, though it was later discovered that he was awarded only half of the usual fee of 300 ounces of gilt plate by mistake. TNA, C195/7, f.9. Exeter’s unpredictable behaviour in the elections of that summer led some Tories to worry that ‘nothing but a slackness’ on his part would lose it for them, though other reports suggested that he had ‘acted very honourably in espousing’ the interests of Isham and Cartwright. Forrester, Northants. Elections, 26; Add. 29568, ff. 114-15; Northants RO, IC 4221.

Although Exeter was estimated to be a supporter of the moves to prevent occasional conformity, Charles Spencer* , 3rd earl of Sunderland, expressed uncertainty as to whether he would even ‘come up’ for the session. HR, xli (104) 188-90. In the event he attended on just one day in December 1703. Another estimate that month recorded Exeter as being likely to employ his proxy in support of the bill for preventing occasional conformity, but there is no record of proxies registered during that period. He was on a list of Members of both Houses drawn up by Daniel Finch, 2nd earl of Nottingham, in 1704, which may indicate support over the Scotch Plot.

Exeter did register his proxy in favour of his brother-in-law, Francis North, 2nd Baron Guilford, on 26 Oct. 1704 and on 23 Nov. he was excused at a call of the House. In April 1705, Exeter was listed as a Jacobite in an analysis of the peerage and during the election of that year he again put his interest behind Isham and Cartwright. Exeter’s support for the pair was tempered by their failure to wait on him. HP Commons, 1690-1715, ii. 431; Northants. RO, IC 4986. Their collective faux pas brought out the worst in a man extremely sensitive of what was due to him:

The clerk of the peace told me he heard Lord Exeter say the last week that if he had had the favour of a visit from either of the old knights he would have done the utmost service by sending to every one of his freehold tenants a positive order to vote for them, whereas he has at present only made a general declaration in their favour. Forrester, Northants Elections, 30.

Exeter’s prickly response appears to have compelled someone in the Isham-Cartwright interest to wait on the disgruntled peer, as shortly after it was reported that a reinvigorated Exeter had commanded ‘his servants to ride from town to town through all the soke for your service and has put new life into our cause.’ Northants RO, IC 2749, 3712. Despite such activity, Exeter again failed to follow it up with attendance in the House and on 12 Nov. he was again excused at a call.

In May 1706 Exeter revived his father’s dubious fraternity, the Order of Little Bedlam. Assuming the role of Grand Master (lion), he was joined by his cousin, William Cavendish, duke of Devonshire (leopard), Basil Feilding, 4th earl of Denbigh (tiger), Robert Sutton, 2nd Baron Lexinton (lamb), and Baptist Noel, 3rd earl of Gainsborough (greyhound), each of whom was depicted along with his familiar at Burghley. HMC 5th Rep. 399; Add. 61440, ff. 10-11. In September, he was noted as being ‘very firm’ for Isham and Cartwright’s interest, in spite of the efforts being made in the county by Lewis Watson, 3rd Baron (later earl of) Rockingham, to draw Exeter’s support away. Northants RO, IC 2755.

Exeter was again marked absent at a call of the House on 29 Jan. 1707. In November he submitted a petition to the House for leave to bring in a bill revoking his first marriage settlement. At the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Brownlow, Exeter’s father’s affairs had not permitted the previous settlement to be formally laid aside and the Brownlow marriage had proceeded on the understanding that it would be attended to once the 5th earl returned from his foreign tour. His death overseas had evidently created a hiatus in proceedings but it is not clear why it took a further seven years for Exeter to settle his affairs. Although Exeter and his wife excused their inability to attend the committee stage on account of ill health the bill passed without any difficulty. PA, HL/PO/JO/10/6/130/2405. With his marriage at last settled, the following year, Exeter was said to have been promoting a match between his Whig rival Bennet Sherard, 3rd Baron Sherard [I] (later earl of Harborough), and one of his wife’s sisters but no such alliance appears to have resulted. Wentworth pprs. 95; HP Commons, 1690-1715, v. 467.

Exeter was said to have been expected in town to vote with the ‘right side’ in company with John Manners, duke of Rutland, and Richard Verney, 11th Baron Willoughby de Broke, for the Sacheverell trial in February 1710, but he never appeared. Longleat, Bath mss, Thynne pprs. 46, ff. 239-40. Exeter joined with Nottingham in support of the Tory candidates, Daniel Finch^†, styled Lord Finch (later 8th earl of Winchilsea and 3rd earl of Nottingham) and ‘Mr H.’ (probably Richard Halford), at the election for Rutland that October. Leics. RO, DG 7 Box 4950, bundle 23, letter D39; HP Commons 1690-1715, ii. 490. The same month, he was listed by Robert Harley, later earl of Oxford, as a likely supporter of the new ministry.

In early December 1711, Exeter was one of a handful of peers sent to by Basil Feilding, 4th earl of Denbigh, to join him in returning to the House for the new session. Add. 70214, W. Bromley to Oxford, 3 Dec. 1711. In the event Exeter once again failed to turn out and instead registered his proxy with Guilford again on 18 Dec. 1711. In spite of his lacklustre performance, the following year he was appointed lord lieutenant of Rutland in place of Sherard. The appointment was generally welcomed in the county but it clearly riled Sherard’s supporters, who ambushed and assaulted a group of musicians from Stamford who had been performing at Burghley in celebration. Add. 70251, T. Peale to Oxford, 29 Oct. 1712, Add. 29596, f. 214.

In mid-December 1712, having submitted a list of deputies to be appointed for Rutland, Exeter assured Oxford of his willingness to return to town ‘upon the shortest notice’ should his appearance in the House prove necessary. Add. 70216, Exeter to Oxford, 17 Dec. 1712. Listed again as a likely supporter of the ministry, in June 1713 Exeter was also estimated to be in favour of passing the eighth and ninth articles of the French commercial treaty. His rivalry with Sherard was evident once more at the general election that year when Exeter made use of his interest as lieutenant to support the candidature of Richard Halford again only for Halford to be beaten into third place by Sherard and Lord Finch. HP Commons, 1690-1715, ii. 491.

Exeter attended the House for the final time on 11 Mar. 1714. Six days later he registered his proxy in favour of Oxford. Reputedly suffering from chronically poor health, Exeter’s lengthy absence from Parliament can perhaps be imputed in part to a refusal to recognize the Hanoverian succession, though this did not prevent him from applying to officiate as chief almoner at the coronation. TNA, C195/7, ff. 6-7. His petition was ultimately rejected and the office was performed by George Blundell. TNA, C195/7, f. 9. Unwilling, or unable to attend the House himself, Exeter was still able to employ his interest successfully on behalf of his brother, Charles Cecil^‡, at Stamford in February 1715. HP Commons, 1715-54, i. 279, 540.

In the closing months of his life, Exeter was described by one observer as being ‘the patriot of the sphere wherein he moves, of all that are men of true honourable principles and lovers of their country.’ Burghley House, Exeter mss 51/19/1. In 1721 Exeter involved himself actively in promoting a match between his heir, John Cecil^†, styled Lord Burghley (later 7th earl of Exeter) and Lady Katherine Tollemache, daughter of the suspected Jacobite, Lionel Tollemache^‡, 3rd earl of Dysart [S]. Despite warm support for the alliance by Dysart, Burghley and Exeter, Lady Katherine decided against the marriage. Her decision left Lady Exeter distraught at the loss of her preferred daughter-in-law. Burghley House, Exeter mss 51/19/3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11. While matters were still being resolved between the two families, Exeter succumbed to his final sickness. There is some uncertainty about the precise date of his death. Some sources suggest 31 Dec., others 24 Dec., while a letter from Charles Kirkham to the earl of Dysart of 25 Dec. records his death as having occurred on 21 December. Burghley House, Exeter mss 51/19/8. The last seems most likely. Without question Exeter was dead by the close of the year. He was buried at St Martin’s Stamford. In his will, he asked to be buried ‘with as much privacy and as little expense as may be consistent with my quality.’ Charles Bertie was named an executor along with Sir Thomas Mackworth^‡, bt. (another Little Bedlamite), Joshua Blackwell, Exeter’s brother Charles Cecil, and his countess. He was succeeded by his son, Burghley, as 7th earl of Exeter.