Sir Henry Holland, Bart., M.D., F.R.S., D.C.L 1788-1873

Born: in Knutsford, 27 October 1788 and died 27 October 1873.
Son of: Peter Holland (1766-1855) and Mary Holland (nee Willits, 1766-1803)
Brother of:
1. Mary Holland (1790-1790).
2. Mary Holland (1791-1792).
3. Mary Holland (1792-1877).
4. Bessy Howarth (nee Holland, 1796-1886) who married Rev Franklin Howorth (1804-1882).
5. Charles Holland (1798-1799).
6. Lucy Holland (1800-1883).
Henry married:
1st: in Audley Church, 8 October 1822, Margaret Emma Caldwell (1792-1830), daughter of James Caldwell (1759-1838) and Elizabeth Caldwell (nee Stamford, 1754-1831)
2nd: in 1834 Saba Smith (1802-1866), daughter of the Rev. Sydney Smith and Caroline Pybus.
Henry and his first wife Margaret had issue:
1. Henry Thurstan Holland 1st Vis, Lord Knutsford (1825-1914) who married 1st Elizabeth Margaret Hibbert (1834-1855), 2nd Margaret Jean Trevelyan (1835-1906).
2. Rev Francis James Holland (1828-1907) who married Mary Sibylia Lyall (1836-1891).
3. Emily Mary Buxton (nee Holland, 1824-1908) who married Charles Buxton (1823-1871).
4. Elinor Anne Holland, born 6 August 1826, baptised 25 September 1827 at Brook Street Chapel, Knutsford, died August 1829.
Henry and his second wife Saba had issue:
1. Caroline Holland who was born about 1835 at St George's, Hanover Square, London.
2. Gertrude Holland who was born about 1841 at St George's, Hanover Square, London. 

Sir Henry Holland: An Overview

Sir Henry Holland was President of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, served as physician to the Princess of Wales (afterwards Queen Caroline) and became Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, as well as doctor to six Prime Ministers. He was born 27 October 1788 in Knutsford (as he wryly notes in his autobiography - "a year before the French Revolution").  His maternal grandmother was Catherine Wedgwood, sister of the potter Josiah Wedgwood.  Henry was also a cousin of Mrs Gaskell the novelist.   His father Peter Holland was also a medical practitioner.

Henry had a passion for travel, and devoted two months every year to travelling overseas. This appears not to have affected his professional practice in the least. He believed that travel rejuvenated the soul and gave him fresh impetus to return to his work in London. In fact he attributed his good health and longevity to this annual sortie, and even completed an extended tour of Russia in the last year of his life, at the age of 85.

 In 1810, while still a student, he took a trip to Iceland, recording his experiences in a journal. Although not published at the time the Hakluyt Society decided its content worthy of printing some 177 years later (see "The Iceland Journal of Henry Holland, 1810", published 1987).

Shortly after completing his medical degree at Edinburgh in 1811 he undertook an extensive tour of South-Eastern Europe. He published an account of his observations in "Travels In The Ionian Isles, Albania, Thessaly, Macedonia, &c. during the Years 1812-13".  On this trip he spent two months in Albania, and was in frequent contact with Ali Pasha, to whom he acted as physician. Apart from showing Holland to be an observant and perceptive young man, the book demonstrates his considerable drawing skill, for it includes a dozen engravings taken from his sketches. In addition to his travel writings he published numerous medical books and articles for professional journals throughout his life.

He was apparently a well known person in London society and seems to have known professionally or privately a great many of the leading writers and politicians of his time.  In the 1820s his residence was Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, where he lived up until his death in 1873.

We are fortunate to have a comprehensive account of Henry Holland's life, for he didn't undertake to write his memoirs until his 82nd year.  In his "Recollections of Past Life" he shows a remarkable degree of discretion, despite the enormous potential that must have presented itself for recounting personal incidents involving famous personalities from society!

Family of Sir Henry Holland
Henry married twice, first at Audley 8th October 1822, Margaret Emma Holland (nee Caldwell, 1792-1830, known as Emma), daughter of James Caldwell of Linley Wood, Staffordshire.  Emma and Henry had two sons and one daughter.  Emma died tragically 2 February 1830 after the birth of her third child. 

In 1834 Henry married Saba Smith, daughter of the Rev. Sydney Smith.  Saba and Henry had two daughters.  Saba died 2 November 1866.

The Holland family appear to have been very close friends with the family of Margaret's sister Anne Marsh-Caldwell and Arthur Marsh.  This friendship continued long after Emma's death.  In fact Henry's second wife Saba was treated very much like a Sister-in-Law and Aunt to the Marsh family.

Other Hollands
I think that Peter Holland my have had a brother Swinton Holland.  Peter and Swinton are both said to have been related to the Wedgwoods in the same way.  Swinton Holland bought Dumbleton Hall around 1822 but then died within a year.  Dumbleton Hall then passed to his son, Edward Holland (?-1875) who lived there until his death in 1875. 

There was also a Frederick Holland, who in 1846 was living in Chester St.  He had at least two sisters, Louisa Holland and Mrs Grace.  I'm not sure how they were related.

I understand that there is a lot of informatin in the book 'The Lancashire Hollands' by Bernard Henry Holland, CB (London 1917).

Also Appendix B of 'Elizabeth Gaskell: The Early Years', Manchester U.P, 1997, by John Chapple. I understand that this answers a good many genealogical questions, such as the names of Peter Holland's two brothers and their careers.  Also John Chapple's article in The Gaskell Society Journal 21 (2007), entitled ' "A Tangled Bank": Willets, Wedgwood, Darwin and Holland Families', teases out the main interconnections between these families.

If you have an interest in the Holland family, you may wish to contact Jonathan Clennell jasabney@onetel.com

If you have any information to add to the above, please contact me at jj@jjhc.info

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