Boughton and beyond : an investigation of the local, national and global estate interests and activities of John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, 1709-1749
John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690-1749) was an eighteenth-century aristocrat who held public office and owned extensive estates scattered across England, with the ancestral seat centred at Boughton House, Northamptonshire. Many of his activities have escaped the historical record, overshadowed by an inordinate focus on his love of hoaxing and practical jokes together with his arboricultural interests. This thesis presents new material and reappraises his most significant activities and interests with a particular focus on those which had a socio-economic impact on his estates. It offers an analysis of his preoccupations as an absentee landlord through his communications with his estate stewards regarding managing, consolidating and even expanding these vast estates, including his efforts to obtain a Crown grant for the islands of St Lucia and St Vincent in 1722. Offering the first in-depth analysis of this colonial venture, this study reveals who was involved and how the venture was managed, and considers whether the source of its funding was from gains made from the South Sea Bubble. It also presents new findings on the impact of the Bubble on the Dukeâs estates, suggesting that he tackled the economic downturn
Bates, Helen Louise
Boughton and beyond : an investigation of the local, national and global estate interests and activities of John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, 1709-1749. John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690-1749) was an eighteenth-century aristocrat who held public office and owned extensive estates scattered across England, with the ancestral seat centred at Boughton House, Northamptonshire. Many of his activities have escaped the historical record, overshadowed by an inordinate focus on his love of hoaxing and practical jokes together with his arboricultural interests. This thesis presents new material and reappraises his most significant activities and interests with a particular focus on those which had a socio-economic impact on his estates. It offers an analysis of his preoccupations as an absentee landlord through his communications with his estate stewards regarding managing, consolidating and even expanding these vast estates, including his efforts to obtain a Crown grant for the islands of St Lucia and St Vincent in 1722. Offering the first in-depth analysis of this colonial venture, this study reveals who was involved and how the venture was managed, and considers whether the source of its funding was from gains made from the South Sea Bubble. It also presents new findings on the impact of the Bubble on the Dukeâs estates, suggesting that he tackled the economic downturn
beyond investigation local_national global estate interest activity john duke john duke eighteenth_century aristocrat hold public office own extensive estate scatter across_england ancestral seat centre house northamptonshire many activity escape historical_record overshadow focus love practical together interest present_new material significant activity interest particular_focus socio_economic impact estate offer analysis preoccupation absentee landlord communication estate regard managing consolidate even expand vast estate include effort obtain crown grant island offering first_in_depth analysis colonial venture study_reveals involve venture manage consider_whether source funding gain make south sea also present_new finding impact duke estates suggest economic