John Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland


John Henry Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland KG, styled Lord Roos from 1778 until 1779 and Marquess of Granby from 1779 until 1787, was a British landowner as well as an owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses.

Background

Styled Lord Roos from birth, he was born at Knightsbridge, London, the eldest son of Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland, by Lady Mary Isabella Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort. He was the grandson of John Manners, Marquess of Granby, and the brother of Lord Charles Manners and Lord Robert Manners. He became known as the Marquess of Granby when his father succeeded to the dukedom in 1779. In 1787 he himself succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his father.

Public life

Rutland was Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire between 1799 and 1857. He was also a prominent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. His most successful horse was Cadland, which won The Derby in 1828.
Rutland was fictionalized as "the duke" in Benjamin Disraeli's novel Coningsby. His two sons also figured as "the marquis of Beaumanoir" and "Lord Henry Sidney".
There is a bronze statue of him in the Market Place, Leicester which was erected on this site in 1852 after having been previously exhibited at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace, London in 1851. It was the first public statue to be erected in Leicester, and was unveiled by Sir Frederick Gustavus Fowke, Provincial Grand Master of Freemasons for the Province of Leicestershire, on 28 April 1852. It was sculpted by Edward Davis. It is marked " EDW DAVIS
Simonet & Fils / Fondeurs Paris 1851".
It stands on a high stone plinth on which is carved an inscription as follows:
JOHN HENRY
DUKE OF RUTLAND, KG
LORD LIEUTENANT
OF LEICESTERSHIRE.
THE INHABITANTS
OF THE COUNTY & TOWN
OF LEICESTER
DURING
THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF HIS HIGH OFFICE
WITH UNIVERSAL CONSENT
CAUSED THIS STATUE
TO BE ERECTED
M.DCCC.Lii.
PRAESENTI TIBI MATUROS LARCIMUR HONORES.

Family

Rutland married Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, on 22 April 1799.
They had ten children:
-- or the Morning After'', a 1799 caricature of his "coming of age" celebration.
The Duchess oversaw landscaping works at Belvoir Castle grounds and took an active interest in managing the estate, including designing a model farm. She also made improvements to Cheveley Park and oversaw the building works at York House on the Mall for the Duke of York. She was also credited with designing a new palace for George IV.
The Duchess of Rutland died in November 1825, aged 45. Rutland remained a widower until his death at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, in January 1857, aged 79.