John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden

Field Marshal John Griffin Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, KB (13 March 1719 – 25 May 1797), was a British Army officer, politician and peer. He served as a junior officer with the Pragmatic Army in the Dutch Republic and Germany during the War of the Austrian Succession. After changing his surname to Griffin in 1749, he commanded a brigade at the Battle of Corbach in July 1760 during the Seven Years' War. He also commanded a brigade at the Battle of Warburg and was wounded at the Battle of Kloster Kampen.<ref>Template:Cite DNB</ref>

Early life

Canting arms of Griffin: Sable, a griffin segreant argent beak and forelegs or<ref name="Owen-1790">Template:Cite book as visible in Audley End House, Essex [1]</ref>

Quartered arms of John Griffin Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden (1719–1797), Catton's English Peerage, 1790. Quarterly of eight: 1: Griffin; 2: ?; 3: Latimer; 4: De la Warr; 5: Howard; 6: de Warrenne, Earl of Surrey; 7: Mowbray; 8: Audley of Walden<ref name="Owen-1790"/>

He was born John Griffin Whitwell, the son of William Whitwell by his wife Anne Griffin, sister and sole heiress of Edward Griffin, 3rd Baron Griffin of Braybrooke, and granddaughter of James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk and 3rd Baron Howard de Walden (1619–1689).<ref name=odnb/>

Career

Whitwell was educated at Winchester College and commissioned as an ensign in the 3rd regiment of Foot Guards and lieutenant in the Army in 1739.<ref name=odnb>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> He served with the Pragmatic Army in the Low Countries and Germany during the War of the Austrian Succession and was promoted to captain in his regiment and lieutenant colonel in the Army in March 1744.<ref name=heath153>Heathcote, p. 153</ref>

Whitwell's aunt Elizabeth, Countess of Portsmouth agreed to leave him her interest in Audley End House if he changed his surname to Griffin: he did so in 1749, by Act of Parliament, becoming John Griffin Griffin.<ref name=heath153/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became Member of Parliament for Andover in November 1749.<ref name=heath153/> Promoted to colonel on 29 May 1756 he became first major of his regiment on 9 May 1758.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Promoted to major-general on 12 September 1759,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became colonel of the 50th Regiment of Foot in October 1759 and colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot in May 1760.<ref name=heath153/>

Griffin commanded a brigade of at least four battalions at the Battle of Corbach in July 1760 during the Seven Years' War.<ref>The Manuscripts of His Grace, the Duke of Rutland, Vol. II, London 1889, p. 209, these are 4 of the "...six battalions-1,000 men each..." mentioned. Manners, Walter Evelyn, Some Account of the Military, Political, and Social Life of the Right Hon. John Manners Marquis of Granby, London, 1899, Macmillan and Company Ltd., p. 131, note 5: "...Carr's, Brudenell's, Hodgson's, Cornwallis'</ref> At Corbach, following the arrival of French reinforcements from Frankenberg, the allied army was forced to withdraw.<ref>The Manuscripts of His Grace, the Duke of Rutland, Vol. II, London 1889, p. 219</ref> He also commanded a brigade at the Battle of Warburg later that month where the allied army were more successful.<ref name=heath153/> He was present and wounded at the Battle of Kloster Kampen in October 1760.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Griffin was appointed Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath on 11 April 1761<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and inherited Audley End House outright when his aunt died in 1762.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Promoted to lieutenant-general on 26 March 1765,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became colonel of the 1st Troop, Horse Grenadier Guards in March 1766 and was promoted to full general on 14 April 1778.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> During the political crisis in the early 1780s at the end of the American Revolutionary War he was generally a supporter of William Pitt the Younger.<ref name=odnb/>

Pitt arranged for the Barony of Howard de Walden to be called out of abeyance in Griffin's favour, so elevating him to the House of Lords, on 3 August 1784<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and for Griffin to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Essex in November 1784.<ref name=odnb/> Griffin became colonel of the 4th Dragoons in March 1788, was additionally created 1st Baron Braybrooke on 30 August 1788<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and was promoted to field marshal on 30 July 1796.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He died on 25 May 1797.<ref>Heathcote, p. 154</ref>

Plan of the Battle of Warburg where Griffin led his brigade to victory

Family

Audley End House

In 1749 he married Anna Maria Schutz and in 1765 he married Catherine Clayton; there were no children from either marriage.<ref name=odnb/>

Sources

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite DNB

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