HOLLAND HOUSE AND GARDENS 
Less than fifty years after Addison’s death, Holland House 
passed into the possession of Henry Fox, the younger son of Sir 
Stephen Fox, of the Manor House, Chiswick—who was the founder 
of the Fox fortunes. 
Sir Stephen Fox had begun life in the service of the Earl of 
Northumberland, chamberlain to Charles II. while in exile. By 
keeping in touch with loyalists at home, Stephen was able to be 
the first to announce the death of Cromwell to the King at Brussels, 
at a moment when Charles was playing tennis with the Arch- 
duke Leopold, and some Spanish Grandees. 
Starting on this auspicious foundation, Fox’s advance was 
rapid. Evelyn has only good to say of him; but though he used 
his great wealth well, there can be no doubt but that as Paymaster 
to the King’s Forces in England, he contrived, far too easily, to 
amass a very large fortune. 
To his credit it must be said that, together with Nell Gwynne, 
he was one of the founders of Chelsea Hospital; and he was also 
one of the original members of the Royal Society. He served in 
four reigns, those of Charles II., James II., William and Mary, and 
Queen Anne. At seventy-five he married for the second time ; 
his wife, a Miss Christian Hope, being only twenty-six. They were 
united at Chiswick Church, and their two sons became respectively 
Earl of Ilechester, and Baron Holland. 
There was no connection between the families of Rich and 
Fox—and “the barony of Holland,” says the Princess Maric 
Lichstenstein in her history of Holland House, ‘“ took the place 
of the extinct earldom simply because the first Fox proprietor of 
Holland House, chose the latter title when elevated to the 
peerage.” 
Henry Fox, afterwards first Lord Holland, left a memorandum 
written when he was fourteen years old, and now in Lord Ilchester’s 
possession, beginning: ‘‘My dear Mamma died on ye 21st of 
February 1718, and a fortnight afore she died, calling us all about 
her, with a mild air she said ‘My Dears, will ye be good? I 
am now going to leave you and entreat you to serve and be constant 
in your Duty towards him.’ Then taking off all that mildness, 
she assumed a more than ordinary majestick air, and directing 
her discourse chiefly to my brother said, ‘I don’t desire you, but 
command you to be good. ... Don’t be a Fop, don’t be a 
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