The Arms of a Double Duke

Nearing the end of our look at some of the coats of arms to be found on and in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom building (formerly the Middlesex Guildhall), we are going to see the arms of a "double duke": Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and Duke of Newcastle under Lyme. We'll discuss why he became a "double duke" farther below.

In this window, the arms of Thomas Pelham-Holles are on the left. The arms on the right side of the window are those of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, which we saw in our post of November 6, 2025 (http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2025/11/two-more-arms-of-middlesex-lords.html).

The Duke's arms are blazoned: Quarterly of six: 1 & 6, Quarterly: i & iv, Azure three pelicans argent vulning themselves in the breast gules; ii & iii, Ermine two piles in point sable; 2, Gules two demi-belts with buckles argent erect the buckles in chief; 3, Ermine on a fess gules three open crowns or; 4, Or fretty azure; 5, Azure two bars argent, on a canton sable a horse’s head couped argent.

The two crests: Dexter: A peacock in his pride proper; Sinister: A boar statant azure armed and crined or.

Supporters: Dexter: A bay horse collared with a belt argent buckles and studs or; Sinister: A bear proper collared with a belt argent buckles and studs or.

Motto: Vicit Amor Patriæ (“To love my country”)

Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and Duke of Newcastle under Lyme was one of the most powerful men of his age. He was born in 1693 in Sussex as plain Thomas Pelham but, by the age of 19 he had inherited vast estates, including patronage of some twelve rotten boroughs (that is, boroughs able to elect a representative to Parliament though having very few voters, the choice of representative typically being in the hands of one person or family), and with it control of twenty-four members of the House of Commons.

At the age of twenty, Lord Pelham made great noise in support of the Hanoverian succession and when King George I duly succeeded in 1714 he rewarded Pelham, appointing him Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex (this being the reason his arms are displayed in the building) and Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, and granting two of his late uncle’s titles; Viscount Houghton and Earl of Clare. After the 1715 election the Whigs were in and Pelham became Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and Marquess of Clare. At the age of thirty he became Secretary of State for the Southern Department with responsibility for foreign policy and much else beside. He was in command of the war effort throughout the War of Jenkins’s Ear with Spain from 1739 and the War of the Austrian Succession from 1741.

Newcastle became Prime Minister in 1754. He was not a great success in the role and he duly resigned in 1756. In the same year, King George II granted him an additional title; Duke of Newcastle under Lyme, so that he could pass “Newcastle” to his nephew and heir, Lord Lincoln, who could not inherit as “Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne”.

And now you know why he was made a "double duke".