John Manners, 1st Duke Of Rutland

John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and 9th Earl of Rutland, was born on 29 May 1638 at Boughton, Northamptonshire. He was the son of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland, and Frances Montagu. His maternal grandparents were Sir Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton, and Elizabeth Jeffries. He was known as Lord Roos from 1641 until 1679.

Manners had six sisters, all of whom married into noble families. Dorothy became Countess of Shaftesbury; Grace became Viscountess Chaworth; Margaret became Countess of Salisbury; Elizabeth became Countess of Anglesey; Anne became Viscountess Howe; and Frances became Countess of Exeter.

He served as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1661 to 1679. Politically, he was aligned with the Whigs but did not attend court after 1689, opting for a life as a country estate owner. Lord Roos succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 1677. His appointment involved inviting Lord Sherard to stand with him for the county election, which led to disputes with local gentry and the disallowance of his election by the House of Commons. Subsequently, he was created Baron Manners of Haddon on 30 April 1679 and moved to the House of Lords. Later, he succeeded to the earldom of Rutland on 29 September 1679.

In 1681, he retained his position as Lord Lieutenant despite supporting the Exclusion Bill. However, he was dismissed by King James II in 1687. During the events surrounding the Glorious Revolution, Rutland hosted Princess Anne at Belvoir Castle as she fled London in late 1688. He was reappointed by William III in 1689 but resigned in 1702 in protest against government promotion of Tory interests in Leicestershire. He briefly held the position of Custos Rotulorum of Leicestershire from 22 August 1702 to 22 March 1703.

On 29 March 1703, he was elevated to Duke of Rutland and Marquess of Granby in recognition of his support for the Whig government. He was reappointed as Lord Lieutenant in 1706, a position he held until his death. He died at Belvoir Castle on 10 January 1711.

Manners was married three times. His first marriage was to Lady Anne Pierrepont, daughter of Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, on 15 July 1658. Their marriage ended in a separation in 1663 due to her adultery, and he obtained a private Act of Parliament in 1667, which bastardised her children since 1659 and permitted him to remarry in 1670. This divorce process was notable for its public and political attention, involving significant expenditure and disputes with her family, including a duel challenge from her father.

His second marriage was to Lady Diana Bruce on 10 November 1671. She died in childbirth on 15 July 1672. His third marriage was to Catherine Wriothesley Noel on 8 January 1673. They had three children: John Manners, who became the 2nd Duke of Rutland; Lady Catherine Manners, who married John Leveson-Gower, 1st Baron Gower; and Lady Dorothy Manners, who married Baptist Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough.

Manners died at Belvoir Castle in 1711. His life has been referenced in popular culture, notably in the 1995 film "Rob Roy," where a character claims to be an illegitimate child of a high-class prostitute working for the Duke, implying a possible connection to Manners.