Lady Durham's Journal
A historical document which also details John Lambton. As the name suggests, it was compiled mostly by the Earl's wife, Lady Louise Grey, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Grey. The document can be viewed here: https://archive.org/stream/ladydurhamsjourn00durhuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
Penshaw Monument: Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Society
Fellow website which offers history of the monument from various points of history. Be sure to visit their website here: http://www.houghtonlespring.org.uk/penshaw/index.html
Life and Letters of (John George Lambton) the First Earl of Durham 1792-1840
A detailed compilation of the Earl of Durham's life through letters from throughout his life, offering context and historicity to the man honored by Penshaw Monument.
Welcome
Earl of Durham is an educational website, offering a look at the titular man and the timeline of John Lambton, as well as Penshaw Monument.
John Lambton
1st Earl of Durham (12 April 1792 – 28 July 1840)
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Also known as "Radical Jack" and referred to as simply Lord Durham, he was a British Whig statesman, colonial administrator, Governor General and high commissioner of British North America. He was a founding member and chairman of the New Zealand Company that played a key role in the colonisation of New Zealand. Lord Durham died at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in July 1840, aged 48, and was buried at St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street. The Penshaw Monument in County Durham, on a hill west of Sunderland, was built in his honour.
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The Earl of Durham...
... Would be elected to Parliament for the seat of County Durham, a seat which he would hold for 16 years. It would be in 1828 where he was raised to the peerage as Baron Durham, of the City of Durham and of Lambton Castle in the County Palatine of Durham. In addition, he would serve as an ambassador to Russia between 1835-1837, as well as lend a hand in the Reform Bill of 1832.
1812
Venture into politics
1838
Canada
As part of an investigation...
... Surrounding the Lower and Upper Canada Rebellion, lord Durham set foot on Canadian soil for the first time on the 29th May. His reformist, radical plans for handling the Canadian's included the implementation of responsible government, as well as the merging of Upper and Lower Canada. These suggestions lost him favor in Parliament, but would form the basis of what would eventually come.
July 28th....
... Marks the death of the Earl of Durham. He died on the Isle of Wight and would be buried at St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street. He is honored by Canada in the form of street and house names, though most famously by Penshaw Monument, a folly built in 1844.
1840
Death and legacy
TIMELINE
DID YOU KNOW?
Lambton earned the epithet 'Jog Along Jack', after being asked what was an adequate income for an English gentleman, and replying, "that a man might jog along comfortably enough on £40,000 a year".
Between 1835 and 1837, he served as Ambassador to Russia.While in Russia, he was invested as a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, of the Order of St. Andrew and of the Order of St. Anna.
Durham is lauded in French Canadian history for his recommendation to introduce responsible government. However, the British government did not accept that recommendation and it took 10 more years before a parliament was finally established in the colonies.
Durham was first elected to Parliament for County Durham in the general election of 1812, a seat he held until 1828.
Although often called "the Penshaw Monument", the correct title of the structure is The Earl of Durham's Monument.
The name, Penshaw Hill, is derived from a mixture of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon words. Pen is a Brythonic or Cumbric word for hill, as in the name Penrith; shaw is derived from sceaga meaning "wooded area"; and finally the Old/Middle/Modern English word "hill".
SOURCES
It would be on the 29th of April that...
... the heir to the Earl of Durhamn would be born at what is now 14th Berkeley Square in the city of Westminister, Greater London. Son to William Henry Lambton and Lady Anna Barbara Frances, he would be Christened with the names of his grandfathers, John Lambton and George Villiers.
1792
John George Lambton is born
1797
Inheritance of Wealth
Only five years after his birth...
... Lambton's father would die and he would grow to inherit his fortune. Lambton Castle, the ancestral family home in County Durham, which formed the basis of Lambton Collieries, was amongst this inheritance. Other properties in County Durham included Dinsdale Park and Low Dinsdale Manor.
After attending Eton College...
... John Lambton would join the army in 1809. For three years he served as a Cornet in the 10th Hussars, his rank being that of a commissioned officer. It is the equivalent to a modern second lieutenant.
1809
Education & Military Career