Francis James Holland

Who was Francis James Holland?

Francis James Holland, was a Canon in the Church of England.

He was born in St. George, Middlesex, a son of Sir Henry Holland and Margaret Emma Caldwell. He went to Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge in 1846, graduating BA in 1850 and MA in 1853. Ordained in 1851, he was appointed Vicar of St Dunstan's, Canterbury and then Minister at the Quebec Chapel, Marylebone. He was also a Six Preacher at Canterbury Cathedral and subsequently Canon Residentiary. He was sometime Chaplain to HM Queen Victoria and Hon. Chaplain to HM King Edward VII.

Circum 1880 he established a trust fund for two independent schools in London.

His career is also covered by the “Barchester Chronicles” by Clive Dewey published in London in 1991.

He married Mary Sybilla Lyall in 1855. She was a sister of Alfred Comyn Lyall and later converted to Catholicism. They had four sons, and two daughters.