John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare (13 June 1595 – 2 January 1666) was an English nobleman. He was born in Haughton, Nottinghamshire, the eldest son of John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare and Anne Stanhope, and the brother of Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles.

Styled Lord Haughton from 1624, he was member of parliament for East Retford in three parliaments (1623–1626) before succeeding to the peerage in 1637. He took some part in the Civil War, but "he was very often of both parties, and never advantaged either."

He married Elizabeth Vere, daughter of Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury, on 4 September 1626. They had eight children:

• John Holles, died young
• Gilbert Holles, 3rd Earl of Clare (1633–1689)
• Lady Anne Holles (d. October 1707), married Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton
• Lady Elizabeth Holles, married Wentworth FitzGerald, 17th Earl of Kildare
• Lady Arabella Holles, married Sir Edward Rossiter of Somerley
• Lady Susan Holles (c.1641 – bef May 1710), married c.July 1663 Sir John Lort, 2nd Baronet
• Lady Diana Holles, married Harry Bridges of Keynsham
• Lady Penelope Holles (d. 1684), married on 13 April 1667 Sir James Langham, 2nd Baronet

Lady Eleanor Holles

He is buried in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham.

References

• "Holles pedigree". Retrieved on 2006-01-03.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.