Sir George Shirley (1559-1622) was an English landowner and the second man to be created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He was the son of John (1535-70), eldest son of Francis Shirley (1515-71) of

Staunton Harold Staunton Harold is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire and about south of Derby. The 2011 Census (including Lount) recorded the parish's population ...

, and Jane, only daughter and heir of Thomas Lovett of

Astwell Astwell is a hamlet in Northamptonshire, England. With Falcutt, it is part of the civil parish of Helmdon , but formerly Astwell was split between the parishes of Syresham and Wappenham. The hamlet is northeast of Brackley and by road southwes ...

, Northants. The family inclined to Roman Catholicism and one of his sisters, Elizabeth Shirley, became a nun, but generally they maintained sufficient conformity to avoid the penalties for recusancy. Inheriting the estate as a minor, George's wardship was granted by the queen to the courtier

Mary Cheke Mary, Lady Cheke (née Hill; - 30 November 1616) was an English courtier, poet, and epigrammatist,. She served as lady of the privy chamber to Elizabeth I. Biography Born Mary Hill in Hampshire around 1532. Her father was Richard Hill (d. 153 ...

, who sold it on to Sir John Throckmorton. George matriculated at Hart Hall, Oxford in 1573. In 1584 he was questioned concerning his links to Sir John's son Francis in relation to the Throckmorton Plot. The following year he made preparations to serve with the Earl of Leicester in the Netherlands, although he does not appear in the lists of Leicester's retinue. Sir John presumably intended to marry George to one of his own daughters, but instead accepted £1,500 to allow him to choose his own bride. He married Frances (1561-95), the daughter of Henry, lord Berkeley and his first wife Katherine, the daughter of the

Earl of Surrey Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, William de Warenne, a close Companions of William the Conqueror, companion of William the Con ...

. with whom he had 5 children, including his heir Henry and the Catholic antiquary Sir Thomas Shirley. He subsequently married Dorothy, the widow of the diplomat Sir Henry Unton. In 1603, as sheriff of Northampton, he accompanied

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...

on his way through the county on his way to London. He died in 1622 and was buried at

Breedon on the Hill Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourn ...

, where he had erected a monument after the death of his first wife. On his death he owned property in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, and an income from which he was able to draw several legacies of £2000 each.

References

{{reflist 1559 births 1622 deaths 16th-century English landowners 17th-century English landowners Shirley baronets