Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers PC (20 October 1650 – 25 December 1717)—known as Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, from 1669 to 1677 and Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, from 1677 to 1711—was an English peer and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

. Shirley was born at

East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mort ...

, the third son of Sir Robert Shirley, 4th Baronet and his wife Catherine Okeover. He was educated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. In March 1669, he inherited his baronetcy from his infant nephew, and received an M.A. from Oxford in 1669. Shirley was suggested as a candidate for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

in 1677 by Thomas Thynne, husband of his second cousin Frances, but he preferred to accept a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

, the barony of Ferrers of Chartley being called out of

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

for him in December. He was also appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

shortly thereafter. In 1683, he was appointed high steward of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

, replacing the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

. On 18 February 1684, Lord Ferrers was appointed

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

to the Queen Consort,

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, ...

. After Charles II's death in 1685, he became the Dowager Queen's Lord Steward and "Chief Bailiff of the Revenues", in which post he served until her death in 1705. Among the Queen's property was the honour of

Higham Ferrers Higham Ferrers is a market town and civil parish in the Nene Valley in North Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single built-up area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated populati ...

, part of the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...

, which had been granted to her for life by Charles II with reversion to the

Earl of Feversham Earl of Feversham is a title that has been created three times (the second time as Countess of Feversham), once in the Peerage of England, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. All three creations are ...

, her

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...

. Since Feversham avoided open politics after the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

in 1689, the offices of the honour were in Ferrers' gift. This allowed him to choose the Member of Parliament for

until 1703, when

Thomas Watson-Wentworth Hon. Thomas Watson, later known as Thomas Watson-Wentworth (17 June 1665 – 6 October 1723), of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1701 and 1723. Origins He was ...

, whose brother had married Feversham's sister-in-law, purchased from him the reversion of the honour of Higham Ferrers and took over the electoral interest. At the coronation of

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

in April, Ferrers was assistant lord

cupbearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person must have been regarded as ...

. He was also the first colonel of

The Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot The 8th (King's) Regiment of Foot, also referred to in short as the 8th Foot and the King's, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1685 and retitled the King's Regiment (Liverpool), King's (Liverpool Regiment) on 1 July 1881. ...

, raised in the summer of 1685, during the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...

, but was removed in favor of

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister o ...

on 1 November 1686. In September 1687, he was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire This is a list of people who have served as lord lieutenant for Staffordshire. Since 1828, all lord lieutenants have also been custos rotulorum of Staffordshire. Lord Lieutenants of Staffordshire *Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford 1559 *George ...

, replacing the

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

, who was unwilling to comply with James II's orders for purging the

commission of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and packing Parliament with royalist candidates (to secure the repeal of the

Test Act The Test Acts were a series of English penal laws that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Roman Catholics and nonconformists. The underlying principle was that only people taking communion in t ...

and the Penal Laws). However, Ferrers proved no more tractable, and was replaced in November by

Walter Aston, 3rd Lord Aston of Forfar Walter Aston, 3rd Lord Aston of Forfar (1633 – 20 November 1714) was the eldest son of Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar, and his wife Lady Mary Weston, daughter of Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland. He is best remembered today as a fort ...

. He was also dismissed from the high stewardship of Stafford in February 1688. In December 1688, after the outbreak of the Glorious Revolution, Ferrers,

Lord Chesterfield Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, and man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time. Early life He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Ches ...

, and a retinue of gentlemen attended

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and escorted her to

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. Under

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

, Ferrers was re-appointed as high steward of Stafford. In 1692, Ferrers and Thynne (the latter now Viscount Weymouth) decided to partition the

Barony of Farney Farney () is a Barony (Ireland), barony in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. Etymology Farney takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Fernmag ("plain of Alnus glutinosa, alders"). Location Farney is found in southeast County Monaghan, ...

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...

, both possessing an equal

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

of it as coheirs of

Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, KB, PC (; 11 January 1591 – 14 September 1646) was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the 17th century. With the start of the Civil War in 1642, he became the first Captain ...

. The barony was surveyed and divided into lands of equal value, Weymouth taking the eastern moiety and Ferrers the western. However, the survey soon proved to be faulty, and Ferrers' share of lesser value. Weymouth generously deeded a portion of his share to Ferrers to equalize them, a process completed in 1706. Ferrers was admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

on 25 May 1699. He was retained in the Privy Council of Queen Anne, and was again assistant lord cupbearer at her coronation.

John Macky John Macky (died 1726) was a Scottish spy. He was the first person to inform the British authorities of James II's intended invasion of England in 1692 after the former king had fled from France to England. In October 1693 he was made inspector o ...

described him during her reign:

Is a very honest Man, a Lover of his Country, a great Improver of Gardening and Parking; a keen Sportsman, never was yet in Business, but is very capable; a tall, fair Man, towards sixty Years old.

After his second marriage to Selina Finch in 1699, he spent much of his time at a house he built in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

, Heath Lane Lodge. On 3 September 1711, Lord Ferrers was created

Earl Ferrers Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley (died 1622) of Astwell Castle ...

and Viscount Tamworth. On his death at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

six years later, his earldom passed to his second (but eldest surviving) son

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, whilst his barony passed to his granddaughter,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, her father and elder brother having died in 1698 and 1714, respectively. Washington received the family's

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

estates in

fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., perm ...

, while those in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, and

were to some extent encumbered by annuities to his four younger half-brothers and a

jointure Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the dea ...

to the Dowager Countess Selina. She also received Heath Lane Lodge, which was then to go to her eldest son; he also inherited the Ettington Park estate near

Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-wes ...

in Warwickshire, and he and his three full brothers were jointly left the Earl's Irish lands in County Monaghan. The estate of

Garsdon Lea is a village in Wiltshire, England, lying approximately east of Malmesbury. It is part of the civil parish of Lea and Cleverton which includes the village of Garsdon and the hamlet of Cleverton. Garsdon was a separate parish until 1934. T ...

in Wiltshire, inherited from the Washingtons, went to the Earl's third surviving son, Laurence.

Family

On 28 December 1671, Shirley married the heiress, Elizabeth Washington (d. 2 October 1693) and they had ten sons and seven daughters: *

Robert Shirley Sir Robert Shirley (or Sherley; c. 1581 – 13 July 1628) was an English traveller and adventurer, younger brother of Sir Anthony Shirley and Sir Thomas Shirley. He is notable for his help modernising and improving the Persian Safavid army ...

(1673 – 1698 or 1699) *Elizabeth Shirley (25 November 1674 – 10 October 1677) *Katherine Shirley (31 May 1676 – 18 August 1679) *

Washington Shirley, 2nd Earl Ferrers Washington Shirley, 2nd Earl Ferrers (22 June 1677 – 14 April 1729), styled Hon. Washington Shirley until 1714 and Viscount Tamworth from 1714 to 1717, was a British nobleman and soldier. The second but first surviving son of Robert Shirley, 1 ...

(1677–1729) *Lady Elizabeth Shirley (20 June 1678 – 7 March 1740), married Walter Clarges (d. 1723), younger son of Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Baronet *Lady Anne Eleanora Shirley (12 November 1679 – 1754) *Lady Katherine Shirley (17 February 1680 – October 1736), unmarried *Charles Shirley (9 April 1682 – 28 May 1682) *Lady Dorothy Shirley (25 May 1683 – 3 April 1721), married John Cotes in 1700 *Charles Shirley (21 June 1684 – 12 September 1685) *Lewis Shirley (13 July 1685 – 1710), unmarried *George Shirley (21 October 1686 – 1694) *Lady Barbara Shirley (5 February 1687 – 7 November 1768), unmarried *Ferrers Shirley (23 April 1689 – 25 June 1707) *Walter Shirley (27 May 1690 – aft. 1694; died young) *

Henry Shirley, 3rd Earl Ferrers Henry Shirley, 3rd Earl Ferrers (14 November 1691– 6 August 1745), known as Hon. Henry Shirley until 1729, was an English nobleman and lunatic. Shirley was the ninth, but second surviving, son of Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers. His mental diso ...

(1691–1745) *Laurence Shirley (26 September 1693 – 1743), married Anne Clarges, daughter of

Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Baronet Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Baronet (4 July 1653 – March 1705/6) was an English Tory politician who served four separate terms in Parliament. An early ally of William of Orange, he inherited large holdings of land but no great ability from his fath ...

, and had issue, including: **

Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers (18 August 1720 – 5 May 1760) was an English nobleman, notable for being the last peer to be hanged, following his conviction for murdering his steward. Biography Shirley was the eldest son of Laurenc ...

(1720–1760) **V-Adm.

Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers Vice Admiral Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers, FRS (26 May 1722 – 1 October 1778) was a British Royal Navy officer, peer, freemason and amateur astronomer. Biography Shirley was the second son of Hon. Laurence Shirley (himself the fourt ...

(1722–1778) **

Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers (20 July 1723 – 18 April 1787) was a British nobleman. He was born in 1723 in St James, Westminster, the third son of Laurence Shirley. On 26 December 1754, he married Catherine Cotton (d. 26 March 1786), by ...

(1723–1787) **Rev. Walter Shirley (1726–1786) **R-Adm.

Thomas Shirley Sir Thomas Shirley (1564 – c. 1634) was an English soldier, adventurer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1584 and 1622. His financial difficulties drove him into privateering which culminated in his captur ...

(1733–1814) In August 1699, Lord Ferrers married Selina Finch (d. 20 March 1762) and they had ten children: *

(1700–1738) *Lady Selina Shirley (2 July 1701 – 14 December 1777), married Peter Bathurst *Lady Mary Shirley (20 November 1702 – 17 May 1771), married Charles Tryon, of Bulwick, and had issue, including

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

*George Shirley (1704–1704) *Capt. George Shirley (23 October 1705 – 22 October 1787), married Mary Sturt, sister of Humphrey Sturt, and had issue *Lady Frances Shirley (5 May 1707 – 15 July 1778), unmarried *Lady Anne Shirley (24 May 1708 – 6 February 1779), married

Sir Robert Furnese, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Furnese, 2nd Baronet (1 August 1687 – 7 March 1733), of Waldershare, Kent, and Dover Street, Westminster, was an English Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1708 to 1733. Furnese was the son of Sir Henry Fu ...

Sewallis Shirley Sewallis Shirley may refer to: * Sewallis Edward Shirley, 10th Earl Ferrers (1847–1912), British peer *Sewallis Shirley (MP) (1844–1904), British politician *Sewallis Shirley (1709–1765) Sewallis Shirley (19 October 1709 – 31 October 1765 ...

(1709–1765), married

Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton ''suo jure'' (17 January 1709 – 13 January 1781), was a wealthy aristocratic Devonshire heiress, known both for eccentricity and her extramarital affairs. By her first husband Robert, 1st Baron Walpole ...

(1709–1781) *Lady Stuarta Shirley (19 August 1711 – 31 December 1767), unmarried *John Shirley (12 March 1712 O.S. – 15 February 1768), unmarried

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 01 14 Deputy Lieutenants of Staffordshire King's Regiment (Liverpool) officers Lord-Lieutenants of Staffordshire Members of the Privy Council of England People from East Sheen 1650 births 1717 deaths

Family

See also

References