Sir George Shirley, 1st Baronet (1559–1622), was an English landowner, 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 ...

in 1611. He was the son of John (1535–1570), eldest son of Francis Shirley (1515–1571) 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 populatio ...

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

Astwell Astwell is a hamlet (place), hamlet in Northamptonshire, England. With Falcutt, it is part of the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Helmdon, but formerly Astwell was split between the parishes of Syresham and Wappenham. The hamlet is ...

, 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, who sold it on to Sir John Throckmorton. George matriculated at

Hart Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

, in 1573. In 1584 he was questioned concerning his links to Sir John's son

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

in relation to the

Throckmorton Plot The 1583 Throckmorton Plot was one of a series of attempts by English Roman Catholics to depose Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, then held under house arrest in England. The alleged objective was to facilitate a Sp ...

. The following year he made preparations to serve with the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. History Earl ...

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 (1561–1595), the daughter of

Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley, KB (26 November 1534 – 26 November 1613) was an English peer and politician. He was Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire. He was the grandfather of George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley. F ...

, 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, a close companion of William the Conqueror. It is currently held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Norfo ...

. With her he had 5 children, including his heir

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and the Catholic antiquary Sir Thomas Shirley. He subsequently married Dorothy, the widow of the diplomat Sir Henry Unton. In 1603, as

High Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the respon ...

, 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 Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

on his way through the county on his way to London. Shirley 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. At 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirley, George, 1st Baronet 1559 births 1622 deaths 16th-century English landowners 17th-century English landowners High sheriffs of Northamptonshire Shirley baronets