George Anson (25 July 1731 – 27 October 1789), known as George Adams until 1773, was a

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

landowner from the

Anson family The Anson family is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Anson family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Anson family include the earldom of Lichfield (since 1831) and the Anson baron ...

and a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

between 1761 and 1769. Shugborough Hall 03

Background

Anson was the son of Sambrooke Adams and his wife Janette Anson, who was the daughter of William Anson and the sister of the naval commander Admiral

George Anson, 1st Baron Anson Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, PC, FRS (23 April 1697 – 6 June 1762) was a Royal Navy officer and politician from the Anson family. He served as a junior officer during the War of the Spanish Succession and then saw ...

, and the dilettante Thomas Anson.

Public life

As George Adams, Anson was elected Member of Parliament for

Saltash Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

when his uncle died in 1761, a seat he held until 1768. He was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

in 1770, a seat he held until his death. In 1773, on the death of his uncle Thomas Anson he succeeded to the Anson estates, including the family seat of

Shugborough Hall Shugborough Hall is a stately home near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England. The hall is situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, about east of Stafford and from Rugeley. The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the dissol ...

. He assumed by sign manual the surname and arms of Anson.

Family

Anson married Mary Venables-Vernon, of

Sudbury Hall Sudbury Hall is a country house in Sudbury, Derbyshire, England. One of the country's finest Restoration mansions, it has Grade I listed building status, and the garden is Grade II listed in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. T ...

, daughter of

George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon (9 February 1709 – 21 August 1780), was a British politician. Early life Vernon was born on 9 February 1709. He was the eldest, and only surviving, son of Henry Vernon, of Sudbury, Derbyshire, MP for S ...

, in 1763. She was sister to

Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (10 October 1757 – 5 November 1847) was a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Carlisle from 1791 to 1807 and then the Archbishop of York until his death. He was the third son of the George Venables ...

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

, and a descendant the

Dukes of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

. Anson died in October 1789, aged 58. Several of their children gained distinction: * Thomas Anson (1767–1818) was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Anson in 1806 and was the father of

Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (20 October 1795 – 18 March 1854), known as Viscount Anson from 1818–31, was a British Whig (British political faction), Whig politician from the An ...

, and of Major-General George Anson * Sir George Anson (1769–1849) was an army general and colonel of the 4th Dragoon Guards, Equerry to Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

. His son Talavera Vernon Anson joined the Royal Navy and became an admiral. * Charles Anson (1770–1827) Archdeacon of Carlisle. *

Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet General Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet (13 August 1772 – 13 January 1847) was a British Army officer of the Anson family. Serving in the 1st Foot Guards, Anson saw service in the Flanders Campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars. He as ...

(1772–1847), was an army general who served in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

and was created a baronet (see

Anson Baronets The Anson baronetcy, of Birch Hall in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom held by a branch of the Anson family. The baronetcy was created on 30 September 1831 for William Anson. He was the third s ...

) in 1831. * Sambrooke Anson (1778–1846) became Lt-Colonel in command of the 1st Foot Guards throughout the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

. * Frederick Anson, D.D. (1779–1867), became Dean of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. He married Mary Anne

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of ...

, daughter of Reverend Richard

of nearby Milford Hall, in 1807. Father of George Edward Anson and Frederick Anson. * Mary Anson (died 1837) married in 1785 Sir Francis Ford, Bt., and died in 1837. * Anne Anson (died 1822) married in 1792 Bell Lloyd of Crogan, younger brother to the Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn, and was mother to William H. C. Lloyd, Archdeacon of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

References

George Anson
(thePeerage.com) * Burke's Peerage Baronetage & Knightage, 107th Edition () {{DEFAULTSORT:Anson, George (1731-1789) 1731 births 1789 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Saltash British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Whig members of the Parliament of Great Britain

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...