George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, GCH, PC (19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), previously George Villiers and styled Viscount Villiers until 1805, was a British courtier and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an Nobility, aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Duke of Buckingham, Bucki ...

. He added the name of Child to his own by royal licence in 1819.

Background and education

Styled Viscount Villiers from birth, he was the son of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, by his wife Frances Twysden, daughter of the Right Reverend Philip Twysden,

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bi ...

. He attended Harrow and obtained a Master of Arts degree from

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

. He was a

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Households of the United Kingdo ...

to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

in 1795.

Political career

Lord Jersey succeeded in the earldom on the death of his father in 1805 and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He served as

Lord Chamberlain of the Household Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

under the

Duke of Wellington 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 above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

between July and November 1830 and was sworn of the Privy Council in July 1830. He was Lord Chamberlain for a second time under

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

from 1834 to 1835. He again held office under Peel as

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 () in the Roman Rep ...

from 1841 to 1846, and again briefly under

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United K ...

in 1852. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Family

Lord Jersey married Lady Sarah Sophia Fane, daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, on 23 May 1804. She was the eldest grandchild and heiress of Robert Child, the principal shareholder of the banking firm

Child & Co Child & Co. is a historic private bank in the United Kingdom, later integrated into the Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS division of the NatWest Group. The bank operated from its long-standing premises at 1 Fleet Street, on the western edge of the C ...

. Lord Jersey added the surname Child to the Villiers surname by royal licence in 1819. Lady Jersey was one of the great hostesses of English society, a leader of the ''

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

'' during the

Regency era The Regency era of British history is commonly understood as the years between and 1837, although the official regency for which it is named only spanned the years 1811 to 1820. King George III first suffered debilitating illness in the lat ...

and the reign of George IV, and a patroness of

Almack's Almack's was the name of a number of establishments and social clubs in London between the 18th and 20th centuries. Two of the social clubs would go on to fame as Brooks's and Boodle's. Almack's most famous establishment was based in assembly ...

. Lord Jersey was an ardent fox hunter and a breeder and trainer of horses, owning two

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winners, in Mameluke (1827) and Bay Middleton (1836) as well as other notable

thoroughbreds The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered ...

such as Glencoe. His wife's numerous love affairs did not trouble him: asked why he had never fought a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

to protect her honour, he replied that he could hardly fight every man in London.Ridley, Jasper ''Lord Palmerston'' Constable London 1970 p.42 Lord and Lady Jersey had seven children: * George Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey (1808–1859), married Julia Peel, daughter of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, Bt. * The Honourable Augustus John Villiers (1810–1847), married Georgiana Elphinstone (d. 1892), daughter of George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith and Hester Maria ("Queeny") Thrale on 20 September 1831. * The Honourable Frederick William Child Villiers (1815–1871), married Elizabeth Maria van Reede (18 December 1821 – 7 January 1897), daughter of the 7th Earl of Athlone on 12 July 1842. Member of Parliament for Weymouth between 1847 and 1852. * The Honourable Francis John Robert Child Villiers (11 October 1819 – 8 May 1862). Member of Parliament for Rochester between 1852 and 1855. * Lady Sarah Frederica Caroline Child Villiers (1822–1853), married Nicholas Paul (Miklós Pál), 9th Prince Esterhazy (1817–1894). * Lady Clementina Augusta Wellington Child Villiers (1824–1858). * Lady Adela Corisande Maria Child Villiers (1828–1860), married Lt.-Col. Charles Parke Ibbetson (1820–1898) on 17 November 1845 and had one daughter Adela Sarah Ibbetson. Lord Jersey died on 3 October 1859, aged 86, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George, who died only weeks later. The Countess of Jersey died in January 1867, aged 81.

References

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jersey, George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of 1773 births 1859 deaths 18th-century English nobility 19th-century English nobility Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 5 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey Owners of Epsom Derby winners Earls in the Jacobite peerage Viscounts Grandison