George William Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry (16 October 1784 – 15 May 1843), styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1809 to 1831, was a British peer and

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Early life

Coventry was the eldest son of

George Coventry, 7th Earl of Coventry George William Coventry, 7th Earl of Coventry (25 April 1758 – 26 March 1831), styled Viscount Deerhurst until 1809, was a British peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Coventry was born on 25 April 1758. He was the eldest son of Georg ...

, and his wife Peggy (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Pitches). His younger brother was the Hon. William Coventry and his sisters were Lady Augusta Coventry (wife of Gen. Sir

Willoughby Cotton Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Cotton (1783 – 4 May 1860) was an English soldier in the British Army. Family Willoughby Cotton was born in 1783, to Vice-Admiral Rowland Cotton and Elizabeth Aston. They also had a daughter, Sydney Arabe ...

), Lady Barbara Coventry (wife of Lt. Col. Alexander Gregan-Crauford) and Lady Sophia Coventry (wife of Sir Roger Gresley, 3rd Bt and Sir William Des Voeux, 3rd Bt). His paternal grandparents were

George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry 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 ...

and the former Maria Gunning (eldest daughter of Col. John Gunning of

Castle Combe Castle Combe is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is around north-west of Chippenham and north-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had ...

and Hon Bridget Bourke, a daughter of

Theobald Bourke, 6th Viscount Mayo Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans. The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tyba ...

). His mother was the second daughter and co-heiress of Sir Abraham Pitches, former

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

, and Jane Hassel (daughter of Robert Prowse Hassel of Wraytesbury). He was educated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

Career

On 10 November 1806 (as the Hon George Coventry) he was appointed by his grandfather the 6th Earl (the

Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire. Since 1719, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire. Lord Lieutenants of Worcestershire to 1974 *''see Lord Lieutenant of Wales for pr ...

) as Lieutenant-Colonel of the

Worcestershire Militia The Worcestershire Militia was an auxiliary military force in the English county of Worcestershire. From their formal organisation as trained bands in 1558 until their final service as the Special Reserve, the Militia regiments of the county car ...

, then carrying out home defence duties. He continued in this role until 21 December 1838, when he was promoted to

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the regiment. He was elected to 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 ...

as one of two representatives for

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

in 1816, a seat he held until 1826. In 1831, he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered 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 ...

. In 1838, he served as

Personal life

On 16 January 1808, Lord Coventry married the Hon. Emma Susanna Lygon, daughter of William Lygon, 2nd Baron Beauchamp, subsequently created 1st

Earl Beauchamp Earl Beauchamp () was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The peerage was created in 1815 for William Lygon, 1st Baron Beauchamp, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Elmley, in the County of Worcester. He had already been crea ...

. At around the time of his marriage, he was also involved with

Sophia Dubochet Sophia Dubochet (29 June 1794 – 29 August 1875), also known as "Sophia Wilson", was an English courtesan, who became the wife of Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick. Early life Sophia was the daughter of John James Dubochet, a Swiss clockma ...

, a girl in her early teens with whom he eloped and whom he subsequently kept as a mistress while she was courted by

Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick of Attingham, FSA (21 October 1770 – 3 November 1832), was a British peer and art patron. The first son of Noel Hill, who was created Baron Berwick in 1784, and his wife Anna Vernon, he was educated at ...

, who married her in 1812. Her relationship with Coventry (then Viscount Deerhurst) is recorded in some detail by Sophia's sister, the noted courtesan

Harriette Wilson Harriette Wilson (2 February 1786 – 10 March 1845) was an English courtesan and writer. The author of ''The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson: Written by Herself'' (1825), she was a famed Regency era courtesan who became the mistress of the Earl of ...

.''Harriette Wilson's Memoirs''; selected and edited by Lesley Blanch. London: Phoenix Press, 2003 Before her death in 1810, Emma and George were the parents of: * George William Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst (1808–1838), who married Harriet Anne Cockerell, eldest daughter of

Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet (18 February 1755 – 6 January 1837) was a Somerset-born Englishman who prospered as an official of the East India Company (EIC) and became a politician. He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Ho ...

, in 1836. On 6 November 1811, Coventry married secondly to Lady Mary Beauclerk, daughter of

Aubrey Beauclerk, 6th Duke of St Albans Aubrey Beauclerk, 6th Duke of St Albans (21 August 1765 – 12 August 1815) was an English aristocrat and politician. Early life Beauclerk was born on 21 August 1765. He was the eldest son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans by his wife ...

.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, p. 475. Together, they were the parents of: * Hon. Henry Amelius Coventry (1815–1873), who married Caroline Stirling Dundas, daughter of James Dundas, 28th of

Dundas Castle Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by William Burn, in the Dalmeny parish of West Lothian, Scotland. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is c ...

and Hon. Mary Tufton Duncan (a daughter of

Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan (1 July 17314 August 1804) was a Royal Navy officer best known for defeating the Batavian Navy at the 1797 Battle of Camperdown. The victory was one of the most significant naval battles in the French Rev ...

). Has a child with his sister Mary named William who was adopted by the Cripps * Lady Mary Augusta Coventry (1812–1889), married

Henry Fox, 4th Baron Holland Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland of Holland, 4th Baron Holland of Foxley (7 May 1802 – 18 December 1859) was briefly a British Whig politician and later an ambassador. Early life Fox was born at Holland House, London, the eldest legiti ...

in 1833. He died in May 1843, aged 58. His son from his first marriage had predeceased him and he was succeeded in his titles by Viscount Deerhurst's son, his grandson,

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 ...

. Lady Coventry died on 11 September 1845, aged 54.

Descendants

Through his second son Henry, he was a grandfather of Mary Eleanor Lauderdale Coventry (1847–1928), who married

Henry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk Henry Charles Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk, 11th Earl of Berkshire (10 September 1833 – 31 March 1898), styled Viscount Andover between 1851 and 1876, was a British peer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician from the Howard family. ...

and was the mother of his great-grandchildren,

Henry Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk Henry Molyneux Paget Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk, 12th Earl of Berkshire (13 September 1877 – 21 April 1917) was a British peer, styled Viscount Andover until 1898. Early life The eldest son of Henry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk and Mary Elea ...

, Hon. James Knyvett Estcourt Howard, Lady Mary Howard, Lady Eleanor Howard, Lady Agnes Howard, and Lady Katharine Howard. His granddaughter, Mary Augusta Henrietta Coventry (1841–1894), married

John Turner Hopwood John Turner Hopwood (1829 – 1 January 1900) was an English Liberal Party politician, and barrister. He was the only son of Robert (1800–1860) and Elizabeth (née Turner) Hopwood (d. 1874). His paternal grandfather, also named Robert, was ...

. Their nine children included the lyricist and novelist

Aubrey Hopwood Aubrey Hopwood (4 April 1863 – 25 October 1917) was a British lyricist of Edwardian musical comedy and a novelist and author of nonsense books for children. He co-wrote the lyrics for the musicals ''A Runaway Girl'' (1898) and ''The Lucky S ...

(1863–1917) and the Royal Navy officer Ronald Hopwood (1868–1949). His great-granddaughter, Geraldine Sarah Ponsonby (d. 1944), married

Dermot Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo Dermot Robert Wyndham Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo (; ; 2 July 1851 – 31 December 1927) was an Anglo-Irish peer, styled Lord Naas (; ) from 1867 to 1872, who served as an List of Irish representative peers, Irish representative peer in the British ...

. St Mary Magdalene, Croome, Worcs - Viscount Deerhurst (8th Earl's eldest son) wall tablet.JPG, Memorial to Viscount Deerhurst, eldest son of the 8th Earl of Coventry, in the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Croome Court Croome Court is a mid-18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by extensive landscaped parkland at Croome D'Abitot, near Upton-upon-Severn in south Worcestershire, England. The mansion and park were designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown ...

St Mary Magdalene, Croome, Worcs - 8th and 10th Earls of Coventry wall tablets.jpg, Memorials to the 8th (1784–1843) and the 10th Earl of Coventry (1900–1940) in the

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coventry, George Coventry, 8th Earl of 1784 births 1843 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Worcestershire Militia officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs who inherited peerages Tory MPs (pre-1834) Earls of Coventry