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 Sudbury is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, located about south of Ashbourne. It is part of the Derbyshire Dales district. The population as recorded at the 2001 Census was 976, increasing to 1,010 at the 2011 Census. The £0. ...

, MP for

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, ...

and Newcastle-under-Lyme, and his wife Anne Pigott, daughter and heiress of Thomas Pigott of Chetwynd by his wife Mary Venables (sister and heiress of Sir Peter Venables of Kinderton,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

Career

His father died in 1719, leaving him

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 ...

, and in 1728 he assumed, by royal licence, the additional surname of Venables after he had succeeded to the Cheshire estates on the death of his cousin, Anne Venables-Bertie, Countess of Abingdon (wife of

Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon PC (4 February 1673 – 16 June 1743), styled Hon. Montagu Bertie until 1682 and Lord Norreys from 1682 to 1699, was an English nobleman. Career Montagu was the eldest son of James Bertie, 1st Ear ...

), in accordance with the will of his uncle and her father, Sir Peter Venables. Vernon began in politics as a Tory, but by 1754 was a supporter of Administration. He sat as a Member of Parliament, as an Anti- Walpole Whig, 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 ...

from 1731 to 1747 and for

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

from 1754 to 1762. In 1762 he was raised to the peerage as Lord Vernon, Baron of Kinderton, in the County of Chester. He lived at Sudbury Hall, one the country's finest Restoration mansions, which now is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Personal life

Lord Vernon was married three times and several of his descendants gained distinction. He married firstly the Hon. Mary Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 6th Baron Howard of Effingham, in 1733. Together they had a son: *

George Venables-Vernon, 2nd Baron Vernon George Venables-Vernon, 2nd Baron Vernon (9 May 1735 – 18 June 1813), was the 2nd Baron Vernon of Kinderton. He acceded to the title in 1780 after the death of his father George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon, George Venables-Vernon, first B ...

(1735–1813), who married Hon. Louisa Barbara Mansell, only daughter and heiress of Bussy Mansell, 4th Baron Mansell, in 1757. After her death in 1786, he married Jane Georgiana Fauquier, daughter of William Fauquier, of Hanover in 1786. * Hon. Mary Venables-Vernon, who married George Anson, MP 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 ...

and

, in 1763. After her death in 1740 he married secondly Ann Lee, daughter of Sir Thomas Lee, 3rd Baronet, of

Hartwell Hartwell may refer to: Places * Hartwell, Victoria, a neighbourhood of Camberwell in Melbourne, Australia ** Hartwell railway station England * Hartwell, Buckinghamshire * Hartwell, Northamptonshire, a village * Hartwell, Staffordshire, a lo ...

, MP for Chipping Wycombe and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, in 1741. She died shortly thereafter in 1742. After her death the following year he married, thirdly, Martha Harcourt, daughter of the Hon. Simon Harcourt (a younger son of

Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt, PC (December 1661 – 29 July 1727) of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, was an English Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1690 until 1710. He was raised to the peerage ...

) and sister to

Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, (1714 – 16 September 1777), known as Viscount Harcourt between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general who became Viceroy of Ireland. Biography Harcourt was born in Oxfordshire, the son of Hon ...

, in 1744. Together they had a son: * Hon. Elizabeth Venables-Vernon (1746–1826), who married her first cousin,

George Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt (1 August 1736 – 20 April 1809), styled Viscount Nuneham until inheriting the title of Earl Harcourt in 1777, was an English politician, patron of the arts, and gardener. Early life Harcourt was the e ...

, in 1765. * Henry Venables-Vernon, 3rd Baron Vernon (1747–1829), who married Elizabeth Rebecca Anne Sedley, illegitimate daughter and testamentary heiress of

Sir Charles Sedley, 2nd Baronet Sir Charles Sedley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1721 – 23 August 1778), was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1747 and 1778. Early life Sedley was the eldest son of Sir Charles Sedley, 1st Baronet, son of Sir Charles Sedley, il ...

, in 1779. After her death in 1793, he married Alice Lucy Whitefoord, second daughter of Sir John Whitefoord, 3rd Baronet, in 1795. * Hon. William Venables-Vernon, who died young. * Hon. Catherine Venables-Vernon (1749–1775) * Hon. Martha Venables-Vernon (b. 1751) * Hon. Anne Venables-Vernon (1754–1837) *

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 ...

(1757–1847), the

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 ...

who married Lady Anne Leveson-Gower, third daughter of

Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, KG PC (4 August 172126 October 1803), known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Sitting in ...

, by his second wife Lady Louisa Egerton (eldest daughter of

Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater (11 August 1681 – 11 January 1744), styled as Viscount Brackley from 1687 to 1701 and as the Earl of Bridgewater from 1701 to 1720, was an English peer, courtier and landowner. Born into the Egerton ...

), in 1784. Edward succeeded to the Harcourt estates on the death of his first cousin,

William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt, (20 March 1743 – 17 June 1830) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British nobleman and British Army officer. He served as an ''aide-de-camp'' to George Keppel, 3r ...

, in 1830. The 11th, and current

Baron Vernon Baron Vernon, of Kinderton in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1762 for the former Member of Parliament George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon, George Venables-Vernon. He had previously repre ...

, is descended through Edward.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3995. Lord Vernon died in August 1780, aged 71, and was succeeded in the barony by his son from his first marriage,

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 ...

. His second son from his third marriage, the Most Reverend the Hon. Edward Harcourt (who assumed the surname of Harcourt) became

and was the grandfather of Sir William Vernon Harcourt and the great-grandfather of

Lewis Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt (born Reginald Vernon Harcourt; 31 January 1863 – 24 February 1922), was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet post of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915. Lor ...

. The widowed Lady Vernon moved to

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...

. where she lived until her death in 1794.

References

External links

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron People from Sudbury, Derbyshire 1709 births 1780 deaths Peers of Great Britain created by George III Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Derby Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Lichfield British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 George 1