Robert Shirley, 7th Earl Ferrers FSA DL (21 September 1756 – 2 May 1827), styled Viscount Tamworth from 1778 to 1787, was a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

Early life

Ferrers was the eldest son of

Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers (20 July 1723 – 18 April 1787) was a British Hereditary peer. Early life Ferrers was born in 1723 in St James, Westminster, the third son of Hon Laurence Shirley and grandson of Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrer ...

and his wife Catherine Cotton. He was known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

Viscount Tamworth after his father succeeded to the earldom in 1778. Ferrers succeeded to the earldom on his father's death in 1787.

Career

On 4 July 1781, both Ferrers and his son Viscount Tamworth were appointed Deputy Lieutenants for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. Ferrers was named a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

in 1788, and was much interested in genealogy.

Marriages and children

Ferrers married Elizabeth Prentiss (d. 14 September 1799) on 13 March 1778 at

St Leonard's, Shoreditch St Leonard's, Shoreditch, is the old parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney in East London. The c ...

. They had one son: * Robert Sewallis Shirley, Viscount Tamworth (9 November 1778 - 6 June 1824). Married

Hon Hon or HON may refer to: People Given name * Cho Hŏn (1544–1592), Joseon militia leader * Ho Hon (1885–1951), North Korean politician Surname * Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon * Louis Hon (1924–2008), French fo ...

Sophia Caroline Curzon, daughter of

Nathaniel Curzon, 2nd Baron Scarsdale Nathaniel Curzon, 2nd Baron Scarsdale (27 September 1752 – 27 January 1837) was an English Tory politician and peer. Early life Curzon was the son of Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Baron Scarsdale of Kedleston Hall, and his wife Lady Caroline Colyear ...

, on 5 August 1800. Purchased a commission as cornet and sub-lieutenant in the

2nd Regiment of Life Guards The 2nd Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamate ...

on 6 October 1798, was promoted into the

1st Regiment of Foot Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 4 November 1800, and retired from the Army in January 1802. Commissioned major of the Derby Regiment of Volunteer Infantry (militia) on 26 April 1804. Ferrers married his second wife, Elizabeth Mundy (d. 22 February 1827), daughter of

Wrightson Mundy Wrightson Mundy (c. 1712 – 18 June 1762) was an English landowner, member of parliament for the Leicestershire constituency and, in 1737, High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Sheriff of Derbyshire. Biography Wrightson Mundy was born circa 1712, he wa ...

, on 28 September 1799. There were no children from this marriage.

Death

Lord Ferrers died at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

in May 1827 at the age of 70. As his only son predeceased him without leaving legitimate issue, he was succeeded in the earldom by his brother

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The Earl and his second wife were both 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 ...

. Although his son died without legitimate issue, he left a

natural Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...

daughter, Caroline Shirley (1818–1897). Ferrers left the family estates at

Ragdale Ragdale is the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation, an artist residency program that hosts creators from a number of disciplines: non ...

and Ratcliffe on the Wreake,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, which had descended from the Basset family, to his granddaughter Caroline, later Duchess Sforza Cesarini.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 7th Earl 1756 births 1827 deaths Deputy lieutenants of Derbyshire 07 Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London