Colonel Sir George Stucley Stucley, 1st Baronet DL (17 August 1812 – 13 March 1900), known as George Buck until 1858, was a British

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 ...

Life

Buck was born in 1812, the son and heir of

Lewis William Buck Lewis William Buck (1784–1858) of Moreton House, Bideford, Moreton House, Bideford, and Hartland Abbey, Devon, was Member of Parliament for Exeter (UK Parliament constituency), Exeter 1826–32 and for North Devon (UK Parliament constituency) ...

(1784–1858). He inherited the estates of his father in 1858, and in the same year changed his name and assumed by royal licence the name and arms of Stucley in lieu of his patronymic as lineal heir of the ancient Stucley family, which had possessed

Affeton Castle Affeton Castle is a converted late-medieval gatehouse near East Worlington, Devon, England. It was formerly part of the fortified manor house of Affeton, built by the Stucley family in about 1434, and situated on the side of a valley of the Litt ...

in Devon for over 600 years. He thus possessed the paternal Buck estate of Daddon and other lands, the Stucley inheritance of Affeton and other lands and also Hartland Abbey and other lands. In April 1859 he was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Affeton Castle in the County of Devon. He had a keen interest in family history, heraldry and his ancestors. He redecorated Hartland Abbey and in 1868-9 reconstructed the ruinous Gatehouse at Affeton, the only part of the fortified manor house of the Stucleys which had been left standing since the destruction of the house during the Civil War, which he renamed "Affeton Castle" and used as a shooting lodge for the grouse shooting season on Affeton Moor. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

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 ...

, and obtained a commission in the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, also known as the Blues, or abbreviated as RHG, was one of the cavalry regiments of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry. In 1969, it was amalgamated with the 1st The Royal Dragoons to form the ...

, from which he retired with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was afterwards connected to the

Devon Artillery Militia The North Devon Militia, later the Devon Artillery Militia, was a part-time military unit in the maritime county of Devonshire in the West of England. The Militia had always been important in the county, which was vulnerable to invasion, and from ...

, of which he was appointed in command in 1849 and retired with the honorary rank of

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 ...

as the regiment was disbanded in 1853. As George Buck he unsuccessfully ran for Parliament for the

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

constituency in 1852, but was elected for

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

in 1855, a seat he held until 1857 and again as George Stucley between 1865 and 1868. In 1863 he served as

High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

, and he was also a Deputy Lieutenant for Devon and Cornwall. For many years he was chairman of the Bideford Board of Guardians, and on the establishment of district and parish councils was elected by the board as a co-opted member. As

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

he made two presentations to the rectory of Bideford, in 1878 (his wife’s cousin Rev. Roger Granville (died 1896), author of ''History of the Granville Family'' (lords of the

manor of Bideford The manor of Bideford in North Devon was held by the Grenville family between the 12th and 18th centuries. The full descent is as follows: Anglo-Saxons Hubba the Dane was said to have attacked Devon in the area around Bideford near Northam or ...

for many centuries)) and in 1896. He was known as a keen sportsman and was an active man until a few years before his death. Stucley died at his residence

Moreton House, Bideford Moreton House (formerly until 1821 Daddon House) is a Listed building, grade II listed country house and former large estate near Bideford, North Devon, England. The house is about one mile west of the old centre of Bideford town, its entrance ...

, on 13 March 1900, aged 87.

Family

Stucley married first in 1835 Lady Elizabeth O'Bryan, 4th daughter and co-heiress of

William O'Brien, 2nd Marquess of Thomond William O'Brien, 2nd Marquess of Thomond, 6th Earl of Inchiquin, 1st Baron Tadcaster KP PC (I) (176521 August 1846) was an Irish peer and Chief of Clan O'Brien. He succeeded by special remainder as Marquess of Thomond in 1808 on the death of ...

(1765–1846), by whom he had children. Lady Elizabeth Stucley died in 1870. He married secondly in 1872 to Louisa Granville, daughter of Sir Beville Granville of Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. Lady Stucley was nearly 30 years his junior and died in 1913. He lived at Hartland Abbey from 1840 to 1870, when following the death of his first wife he handed ownership of Hartland Abbey to his son Lewis. In later years he moved to

Exbury House Exbury House is an English country house in Exbury and Lepe, Hampshire, situated on the edge of the New Forest. It is a Grade II* listed building with associated Grade II* listed parkland and gardens. The house consists of an 18th-century co ...

on the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

, which he rented to pursue his pastime of yacht-sailing. Children:Debrett's, 1914 *Lt.-Col. Sir William Lewis Stucley, 2nd Baronet (1836–1911), eldest son by his father's first wife, died without children. *Lewis George Orchart Stucley (1843–1870) *Sir Edward Arthur George Stucley, 3rd Baronet (1852–1927), died without children. *Sir Hugh Nicholas Granville Stucley, 4th Baronet (1873–1956) *Major Humphrey St Leger Stucley (1877–1914)

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. *

Sources

*Lauder, Rosemary, Devon Families, Tiverton, 2002, Stucley family, pp. 142–150 * Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, Stucley & Buck pedigree, pp. 721–3

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stucley, George 1812 births 1900 deaths Stucley, Sir George, 1st Baronet Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Barnstaple UK MPs 1852–1857 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy lieutenants of Devon High sheriffs of Devon

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 ...

People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Devon Militia officers