Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield PC (20 October 1795 – 18 March 1854), previously known as The Viscount Anson from 1818 to 1831, was a British Whig politician from the

Anson family The Anson family is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Anson family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Anson family include the earldom of Lichfield (since 1831) and the Anson baronet ...

. He served under Lord Grey and

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...

Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...

between 1830 and 1834 and under Melbourne

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official respons ...

between 1835 and 1841. His gambling and lavish entertaining got him heavily into debt and he was forced to sell off the entire contents of his

Shugborough Hall Shugborough Hall is a stately home near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England. The hall is situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, about east of Stafford and from Rugeley. The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the dissolutio ...

estate.

Early life

Anson was the eldest son of

Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson (14 February 1767 – 31 July 1818) was a British politician and peer from the Anson family. Background and career Thomas Anson was born 14 February 1767, the first son of George Anson, of Shugborough and Mar ...

, and his wife Anne Margaret, daughter of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. Major-General the Hon. George Anson was his younger brother. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

.thepeerage.com Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield
/ref>

Career

Anson was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. ...

for

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

in June 1818, but had to resign the seat already the following month on the death of his father and his succession to viscountcy of Anson. Anson later served under Lord Grey and

from 1830 to 1834 and under Melbourne as

from 1835 to 1841. He was admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1830 and in 1831 he was created

Earl of Lichfield Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England (1645 and 1674) and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1831). The third creation is extant and is held by a member of the Anson family. Hi ...

, of Lichfield in the County of Stafford, in William IV's coronation honours.

Gambling

Anson was also known for his excessive gambling and lavish entertaining at his

seat. He also purchased the estate at nearby

Ranton, Staffordshire Ranton is a small hamlet in Staffordshire, England, situated west of Stafford, east of Woodseaves and northeast of Gnosall. The population taken at the 2011 census was 382. As of 2013, both public houses that once operated in Ranton were b ...

, where he built Abbey House and developed the estate into a great sporting centre. However, his extravagant lifestyle and gambling put him and the family into debts of £600,000 and led to Anson's financial collapse in 1842. The entire contents of Shugborough Hall were sold off to pay for the debts.''Thomas Anson's Library and Art Collection''
/ref> Abbey House at Ranton burned down in 1942. The ivy-covered ruins can still be seen.

Personal life

Lord Lichfield married Louisa Catherine, daughter of Nathaniel Philips, in 1819. They had four sons and four daughters, being: * Lady Louisa Mary Ann Anson (1819–1882), who married Lt.-Col. Edward King-Tenison (d. 1878) of

Kilronan Castle Kilronan Castle, previously known as Castle Tenison, is a large country house standing in of parkland on the shore of Lough Meelagh in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, from the village of Ballyfarnon. The house, originally construct ...

, in 1838 and had issue. * Lady Anne Frederica Anson (1823–1896), who married

Francis Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss Francis Richard Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss GCVO DL (pronounced ''weems'', rhyming with seems) GCVO (4 August 1818 – 30 June 1914), styled as Lord Elcho between 1853 and 1883, was a British Whig politician. He founded the Liberty and Prop ...

, in 1843 and had issue. *

Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (15 August 1825 – 7 January 1892), known as Viscount Anson from 1831 to 1854, was a British politician from the Anson family. Early life Lichfield was the eldest of four sons and four daughters born t ...

(1825–1892) * Lady Harriet Frances Maria Anson (1827–1898), who married

Augustus Venables-Vernon, 6th Baron Vernon Augustus Henry Venables-Vernon, 6th Baron Vernon (1 February 1829 – 1 May 1883), was a British landowner and soldier. Early life Venables-Vernon was born on 1 February 1829 at Rome, Italy where he was also baptized. He was the eldest son of Geor ...

, in 1851 and had issue. * Hon. William Victor Leopold Horatio Anson (1833–1856) * Lt.-Col. Hon. Augustus Henry Archibald Anson (1835–1877), a soldier who received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for service during the Indian Mutiny of 1857, he later served

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Lichfield. In 1863, he married Amelia Maria Claughton (1844–1894), eldest daughter of the Rt. Rev.

Thomas Legh Claughton Thomas Legh Claughton (6 November 1808 – 25 July 1892) was a British academic, poet, and clergyman. He was professor of poetry at Oxford University from 1852 to 1857; Bishop of Rochester; and the first Bishop of St Albans.Sutton, C. W. "Claugh ...

Bishop of St Albans The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three ar ...

, by the former Hon. Julia Susanna Ward (eldest daughter of

William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward (1781 – December 6, 1835) was a clergyman who succeeded to the Dudley Barony. He was the son of Humble and Susannah Ward. He was the father of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley. References {{DEFAU ...

) and sister of

Sir Gilbert Henry Claughton, 1st Baronet Sir Gilbert Henry Claughton, 1st Baronet (21 February 1856 – 27 June 1921), was an English businessman and politician. Born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England Claughton was the son of the Right Reverend Thomas Legh Claughton, Bishop of St ...

. They did not have children. After Anson's death, his widow married, as his second wife,

George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll George John Douglas Campbell, 8th and 1st Duke of Argyll (30 April 1823 – 24 April 1900; styled Marquess of Lorne until 1847), was a Scottish polymath and Liberal statesman. He made a significant geological discovery in the 1850s when his ten ...

in 1881. * Lady Gwendoline Isabella Anna Maria Anson (1837–1912), who married 19 Apr 1865 Nicholas Power O'Shee, of Gardenmorris, co. Waterford (d. 30 Mar 1902), and had issue. * Rt. Rev. Hon.

Adelbert John Robert Anson Adelbert John Robert Anson Doctor of Divinity, DD (20 December 184027 May 1909) was a clergyman from the Anson family. He served as an Anglican bishop in late 19th century western Canada. Early life Anson was the fourth and youngest son of Thoma ...

, a clergyman who served as Bishop of Qu'Apelle in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(1840–1909). Lord Lichfield died aged 58 in March 1854 and is buried at St Michael and All Angels Church in Colwich, a short distance from Shugborough Hall. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

. Lady Lichfield survived him by over 25 years and died in August 1879.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lichfield, Thomas Anson, 1st Earl Of 1795 births 1854 deaths Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies 1st Earl of Lichfield Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Politics of the Borough of Great Yarmouth