William Villers, 2nd Earl of Jersey (c. 1682 – 13 July 1721), known as Viscount Villiers from 1697 to 1711, was an English 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 ...

politician from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an Nobility, aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Duke of Buckingham, Bucki ...

Biography

Jersey was the son of

Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (165625 August 1711) was an Peerage of England, English peer, diplomat, courtier, and statesman of the Villiers family. He was created Baron Villiers and Earl of Jersey, Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of J ...

and his wife Barbara, daughter of

William Chiffinch William Chiffinch (died November 1691) was an English royal page and politician. He was described by Joseph Woodfall Ebsworth as "a time-server and libertine, wasteful, unscrupulous, open to bribery and flattery". Biography Chiffinch followed hi ...

. His father had held several appointments as a Tory statesman, while his mother was a Jacobite who was created ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Jersey in the

Jacobite peerage The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...

by the exiled Pretender,

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

, in 1716. Jersey was educated at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

, graduating in 1700, before travelling in France where his father was ambassador in Paris. Despite being underage, on his return to England, he was appointed to the

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

office of Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer. Sir John Stanley, 1st Baronet was appointed to officiate for him, but on the accession of Queen Anne in 1702, Jersey had to relinquish the office in return for a pension. Between 1702 and 1703 he undertook the Grand Tour to Italy, and stayed in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he visited the Duke of Shrewsbury on three occasions in summer 1702. While in Florence in 1703 he commissioned Massimiliano Soldani Benzi to produce a bronze medallion portrait of himself. He represented

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in 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 ...

from 1705 to 1708. He was classed as a "churchman" and a Tory on two lists of the House early in 1708. In August 1707, a county meeting attempted to have Jersey replaced by Percival Hart as a member of parliament for Kent, and Jersey opted to not contest the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. By 1710, Jersey had gained some notoriety, in part owing to an alleged affair with the Duchess of Montagu. In 1711, he succeeded his father as earl and assumed his seat in 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 ...

. From here, he supported Robert Harley's ministry and remained a Tory after Harley's fall from power and imprisonment in 1715. Like his parents, Jersey had Jacobite sympathies and in April 1716 he was created Earl of Jersey in the Jacobite peerage by the Old Pretender, although it is unknown if Jersey was being rewarded for a specific action on behalf of the exiled

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...

Marriage and children

On 22 March 1704, William married Judith Herne, daughter of Frederick Herne and Elizabeth Lisle. From this marriage he received a large dowry, rumored to be worth up to £40,000. They had three children: *Barbara Villiers (25 August 1706 – d. 1761), married firstly,

Sir William Blackett, 2nd Baronet Sir William Blackett, 2nd Baronet of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (11 February 1690 – 25 September 1728), of Pilgrim Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Wallington Hall, Northumberland, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the British House ...

. She married secondly, Bussy Mansell, 4th Baron Mansell. * William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey (8 March 1707 – d. 1769). Through William, the 3rd Earl, they are ancestors of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, and of her sons,

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...

and

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to t ...

. *

Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family. Clarendon was the second son of William Villie ...

(19 June 1709 – d. 1786)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jersey, William Villiers, 2nd Earl of 1680s births 1721 deaths 2 William Villiers, 02nd Earl of Jersey English MPs 1705–1707 English Jacobites Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 Earls in the Jacobite peerage Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Tory (British political party) politicians