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Letter written by George, Earl of Leicester, from Guy’s Cliffe, Warwick (CR1517/1)

Happy New Year! Our first Document of the Month in 2020 is an interesting document from 1784

which contains a letter from the Earl of Leicester along with a sketched section of his family tree

and coat of arms.

The letter is written by George (Townshend) Earl of Leicester, from Guy’s Cliffe in Warwickshire,

to an associate seeking advice on how best to approach making a claim to the Earldom of Derby.

He outlays evidence of his own lineage from Sir Francis Walsingham and his belief that there are

no other legitimate heirs to the Earldom of Derby. He goes on to ask for their opinion on employing

a Mr Birch, solicitor, to help with his endeavour. Leicester also provides additional information he

has received, regarding his coat of arms, in support of his claim.

The response to the Earl of Leicester is written on the reverse of this letter and the recipient

agrees he does have a case but may meet resistance from peers in the House of Lords and

suggests it would be advisable to employ Mr Birch.1 (Full transcript – Appendix I).

1 Warwickshire County Record Office. Letter written by George, Earl of Leicester, from Guys Cliffe, Warwick, regarding his claim to

the Earldom of Derby. Document reference: CR1517/1.

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Pedigree and Arms

The sketched family tree is interesting as it states (in a line) from Lady Dorothy and Sir Henry

Shirley, knight: “the heir of this marriage is The Earl of Leicester”; however, it does not show how

he is related to them.

There are in fact several generations between George (Townshend) the Earl of Leicester and Sir

Henry Shirley to whom he is related via his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Compton Shirley.2

(Full transcript – Appendix II)

Some of the quarters of the coat of arms have been described to identify various branches of the

family. Namely, “Ferrars of Chartley” inherited from his mother Lady Charlotte Compton via her

mother Elizabeth Shirley, Baroness Ferrars of Chartley2; “Ferrars of Groby & Tamworth”; “Thos.

Plantaganet, Duke of Gloucester”; “Ellerker” and “Mainwaring” both of which were in connection to

Leicester’s wife Charlotte Eaton Mainwaring-Ellerker.2 (Full transcript – Appendix III)

2 Burke’s Peerage and Baronetage. (1833) Townshend, Marquess. Vol. II. 4th ed. London: Published for Henry Colburn. pp. 550-551.

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George Townshend, Earl of Leicester (1753-1811)

George Townshend was born on 18 April 1753, the son of George Townshend, first marquess and

Charlotte Compton, Baroness Ferrers and Compton.3

He was educated at Eton College and then St. Johns College, Cambridge and served in the army,

reaching the rank of Captain in the King’s light dragoons.3 He was summoned to parliament on 25

April 17744 and was subsequently made a Privy Councillor in 1782; nominated Captain of the

Band of Gentlemen Pensioners 1782-1783 and 1783-1790; Master of the Mint 1790-94; Joint

Postmaster-General 1794-99; Lord Steward of the Household 1799-1802 and High Steward of

Tamworth 1807-11.5

He was created Earl of Leicester on 18 May 1784 (the Earldom of Leicester having been extinct

since 1759)3 and, as we can see from his letter, by October 1784 was actively pursuing a claim to

the Earldom of Derby.

Leicester was an antiquary with a keen interest in heraldry and archaeology and was made

President of the Society of Antiquaries, he became a Trustee of the British Museum 1787-1811

and Fellow of the Royal Society in 1781.4 He remained President of the Society of Antiquaries until

his death on 27 July 1811.3

3 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Townshend, George, second Marquess Townshend (1753-1811).

https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-

27625?rskey=Ov7s10&result=2 : accessed 18 December 2019. 4 The English Peerage. (1790) Townshend, Earl of Leicester. Vol. I. London: Printed by T. Spilsbury and Son. p. 482. https://books.google.co.uk : accessed 18 December 2019. 5 Cracrofts Peerage. George [Townshend], 17th Baron of Ferrers of Chartley and 8th Baron Compton later 1st Earl of

Leicester later 2nd Marquess Townshend, PC. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/townshend1787.htm : accessed

18 December 2019.

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Transcriptions

Appendix I

Guy’s Cliffe October 4th 1784

Dear Sir,

I have lately received from Mr. Astle a Copy of the original Creation of my Ancestor Willm

De Ferrars to the Earldom of Derby in 1st of King Johns, the original Charter being yet among the

Carta Antique in his Custody in the Tower; it is exactly word for word as given in Seldens, and to

be sure is the completest proof of the Earldom of Derby’s having been enjoyd by my Ancestry in

fee. The Dectien? de Kenilworth will sufficiently prove that Robert de Ferrars did not lose his

Dignity by Parliamentary Attainder and the resolutions of the House in the Cases of the Barony of

Grey of Ruthyn, temp[us]. Car[olus]: 1. & Viscounty of Purbeck Temp[us]. Car[olus]: 2d, declare

that Honors? cannot be Cast by the surrender or Aberation of the party. All these points are so

very much in favor of my Claim that I am resolved to push it without loss of time. Many

Circumstances also makes the present as I think as good a time as can be for the asserting of my

pretentions. Had I claimed the title of Earl of Derby when only Baron de Ferrars, and been allow’d

it, I must have been call’d by that title, which would have been in-convenient, as two Earls of

Derby would have makd? as much confusion to society as the two Socia’s in the play; but now that

I have acquired a title of the same rank & degree as that I claim, should my claim be establishd, I

may still be calld in the world Earl of Leicester, tho it is my most modern title, as the Earl Brooke &

Warwick is constantly calld Earl of Warwick. Besides the title claim is that of Earl of the County of

Derby, whereas that enjoyd by the Stanley family (as My Lord Derby himself lately acknowledged

to me) is taken from the town and Waponlake Of Derby in Lancashire, in which their capital seat

and principal Property lies; and which is commonly calld West-Derby in distinction from the County

town of Derby, as the City of Chester is called West-Chester to distinguish it from Chester le Street

in Durham. I should be glad to have your Opinion, whether I should not do well to employ Mr Birch

as my Solicitor in this Business, as he has managed so many Claims of this nature so successfully

for his Clients.

Enclosed I send you a short pedigree of my descent from Sir Fra[nci]s Walsingham, Queen

Elizabeth’s Minister, for the following reason. Lady Mary Coke, a Lady much versed in Genealogy,

told me lately that the Hobarts, Earle of Bucks was descended from Sir Philip Sydney thro the heir

of Sir John Maynard, the great lawyer, and that Lady Suffolk, aunt to the present Earl frequently

used to boast of this Descent. I express my surprise at this, because I had always under-stood

that Elizabeth Countess of Rutland, the only dau[ghter] & heir of Sir Ph[ilip] Sydney by the

dau[ghter] & heir of Sir Fra[nci]s Walsingham, died SP. She certainly had no issue by the Earl of

Rutland; & I never could find that she married again or had issue. Under the article of Sydney Earl

of Leic[ester] in Collins,I can not find any mention of her second marriage with any body. And yet

one could hardly suppose that the Hobart family should pride themselves on an imaginary descent

from this Hero, and unless this Elizabeth his only legitimate Child left issue, they could only have

be descended from him spuriously. As I wish much to have this part cleard up, you will much

oblige me by resolving me about it, at your leisure. I hope you have not forgot [?]

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Earl of Leicester at Wakefield

15th October 1784

Some time since gave me some hopes of seeing you here this autumn in your way to or from

Yorkshire. I do not propose being in town before the end of december.

Lady Leicester desires her Compliments to you, believe me to be

Dear Sir, with much regard

Your very faithful

& obligd humble Lord.

Leicester.

Response:

28th October 1784

My Lord,

I had the favour of your L[ordshi]p’s letter with your remarks upon your claim to the earldom

of Derby, and the pedigree and am clearly of opinion from y[ou]r L[ordshi]p’s statement of the case

that the Title was in fee, and ought to descend to your L[ordshi]p; but as the success of a claim of

this sort in a great measure depends upon interest in the House of Lords, your L[ordshi]p shou’d

consider well how you stand in that respect, for I s[houl]d imagine many Peers of that degree will

oppose you, on the contrary your L[ordshi]p is well with The King and Ministry, and I s[houl]d

imagine f[ro]m Family connection, must of course have the interest of one powerful man in the

cabinet.

Mr Birch from his taste and experience in these claims is doubtless the most proper person

to be employ’d in one of this nature, nor shou’d I hesitate to engage him on the occasion, it is

probable f[ro]m his note in his pro-fession that his charges are high, but query if it is not best to

have a person likely to carry such a matter thro’ with judgement, than be thrown back by an

injudicious solicitor.

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Appendix II

Lord Leicester’s Descent from Sir Francis Walsingham

Sir Fra[nci]s Walsingham dau[ghte]r of

Secretary of State to Q[uee]n St Barbe

Elizabeth

Sir Philip Sydney = Frances Dau[ghter] sole heir = Robert Devereux 2d Earl

1st husband Earl of Essex. Beheaded 1600.

1st husband 2d husband

Roger Earl of = Elizabeth Robert Frances Dorothy = Sir Henry

Rutland only issue 3d Earl Marr[ie]d Wm. 2d sister? Shirley

S P of Essex Duke of Somerset & Co heir Knight

S P

The heir of this marriage

Is The Earl of Leicester.

In. did Elizabeth daughter and heir

Of Sir Phil Sydney marry a 2d

Husband. & have issue by him?

If she did not, then the Devereux

Family became sole heirs of

Sir Frances Walsingham.

SP means Sine Prole; without offspring.

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Appendix III

Arms – quarterly of four grand Quarterings

1st & 4th quart[er]ly – Vaire or Gules. Ferrars of Chartley

Gules with mascles conjoind & voided Or. Ferrars of Groby and Tamworth

2nd and 8 – France V Engld quarterly within a border Arg[ent] for Thos. Plantagenet D[uke] of

Gloucester.

Crests…A peacocks tail in open erect, on a Wreath – for Ferrars of Chartley

& a unicorn ermine at the sinister Supp[orte]r for Ferr[arrs] of Groby & Tamworth

Also between both, out of a ducal Coronet Or a Swan rising proper. Ducally Gorged & chaind of

the first, holding in its beak an Ostrich feather of the 2d for Plantagenet Duke of Gloucester.

N.B. an escutcheon of pretence quart[er]ly

1 & 4 azure a chief & a fret Arg[en]t Ellerker

2 & 3 Arg[en]t 2 bars Gules Mainwaring

Badges – an horseshoe

- An knot Gules – called the Beurchier’s Knot.

A key to the heraldic language used:

Vaire = Green

Gules = Red

Azure = Blue

Sable = Black

Argent = Silver

Or = Gold

Ermine = describes the pattern on the fur of the unicorn

Supporter = describes the animals or characters either side of the shield (supporting it)

Sinister = one side of the shield – the right if looking at an illustration of the shield (the left when

bearing the shield - for example in battle)

Dexter = one side of the shield – the left if looking at an illustration of the shield (the right when

bearing the shield - for example in battle)

Escutcheon = the shield

And the Motto “Stet fortuna Domus” (i.e. Ferrariensis) – “Let the fortune of the house stand” or

“may the fortune of the house endure”