- Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby is a title in the
Peerage of England . The title was first adopted byRobert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end of the reign of Henry III and died in 1279. Most of the Ferrers property and, by a creation in 1337, the Derby title, were then held by the family of Henry III. The title became extinct upon Henry IV's accession to the throne. It was created again for the Stanley family in 1485.Lord Derby's subsidiary titles are Baron Stanley, of Bickerstaffe in the
County Palatine of Lancaster (created 1832), and Baron Stanley of Preston, in the County Palatine of Lancaster (1886). The 1st to 5th Earls also held an earlier Barony of Stanley, created for the 1st Earl's father in 1456 and currently abeyant; the 2nd to 5th Earls held the Barony of Strange created in 1299, currently held by the Viscounts St Davids; and the 7th to 9th Earls held another Barony of Strange, created in error in 1628 and currently held independently of other peerages.The
courtesy title of the Heir Apparent is Lord Stanley.Several successive generations of the Stanley Earls, along with other members of the family, have been prominent members of the Conservative Party, and at least one historian has suggested that this family rivals the Cecils (Marquesses of Salisbury) as the single most important family in the party's history. They were at times one of the richest landowning families in England.
The famous
Stanley Cup , the championship of hockey, was presented to the Dominion of Canada by Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, — a member of the Stanley family — in 1892. Lord Stanley was Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893.The family seat is
Knowsley Hall , near Liverpool.The Ferrers Creation
"Ferrer" is Norman French and means "to bind with iron" or " to shoe a horse" (cf.
farrier ). Ferrières inNormandy , the hometown of the de Ferrers family, was an important centre for ironwork. The Ferrers coat of arms shows six blackhorseshoe s on a silver background. They were descended fromHenry de Ferrers , 1st Earl of Ferrières, Lord ofLongueville ,Normandy , and a Domesday Commissioner; he builtTutbury Castle andDuffield Castle and had large holdings in Derbyshire as well as 17 other counties. The Ferrers, lords of the barony of Ferrieres in Normandy, were accompanied to England by three other families who were their underlords in France: the Curzons (Notre Dame-de-Courson), the Baskervilles (Boscherville) and theLevett s (Livet-en-Ouche).Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby , 2nd Earl of Ferrières (1062-1139) was created Earl of Derby by King Stephen in 1138 for his valiant conduct at the Battle of Northallerton. He was married to Hawise de Vitre and died in 1139.His son Robert de Ferrers (?-bef.1160) became the next earl and was married to
Margaret Peverel . He foundedDarley Abbey andMerivale Abbey .His son William de Ferrers (?-1190) was married to Sybil de Braose. He rebelled against King Henry II and was imprisoned at
Caen ,Normandy . He died in theCrusade s at theSiege of Acre .He was succeeded by his son William de Ferrers (?-1247) who married Agnes de Kevelioc (also known as Agnes of Chester), daughter of
Hugh de Kevelioc, 3rd Earl of Chester .He was succeeded by his son William de Ferrers (?-1254) who married Sibyl Marshall and then Margaret De Quincy with whom he had his son and heir Robert de Ferrers (1239-1279), who became the next Earl.
He rebelled against King Henry III and was arrested and imprisoned first in the
Tower of London , then inWindsor Castle andWallingford Castle , and his lands and earldom were forfeited, including Tutbury Castle which still belongs to theDuchy of Lancaster . Through one line the descent of the Earls of Derby eventually gave rise to the Earls Ferrers.Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers , was the onlypeer of the realm to behanged for murder. Another familial line takes in theBaron Ferrers of Chartley descent.Creation of Edward III
The large estates which were taken from Robert in 1266 were given by Henry III to his son,
Edmund Crouchback ; and his son,Thomas, Earl of Lancaster also called himself Earl Ferrers. In 1337 Edmund’s grandson,Henry of Grosmont (c. 1299-1361), afterwardsDuke of Lancaster , was created Earl of Derby, and this title was taken by Edward III's son,John of Gaunt , who had married Henry’s daughter, Blanche. John of Gaunt’s son and successor was Henry Bolingbroke, who acceded to the throne as Henry IV in 1399. The title Earl of Derby fell into disuse.The Stanley Creation
The Stanley family was descended from Adam de Aldithley who accompanied
William the Conqueror toEngland . One of his descendants married an heiress whose marriage portion includedStoneley ,Derbyshire - hence the name Stanley. Sir Thomas Stanley served asLord Lieutenant of Ireland and represented Lancashire in the House of Commons. In 1456 he was summoned to theHouse of Lords as Lord Stanley. His eldest son Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley, marriedLady Margaret Beaufort , the mother of King Henry VII, and also Eleanor Nevill. The title of Earl of Derby was conferred on him in 1485 by his stepson Henry VII after theBattle of Bosworth Field where Thomas decided not to support King Richard III.His eldest son and heir apparent George Stanley,
Lord Stanley (commonly called Lord Strange), married Joan Strange, 9th Baroness Strange and 5th Baroness Mohun, and was summoned to theHouse of Lords as Lord Strange in right of his wife. Lord Derby was succeeded by his grandson Thomas, the eldest son of Lord Strange. He had already succeeded his mother as tenth Baron Strange and sixth Baron Mohun. He married Anne Hastings, daughter of Lord Hungerford and Hastings. The second Earl's son Edward became the 3rd Earl. He notably served asLord High Steward at the coronation of Queen Mary in 1553 and wasLord Lieutenant of Cheshire and Lancashire.Lord Derby was married four times. His second wife Dorothy Howard, daughter of
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk , supplied his heir Henry, the fourth Earl. He served as Ambassador toFrance and was one of the peers at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1586. Lord Derby married Margaret Clifford, daughter ofHenry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland , and his wife Eleanor, younger daughter ofCharles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk , and his wife Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII. Both Lord Derby's sons succeeded to the earldom. The eldest son Ferdinando, the fifth Earl, was summoned to the House of Lords through awrit of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Strange in 1589. He also builtLeasowe Castle , probably as an observation platform for watching horse races on the nearby sands. Lord Derby married Alice Spencer, but was without male issue. He died under mysterious circumstances and some have claimed that he was poisoned in order to prevent him from staking a claim to the throne of England through his maternal grandmother. On his death the baronies of Stanley, Strange and Mohun fell intoabeyance between his three daughters.He was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother William , the sixth Earl. He was Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire and Cheshire and purchased from his nieces their claims on the
Isle of Man . William married Elizabeth de Vere daughter ofEdward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford . Their son James succeeded to the earldom on his father's death. In 1628, during his father's lifetime, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration as Lord Strange, as it was believed that his father held this title. When it was discovered that this was a mistake, the House of Lords decided that there were two baronies of Strange, the original 1299 creation and the new, 1628 creation. James was a staunch Royalist. In 1643 he moved to theIsle of Man and established it as a Royalist stronghold. He was beheaded by the Parliament forces. His wife was Charlotte de la Trémouille, daughter of Claude de la Trémoille, Duc de Thouars, is known as the heroine who defendedLathom House in 1644 and theIsle of Man in 1651.Their son Charles became the 8th Earl. He served as Lord Lieutenant of both Cheshire and Lancashire. Lord Derby married Dorothea Helena Kirkhoven, daughter of Baron Rupa of the Netherlands. They had two sons who both succeeded to the earldom. The 8th Earl's eldest son William Richard George became the 9th Earl. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire and Lancashire. He married Elizabeth Butler, daughter of
Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory , and sister ofJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde . He had two daughters and one son. He outlived his son and on his death in 1702 the barony of Strange fell into abeyance between his daughters. He was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, James, the tenth Earl. He was a politician and served asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guard . Like many of his predecessors he was also Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire and Lancashire. In 1732 he succeeded his great-niece as 6th Baron Strange. Lord Derby was childless and on his death in 1736 the male line of the second Earl died out. He was succeeded in the barony of Strange, which could be passed on through female lines, by his first cousin once removed,James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl .The earldom was inherited by his distant relative Sir Edward Stanley, 5th Baronet, of Bickerstaffe, a descendant of a younger brother of the second Earl, who became the 11th Earl of Derby (see below for earlier history of the Baronetcy). He had previously represented Lancashire and Parliament and after he succeeded in the earldom he served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. Lord Derby married Elizabeth Hesketh. His residence was
Bickerstaffe Hall nearOrmskirk ,Lancashire . The 11th Earl's younger brother was the Hon. and Rev. John Stanley, Rector ofBury Parish Church 1743-1778. Edward's eldest son, James, Lord Stanley, was commonly called Lord Strange. Edward outlived James (who died in 1771) and was succeeded by James' son Edward, the 12th Earl. He held political office as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and also founded theEpsom Derby horse-race . Lord Derby married Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter ofJames Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton . His second marriage was to a Drury Lane actress, Elizabeth Farren.The 12th Earl's first marriage produced his heir Edward, the thirteenth Earl. He represented Preston and Lancashire in the House of Commons and in 1832, two years before he succeeded his father, he was raised to the peerage in his own right as Baron Stanley, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster. Lord Derby was also a natural historian and his zoological collections founded
Liverpool Museum . He was also a patron of the arts, especially of the poetEdward Lear who wrote "The Owl and the Pussycat" for the Earl's children. He was married to Charlotte Hornby. In 1844, he had a church built on the Knowsley Estate, St. Mary the Virgin, where several Stanleys found their final resting place.His son, Edward, succeeded him to become the 14th Earl. He is the most famous of the Earls of Derby. Known as a great parliamentary orator, he sat as
Member of Parliament for Stockbridge, a seat bought by his father, Windsor and Lancashire North. In 1844 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Stanley. Although at first a Whig, he later became aTory and served three timesPrime Minister of the United Kingdom . Lord Derby was married to Emma Wilbraham daughter ofEdward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale . They had a daughter and two sons, both of whom succeeded to the earldom. The eldest son Edward Henry, was a prominent politician and served under his father asUnder-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ,Colonial Secretary andForeign Secretary . He became Foreign Secretary again underBenjamin Disraeli . In 1880 he joined the Liberal Party and was Colonial Secretary underWilliam Gladstone between 1882 and 1885.His younger brother and successor,
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby , was a Conservative politician and held office asSecretary of State for War , as Colonial Secretary and asPresident of the Board of Trade . In 1886, seven years before succeeding his brother, he was raised to the peerage in his own right as Baron Stanley of Preston, in the County Palatine of Lancaster. He was alsoGovernor-General of Canada between 1888 and 1893. In 1892, he purchased and donated theStanley Cup , to be awarded to the "championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada" each year. Lord Derby was married to Lady Constance Villiers, daughter ofGeorge William Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon .He was succeeded by his son Edward, the seventeenth Earl. Like many of his ancestors he was a politician and notably served as
Secretary of State for War . He was also Ambassador to France. Lord Derby married Alice Montagu daughter ofWilliam Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester . A pair of Memorial Gates were erected in 1958 on Knowsley Lane on the Knowsley Estate in his memory. His two sons,Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley , and the Hon.Oliver Stanley both became Conservative politicians and served together in the same cabinet in 1938. Lord Derby outlived his eldest son and was succeeded by his grandson Edward, the eldest son of Lord Stanley, who became the 18th Earl. He was Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire and also establishedKnowsley Safari Park in 1971. He married to Isabel Miles-Lade, but died childless. He was succeeded by his nephewEdward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby , the (as of 2007) present holder of the titles. He is the son of Hugh Henry Montagu Stanley, younger brother of the 18th Earl.The Stanley Baronetcy, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster, was created in the
Baronetage of England in 1627 for Edward Stanley. He was the great-grandson of the Hon. Sir James Stanley, of Cross Hall,Lathom , younger brother of the second Earl of Derby. James Stanley becameBishop of Ely . He sent a small army into theBattle of Flodden Field , commanded by his son, Sir John Stanley who later entered amonastery . This branch of the family is known as the "Stanleys of Bickerstaffe". Sir Edward Stanley's great-grandson, the fourth Baronet, represented Preston in Parliament. His son, the aforementioned fifth Baronet, succeeded as eleventh Earl of Derby in 1736. For further history of the baronetcy, see above.Edward Stanley, a descendant of Peter Stanley, younger son of the second Baronet, sat as Member of Parliament for Somerset West and Bridgwater.
The Earl of Derby owns
Knowsley Hall andGreenhalgh Castle ; they were the Lords of Mann, i.e. theIsle of Man .Several Earls of Derby are buried in St. Mary's Church, Knowsley. Others are buried in the Derby Chapel at
Ormskirk Parish Church.The Barons Stanley of Alderley are members of another branch of the Stanley family. They are descended from the Hon. Sir John Stanley, third son of the first Baron Stanley. Also, Edward Stanley, 1st Baron Monteagle, was the younger son of the first Earl of Derby.
Earls of Derby, first Creation (1138)
*
Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby (1062-1139)
*Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby (d. 1162)
*William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby (d. 1190)
*William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (d. 1247)
*William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (d. 1254)
*Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby (1239-1279)Earls of Derby, second Creation (1337)
*Henry of Grosmont, 1st Earl of Derby (d. 1360)
*John of Gaunt, 2nd Earl of Derby (1340-1399)
*Henry Bolingbroke, 3rd Earl of Derby (1367-1413) (became King in 1399)Barons Stanley (1456)
*
Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley (1405-1459)
*Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley (c. 1435-1504) (created Earl of Stanley in 1485)Earls of Derby, third Creation (1485)
*
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (c. 1435-1504)
*Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby (1477-1521)
*Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby (c. 1508-1572)
*Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby (1531-1593)
*Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (1559-1594)
*William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (bef. 1584-1642)
*James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (1607-1651)
*Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (1628-1672)
*William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby (1655-1702)
*James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby (1664-1736)
*Edward Stanley, 11th Earl of Derby (1689-1776) of the Stanley Baronets, of Bickerstaffe (1627)
**James Stanley, Lord Strange (1716–1771),Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (who was not in fact entitled to this courtesy title), son of 11th Earl and father of 12th Earl.
*Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1752-1834)
*Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (1775-1851)
*Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799-1869)
*Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (1826-1893)
*Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (1841-1908)
*Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby (1865-1948)
*Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby (1918-1994)
*Edward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby (b. 1962)The
Heir Apparent is the present holder's son Edward John Robin Stanley, Lord Stanley (b. 1998)tanley Baronets, of Bickerstaffe (1627)
*
Sir Edward Stanley, 1st Baronet (d. 1640)
*Sir Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baronet (1616-1653)
*Sir Edward Stanley, 3rd Baronet (1643-1671)
*Sir Thomas Stanley, 4th Baronet (1670-1714)
*Sir Edward Stanley, 5th Baronet (1689-1776) (succeeded as 11th Earl of Derby in 1736)"For further Baronets, see above"ee also
*
Baron Stanley of Alderley
*Baron Monteagle (1541 creation)
*Baron Stanley
*Baron Strange
*Baron Mohun
*Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, Lord Stanley
*Oliver Stanley References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page]
* [http://www.thepeerage.com/ www.thepeerage.com]External links
* [http://www.jjb.uk.com/william/04ferrs.htm Brief History of the de Ferrars family]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=2J5rkqos7wAC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=%22ferrieres+st+hilaire%22+livet&source=web&ots=dBzWmc8mAc&sig=1-E3yThLFudJj6x0ktm7dIqyumc#PPA42,M1 The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families, Lewis C. Loyd, 1951]Further reading
*Coward, Barry. "The Stanleys, Lords Stanley, and Earls of Derby, 1385–1672: The Origins, Wealth, and Power of a Landowning Family". (Remains Historical and Literary Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester, 3d series, vol. 30) Manchester University Press (for the Chetham Society), 1983.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.