Fane (surname)
Encyclopedia
Fane is an English surname of Welsh origins that belongs to a family who have produced a number of notable members. The family originated with Ivon Vane, who was a Welsh landowner and mercenary captain in the service of the Black Prince. Ivon Vane or John Fane, as he was known in English, was one of three captains who captured King John II of France
at the battle of Poitiers
1356. He was knighted and shared in the ransom monies, which made him very wealthy. He settled in Kent
and founded the two notable families of Fane, whose members became the Earls of Westmoreland, and Vane, who became the Earls of Darlington
. Both families have golden gauntlets on their crest in memory of the surrender of King John.
The family were Kentish gentry until Sir Thomas Fane (d 1589)
made one of the most advantageous marriages of the Tudor period when he made his second wife Mary, daughter of Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny
. Mary was one of the great Tudor heiresses, she was the last heiress to the mediaeval House of Neville
and one of England's largest landowners. Mary inherited the titles of Baron le Despenser and Baron Bergavenny from her father, whilst her son choose the title of Earl of Westmoreland when he was raised to that rank by James I of England
. The original Neville Earldom of Westmoreland had been confiscated in 1571 from Mary Fane's cousin Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland
for his part in the Rising of the North
.
The family went on to produce over 50 Members of Parliament, as well soldiers, bankers, imperial administrators as well as some notable writers. The family married judiciously and inherited estates in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Oxfordshire as well as retaining their original lands in Kent. Sir Francis Fane of Fulbeck was one of the founding investors in the Virginia Company that settled the new world and the family were also large landowners in Canada, mainly on Prince Edward Island
, and South Africa, as well as having extensive business interests in India.
The family were much involved in India as administrators, employees of the East India company as well as soldiers. Two Indian regiments were raised by family members, including Fane's Horse, as well as producing a Commander-in-Chief of all British forces in India and the West Indies.
The family owned a number of family seats, including:
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
at the battle of Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
1356. He was knighted and shared in the ransom monies, which made him very wealthy. He settled in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and founded the two notable families of Fane, whose members became the Earls of Westmoreland, and Vane, who became the Earls of Darlington
Earl of Darlington
Earl of Darlington is a title that has been created twice, each time in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first time was in 1722 for the Baroness von Kielmansegg, half-sister1 of King George I. She was created Baroness Brentford at the same time...
. Both families have golden gauntlets on their crest in memory of the surrender of King John.
The family were Kentish gentry until Sir Thomas Fane (d 1589)
Thomas Fane (d 1589)
Thomas Fane was born at Badsel Manor, Tudely, Kent, the son of George Fane, High Sheriff of Kent. The family lived on estates bought in the 14th century from the ransomed monies received for capturing King John II of France at the battle of Poitiers 1356.Sir John Fane or Ivon Vane as he was also...
made one of the most advantageous marriages of the Tudor period when he made his second wife Mary, daughter of Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny
Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny
Henry Nevill, 6th and de jure 4th Baron Abergavenny K.B. was an English peer. Son of Sir George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny and Mary Stafford daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham...
. Mary was one of the great Tudor heiresses, she was the last heiress to the mediaeval House of Neville
House of Neville
The House of Neville is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later middle ages...
and one of England's largest landowners. Mary inherited the titles of Baron le Despenser and Baron Bergavenny from her father, whilst her son choose the title of Earl of Westmoreland when he was raised to that rank by James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. The original Neville Earldom of Westmoreland had been confiscated in 1571 from Mary Fane's cousin Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland
Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland
Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland was an English nobleman and one of the leaders of the Rising of the North in 1569....
for his part in the Rising of the North
Rising of the North
The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.-Background:When Elizabeth I succeeded her...
.
The family went on to produce over 50 Members of Parliament, as well soldiers, bankers, imperial administrators as well as some notable writers. The family married judiciously and inherited estates in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Oxfordshire as well as retaining their original lands in Kent. Sir Francis Fane of Fulbeck was one of the founding investors in the Virginia Company that settled the new world and the family were also large landowners in Canada, mainly on Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, and South Africa, as well as having extensive business interests in India.
The family were much involved in India as administrators, employees of the East India company as well as soldiers. Two Indian regiments were raised by family members, including Fane's Horse, as well as producing a Commander-in-Chief of all British forces in India and the West Indies.
The family owned a number of family seats, including:
- Apethorpe HallApethorpe HallApethorpe Hall in Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England is a Grade I listed country house, dating back to the 15th century.The house is built around three courtyards lying on an east-west axis and is approximately by in area...
Northamtonshire - Mereworth CastleMereworth CastleMereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England.Originally the site of a fortified manor licensed in 1332, the present building is not actually a castle, but was built in the 1720s as an almost exact copy of Palladio's Villa Rotunda. It was designed in 1723...
Kent - Fulbeck Hall Lincolnshire
- Fulbeck Manor Lincolnshire
- Wormsley ParkWormsley ParkWormsley Park is a 2,500 acre estate and 18th century country house between Stokenchurch and Watlington in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire, England. It is the former home of the philanthropist Sir Paul Getty who moved to Wormsley in 1986. He undertook a restoration which lasted until 1991,...
Oxfordshire - Basildon ParkBasildon ParkBasildon Park is a country house situated 3 kilometres south of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley in Berkshire, between the villages of Upper Basildon and Lower Basildon. It is owned by the National Trust and is a Grade I listed building...
Berkshire - Osterley ParkOsterley ParkOsterley Park is a mansion set in a large park of the same name. It is in the London Borough of Hounslow, part of the western suburbs of London. When the house was built it was surrounded by rural countryside. It was one of a group of large houses close to London which served as country retreats...
Middlesex - Brympton d'EvercyBrympton d'EvercyBrympton d'Evercy is a manor house near Yeovil in the county of Somerset, England. It has been described as the most beautiful house in England, in a country of architecturally pleasing country houses; whatever the truth of that statement, in 1927 the British magazine Country Life published a set...
Somerset - ClovellyClovellyClovelly is a village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free cobbled main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel. Thick woods shelter it and render the climate so...
Devon - Avon Tyrell Hampshire