George Child-Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey
Encyclopedia
George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey GCH
, PC
(19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), styled Viscount Grandison until 1805, was a British courtier and Conservative
politician.
, by his wife Frances Twysden
, daughter of the Right Reverend Philip Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe
. He attended Harrow
and obtained a Masters of Arts degree from St John's College, Cambridge
. He was a Gentleman of the Bedchamber
to the Prince of Wales
in 1795.
. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under the Duke of Wellington
between July and November 1830 and was sworn of the Privy Council
in July 1830. He was Lord Chamberlain for a second time under Sir Robert Peel from 1834 to 1835. He again held office under Peel as Master of the Horse
from 1841 to 1846, and again briefly under Lord Derby
in 1852. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the University of Oxford.
, daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
, on 23 May 1804. She was the eldest grandchild and heiress of Robert Child, principal shareholder of the banking firm Child & Co
. Lord Jersey added the surname Child to the Villiers surname by royal license in 1819. Lady Jersey was one of the great hostesses of English society, a leader of the ton
during the Regency era and the reign of George IV, and a patroness of Almack's
. Lord Jersey was an ardent fox hunter and a breeder and trainer of horses, owning several Epsom Derby
winners, including Bay Middleton
and Glencoe.
Lord and Lady Jersey had seven children:
Lord Jersey died on 3 October 1859, aged 86, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George. The Countess of Jersey died in January 1867, aged 81.
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), styled Viscount Grandison until 1805, was a British courtier and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Background and education
Styled Viscount Grandison from birth, he was the son of George Villiers, 4th Earl of JerseyGeorge Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey
George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey PC was a member of the British and Irish peerage and a courtier in the court of George III.-Parliament:...
, by his wife Frances Twysden
Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey was one of the more notorious of the many mistresses of King George IV when he was Prince of Wales, "a scintillating society woman, a heady mix of charm, beauty, and sarcasm".-Early life:She was born Frances Twysden, second and posthumous daughter of the Rev...
, daughter of the Right Reverend Philip Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe
Bishop of Raphoe
The Bishop of Raphoe is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
. He attended Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and obtained a Masters of Arts degree from St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. He was a Gentleman of the Bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber
A Gentleman of the Bedchamber was the holder of an important office in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Description and functions:...
to the Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
in 1795.
Political career
Lord Jersey succeeded in the earldom on the death of his father in 1805 and took his seat in the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
between July and November 1830 and was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in July 1830. He was Lord Chamberlain for a second time under Sir Robert Peel from 1834 to 1835. He again held office under Peel as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
from 1841 to 1846, and again briefly under Lord Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
in 1852. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the University of Oxford.
Family
Lord Jersey married Lady Sarah Sophia FaneSarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey
Sarah Sophia Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey , was an English noblewoman, the daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland and Sarah Anne Child. Her mother was the only child of Robert Child, the principal shareholder in the banking firm Child & Co...
, daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland KG, PC , styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal.-Background:Westmorland was the son of John Fane, 9th...
, on 23 May 1804. She was the eldest grandchild and heiress of Robert Child, principal shareholder of the banking firm Child & Co
Child & Co
Child & Co. is a private banking house in the United Kingdom, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. It is based at 1 Fleet Street in the City of London....
. Lord Jersey added the surname Child to the Villiers surname by royal license in 1819. Lady Jersey was one of the great hostesses of English society, a leader of the ton
Ton (le bon ton)
The ton is a term commonly used to refer to Britain’s high society during the Georgian era, especially the Regency and reign of George IV. It comes from the French word meaning "taste" or "everything that is fashionable" and is pronounced the same way as tone...
during the Regency era and the reign of George IV, and a patroness of Almack's
Almack's
Almack's Assembly Rooms was a social club in London from 1765 to 1871 and one of the first to admit both men and women. It was one of a limited number of upper class mixed-sex public social venues in the British capital in an era when the most important venues for the hectic social season were the...
. Lord Jersey was an ardent fox hunter and a breeder and trainer of horses, owning several Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winners, including Bay Middleton
Bay Middleton
Capt. William George "Bay" Middleton was a noted English horseman of the 19th century. He was equerry to John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, who was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1869-1874 and 1882-1885....
and Glencoe.
Lord and Lady Jersey had seven children:
- George Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey (1808–1859), married Julia Peel, daughter of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, Bt.
- The Honourable Augustus John Villiers (1810–1847), married Georgiana Elphinstone (d. 1892), daughter of George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount KeithGeorge Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount KeithGeorge Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith was a British admiral active throughout the Napoleonic Wars.-Career:Fifth son of the 10th Lord Elphinstone, he was born in Elphinstone Tower, near Stirling, Scotland...
and Hester Maria ("Queeny") ThraleHester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess KeithHester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith born Hester Maria Thrale was a British literary correspondent and intellectual. She was the eldest child of Hester Thrale, diarist, author and confidante of Samuel Johnson, and Henry, a wealthy brewer and patron of the arts...
on 20 September 1831. - The Honourable Frederick William Child Villiers (1815–1871), married Elizabeth Maria van Reede (18 December 1821 - 7 January 1897), daughter of the 7th Earl of AthloneEarl of AthloneThe title of Earl of Athlone has been created three times. It was created first in the Peerage of Ireland in 1692 by King William III for the Dutch General Baron Godard van Reede, Lord of Ginkel, to honour him for his successful battles in Ireland. The title also had the subsidiary title of Baron...
on 12 July 1842. Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Weymouth between 1847 and 1852. - The Honourable Francis John Robert Child Villiers (11 October 1819 - 8 May 1862). Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for RochesterRochester (UK Parliament constituency)Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
between 1852 and 1855. - Lady Sarah Frederica Caroline Child Villiers (1822–1853), married Nicholas Paul Carl [Miklós Pál], 9th Prince EsterhazyEsterházyThe House of Esterházy was a Hungarian noble family in Hungary beginning in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century they were among the great landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time it was part of the Habsburg Empire and later Austria-Hungary.-History:The Esterházys arose...
(1817–1894). - Lady Clementina Augusta Wellington Child Villiers (1824–1858).
- Lady Adela Corisande Maria Child Villiers (1828–1860), married Lt.-Col. Charles Parke Ibbetson (1820-1898) on 17 November 1845 and had one daughter Adela Sarah Ibbetson.
Lord Jersey died on 3 October 1859, aged 86, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George. The Countess of Jersey died in January 1867, aged 81.