Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
Encyclopedia
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford PC (4 August 1721 – 26 October 1803), known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician.
and his wife Lady Evelyn Pierrepont. His maternal grandparents were Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
and his first wife Lady Mary Feilding. Mary was a daughter of William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh
and his wife Mary King. His father was a prominent Tory
politician who became the first major Tory to enter government since the succession of George I of Great Britain
, joining the administration of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
in 1742. Gower was educated at Westminster School
and Christ Church, Oxford
.
of the Duke of Bedford
, who was his brother-in-law, and as a member of that faction was given many governmental positions. Following Bedford's death in 1771, Gower became leader of the group, and as Lord President
in the administration of Frederick North, Lord North
was a key supporter of a hard-line policy towards the American colonists.
Gower was frustrated by what he saw as the North administration's inept handling of the American Revolutionary War
, and he resigned from the cabinet in 1779. When North resigned in March 1782, Gower was approached to form a ministry, but he refused, and he refused subsequent overtures from both Lord Shelburne
and the Fox
-North
coalition to enter the government. Instead, he became a key figure in bringing about the fall of the Fox-North coalition, and was rewarded with the position of Lord President once again in the new administration of William Pitt the Younger
. Although he soon exchanged this office for that of Lord Privy Seal
, and gradually began to withdraw from public affairs, he remained a cabinet minister until his retirement in 1794. In 1786, he had been created Marquess of Stafford as a reward for his services.
, in 1744. Elizabeth died of smallpox
two years later. They had no children.
Stafford married secondly Lady Louisa, daughter of the Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater
, in 1748. She died in 1761. They were parents to four children:
Stafford married thirdly Lady Susannah, daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway
, in 1768. They were parents to four children:
Lord Stafford died at Trentham Hall, Staffordshire
, in October 1803, aged 82. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son from his second marriage, George, who was created Duke of Sutherland
in 1833. The Marchioness of Stafford died in August 1805.
Background
Stafford was a son of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GowerJohn Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower PC , known as The Baron Gower from 1709 to 1754, was a British Tory politician, one of the first Tories to enter government in the 18th century.- Background :...
and his wife Lady Evelyn Pierrepont. His maternal grandparents were Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
Evelyn Pierrepont, 5th Earl and 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull had been member of parliament for East Retford before his accession to the peerage in 1690. While serving as one of the commissioners for the union with Scotland he was created Marquess of Dorchester in 1706, and took a leading part in...
and his first wife Lady Mary Feilding. Mary was a daughter of William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh
William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh
William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh, 2nd Earl of Desmond Son of George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond and Bridget Stanhope, daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope...
and his wife Mary King. His father was a prominent Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
politician who became the first major Tory to enter government since the succession of George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
, joining the administration of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, KG, PC , commonly known by his earlier title as Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763.-Family:...
in 1742. Gower was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
.
Political career
In 1744, Stafford was elected to parliament. With the death of his elder brother in 1746, he became known by the courtesy title of Viscount Trentham until he succeeded his father as Earl Gower in 1754. Stafford was associated with the factionBedfordite
The Bedfordites were an 18th century British political faction, led by John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. Other than Bedford himself, notable members included John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich; Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower; Richard Rigby, who served as principal Commons manager for the...
of the Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
, who was his brother-in-law, and as a member of that faction was given many governmental positions. Following Bedford's death in 1771, Gower became leader of the group, and as Lord President
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
in the administration of Frederick North, Lord North
Frederick North, Lord North
Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG, PC , more often known by his courtesy title, Lord North, which he used from 1752 until 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the American War of Independence...
was a key supporter of a hard-line policy towards the American colonists.
Gower was frustrated by what he saw as the North administration's inept handling of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, and he resigned from the cabinet in 1779. When North resigned in March 1782, Gower was approached to form a ministry, but he refused, and he refused subsequent overtures from both Lord Shelburne
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...
and the Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
-North
Frederick North, Lord North
Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG, PC , more often known by his courtesy title, Lord North, which he used from 1752 until 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the American War of Independence...
coalition to enter the government. Instead, he became a key figure in bringing about the fall of the Fox-North coalition, and was rewarded with the position of Lord President once again in the new administration of William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
. Although he soon exchanged this office for that of Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, and gradually began to withdraw from public affairs, he remained a cabinet minister until his retirement in 1794. In 1786, he had been created Marquess of Stafford as a reward for his services.
Marriages and children
Stafford married three times. He married firstly Elizabeth Fazakerley, daughter of Nicholas FazakerleyNicholas Fazakerley
Nicholas Fazakerley was an English lawyer and politician.-Early life:Fazakerley was the son of Henry Fazakerley, came of an old Lancashire family which long resided at Fazakerley, a township near Liverpool. His own house was at Prescot, Lancashire...
, in 1744. Elizabeth died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
two years later. They had no children.
Stafford married secondly Lady Louisa, daughter of the Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater
Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater
Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater , known as Viscount Brackley from 1687 to 1701 and as the Earl of Bridgewater from 1701 to 1720, was a British peer and courtier...
, in 1748. She died in 1761. They were parents to four children:
- George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of SutherlandGeorge Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of SutherlandGeorge Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as The Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
(9 January 1758 – 19 July 1833). - Lady Louisa Leveson-Gower (d. 29 July 1827). She married Sir Archibald MacDonald, 1st Baronet.
- Lady Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower (d. 27 January 1824). She married Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of CarlisleFrederick Howard, 5th Earl of CarlisleFrederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, KG, KT, PC was a British diplomat and the son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle and his second wife Isabella Byron....
and was the mother of George Howard, 6th Earl of CarlisleGeorge Howard, 6th Earl of CarlisleGeorge Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC, FRS , styled Viscount Morpeth until 1825, was a British statesman...
. - Lady Anne Leveson-Gower (d. 16 November 1832). She married the Right Reverend the Hon. Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
.
Stafford married thirdly Lady Susannah, daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway
Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway
Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway was the son of James Stewart, 5th Earl of Galloway by Catherine, daughter of Alexander Montgomerie, 9th Earl of Eglinton ....
, in 1768. They were parents to four children:
- Lady Georgiana Augusta Leveson-Gower (13 Apr 1769 - 24 March 1806). She married William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St GermansWilliam Eliot, 2nd Earl of St GermansWilliam Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans , known as William Elliot until 1823, was a British diplomat and politician....
. - Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower (b.Feb 1771, c.12 Feb 1771 St Martin In The Fields, Westminster - 12 August 1854). She married Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort and was mother of Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of BeaufortHenry Somerset, 7th Duke of BeaufortMajor Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort KG , styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1803 and Marquess of Worcester between 1803 and 1835, was a British peer, soldier and politician.-Background:...
and Lord Granville SomersetLord Granville SomersetLord Granville Charles Henry Somerset PC was a British Tory politician. He held office under Sir Robert Peel as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1834 and 1835 and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 1841 and 1846.-Background and education:Somerset was the second son of...
. - Lady Susan Leveson-Gower (b.Sep 1772, c.15 Sep 1772 Trentham - 26 May 1838). She married Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of HarrowbyDudley Ryder, 1st Earl of HarrowbyDudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby, PC, FSA was a prominent British politician of the Pittite faction and the Tory party.-Background and education:...
. - Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville GCB PC , known as Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1814 and as the Viscount Granville from 1814 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat....
(b.12 October 1773, c.5 Nov 1773 Trentham – 8 January 1846).
Lord Stafford died at Trentham Hall, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, in October 1803, aged 82. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son from his second marriage, George, who was created Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
in 1833. The Marchioness of Stafford died in August 1805.