Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers, FRS
(26 May 1722 – 1 October 1778) was a British Royal Navy
officer, peer
, freemason
and amateur astronomer
.
) and his wife, Anne. Circa
1738, he joined the Royal Navy and rose through the ranks as a Second Lieutenant
in 1741, First Lieutenant
in 1746 and Post-Captain
soon after.
Two weeks after the execution of his brother, Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl of Ferrers in 1760, Shirley took his seat in the House of Lords
(as the new Earl Ferrers) and in 1763, George III
granted him the family estates, previously forfeit by his brother as a felon
(much to the surprise of Casanova
, then visiting London
) and he began to transform the family seat of Staunton Harold
in Leicestershire
. He was later promoted as a Rear Admiral
in 1771 and Vice-Admiral in 1775.
Ferrers was keen on astronomy and owned his own orrery
. In 1761, Ferrers had been elected to the Royal Society
for his work on the observations of the transit
of Venus
. Ferrers purchased Joseph Wright of Derby
's painting entitled “A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun” and he has been creditted as being the firgure on the right. Ferrers had Peter Perez Burdett
(the figure on the left) as a house guest and he had attended a talk by James Ferguson
who had given lectures on the orrery.
Shirley died in 1778 at Chartley Manor Place, Staffordshire
and was buried at Staunton Harold. As he had no children by his wife, Anne, his title and estates passed to his younger brother, Robert.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(26 May 1722 – 1 October 1778) was a British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer, peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and amateur astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Biography
Shirley was the second son of Hon. Laurence Shirley (himself the fourth son of Robert Shirley, 1st Earl FerrersRobert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers
Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, of Staunton Harold, 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Earl Ferrers was an English peer and courtier....
) and his wife, Anne. Circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1738, he joined the Royal Navy and rose through the ranks as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in 1741, First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in 1746 and Post-Captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
soon after.
Two weeks after the execution of his brother, Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl of Ferrers in 1760, Shirley took his seat in the House of Lords
House 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....
(as the new Earl Ferrers) and in 1763, George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
granted him the family estates, previously forfeit by his brother as a felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
(much to the surprise of Casanova
Giacomo Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, Histoire de ma vie , is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century...
, then visiting London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and he began to transform the family seat of Staunton Harold
Staunton Harold
Staunton Harold is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire and about south of Derby....
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. He was later promoted as a Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
in 1771 and Vice-Admiral in 1775.
Ferrers was keen on astronomy and owned his own orrery
Orrery
An orrery is a mechanical device that illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the Solar System in a heliocentric model. Though the Greeks had working planetaria, the first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented...
. In 1761, Ferrers had been elected to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
for his work on the observations of the transit
Astronomical transit
The term transit or astronomical transit has three meanings in astronomy:* A transit is the astronomical event that occurs when one celestial body appears to move across the face of another celestial body, hiding a small part of it, as seen by an observer at some particular vantage point...
of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. Ferrers purchased Joseph Wright of Derby
Joseph Wright of Derby
Joseph Wright , styled Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution"....
's painting entitled “A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun” and he has been creditted as being the firgure on the right. Ferrers had Peter Perez Burdett
Peter Perez Burdett
Peter Perez Burdett was an 18th century cartographer, surveyor, artist, and draughtsman originally from Eastwood in Essex where he inherited a small estate and the name Perez from his maternal grandfather who was the clergyman there.He would have been notable just for his many appearances in...
(the figure on the left) as a house guest and he had attended a talk by James Ferguson
James Ferguson
James Ferguson may refer to:*James Ferguson , Scottish*James Ferguson , Scottish*James Ferguson , Scottish astronomer and instrument maker...
who had given lectures on the orrery.
Shirley died in 1778 at Chartley Manor Place, 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...
and was buried at Staunton Harold. As he had no children by his wife, Anne, his title and estates passed to his younger brother, Robert.