The Ferrers family were a noble Anglo-Norman family that crossed to England with the Norman Conquest and gave rise to a line that would hold the Earldom of Derby for six generations before losing it in rebellion. They also gave rise to several lines that held English peerages, the longest-living going extinct in the male line in the 15th century, as well as a Norman branch of the family that persisted into the 13th century. A French line persisted into the 16th century.
The family is first documented holding Ferrières-Saint-Hilaire in Normandy, an important centre for ironworking, perhaps the reason the manor took its name. [lower-alpha 1] Their Norman toponymic surname, de Ferrières, evolved into simply de Ferrers, sometimes Latinized as de Ferrariis.
Walkelin de Ferrières, the first documented family member, was killed in the civil wars of William II, Duke of Normandy. [2] [3] His son, Henry de Ferrers, was Lord of Longueville in Normandy when he participated in the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Henry brought three of his feudal followers and tenants to England in his retinue, namely the knights de Curzon (from Notre Dame-de-Courson), the de Baskerville (from Boscherville) and the de Levett (from Livet-en-Ouche), who all subsequently founded prominent English families. Henry was richly rewarded by King William the Conqueror by the grant of 210 manors throughout England and Wales, situated mainly in Derbyshire and Leicestershire. He first served William I in England as the Governor of Stafford Castle and in about 1066 or 1067 he was granted the lands in Berkshire and Wiltshire of the defeated Anglo-Saxon Goderic, the former Sheriff of Berkshire.
Henry acted as a Commissioner for the compilation of the Domesday Book of 1086 and was soon appointed the first Anglo-Norman Sheriff of Berkshire. He built Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, which he adopted as his caput . He also built castles at Duffield and Pilsbury. Henry died 1100 at Tutbury Priory in Staffordshire, where he and his wife Bertha, perhaps a member of the L'Aigle family, had founded Tutbury Priory in 1080. They had at least four children, a daughter Amicia, wife of Nigel d'Aubigny of Cainhoe, and sons William, Engenulph and Robert, who became the first Earl of Derby. [3]
Robert de Ferrers, youngest son of Henry, rose in the service of king Stephen of England, and was awarded the Earldom of Derby after serving as one of Stephen's commanders at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. The earldom would descend in his family until Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby was attainted in 1267 for his participation in the Second Barons' War against king Henry III. Draconian terms were set for the reacquisition of his lands, and he was only able to have the manor of Chartley, Staffordshire, restored to him in 1275. [5] Though the family ceased to hold the earldom, two new peerages were created in his immediate family, his son being later created Baron Ferrers of Chartley, while a nephew became the 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby.
John Ferrers, son of the 6th Earl, carried on an unsuccessful life-long struggle to have his father's properties restored, but was himself summoned to Parliament in 1299 as Baron Ferrers of Chartley. This peerage continued in his line until William de Ferrers, 7th Baron Ferrers of Chartley died in 1450 without male issue, after which it passed into several successive families descending from them in the female line before going into abeyance in 1855.
In 1375, Robert de Ferrers, a younger son of the 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley and grandson of the 1st Baron, was summoned to parliament as Robert Ferrers of Wem. By modern usage, this would be seen to have created a novel peerage, the Barons Ferrers of Wem. However, Vicary Gibbs has argued that such a formulation would be anachronistic, and that he should be viewed as simply a recognition of his claim, jure uxoris to the title inherited by his wife, heiress of the Barons Boteler of Wem. [6] [7] Were it a new creation then his son Robert Ferrers of Wem would be considered the 2nd Baron, but following Gibbs, he held no title as he predeceased his mother. Any claim to the title would have gone into abeyance via the son's two daughters. [6]
Months after John de Ferrers became the 1st baron Ferrers of Chartley, his first cousin William de Ferrers, son of Sir William de Ferrers of Groby Castle in Leicestershire and himself a younger son of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby was summoned to Parliament in December 1299 as Baron Ferrers of Groby. The title continued in the male line until the death of William Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby in 1445 without male issue, when it continued via a female line, becoming forfeit in 1554.
The Norman lands of English founder Henry de Ferrers passed to one of his two elder sons, William or Engenulf, and thence to a younger Henry de Ferrers, a son of one of these two. He also held lands in England, at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, and Oakham, Rutland. His son, Walchelin de Ferriers, inherited both Henry's English and Norman lands, but the loss of Normandy to the King of France led to a division of the estate, with the Norman properties continuing through his son Henry to a line of lords of Ferriers and Chambrais that only went extinct in 1504, while Lechlade and Oakham passed via his daughter Isabel to the Mortimers of Wigmore. [8]
Due to the etymology of their surname, sources[ citation needed ] say that the early heraldic device of the de Ferrers family was a horse-shoe, or six black ones on a white background, blazoned: Argent, six horseshoes sable. However Fox-Davies in his Complete Guide to Heraldry (1909) suggests that these were in fact the arms of the Marshal family, the ancient military office of marshal being responsible for the care (and thus shoeing) of war-horses [9] - the first wife of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby, by whom he had only daughters, was Sibyl Marshal, a daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. In reality the arms adopted by the de Ferrers family at the start of the age of heraldry (c.1200-1215) were: Vairy, or and gules. However William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (c.1193-1254) added to his paternal arms A bordure azure (or sable) charged with eight horseshoes argent, [4] perhaps as a mark of difference.
At Oakham Castle in Rutland, built in 1180/90, ceremonial horseshoes are still presented today by prominent visitors in honour of the de Ferrers family, described in James Wright's 1684 History and Antiquities of the County of Rutland: [10]
The Lord of the castle and manor of Okeham for the time being claims by prescription a Franchise or Royalty very rare and of singular note, viz. : That the first time any Peer of this Kingdom shall happen to pass through the precincts of this Lordship, he shall forfeit as a Homage a Shoe from the Horse on which he rideth unless he redeem it with money. The true Original of which custome I have not been able on my utmost endeavour to discover. But that such is, and time out of mind hath been, the Usage, appears by several Monumental Horseshoes (some gilded and of curious Workmanship) nail'd upon the Castle Hall Door.
Many survive, each inscribed with the name and title of the peer who presented it. Many bear crests and coronets, the so-called "Golden Shoe" (taken off Lord Willoughby de Eresby's favourite horse "Clinker") was "once abstracted by some ingenious thief who mistook the gilding for gold; but returned it in a railway parcel on discovering his error". [11]
In lieu of his paternal arms, the first Baron Ferrers of Groby adopted his maternal arms Gules, seven mascles or conjoined 3:3:1, the arms of de Quincy. [12]
Earl of Derby is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert 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 the Derby title were then held by the family of Henry III. The title merged in the Crown upon Henry IV's accession to the throne in 1399.
Viscount Hereford is the oldest extant viscountcy in the Peerage of England, making the holder the Premier Viscount of England. The title was created in 1550 for Walter Devereux, 10th Baron Ferrers of Chartley.
Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley of Astwell Castle, Northamptonshire. In 1611 he was created a Baronet, of Staunton Harold in the County of Leicester, in the Baronetage of England. He was succeeded by his son Henry, the second Baronet, who married Lady Dorothy Devereux, daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. On the death of her brother Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, she became the youngest co-heir to the baronies of Ferrers of Chartley and the barony of Bourchier, which had fallen into abeyance on the death of the third Earl. Shirley was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Baronet. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Baronet. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London by Cromwell and died there in 1656. On his death the title passed to his eldest son, the fifth Baronet. He died at an early age and was succeeded at birth by his posthumous son, the sixth Baronet.
Robert Ferrers of Wem. He was born in Willisham, Suffolk.
William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby of Chartley Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and major landowner, unable through illness to take much part in national affairs. From his two marriages, he left numerous children who married into noble and royal families of England, France, Scotland and Wales.
Baron Ferrers of Groby was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ on 29 December 1299 when William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby was summoned to parliament. He was the son of Sir William de Ferrers, Knt., of Groby, Leicestershire, (d.1287) by his first wife Anne Durward, 2nd daughter of Alan Durward and his wife Margery of Scotland, and grandson of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby. The first Baron was married to Ellen de Menteith, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Menteith. In 1475 the eighth baron was created the Marquess of Dorset, and the barony in effect merged with the marquessate. It was forfeited along with the marquessate when the third marquess was attainted in 1554.
Baron Boteler was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England.
The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on 6 February 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants became Earls of Essex and the peerage was forfeited in 1601 on the attainder of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, but restored to his son Robert in 1604, on whose death in 1646 the peerage fell into abeyance. The abeyance was terminated in 1677 when Robert Shirley, a grandson of one of the sisters of the 3rd Earl of Essex, was summoned as Lord Ferrers of Chartley with precedence to the original creation. In 1711, Shirley was created the 1st Earl Ferrers, but the Earldom and Barony separated at his death, the barony going to Elizabeth Shirley, the daughter of his eldest son, while the earldom went to his second son. On the 1741 death of Elizabeth Shirley, 15th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley and wife of the Earl of Northampton, the peerage again briefly fell into an abeyance that was resolved in 1749 by the death of two of the three heiresses, leaving the surviving daughter, Charlotte Compton, wife of the Marquess Townshend, as 16th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley. The barony continued, merged with the marquessate, until the death of George Ferrars Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend in 1855, when it again fell into abeyance between his two sisters and their heirs. It remains in abeyance.
Walter Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, KG was an English nobleman and a loyal supporter of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the inner circle of King Edward IV, and died fighting for Edward's younger brother, King Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
Margaret de Audley,suo jure2nd Baroness Audley and Countess of Stafford was an English noblewoman. She was the only daughter of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester, by his wife Lady Margaret de Clare. Her mother was the daughter of Joan of Acre, Princess of England; thus making Margaret a great-granddaughter of King Edward I by his first consort, Eleanor of Castile. As the only daughter and heiress of her father, she succeeded to the title of 2nd Baroness Audley [E., 1317] on 10 November 1347.
Walter Devereux, 10th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Viscount Hereford, KG was an English courtier and parliamentarian.
Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby (1239–1279) was an English nobleman.
Robert de Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley, was the son of John de Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Chartley and Hawise de Muscegros, a daughter of Robert de Muscegros.
Henry Percy, 9th Baron Percy of Topcliffe, 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick was the son of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick, and Eleanor Fitzalan, daughter of Sir Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel, and sister of Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel.
Baron Astley (1295) was created by writ of summons dated 23 June 1295 for a family which had lived at Astley, Warwickshire, England since the time of Henry I. Sir Thomas de Astley who was killed in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 married twice. From Sir Thomas's first marriage to Joan de Blois descended the Barons Astley.
William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby was an English peer who lived under two kings, Edward I and Edward II. His baronial caput was Groby in Leicestershire.
Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers was the son of William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby and his wife Ellen. Henry Ferrers has been described by one recent historian as "arguably the most successful member of his family" on account of his being the only one, in six generations, to have succeeded to his patrimony as an adult, thus "protecting his inheritance from the hazards of wardship".
William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby (1333–1371) was a Leicestershire-based nobleman in fourteenth-century England who took part in some of the major campaigns of the first part of the Hundred Years' War. The eldest of two sons to Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby (d. 1343), and Isabel de Verdun, daughter of Theobald de Verdun, 2nd Baron Verdun, William was ten years old when he succeeded his father to the Barony.
Henry Ferrers, 4th Baron Ferrers of Groby (1356–1388) was a fourteenth-century English nobleman. He was a professional soldier, taking part in a number of campaigns during the reign of Richard II, served on several royal commissions, was a justice of the peace and a member of parliament.
William de Ferrers (1240-1287) of Groby Castle in Leicestershire was the younger son of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (c.1193-1254) of Chartley Castle in Staffordshire, by his second wife Margaret de Quincy, daughter and heiress of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester (c.1195-1264). He founded the line of Ferrers of Groby, having been given Groby Castle by his mother Margaret de Quincy. Having rebelled against King Henry III, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Northampton in 1264, but was later pardoned. In 1282 He was with King Edward I in the Army of Wales.
