Stanley family

Last updated

Knowsley Hall, the west front view in 1829 KnowsleyHallWestFrontJonesViews1829.jpg
Knowsley Hall, the west front view in 1829
Knowsley Hall, seat of the Earls of Derby, Stanley family, 1829 KnowsleyHallJonesViews1829.jpg
Knowsley Hall, seat of the Earls of Derby, Stanley family, 1829

The Stanley family (or Audley-Stanley family) is an English family with many notable members, including the Earls of Derby and the Barons Audley who descended from the early holders of Audley and Stanley, Staffordshire. The two branches of the Audley family were made Barons Audley but both ended in the male line in the 14th century, after which their considerable estates were passed to a number of female heiresses, while the Stanleys would be elevated in the 15th century first to Barons Stanley and then Earls of Derby, a title they continue to hold.

Contents

The use of "Stanley" as a first name began with political followers of the family.

Origins

The earliest documented members of the related Audley and Stanley families are two apparent brothers, Ligulf de Aldelegha and Adam de Standlega, who during the reigns of kings Stephen and Henry II appear to have divided the Audley, Staffordshire, lands that at the time of the 1086 Domesday survey had been the holdings of a man named Gamel, though no familial relationship with their predecessor is known.

The parentage of Ligulf and Adam is unknown, though the English name of the former suggests they had Anglo-Saxon roots. Later descendants, during a period when it came to be socially prestigious, would fabricate a Norman origin for their family, pushing Ligulf and Adam back in time and presenting them as sons of a fictitious Adam, follower of William the Conqueror and lord of an equally fictitious 'Aldithley in Normandy', despite Ligulf's non-Norman name and the English etymology of 'Aldithley'.

Later, as pre-Norman ancestry came into vogue, the Stanleys would invent a maternal descent from a fantastical Anglo-Saxon living a half-century before the conquest, yet improbably bearing the Norman name of 'William' de Stanley. It is uncertain how Stanley, Staffordshire, about 9 miles from Audley and not part of Gamel's Domesday holdings, came to be in the possession of Ligulf's son Adam de Aldelegha, ancestor of the Audleys, before he granted it to his cousin William, son of Adam's uncle Adam de Standlegha, the Stanley ancestor. [1]

Audley

Garter stall plate of Lord Chancellor, Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, at St George's Chapel, at Windsor Castle GarterStallPlate ThomasAudley 1stBaronAudleyOfWalden.png
Garter stall plate of Lord Chancellor, Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, at St George's Chapel, at Windsor Castle

The extended Audley family, originally of Audley Castle but who later built (or re-built) Heighley Castle, Madeley, Staffordshire in 1226, had several additional households including Red Castle at Hawkstone in Shropshire, Buglawton Manor in Congleton, Newhall Tower at Newhall, Cheshire [2] and a home in Nantwich. [3] In the early 12th century Adam's grandson William married Joan de Stanley heiress of Stoneleigh, Staffordshire thereby becoming William de Stanley of Stoneleigh. This branch of the Audley thus took the name Stanley and Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby was a direct descendant.

The main line of the Audley family, who had become Baron Audley in 1313, failed in 1391 when Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley died without a male heir. His sister Joanne married Sir John Tuchet (b 1327) for whose descendant John Tuchet (b 1371) the title of 4th Baron Audley was granted in 1408. He was succeeded by his son James Touchet, 5th Baron Audley. Later generations of the Tuchets became Earl of Castlehaven.

Another branch of the Audley family was created by Hugh Audley of Stratton Audley, Baron Audley from 1317, whose son became 1st Earl of Gloucester. His daughter and heir Margaret de Audley, 2nd Baroness Audley, was abducted by Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, to become his second wife, which despite some scandal, the king allowed.

Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden KG, PC, KS (c. 1488 – 30 April 1544), son of Geoffrey Audley of Earl's Colne Essex, and presumed to have been a scion of this family, an English barrister and judge who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1533 to 1544, and earlier Speaker of the House of Commons. He left no sons and his estates passed via his daughter Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk to the Howard family.

Stanley

Hooton Hall, estate of the Stanley family of Flintshire, Storeton, Eastham, Burton and others Hooton Hall, Stanley family, was demolished.jpg
Hooton Hall, estate of the Stanley family of Flintshire, Storeton, Eastham, Burton and others

The younger branch of the family elevated their status through several beneficial marriages. In the late 13th century, William de Stanleye married one of the coheiresses of Philip de Baumvill. [1] A century later, the family split into two branches, with the elder son William inheriting the Baumvill-derived family seat at Stourton, Cheshire and by marriage acquiring near-by Hooton, from whom derived the senior branch of the family that came to be referred to as the Stanelys of Hooton.

The younger son, Sir John Stanley, in 1385 married rich heiress Isabella de Lathom, daughter of Thomas Lathom of Lathom, Lancashire. [4] He subsequently became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and King of Mann, a title reflecting the special status of the Isle of Man, which with its successor title Lord of Mann the family would hold with some gaps from 1405 to 1736, when it was sold back to the Crown.

Sir John's grandson, Thomas Stanley, would become Baron Stanley in 1456, while the latter's son became Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby in 1485. The senior branch of the Stanley Earls failed with the death of James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby in 1735, having been predeceased by his only son, and the earldom was inherited by a remote kinsman, his patrilineal sixth-cousin Edward Stanley, 5th Baronet Stanley, whose line, descended from a younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Derby, had been made Baronets Stanley of Bickerstaffe in 1623. This line still holds the Derby earldom, with the incumbent, Edward Stanley, being the 19th Earl. The branch of the Stanleys leading to the peers would also spawn numerous junior branches.

Conservative Party

Several successive generations of the Stanley Earls, along with other members of the family, have been prominent members of the Conservative Party, and at least one historian has suggested that this family rivals the Cecils (Marquesses of Salisbury) as the single most important family in the party's history.

Coats of arms

Audley Family Arms:

Arms of the Stanley Family descended from the Audley Family:

See also

Sir James Audley, was among the first founders of the Noble Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry JamesDeAudley BrugesGarterBook.jpg
Sir James Audley, was among the first founders of the Noble Order of the Garter , an order of chivalry
Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby, the Earl is given a major role in William Shakespeare's play named Richard III 2ndEarlOfDerby.jpg
Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby, the Earl is given a major role in William Shakespeare's play named Richard III
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, patron of William Shakespeare Fernando Stanley.jpg
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, patron of William Shakespeare

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby</span> English nobleman

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was an English nobleman. He was the stepfather of King Henry VII of England. He was the eldest son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley and Joan Goushill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Derby</span> Title in the Peerage of England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Audley</span>

Baron Audley is a title in the Peerage of England first created in 1313, by writ to the Parliament of England, for Sir Nicholas Audley of Heighley Castle, a member of the Anglo-Norman Audley family of Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Strange</span> Title in the Peerage of England

Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that of 1628, are extant. The surname Le Strange was Latinized as Extraneus. The arms of Le Strange of Knockin Castle in Shropshire were: Gules, two lions passant argent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley</span> English peer

James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet of Heleigh Castle was an English peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stanley (KG)</span> English knight and statesman

Sir John Stanley, KG of Lathom, near Ormskirk in Lancashire, was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and titular King of Mann, the first of that name. He married a wealthy heiress, Isabel Lathom, which, combined with his own great abilities, allowed him to rise above the usual status of a younger son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford</span> 14th-century English nobleman

Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford, KG, of Stafford Castle and Madeley Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and a notable soldier during the Hundred Years' War against France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Audley (died 1369)</span> Founder knight of the Order of the Garter (1318–1369)

Sir James Audley, KG was one of the original knights, or founders, of the Order of the Garter. He was the eldest son of Sir James Audley of Audley in Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby</span> English nobleman and politician (1607–1651)

James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He was feudal Lord of the Isle of Man, where he was known as "Yn Stanlagh Mooar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford</span> English nobleman (1501–1563)

Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford was an English nobleman. After the execution for treason in 1521 and posthumous attainder of his father Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, with the forfeiture of all the family's estates and titles, he managed to regain some of his family's position and was created Baron Stafford in 1547. However his family never truly recovered from the blow and thenceforward gradually declined into obscurity, with his descendant the 6th Baron being requested by King Charles I in 1639 to surrender the barony on account of his poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby</span>

Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby, born Charlotte de La Trémoille, is famous for her robust defence of Lathom House during the English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lathom House</span>

Lathom House was a large country house in the parish of Lathom in Lancashire, England. Built between 1725 and 1740, the main block was demolished in 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley</span> English nobleman

Sir Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley, titular King of Mann, KG, of Lathom and Knowsley, Lancashire, was a Privy Councillor, Comptroller of the Royal Household, Lieutenant-Governor of Ireland (1431–36), Chief Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster, Knight of the Shire for Lancashire, Constable & Justice of Chester, Chamberlain of North Wales, Lord Chamberlain (1455), and from 15 January 1456 was summoned by Writ to Parliament as Lord Stanley.

Events from the year 1459 in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley</span> English nobleman

Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley was born at Heighley Castle, Staffordshire, England to James Audley, 2nd Baron Audley, and was his only surviving son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Audley, 2nd Baron Audley</span> 14th century English peer

James Audley, 2nd Baron Audley of Heighley Castle, Staffordshire, was an English peer. He was the son and heir of Nicholas Audley, 1st Baron Audley (1289–1316) by his wife Joan Martin, who was the daughter of William Martin, feudal baron of Barnstaple, and Marcher Lord of Kemes. She was posthumously the eventual sole heiress of her brother William FitzMartin to Barnstaple and Kemes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeley Old Manor</span>

Madeley Old Manor, was a medieval fortified manor house in the parish of Madeley, Staffordshire. It is now a ruin, with only fragments of its walls remaining. The remnants have Grade II listed building status and the site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Tudor manor house is illustrated by Michael Burghers as it appeared in 1686 in Plot's History of Staffordshire, together with the formal gardens and a later east frontage. It is situated a short distance to the south of Heighley Castle, a mediaeval seat of the Audley family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby</span> English noblewoman

Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby was an English noblewoman from the Spencer family and noted patron of the arts. Poet Edmund Spenser represented her as "Amaryllis" in his eclogue Colin Clouts Come Home Againe (1595) and dedicated his poem The Teares of the Muses (1591) to her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feudal barony of Barnstaple</span> English barony, established AD 1066

From AD 1066, the feudal barony of Barnstaple was a large feudal barony with its caput at the town of Barnstaple in north Devon, England. It was one of eight feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed in the Middle Ages. In 1236 it comprised 56 knight's fees or individual member manors. The feudal service owed for half the barony in 1274 was the provision to the royal army of two knights or four sergeants for forty days per annum, later commuted to scutage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feudal barony of Dunster</span> English feudal barony

The feudal barony of Dunster was an English feudal barony with its caput at Dunster Castle in Somerset. During the reign of King Henry I (1100–1135) the barony comprised forty knight's fees and was later enlarged. In about 1150 the manors retained in demesne were Dunster, Minehead, Cutcombe, Kilton and Carhampton in Somerset, and Ham in Dorset.

References

  1. 1 2 Round, John Horace. Some 'Saxon' Houses. Vol. 2. pp. 1-133 at 26-36.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. "Newhall Tower". pastscape.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. madeleyvillage.co.uk Archived June 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. History of the House of Stanley - Seacombe