Earl of Derby
The
Earl of Derby is a title in the
Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by the Ferrers family under a creation of
1139, until forfeited and held by the family of
Henry III under a creation of
1337. It became extinct upon
Edward III's accession to the throne. It was then created for the Stanley family in
1485.
Lord Derby's subsidiary titles are
Baron Stanley, of Bickerstaffe in the
County Palatine of Lancaster (created
1844), and
Baron Stanley of Preston, in the County Palatine of Lancaster (
1886). The 1st to 5th Earls also held an earlier
Barony of Stanley, created for the 1st Earl's father in
1456 and currently abeyant; the 2nd to 5th Earls held the
Barony of Strange created in
1299, currently held by the
Viscounts St Davids; and the 7th to 9th Earls held another Barony of Strange, created in error in
1628 and currently held independently of other peerages.
The
courtesy title of the Heir Apparent is
Lord Stanley.
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. They were at time one of the richest landowning families in England.
"Ferrer" is
Norman French and means "to bind with iron" or " to shoe a horse" (cf.
farrier). Ferrières in
Normandy, the hometown of the de Ferrers family, was an important centre for ironwork. The Ferrers coat of arms shows six black
horseshoes on a silver background. They were descended from Henry de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Ferrières, Lord of
Longueville,
Normandy, and a
Domesday Commissioner; he built
Tutbury Castle and
Duffield Castle and had large holdings in Derbyshire as well as 17 other counties.
Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, 2nd Earl of Ferrières (
1062-
1139) was created Earl of Derby by King Stephen in
1138 for his valiant conduct at the Battle of Northallerton. He was married to Hawise de Vitre and died in
1139.
His son
Robert de Ferrers (?-bef.
1160) became the next earl and was married to
Margaret Peverel. He founded
Darley Abbey and
Merivale Abbey.
His son
William de Ferrers (?-
1190) was married to Sybil de Braose. He rebelled against King
Henry II and was imprisoned at
Caen,
Normandy. He died in the
Crusades at the
Siege of Acre.
He was succeeded by his son
William de Ferrers (?-
1247) who married Agnes de Keveliok, daughter of the
Earl of Chester.
He was succeeded by his son
William de Ferrers (?-
1254) who married Sibyl Marshall and then Margaret De Quency with whom he had his son and heir
Robert de Ferrers (
1239-
1279), who became the next Earl.
He rebelled against King
Henry III and was arrested and imprisoned first in the
Tower of London, then in
Windsor Castle, and his lands and earldom were forfeited, including Tutbury Castle which still belongs to the
Duchy of Lancaster. The line eventually gave rise to the
Earls Ferrers.
Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, was the only Peer of the Realm to be
hanged for murder.
The large estates which were taken from Robert in
1266 were given by Henry III to his son,
Edmund Crouchback; and his son,
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster also called himself Earl Ferrers. In
1337 Edmund's grandson,
Henry of Grosmont (c.
1299-
1361), afterwards
Duke of Lancaster, was created Earl of Derby, and this title was taken by Edward III's son,
John of Gaunt, who had married Henry's daughter, Blanche. John of Gaunt's son and successor was
Henry Bolingbroke, who acceded to the throne as Henry IV in
1399. The title Earl of Derby fell into disuse.
The Stanley family was descended from Adam de Aldithley who accompanied
William the Conqueror to
England. One of his descendants married an heiress whose marriage portion included
Stoneley,
Derbyshire - hence the name Stanley.
Thomas Stanley (c.
1435-
1504) married Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King
Henry VII, also Eleanor Nevill. The title of Earl of Derby was conferred on him in
1485 by Henry VII after the
Battle of Bosworth Field where Thomas decided not to support King
Richard III. He was succeeded by his grandson
Thomas Stanley (
1484 - bef.
1521) He married Anne Hastings, daughter of Lord Hungerford and Hastings. The 2nd Earl's brother James Stanley (? - bef.
1497), of Cross Hall,
Lathom, was the ancestor of the 11th Earl. This line is known as the "
Stanleys of Bickerstaffe". James Stanley became Bishop of
Ely. He sent a small army into the
Battle of Flodden Field, commanded by his son, Sir John Stanley who later entered a
monastery.
The second earl's son
Edward Stanley (
1509-
1572) became the 3rd earl. He was married four times. His second wife Dorothy Howard, daughter of
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk supplied the heir
Henry Stanley (
1531-
1593). He married Margaret Clifford, daughter of
Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland. Both his sons succeeded to the earldom.
Ferdinando Stanley (
1559-
1594) built
Leasowe Castle. He married Alice Spencer, but was without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother
William Stanley (
1561-
1642). William married Elizabeth de Vere daughter of
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (
1550-
1604). Their son
James Stanley (
1607-
1651) succeeded to the earldom on his father's death. James was a staunch Royalist. In
1643 he moved to the
Isle of Man and established it as a Royalist stronghold. He was beheaded by the Parliament forces. His wife was
Charlotte de la Trémouille (?-
1663) daughter of Claude de la Trémoille, Duc de Thouars, is known as the heroine who defended
Lathom House in
1644 and the
Isle of Man in
1651. Their son
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (
1628-
1672) became the 8th Earl. He had two sons; who both succeeded to the earldom. He married Dorothea Helena Kirkhoven, daughter of Baron Rupa of the Netherlands. The 8th Earl's eldest son
William Richard George Stanley (
1655-
1702) became the 9th Earl. He married Elizabeth Butler, daughter of
Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory (
1634-
1680), and sister of
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (
1665-
1745). He had two daughters and one son but he outlived his son and was succeeded by his younger brother.
James Stanley (
1664-
1736). James had one son who died in infancy. When the 10th Earl died the line died out, and the earldom passed to the "Stanleys of Bickerstaffe".
Edward Stanley, 11th Earl of Derby (
1689-
1776) was descended from the brother of the 2nd Earl, and he succeeded to the earldom in
1736. He married Elizabeth Hesketh. His residence was
Bickerstaffe Hall near
Ormskirk,
Lancashire, and he became
Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, and
Member of Parliament for the County of Lancaster. The 11th Earl's younger brother was the Hon. and Rev. John Stanley, Rector of
Bury Parish Church
1743-
1778. Edward's eldest son, James, Lord Stanley was commonly called Lord Strange. Edward outlived James (who died in
1771) and he was succeeded by James' son
Edward Smith-Stanley (
1752-
1834). The 12th Earl founded the
Epsom Derby horse-race. He married Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of the Sir
James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton. His second marriage was to a Drury Lane actress, Elizabeth Farren. The 12th Earl's first marriage produced his heir
Edward Stanley (
1775-
1851). He was a politician and natural historian. His zoological collections founded
Liverpool Museum. He was also a patron of the arts, especially of the poet
Edward Lear who wrote
The Owl and the Pussycat for the Earl's children. He was married to Charlotte Hornby. In
1844, he had a church built on the Knowsley Estate, St. Mary the Virgin, where several Stanleys found their final resting place.
His son,
Edward Smith-Stanley (
1799-
1869), succeeded him to become the 14th Earl. He became Member of Parliament for Stockbridge, a seat bought by his father. Although a
Whig, he became a member of the
Tory government. He was
Prime Minister three times, and he procured several government appointments for his son and heir. He was married to Emma Wilbraham daughter of
Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. They had a daughter and two sons, both of whom succeeded to the earldom. The eldest son
Edward Henry Stanley (
1826-
1893) was Member of Parliament for
King's Lynn. His father, as Prime Minister, gave him the jobs of Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Colonial Secretary and Foreign Secretary. He became Foreign Secretary again under
Benjamin Disraeli and Colonial Secretary under
William Ewart Gladstone. His brother
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (
1841-
1908) was married to Lady Constance Villiers, daughter of
George William Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon. He was the Member of Parliament for Preston and held the office of
Governor-General of Canada between
1888 and
1893. In 1892, he purchased and donated the
Stanley Cup, to be awarded to the "championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada" each year. He was succeeded by his son
Edward George Villiers Stanley (
1865-
1948) who married Alice Montagu daughter of
William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester. A pair of Memorial Gates were erected in
1958 on Knowsley Lane on the Knowsley Estate in his memory. He outlived his eldest son
Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley (
1894-
1938) who was known as Lord Stanley and was succeeded by grandson
Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby (
1918-
1994) who became the 18th Earl. He established
Knowsley Safari Park in
1971. He married to Isabel Miles-Lade, but was without issue. He was succeeded by
Edward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby (born
October 10,
1962) the son of Hugh Henry Montagu Stanley (
1926-
1971), the younger brother of the 18th Earl. He is married to the Hon. Caroline Neville. The heir to the earldom is Edward John Robin Stanley, Lord Bickerstaffe (born
April 21,
1998).
The Earl of Derby owns
Knowsley Hall and
Greenhalgh Castle; they were the
Lords of Mann, i.e. the
Isle of Man.
Several Earls of Derby are buried in St. Mary's Church, Knowsley. Others are buried in the Derby Chapel at
Ormskirk Parish Church.
*
Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby (
1062-
1139)
*
Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby (d.
1162)
*
William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby (d.
1190)
*
William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (d.
1247)
*
William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (d.
1254)
*
Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby (
1239-
1279)
*
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Earl of Derby (d.
1360)
*
John of Gaunt, 2nd Earl of Derby (
1340-
1399)
*
Henry Bolingbroke, 3rd Earl of Derby (
1367-
1413) (became King in 1399)
*
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (c.
1435-
1504)
*
Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby (
1497-bef.
1521)
*
Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby (c.
1508-
1572)
*
Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby (
1531-
1593)
*
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (
1559-
1594)
*
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (bef.
1584-
1642)
*
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (
1607-
1651)
*
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (
1628-
1672)
*
William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby (
1655-
1702)
*
James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby (
1664-
1736)
*
Edward Stanley, 11th Earl of Derby (
1689-
1776)
**
James Smith-Stanley, Lord Strange (
1717-
1771)
*
Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (
1752-
1834)
*
Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (
1775-
1851)
*
Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (
1799-
1869)
*
Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (
1826-
1893)
*
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (
1841-
1908)
*
Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby (
1865-
1948)
**
Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, Lord Stanley (
1894-
1938)
*
Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby (
1918-
1994)
*
Edward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby (b.
1962)
**
Edward John Robin Stanley, Lord Stanley (born
1998)
*Coward, Barry.
The Stanleys, Lords Stanley, and Earls of Derby, 1385â€"1672: The Origins, Wealth, and Power of a Landowning Family. (Remains Historical and Literary Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester, 3d series, vol. 30) Manchester University Press (for the Chetham Society), 1983.
