Earl of Lichfield

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Earl of Lichfield is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created twice previously in the Peerage of England.

The subsidiary titles of the present Earl of Lichfield are Viscount Anson, of Shugborough and Orgrave in the County of Suffolk, and Baron Soberton, of Soberton in the County of Southampton. Both are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and were created on 17 February 1806. The courtesy title of the eldest son and heir of the Earl is "Viscount Anson".

The fifth Earl, Thomas Patrick John Anson, was more commonly known as the society photographer Patrick Lichfield. He died at the age of 66 on November 11, 2005 after suffering a major stroke.

The family seat is Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire, which is about 15 miles from the city of Lichfield.

1 History
2 Earls of Lichfield, First Creation (1645)
3 Earls of Lichfield, Second Creation (1674)
4 Viscounts Anson (1806)
5 Earls of Lichfield, Third Creation (1831)

[edit] History

Lord Bernard Stewart, youngest son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, was to be created Earl of Lichfield by King Charles I for his actions at the battles of Newbury and Naseby but died before the creation could implemented. Charles Stewart (1639-1672), the son of Bernard's younger brother George, who had been killed at the Battle of Edgehill, was instead created Earl of Lichfield in December 1645, soon after the Battle of Rowton Heath. Charles' cousin, who held the titles of Duke of Richmond and Earl of Lennox through the 1st Duke of Lennox's eldest son James, died aged 11 in 1660 with Charles as his heir. He married Frances Teresa Stuart, the celebrated beauty and alleged former mistress of King Charles II. In disgrace with the king, Charles was sent into exile as ambassador to Denmark, where he drowned in December 12, 1672. All of the English and Scottish titles that had been bestowed upon the male heirs became extinct.

In 1674, King Charles II created Sir Edward Henry Lee Bt, Viscount Quarendon and Earl of Lichfield. {Edward Henry Lee was a descendant of Henry Lee of Ditchley}. The Earl married Charlotte Fitzroy in 1667. She was the illegitimate daughter of the King and Barbara Villiers. Their eldest son George Henry Lee (1690-1742) passed the title onto his son George Henry Lee (1718-1772) who died without issue. The last male heir of the Lees of Quarendon, was Edward's only surviving son Robert and when Robert died childless, the title became extinct once more.

George Anson (1697- 1762), joined the Royal Navy in 1712 and by 1722 had risen to Captain. During the War of the Austrian Succession he commanded HMS Centurian on a mission to harass and capture Spanish ships en route from Acapulco to the Philippines. Anson returned to England in 1744 having captured the Señora de Cavadonga a galleon containing an immense amount of treasure worth around £500,000. His new wealth bought him status and privileges and he rose to become Admiral of the Fleet. George's elder brother, Thomas, had succeeded to the family estate in 1720 and served as Member of Parliament for Lichfield from 1747. Thomas inherited all his brother's enormous fortune and died unmarried in 1773. The family estate of Shugborough was left to his sister's son, George Adams of Orgreave. George Adams legally adopted the name of Anson on April 30, 1773 and in 1806 his son was created Viscount Anson. His grandson Thomas was created Earl of Lichfield in the 1831 coronation honours of King William IV.