This is the second part of my article on this family: an introduction and an account of the family seats at Aldenham Park and Acton Round Hall can be found in part 1.
The Actons of Aldenham
Acton, Thomas (1415-80) of Longnor and Aldenham. Elder son of William Acton of Longnor (d. before 1443) and his wife, born 1415. A lawyer at the Temple and member of the Vintners company in London; JP for Shropshire; MP for Bletchingley (Surrey), 1449, Arundel (Sussex) 1450-51 and Shropshire, 1459; a supporter of the Yorkist faction who served on the commission of array in 1459 and accompanied King Edward IV on his campaign to beseige Lancastrian castles in the north of England in 1462. He married 1st, 1449, Mary Horde, and 2nd, Joan, daughter and heiress of Thomas Downton, and had issue:
(1.1) Thomas Acton of Longnor (1453-1514), m. Joan (surname unknown), who married secondly his first cousin, Edmond Acton (d. 1534);
(1.2) John Acton (c.1455-1508) (q.v.);
(1.3) Richard Acton (b. after 1455), m. Jo (surname unknown) and had issue 1 daughter;
(1.4) Katherine Acton, m. John Butler.
He inherited an estate at Longnor (Shropshire) from his father before 1443 and purchased the Aldenham (Shropshire) estate in 1465.
He died 8 February 1480, aged about 65. His widow married secondly William Wood of Waverley (Worcs) and died in 1539.
Acton, John (c.1455-1508), of Aldenham. Second son of Thomas Acton (1415-80) and his first wife Mary Horde, born about 1455. He married Benedicta (known as Bennet), daughter of Roger Knight of Shrewsbury and had issue:
(1) Thomas Acton (d. c.1534) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton (fl. 1534) of London;
(3) Humfrey Acton (d. before 1537);
(4) Robert Acton (d. before 1529), m. and had issue a son;
(5) Eleanor Acton, m. Thomas Gatacre (d. 1499) of Gatacre Hall (Shropshire).
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1480.
He died at Bishopsgate in London in 1508, aged about 53.
Acton, Thomas (d. c.1534), of Aldenham. Eldest son of John Acton (c.1455-1508) of Aldenham and his wife Bennet, daughter of Roger Knight of Shrewsbury. Servant to the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. He married Elizabeth Dryland, sister of Anthony Dryland and had issue:
(1) Griffith Acton (d. before 1534), of Longnor and Aldenham, m. a daughter of George Harbores
(2) William Acton (c. 1510-67) (q.v.).
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1508.
He died about 1534.
Acton, William (c.1510-67), of Aldenham. Second but only surviving son of Thomas Acton (d. c.1534) and his wife Elizabeth Dryland; born before 1513. MP for Bridgnorth, 1554 and 1555. He was an ironmaster with mills at Morville (Shropshire) and in 1561 was licensed to fell trees in Shirlett Forest for use as fuel in his works. He married before 1534 Cecily (d. 1581), daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett (Shropshire), and had issue:
(1) Robert Acton (1534-97) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton of London, mercer, m. 1571 Margaret Daniel and had issue a son, later Sir William Acton (d. 1651), 1st and last bt.
(3) Frances Acton (d. 1577), m. 1563 John Billingsley (c.1535-74), eldest son of William Billingsley and had issue;
(4) Rev. Thomas Acton (d. 1615), vicar of 'Helmares';
(5) Roland Acton (d. 1583), died without issue at Newgate;
(6) Rev. John Acton (1554-1624), rector of Wheathill (Shropshire), m. 1594 Anne (known as Agnes) Head (d. 1621) and had issue a daughter;
(7) Francis Acton (d. 1623), m. Bridget Powys;
(8) Mary Acton, m. (forename unknown) Etton of Thornton;
(9) Elizabeth Acton (d. after 1611), m. c.1584 Adam Doddington alias Detton (d. 1611), son of Robert Detton and had issue;
(10) Jane Acton, m. before 1575 Thomas Oseley;
(11) Dorothy Acton, m. John Jones;
(12) Anne Acton, m. John Stringer.
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in about 1534.
He died 7 May 1567, aged about 57.
Acton, Robert (1534-97), of Aldenham. Eldest son of William Acton (c.1510-67) and his wife Cecily, daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett; born 1534. Educated at the Middle Temple (admitted 1552). He married 1569 Bridget Doddington alias Detton, daughter of Robert Detton, and had issue:
(1) Walter Acton (1572-1641) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton (d. 1650) of Dunval Hall (Shropshire), m. at Alberbury (Shropshire) 1613 Margaret, daughter of Michael Lister of Rowton and had issue two sons and six daughters;
(3) Francis Acton, died without issue.
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1567.
He died in 1597.
Acton, Walter (1572-1641) of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Robert Acton (1534-97) of Aldenham Park (Shropshire) and his wife Brigitt, daughter of Robert Doddington alias Detton; baptised 24 April 1572. JP for Shropshire; Escheator for Shropshire, 1610-11; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1630. He married c.1598 his cousin, Frances Acton (c.1580-1632) and had issue:
(1) Sir Edward Acton (1600-59), 1st bt. (q.v.).
He inherited Aldenham Park from his father and Acton Scott Hall in right of his wife. He is thought to have made major alterations to Aldenham Park in the 1620s.
He died in 1641; buried 29 April 1641. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1 June 1641.
Acton, Sir Edward (1600-59), 1st baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Son of Walter Acton (c.1575-1641) and his wife Frances, daughter of Edward Acton of Acton Scott; baptised at Morville, 20 July 1600. MP for Bridgnorth, 1640-44; deprived of his seat as a Royalist. Created a baronet, 17 January 1643/44. In the Civil War he was a Colonel in the Royalist Dragoons and saw action at the Battle of Edgehill and the siege of Bridgnorth Castle (which he surrendered in 1646); compounded for his estates in 1646 for £5,242, later reduced to £2,000. He married c.1620 Sarah (1598-1679), daughter of Richard Mytton of Halston (Shropshire) and had, with an unnamed daughter who died in infancy:
(1) Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(2) Edward Acton (b. 1621/22), baptised 2 January 1622; died young;
(3) Thomas Acton (1623-77), from whom descend the Actons of Gatacre Park;
(4) Frances Acton (1625-26), baptised 13 November 1625; buried 25 May 1626;
(5) Robert Acton (1628-54), baptised 2 November 1628; died without issue and was buried 29 March 1654;
(6) William Acton (1629-59) of Buildwas (Shropshire), draper; baptised 2 March 1629; m. 29 December 1653, Mary (d. 1715), daughter of Arthur Weaver and had issue, one son and one daughter;
(7) Capt. Richard Acton RN (1633-74), baptised 21 April 1633; fought in First and Second Dutch wars; m. Lydia Pearson of London and had issue a daughter; buried 25 April 1674.
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1641. He also bought Gatacre Park after 1655.
He died in 1659 and was buried 29 June 1659. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 20 December 1659.
Acton, Sir Walter (1621-65), 2nd baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir Edward Acton (1600-59) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Richard Mytton of Halston (Shropshire), baptised 2 September 1621. JP for Shropshire, 1660-65; MP for Bridgnorth, 1660-61. He married, before 1648, Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Cound (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Acton (1648-1702), m. Thomas Gatacre and had issue; buried at Claverley 26 February 1702;
(2) Sir Edward Acton, 3rd bt. (1649-1716) (q.v.);
(3) Capt. Walter Acton (1651-1718), m. 1678 Catherine, daughter of Oliver Pocklington MD and had issue ten sons and six daughters, from whom descended the 6th and subsequent baronets - see below;
(4) Richard Acton (1653-1703), vintner and linen draper in London; member of the Royal African Company; m.1, Anne Llewellyn of Bristol and and had issue six sons and two daughters; m.2, 1698, Hester, daughter of Thomas Abrahall of Barking; died 14 March 1703; buried at Acton Round, where is commemorated by a monument erected in 1713 by his widow to the design of Edward Stanton;
(5) William Acton (1654-89), probably author of A new journey of Italy, containing what is most remarkable...; died without issue;
(6) Thomas Acton (1654-85), haberdasher in London; m. 1678 Anne, daughter of Michael Widdrington of Morpeth (Northumberland) and had issue one son;
(7) Robert Acton (1655-c.1694) of Stepney, mercer; nonconformist; m. Hester Coleman (1656-1722) and had issue four sons and one daughter; died before 1695;
(8) Francis Acton (1657-1733), banker of London; director of the South Sea Company, 1712-15; Deputy Governor of Royal African Company, 1721; a strong Tory and possibly banker to Jonathan Swift; died at Putney, 24 August 1733;
(9) Elizabeth Acton, m.1 John Betkin (d. by 1686) and m.2, 1686, Peter Crouch, apothecary and had issue; died after 1695;
(10) Catherine Acton (b. 1664), m.1 Capt. Robert Thomas (1654-91), second son of Sir Robert Thomas, 2nd bt. and m.2, Thomas Evans of London, draper.
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1659.
He died in 1665 and was buried at Morville, 3 September 1665.
Acton, Sir Edward (1649-1716), 3rd baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Elder son of Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt., and his wife Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Cound (Shropshire), baptised 6 February 1649. Educated at Queens College, Oxford (matriculated 1666; BA 1667) and Inner Temple (admitted 1670); a freeman of Bridgnorth from 1673 and of Ludlow from 1697; JP for Shropshire, 1678-88; High Sheriff of Shropshire 1684-85; MP for Bridgnorth 1689-1705; Recorder of Bridgnorth 1686-1716. He married 8 December 1674, Mary (1650-1713), daughter and heiress of John Walter of Elberton (Glos) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Acton (b. 1675), m.1 Thomas Child of Kinlet and had issue; m.2 Rev Robert Philips DD and had further issue;
(2) Sir Whitmore Acton (1678-1732), 4th bt. (q.v.);
(3) Mary Acton (1678-1748), twin to Sir Whitmore Acton;
(4) Frances Acton (1679-1718), m. Rev. Timothy Collins MA; died in childbirth;
(5) Edward Acton (1680-1747) (q.v.);
(6) Elizabeth Acton, m. Richard Fleming of Shadwell and had issue;
(7) Catherine Acton (1684-1743), m. Robert Philips of Meole (Salop) and had issue;
(8) Rev. John Acton LLD (1687-1746), vicar of Clun; m. Beatrix, sister of Richard Fleming of Sibden and Shadwell (Shropshire) and had issue a son, Edward Acton (q.v.).
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1665, and rebuilt Aldenham Park. In 1710 he settled Aldenham on his heir and Acton Scott on his second son, Edward.
He died 28 September 1716; buried at Morville, 4 October 1716 where he is commemorated by a monument. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 31 October 1716.
Acton, Sir Whitmore (1678-1732), 4th baronet, of Acton Round Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir Edward Acton (1649-1716), 3rd bt., and his wife Mary, daughter of John Walter of Elberton (Glos), baptised 1 April 1678; educated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1695) and Middle Temple (admitted 1699); a freeman of Much Wenlock from 1695 and of Ludlow from 1697; Tory MP for Bridgnorth, 1710-13 and contested the seat unsuccessfully in 1727; a member of the October Club; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1728-29. A tall, handsome man who according to Thomas Hearne maintained a mistress while at Oxford; he married c. 1708, Elizabeth (d. 1759), daughter of Matthew Gibbon of Putney (Surrey) and had issue:
(1) Edward Acton (1709-21), baptised 25 January 1709; died unmarried and without issue, 1721;
(2) Sir Richard Acton (1711-91), 5th bt. (q.v.);
(3) Thomas Acton (1713-22), baptised 6 April 1713; buried 28 April 1722;
(4) Hester Acton (1714-20), baptised 29 July 1714; buried 8 March 1720;
(5) Elizabeth Acton (1716-99), baptised 28 May 1716; m. Robert Barnston (1715-83) of Churton (Cheshire), wine merchant; buried at Farndon (Cheshire) 23 November 1799;
(6) John Acton (b. & d. 1717), baptised 5 July and buried December 1717;
(7) Jane Acton (1719-59), baptised 4 April 1719; died unmarried and without issue, 28 May 1759;
(8) Mary Acton (1720-76), born 22 November 1720; m. 6 March 1760 Rev. Samuel Wanley DD (d. 1776), rector of Elmley Lovett (Worcs); died without issue, February 1776;
(9) Walter Acton (1721-22), baptised 20 February 1721; buried 12 May 1722.
He built Acton Round Hall in 1713-14 and inherited Aldenham Park from his father in 1716.
He died 9 January 1732 and was buried 17 January 1732 at Acton Round, where he and his widow are commemorated by a monument erected in 1763 to the design of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.
Acton, Sir Richard (1711-91), 5th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Second, but eldest surviving son of Sir Whitmore Acton (1678-1732), 4th bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew Gibbon of Putney (Surrey), born 1 January 1711. Educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (admitted Fellow-Commoner, 1728/9). A committee member of Bridgnorth racetrack c.1741; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1751-52, but later converted to Catholicism. He married 1744 Lady Anne Grey (d. 1784), daughter of Henry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford, and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Acton (1745-1802), baptised 26 October 1745; m. 18 May 1775 Philip Langdale of Houghton (Yorks) but died without issue, 12 January 1802;
(2) Frances Acton (1749-62), died unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1732 and Acton Round Hall on the death of his mother in 1759. At his death his property and title passed to his distant cousin, Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. (q.v.).
He died 20 November 1791 and was buried at Acton Round, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument.
Acton, Captain Walter (1651-1718) of London. Second son of Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt. and his wife Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett (Shropshire), born July 1751. Mercer for 40 years at the Cow's Face in King Street near Guildhall, London; Steward and one of the Governors of Bethlem and Bridewell Hospitals in London; Common Councilman for Cheap Ward; and one of the commissioners of the lieutenancy in London. He married 1 October 1678 at Brington (Hunts) Catherine (c.1655-1722), daughter of Rev. Oliver Pocklington MD, rector of Brington, and had issue:
(1) Edward Acton (1679-1728) (q.v.);
(2) Walter Acton (1680-85), baptised 13 November 1680; died 15 November 1685;
(3) Katharine Acton (b. & d. 1682), born 10 June and died 22 June 1682;
(4) John Acton (1683-1721), deputy collector of customs at London, baptised 7 August 1683; m. c.1710 Young Steventon (sister of his eldest brother's wife) and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 21 February 1721 and was buried at Camberwell (Surrey);
(5) Walter Acton (1685-86), born 19 December 1685 and died 3 February 1686;
(6) Thomas Acton (1686-92), born 25 December 1686 and died 22 October 1692;
(7) William Acton (b. & d. 1688), born 13 January and died 25 February 1688;
(8) Mary Ann Acton (b. & d. 1689), born 13 October and died 14 December 1689;
(9) Margaret Acton (1690-after 1741), born 2 November 1690; probably died unmarried;
(10) Robert Acton (1691-1734), East India Company factor and merchant; baptised 29 December 1691; married in India but died without issue, 27 November 1734 in a fire on board the Okham on the Hugli River, West Bengal;
(11) Elizabeth Acton (b. & d. 1693), baptised 27 March and died April 1693;
(12) Anne Acton (1694-1740), born 21 August 1694; m. John Hopwood of London and had issue; died 19 October 1740;
(13) Oliver Acton (1695-1754), attorney at Court of Common Pleas; baptised 28 November 1695; Steward of Christ's, St. Thomas's and Bridewell Hospitals; member of Goldsmiths company; died unmarried and without issue, 1754;
(14) Nicholas Acton (1697-99), born 30 October 1697; died 5 July 1699;
(15) Frances Acton (1699-1771), born 30 July 1699; m. Thomas Goddard of London, apothecary and had issue; died 20 September 1771;
(16) Charles Acton (b. 1701); born 17 May 1701 but died young.
He died 11 March 1718.
Acton, Edward (1679-1728) of London. Eldest son of Capt. Walter Acton (1651-1718) and his wife Catherine, daughter of Rev. Dr. Oliver Pocklington of Brington (Hunts), born 11 November 1679. Goldsmith and banker in Birchin Lane, London. He married Catherine (c.1660-1715), daughter of John Steventon of Dodhill (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Catherine Acton (1708-74), born 21 May 1708; m. 25 October 1744 John Darrell (1708-68) of London, banker, son of Edward Darrell of Putney (Surrey) and had issue; died 19 November 1774 and was buried in Bath Abbey, 24 November 1774;
(2) Dr. Edward Acton (1709-81) (q.v.);
(3) John Acton (1710-66), born 22 August 1710; became a Catholic convert; Commodore-in-Chief of the Adriatic fleet of the Holy Roman Empire; knight of the Order of St. Stephen; plotted with James Mill to capture Bengal for the Holy Roman Emperor, 1747; died unmarried at Pisa (Italy), 9 November 1766 and was buried in S. Vito, Pisa;
(4) Philip Acton (b. 1711), born 4 December 1711 but died young.
He died 3 May 1728 and was buried at Camberwell (Surrey).
Acton, Dr. Edward (1709-81) of Besançon, France. Eldest son of Edward Acton (1679-1728) of London, goldsmith, and his wife Catherine, daughter of John Steventon of Dodhill (Shropshire), born 11 June 1709. Educated by Samuel Palmer at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London and qualified as MD; went to Besançon to treat a sick friend; converted to Catholicism and married 5 July 1735 Anne-Cathérine (1714-87), daughter of Philippe Loys of Besançon and had issue:
(1) Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. (q.v.);
(2) Lt-Gen. Joseph Edward Acton (1737-1830), born 1 October 1737; entered the service of the King of Naples and rose to rank of Lieutenant-General; Governor of Gaeta; wounded at Battle of Rossbach; ennobled as Patrician of Naples; m. Countess Eleanora Berghe von Trips of Dusseldorf, daughter of Count Franz Adolf Anselm von Berghe von Trips of Burg Hammersbach and had issue four sons and two daughters; died 12 January 1830, aged 92;
(3) Joan-Cathérine Acton (1738-74), baptised 22 December 1738 and died unmarried 1774;
(4) Philip Edward Acton (1739-1820), baptised 7 May 1739; entered service of King of Naples and rose to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel; awarded Order of St. Louis; ennobled as Patrician of Naples, 1802; died unmarried and without issue in the Monastery of S. Maria in Portico, 8 April 1820;
(5) Cathérine-Susan (1740-64), born 27 January 1740; died unmarried and without issue, 1764.
He died from banging his head on a low doorway while visiting a patient, and was buried 4 October 1781 at Bouglainval, Eure-et-Loire. In 1793 a band of French revolutionaries who had looted the church broke open his lead coffin and threw his corpse into the street.
Acton, Sir John Francis Edward (1736-1811), 6th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Dr. Edward Acton (1709-81) of Besançon (France) and his wife Anne-Cathérine, daughter of Philippe Loys; baptised 3 June 1736. Educated at University of Pisa. Entered the service of King of Naples and rose to become Minister for Marine & War, 1779-89 and Prime Minister 1789-1808; fled to Sicily with the King of Naples in 1808 at the time of the Napoleonic invasion; awarded orders of St. Stephen (Tuscany, 1768), S. Gennaro (Naples, 1785), St. Andrew (Russia, 1800), Sts. Alexander & Anne (Russia, 1800), and Golden Fleece (Spain, 1802); ennobled as Patrician of Naples, 1802. He married 22 February 1800, by special papal dispensation, his 13-year old niece Mary Anne (known as Nonna) Acton (1786-1873), and had issue:
(1) Sir Ferdinand Richard Edward Acton (1801-37), 7th bt. (q.v.);
(2) Cardinal Charles Januarius Edward Acton (1803-47); born at Naples, 6 March 1803; educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and Pontificia Accademia del Nobili Ecclesiastici; attaché to papal nuncio in Paris, 1828; Papal Vice-Legate in Bologna, 1829; Secretary of the Congregation for Religious Discipline; Auditor of the Apostolic Chamber, 1837; appointed Cardinal, 24 January 1842; died in Naples, 23 June 1847;
(3) Elizabeth Acton (1806-50), born 20 October 1806; m. 16 July 1829 Sir Robert George Throckmorton (1800-62), 6th bt. and had issue; died 4 April 1850.
He inherited the baronetcy and the Aldenham Park estate from his distant cousin, Sir Richard Acton, 5th bt. in 1791, but was never able to return to and settle on the estate as he planned.
He died at Palermo, Sicily, on 12 August 1811. His widow had further issue by Pierre Louis Auguste Ferron, Comte de La Ferronays, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, but never remarried. She died 15 March 1873, aged 86.
Acton, Sir (Ferdinand) Richard Edward (1801-37), 7th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. and his wife and niece Nonna, daughter of Lt-Gen. Joseph Edward Acton; born at Palermo, 24 July 1801. Educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge (admitted Fellow-Commoner, 1819). Patrician of Naples; entered the service of the King of Naples and was attaché at St. Petersburg and Gentleman in Waiting to King Ferdinand II. He married in Paris, 9 July 1832 Baroness Marie Louise Pelline Kämmerer von Worms gennant von Dalberg (1813-60), daughter and heiress of Emmerich Josef Franz Heinrich Felix Dismas Kämmerer von Worms gennant von Dalberg, 1st Duke of Dalberg, and changed his name to Dalberg-Acton by royal licence, 20 December 1833. He had issue:
(1) Sir John Emmerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1834-1902), 8th bt. and 1st Baron Acton (q.v.).
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1811 but lived mainly on the Continent. After his death his widow settled at Aldenham and redecorated some of the interiors before her second marriage.
He died 31 January 1837. His widow married secondly, 25 July 1840, Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815-91) but had no further issue; she died in Brighton, 14 March 1860.
Dalberg-Acton, Sir John Emmerich Edward (1834-1902), KCVO, 8th baronet and 1st Baron Acton, academic historian and moralist. Only child of Sir (Ferdinand) Richard Edward Dalberg-Acton (1801-37), 7th bt. and his wife, Baroness Marie Louise Pelline Kämmerer von Worms gennant von Dalberg; born in Naples, 10 January 1834. Educated at Oscott College and privately in Edinburgh and Munich under Prof. von Döllinger. Patrician of Naples; declared a British subject, 1859; appointed JP and DL for Shropshire, 1855; served as a member of the British delegation at the Coronation of Czar Alexander II in 1856; and succeeded Cardinal Newman as editor of The Rambler (a liberal Catholic monthly), 1859-62 and (under its new name as a quarterly), of The Home & Foreign Review, 1862-64; elected as Liberal MP for Carlow 1859-65 and for Bridgnorth 1865-66 (but was unseated on appeal and stood unsuccessfully there in 1868); created a peer at the suggestion of Gladstone, 11 December 1869, and was a Lord-in-Waiting, 1892-95; appointed KCVO, 1897. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, 1895-1902 and a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, 1869-1902; and of the Senate of London University; and held a variety of honorary degrees from Cambridge University (Hon. LL.D. 1888; M.A. 1895); Oxford University (D.C.L. 1887. Hon. Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford, 1890. Romanes Lecturer, 1901); Munich and St. Andrews. He was a Trustee of the British Museum; co-founder of English Historical Review, 1886; and planned and edited the preliminary draft of the Cambridge Modern History; other works published posthumously include Lectures on Modern History, 1906; The History of Freedom, and other Essays, 1907; and Lectures on the French Revolution, 1910. He married at St. Martens (Austria), 1 August 1865, Countess Maria Anna Ludomilla Euphrosina von Arco-Valley (1841-1923), second daughter of Count Johann Maximilian von Arco-Valley and had issue:
(1) Mary Elizabeth Anne Dalberg-Acton (known as Mamy), born 15 August 1866, m. 21 October 1901 Lt-Col. Edward Bleiddian Herbert DL (1858-1931), son of John Arthur Edward Herbert (né Jones) of Llanarth Court and Treowen and had issue; she died 9 January 1955;
(2) Annie Mary Catherine Georgiana Dalberg-Acton (1868-1917), born 26 September 1868 and died unmarried at Thun (Switzerland), 30 September 1917;
(3) Richard Maximilian Dalberg-Acton (later Lyon-Dalberg-Acton) (1870-1924) (q.v.);
(4) John Dalberg Dalberg-Acton (1872-73), born 30 May 1872; died 18 April 1873;
(5) Elizabeth Mary Catherine Dalberg-Acton (known as Lily) (1874-81); born 21 April 1874; died 1 October 1881;
(6) Jeanne Marie Dalberg-Acton (known as Simmy) (1876-1919); born 12 March 1876; died unmarried at Thun (Switzerland), 18 May 1919; buried at Thun.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1837, but only came into possession of it on achieving his majority in 1855. He added a large library to the house in about 1865, but lived mainly elsewhere after 1876.
He died 19 June 1902 and was buried at Tegernsee, Bavaria. His widow died 3 April 1923.
Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (né Dalberg-Acton), Richard Maximilian (1870-1924), KCVO, 9th baronet and 2nd Baron Acton, of Aldenham Park. Only surviving son of Sir John Emmerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1834-1902), 8th bt. and 1st Baron Acton and his wife, Countess Maria Anna Ludomilla Euphrosina von Arco-Valley; born 7 August 1870 in Bavaria. Educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. Patrician of Naples; JP and DL for Shropshire; declared a British subject, 1911. Entered Foreign Office 1894 (Third Secretary, 1896; Second Secretary 1900, First Secretary 1908, Counsellor at Embassy 1914; Chargés d'Affaires, Berne (Switzerland), 1904-06, Madrid 1906-07, The Hague, 1908-11, Darmstadt 1911-14, Berne 1915-16; Consul-General at Zurich (Switzerland), 1917-18; Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Finland, 1919-20; retired 1920); Lord-in-Waiting, 1905-10, 1910-15; held various foreign orders (Grand Officer of Legion d'honneur; Grand Cross Dannebrog; Royal Red Cross of Serbia). He married 7 June 1904 Dorothy (1876-1923), only child of Thomas Henry Lyon of Appleton Hall (Cheshire) and changed his surname to Lyon-Dalberg-Acton by royal license, 1919. He had issue:
(1) Maria (known as Mia) Immaculée Antoinette Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1905-94), a Dame of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, m. 25 February 1933 John Douglas Woodruff CBE (1897-1978), the son of Cumberland Woodruff; died without issue at Marcham Priory, 5 April 1994;
(2) Dorothy Elizabeth Anne Pelline (known as Pelline) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1906-98), born 25 June 1906; m. 6 June 1928 Edward Joseph Eyre (d. 1962), son of Edward Eyre of New York and London, and had issue; died 7 April 1998, aged 91;
(3) John Emerich Henry Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1907-89), 3rd Baron Acton (q.v.);
(4) Richard William Herbert Peter (known as Peter) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton MBE (1909-46), born 21 February 1909, served in Intelligence Corps in WW2; m. 16 December 1937 Jill, daughter of Hugo C. Ehlert of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and died with his wife in a plane crash near Bathurst (Gambia), 7 September 1946;
(5) Helen Mary Grace Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1910-2001), born 21 May 1910 at Appleton Hall; m. 6 July 1933 (div. 1959) Prince Guglielmo Camillo Carlo Rospigliosi, son of Prince Ludovico Guardino Carlo Francesco Rospigliosi and had issue; died 6 June 2001, aged 91;
(6) Gabrielle Marie Leopoldine (known as Bunny) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1912-30), born 15 December 1912; died unmarried 2 August 1930;
(7) Joan Henrica Josepha Mary Clare Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1915-95), born 7 August 1915; died unmarried 14 November 1995;
(8) Margaret Mary Teresa (known as Puggy) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1919-97), born 27 May 1919; had issue by Leslie Hutchinson (1900-69), the Grenadan singer, one son (Gerald McCabe, later a monk at Ampleforth Abbey as Fr. Alexander), who was adopted; died unmarried, 9 December 1997;
(1.1) Thomas Acton of Longnor (1453-1514), m. Joan (surname unknown), who married secondly his first cousin, Edmond Acton (d. 1534);
(1.2) John Acton (c.1455-1508) (q.v.);
(1.3) Richard Acton (b. after 1455), m. Jo (surname unknown) and had issue 1 daughter;
(1.4) Katherine Acton, m. John Butler.
He inherited an estate at Longnor (Shropshire) from his father before 1443 and purchased the Aldenham (Shropshire) estate in 1465.
He died 8 February 1480, aged about 65. His widow married secondly William Wood of Waverley (Worcs) and died in 1539.
Acton, John (c.1455-1508), of Aldenham. Second son of Thomas Acton (1415-80) and his first wife Mary Horde, born about 1455. He married Benedicta (known as Bennet), daughter of Roger Knight of Shrewsbury and had issue:
(1) Thomas Acton (d. c.1534) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton (fl. 1534) of London;
(3) Humfrey Acton (d. before 1537);
(4) Robert Acton (d. before 1529), m. and had issue a son;
(5) Eleanor Acton, m. Thomas Gatacre (d. 1499) of Gatacre Hall (Shropshire).
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1480.
He died at Bishopsgate in London in 1508, aged about 53.
Acton, Thomas (d. c.1534), of Aldenham. Eldest son of John Acton (c.1455-1508) of Aldenham and his wife Bennet, daughter of Roger Knight of Shrewsbury. Servant to the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. He married Elizabeth Dryland, sister of Anthony Dryland and had issue:
(1) Griffith Acton (d. before 1534), of Longnor and Aldenham, m. a daughter of George Harbores
(2) William Acton (c. 1510-67) (q.v.).
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1508.
He died about 1534.
Acton, William (c.1510-67), of Aldenham. Second but only surviving son of Thomas Acton (d. c.1534) and his wife Elizabeth Dryland; born before 1513. MP for Bridgnorth, 1554 and 1555. He was an ironmaster with mills at Morville (Shropshire) and in 1561 was licensed to fell trees in Shirlett Forest for use as fuel in his works. He married before 1534 Cecily (d. 1581), daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett (Shropshire), and had issue:
(1) Robert Acton (1534-97) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton of London, mercer, m. 1571 Margaret Daniel and had issue a son, later Sir William Acton (d. 1651), 1st and last bt.
(3) Frances Acton (d. 1577), m. 1563 John Billingsley (c.1535-74), eldest son of William Billingsley and had issue;
(4) Rev. Thomas Acton (d. 1615), vicar of 'Helmares';
(5) Roland Acton (d. 1583), died without issue at Newgate;
(6) Rev. John Acton (1554-1624), rector of Wheathill (Shropshire), m. 1594 Anne (known as Agnes) Head (d. 1621) and had issue a daughter;
(7) Francis Acton (d. 1623), m. Bridget Powys;
(8) Mary Acton, m. (forename unknown) Etton of Thornton;
(9) Elizabeth Acton (d. after 1611), m. c.1584 Adam Doddington alias Detton (d. 1611), son of Robert Detton and had issue;
(10) Jane Acton, m. before 1575 Thomas Oseley;
(11) Dorothy Acton, m. John Jones;
(12) Anne Acton, m. John Stringer.
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in about 1534.
He died 7 May 1567, aged about 57.
Acton, Robert (1534-97), of Aldenham. Eldest son of William Acton (c.1510-67) and his wife Cecily, daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett; born 1534. Educated at the Middle Temple (admitted 1552). He married 1569 Bridget Doddington alias Detton, daughter of Robert Detton, and had issue:
(1) Walter Acton (1572-1641) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Acton (d. 1650) of Dunval Hall (Shropshire), m. at Alberbury (Shropshire) 1613 Margaret, daughter of Michael Lister of Rowton and had issue two sons and six daughters;
(3) Francis Acton, died without issue.
He inherited the Aldenham estate from his father in 1567.
He died in 1597.
Acton, Walter (1572-1641) of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Robert Acton (1534-97) of Aldenham Park (Shropshire) and his wife Brigitt, daughter of Robert Doddington alias Detton; baptised 24 April 1572. JP for Shropshire; Escheator for Shropshire, 1610-11; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1630. He married c.1598 his cousin, Frances Acton (c.1580-1632) and had issue:
(1) Sir Edward Acton (1600-59), 1st bt. (q.v.).
He inherited Aldenham Park from his father and Acton Scott Hall in right of his wife. He is thought to have made major alterations to Aldenham Park in the 1620s.
He died in 1641; buried 29 April 1641. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1 June 1641.
Acton, Sir Edward (1600-59), 1st baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Son of Walter Acton (c.1575-1641) and his wife Frances, daughter of Edward Acton of Acton Scott; baptised at Morville, 20 July 1600. MP for Bridgnorth, 1640-44; deprived of his seat as a Royalist. Created a baronet, 17 January 1643/44. In the Civil War he was a Colonel in the Royalist Dragoons and saw action at the Battle of Edgehill and the siege of Bridgnorth Castle (which he surrendered in 1646); compounded for his estates in 1646 for £5,242, later reduced to £2,000. He married c.1620 Sarah (1598-1679), daughter of Richard Mytton of Halston (Shropshire) and had, with an unnamed daughter who died in infancy:
(1) Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(2) Edward Acton (b. 1621/22), baptised 2 January 1622; died young;
(3) Thomas Acton (1623-77), from whom descend the Actons of Gatacre Park;
(4) Frances Acton (1625-26), baptised 13 November 1625; buried 25 May 1626;
(5) Robert Acton (1628-54), baptised 2 November 1628; died without issue and was buried 29 March 1654;
(6) William Acton (1629-59) of Buildwas (Shropshire), draper; baptised 2 March 1629; m. 29 December 1653, Mary (d. 1715), daughter of Arthur Weaver and had issue, one son and one daughter;
(7) Capt. Richard Acton RN (1633-74), baptised 21 April 1633; fought in First and Second Dutch wars; m. Lydia Pearson of London and had issue a daughter; buried 25 April 1674.
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1641. He also bought Gatacre Park after 1655.
He died in 1659 and was buried 29 June 1659. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 20 December 1659.
Acton, Sir Walter (1621-65), 2nd baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir Edward Acton (1600-59) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Richard Mytton of Halston (Shropshire), baptised 2 September 1621. JP for Shropshire, 1660-65; MP for Bridgnorth, 1660-61. He married, before 1648, Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Cound (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Acton (1648-1702), m. Thomas Gatacre and had issue; buried at Claverley 26 February 1702;
(2) Sir Edward Acton, 3rd bt. (1649-1716) (q.v.);
(3) Capt. Walter Acton (1651-1718), m. 1678 Catherine, daughter of Oliver Pocklington MD and had issue ten sons and six daughters, from whom descended the 6th and subsequent baronets - see below;
(4) Richard Acton (1653-1703), vintner and linen draper in London; member of the Royal African Company; m.1, Anne Llewellyn of Bristol and and had issue six sons and two daughters; m.2, 1698, Hester, daughter of Thomas Abrahall of Barking; died 14 March 1703; buried at Acton Round, where is commemorated by a monument erected in 1713 by his widow to the design of Edward Stanton;
(5) William Acton (1654-89), probably author of A new journey of Italy, containing what is most remarkable...; died without issue;
(6) Thomas Acton (1654-85), haberdasher in London; m. 1678 Anne, daughter of Michael Widdrington of Morpeth (Northumberland) and had issue one son;
(7) Robert Acton (1655-c.1694) of Stepney, mercer; nonconformist; m. Hester Coleman (1656-1722) and had issue four sons and one daughter; died before 1695;
(8) Francis Acton (1657-1733), banker of London; director of the South Sea Company, 1712-15; Deputy Governor of Royal African Company, 1721; a strong Tory and possibly banker to Jonathan Swift; died at Putney, 24 August 1733;
(9) Elizabeth Acton, m.1 John Betkin (d. by 1686) and m.2, 1686, Peter Crouch, apothecary and had issue; died after 1695;
(10) Catherine Acton (b. 1664), m.1 Capt. Robert Thomas (1654-91), second son of Sir Robert Thomas, 2nd bt. and m.2, Thomas Evans of London, draper.
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1659.
He died in 1665 and was buried at Morville, 3 September 1665.
Acton, Sir Edward (1649-1716), 3rd baronet, of Acton Scott Hall and Aldenham Park. Elder son of Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt., and his wife Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Cound (Shropshire), baptised 6 February 1649. Educated at Queens College, Oxford (matriculated 1666; BA 1667) and Inner Temple (admitted 1670); a freeman of Bridgnorth from 1673 and of Ludlow from 1697; JP for Shropshire, 1678-88; High Sheriff of Shropshire 1684-85; MP for Bridgnorth 1689-1705; Recorder of Bridgnorth 1686-1716. He married 8 December 1674, Mary (1650-1713), daughter and heiress of John Walter of Elberton (Glos) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Acton (b. 1675), m.1 Thomas Child of Kinlet and had issue; m.2 Rev Robert Philips DD and had further issue;
(2) Sir Whitmore Acton (1678-1732), 4th bt. (q.v.);
(3) Mary Acton (1678-1748), twin to Sir Whitmore Acton;
(4) Frances Acton (1679-1718), m. Rev. Timothy Collins MA; died in childbirth;
(5) Edward Acton (1680-1747) (q.v.);
(6) Elizabeth Acton, m. Richard Fleming of Shadwell and had issue;
(7) Catherine Acton (1684-1743), m. Robert Philips of Meole (Salop) and had issue;
(8) Rev. John Acton LLD (1687-1746), vicar of Clun; m. Beatrix, sister of Richard Fleming of Sibden and Shadwell (Shropshire) and had issue a son, Edward Acton (q.v.).
He inherited Aldenham Park and Acton Scott Hall from his father in 1665, and rebuilt Aldenham Park. In 1710 he settled Aldenham on his heir and Acton Scott on his second son, Edward.
He died 28 September 1716; buried at Morville, 4 October 1716 where he is commemorated by a monument. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 31 October 1716.
Acton, Sir Whitmore (1678-1732), 4th baronet, of Acton Round Hall and Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir Edward Acton (1649-1716), 3rd bt., and his wife Mary, daughter of John Walter of Elberton (Glos), baptised 1 April 1678; educated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1695) and Middle Temple (admitted 1699); a freeman of Much Wenlock from 1695 and of Ludlow from 1697; Tory MP for Bridgnorth, 1710-13 and contested the seat unsuccessfully in 1727; a member of the October Club; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1728-29. A tall, handsome man who according to Thomas Hearne maintained a mistress while at Oxford; he married c. 1708, Elizabeth (d. 1759), daughter of Matthew Gibbon of Putney (Surrey) and had issue:
(1) Edward Acton (1709-21), baptised 25 January 1709; died unmarried and without issue, 1721;
(2) Sir Richard Acton (1711-91), 5th bt. (q.v.);
(3) Thomas Acton (1713-22), baptised 6 April 1713; buried 28 April 1722;
(4) Hester Acton (1714-20), baptised 29 July 1714; buried 8 March 1720;
(5) Elizabeth Acton (1716-99), baptised 28 May 1716; m. Robert Barnston (1715-83) of Churton (Cheshire), wine merchant; buried at Farndon (Cheshire) 23 November 1799;
(6) John Acton (b. & d. 1717), baptised 5 July and buried December 1717;
(7) Jane Acton (1719-59), baptised 4 April 1719; died unmarried and without issue, 28 May 1759;
(8) Mary Acton (1720-76), born 22 November 1720; m. 6 March 1760 Rev. Samuel Wanley DD (d. 1776), rector of Elmley Lovett (Worcs); died without issue, February 1776;
(9) Walter Acton (1721-22), baptised 20 February 1721; buried 12 May 1722.
He built Acton Round Hall in 1713-14 and inherited Aldenham Park from his father in 1716.
He died 9 January 1732 and was buried 17 January 1732 at Acton Round, where he and his widow are commemorated by a monument erected in 1763 to the design of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.
Acton, Sir Richard (1711-91), 5th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Second, but eldest surviving son of Sir Whitmore Acton (1678-1732), 4th bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew Gibbon of Putney (Surrey), born 1 January 1711. Educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (admitted Fellow-Commoner, 1728/9). A committee member of Bridgnorth racetrack c.1741; High Sheriff of Shropshire, 1751-52, but later converted to Catholicism. He married 1744 Lady Anne Grey (d. 1784), daughter of Henry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford, and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Acton (1745-1802), baptised 26 October 1745; m. 18 May 1775 Philip Langdale of Houghton (Yorks) but died without issue, 12 January 1802;
(2) Frances Acton (1749-62), died unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1732 and Acton Round Hall on the death of his mother in 1759. At his death his property and title passed to his distant cousin, Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. (q.v.).
He died 20 November 1791 and was buried at Acton Round, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument.
Acton, Captain Walter (1651-1718) of London. Second son of Sir Walter Acton (1621-65), 2nd bt. and his wife Catherine, daughter of Richard Cressett of Upton Cressett (Shropshire), born July 1751. Mercer for 40 years at the Cow's Face in King Street near Guildhall, London; Steward and one of the Governors of Bethlem and Bridewell Hospitals in London; Common Councilman for Cheap Ward; and one of the commissioners of the lieutenancy in London. He married 1 October 1678 at Brington (Hunts) Catherine (c.1655-1722), daughter of Rev. Oliver Pocklington MD, rector of Brington, and had issue:
(1) Edward Acton (1679-1728) (q.v.);
(2) Walter Acton (1680-85), baptised 13 November 1680; died 15 November 1685;
(3) Katharine Acton (b. & d. 1682), born 10 June and died 22 June 1682;
(4) John Acton (1683-1721), deputy collector of customs at London, baptised 7 August 1683; m. c.1710 Young Steventon (sister of his eldest brother's wife) and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 21 February 1721 and was buried at Camberwell (Surrey);
(5) Walter Acton (1685-86), born 19 December 1685 and died 3 February 1686;
(6) Thomas Acton (1686-92), born 25 December 1686 and died 22 October 1692;
(7) William Acton (b. & d. 1688), born 13 January and died 25 February 1688;
(8) Mary Ann Acton (b. & d. 1689), born 13 October and died 14 December 1689;
(9) Margaret Acton (1690-after 1741), born 2 November 1690; probably died unmarried;
(10) Robert Acton (1691-1734), East India Company factor and merchant; baptised 29 December 1691; married in India but died without issue, 27 November 1734 in a fire on board the Okham on the Hugli River, West Bengal;
(11) Elizabeth Acton (b. & d. 1693), baptised 27 March and died April 1693;
(12) Anne Acton (1694-1740), born 21 August 1694; m. John Hopwood of London and had issue; died 19 October 1740;
(13) Oliver Acton (1695-1754), attorney at Court of Common Pleas; baptised 28 November 1695; Steward of Christ's, St. Thomas's and Bridewell Hospitals; member of Goldsmiths company; died unmarried and without issue, 1754;
(14) Nicholas Acton (1697-99), born 30 October 1697; died 5 July 1699;
(15) Frances Acton (1699-1771), born 30 July 1699; m. Thomas Goddard of London, apothecary and had issue; died 20 September 1771;
(16) Charles Acton (b. 1701); born 17 May 1701 but died young.
He died 11 March 1718.
Acton, Edward (1679-1728) of London. Eldest son of Capt. Walter Acton (1651-1718) and his wife Catherine, daughter of Rev. Dr. Oliver Pocklington of Brington (Hunts), born 11 November 1679. Goldsmith and banker in Birchin Lane, London. He married Catherine (c.1660-1715), daughter of John Steventon of Dodhill (Shropshire) and had issue:
(1) Catherine Acton (1708-74), born 21 May 1708; m. 25 October 1744 John Darrell (1708-68) of London, banker, son of Edward Darrell of Putney (Surrey) and had issue; died 19 November 1774 and was buried in Bath Abbey, 24 November 1774;
(2) Dr. Edward Acton (1709-81) (q.v.);
(3) John Acton (1710-66), born 22 August 1710; became a Catholic convert; Commodore-in-Chief of the Adriatic fleet of the Holy Roman Empire; knight of the Order of St. Stephen; plotted with James Mill to capture Bengal for the Holy Roman Emperor, 1747; died unmarried at Pisa (Italy), 9 November 1766 and was buried in S. Vito, Pisa;
(4) Philip Acton (b. 1711), born 4 December 1711 but died young.
He died 3 May 1728 and was buried at Camberwell (Surrey).
Acton, Dr. Edward (1709-81) of Besançon, France. Eldest son of Edward Acton (1679-1728) of London, goldsmith, and his wife Catherine, daughter of John Steventon of Dodhill (Shropshire), born 11 June 1709. Educated by Samuel Palmer at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London and qualified as MD; went to Besançon to treat a sick friend; converted to Catholicism and married 5 July 1735 Anne-Cathérine (1714-87), daughter of Philippe Loys of Besançon and had issue:
(1) Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. (q.v.);
(2) Lt-Gen. Joseph Edward Acton (1737-1830), born 1 October 1737; entered the service of the King of Naples and rose to rank of Lieutenant-General; Governor of Gaeta; wounded at Battle of Rossbach; ennobled as Patrician of Naples; m. Countess Eleanora Berghe von Trips of Dusseldorf, daughter of Count Franz Adolf Anselm von Berghe von Trips of Burg Hammersbach and had issue four sons and two daughters; died 12 January 1830, aged 92;
(3) Joan-Cathérine Acton (1738-74), baptised 22 December 1738 and died unmarried 1774;
(4) Philip Edward Acton (1739-1820), baptised 7 May 1739; entered service of King of Naples and rose to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel; awarded Order of St. Louis; ennobled as Patrician of Naples, 1802; died unmarried and without issue in the Monastery of S. Maria in Portico, 8 April 1820;
(5) Cathérine-Susan (1740-64), born 27 January 1740; died unmarried and without issue, 1764.
He died from banging his head on a low doorway while visiting a patient, and was buried 4 October 1781 at Bouglainval, Eure-et-Loire. In 1793 a band of French revolutionaries who had looted the church broke open his lead coffin and threw his corpse into the street.
Acton, Sir John Francis Edward (1736-1811), 6th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Dr. Edward Acton (1709-81) of Besançon (France) and his wife Anne-Cathérine, daughter of Philippe Loys; baptised 3 June 1736. Educated at University of Pisa. Entered the service of King of Naples and rose to become Minister for Marine & War, 1779-89 and Prime Minister 1789-1808; fled to Sicily with the King of Naples in 1808 at the time of the Napoleonic invasion; awarded orders of St. Stephen (Tuscany, 1768), S. Gennaro (Naples, 1785), St. Andrew (Russia, 1800), Sts. Alexander & Anne (Russia, 1800), and Golden Fleece (Spain, 1802); ennobled as Patrician of Naples, 1802. He married 22 February 1800, by special papal dispensation, his 13-year old niece Mary Anne (known as Nonna) Acton (1786-1873), and had issue:
(1) Sir Ferdinand Richard Edward Acton (1801-37), 7th bt. (q.v.);
(2) Cardinal Charles Januarius Edward Acton (1803-47); born at Naples, 6 March 1803; educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and Pontificia Accademia del Nobili Ecclesiastici; attaché to papal nuncio in Paris, 1828; Papal Vice-Legate in Bologna, 1829; Secretary of the Congregation for Religious Discipline; Auditor of the Apostolic Chamber, 1837; appointed Cardinal, 24 January 1842; died in Naples, 23 June 1847;
(3) Elizabeth Acton (1806-50), born 20 October 1806; m. 16 July 1829 Sir Robert George Throckmorton (1800-62), 6th bt. and had issue; died 4 April 1850.
He inherited the baronetcy and the Aldenham Park estate from his distant cousin, Sir Richard Acton, 5th bt. in 1791, but was never able to return to and settle on the estate as he planned.
He died at Palermo, Sicily, on 12 August 1811. His widow had further issue by Pierre Louis Auguste Ferron, Comte de La Ferronays, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, but never remarried. She died 15 March 1873, aged 86.
Acton, Sir (Ferdinand) Richard Edward (1801-37), 7th baronet, of Aldenham Park. Eldest son of Sir John Francis Edward Acton (1736-1811), 6th bt. and his wife and niece Nonna, daughter of Lt-Gen. Joseph Edward Acton; born at Palermo, 24 July 1801. Educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge (admitted Fellow-Commoner, 1819). Patrician of Naples; entered the service of the King of Naples and was attaché at St. Petersburg and Gentleman in Waiting to King Ferdinand II. He married in Paris, 9 July 1832 Baroness Marie Louise Pelline Kämmerer von Worms gennant von Dalberg (1813-60), daughter and heiress of Emmerich Josef Franz Heinrich Felix Dismas Kämmerer von Worms gennant von Dalberg, 1st Duke of Dalberg, and changed his name to Dalberg-Acton by royal licence, 20 December 1833. He had issue:
(1) Sir John Emmerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1834-1902), 8th bt. and 1st Baron Acton (q.v.).
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1811 but lived mainly on the Continent. After his death his widow settled at Aldenham and redecorated some of the interiors before her second marriage.
He died 31 January 1837. His widow married secondly, 25 July 1840, Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815-91) but had no further issue; she died in Brighton, 14 March 1860.
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| 1st Baron Acton (1834-1902) |
(1) Mary Elizabeth Anne Dalberg-Acton (known as Mamy), born 15 August 1866, m. 21 October 1901 Lt-Col. Edward Bleiddian Herbert DL (1858-1931), son of John Arthur Edward Herbert (né Jones) of Llanarth Court and Treowen and had issue; she died 9 January 1955;
(2) Annie Mary Catherine Georgiana Dalberg-Acton (1868-1917), born 26 September 1868 and died unmarried at Thun (Switzerland), 30 September 1917;
(3) Richard Maximilian Dalberg-Acton (later Lyon-Dalberg-Acton) (1870-1924) (q.v.);
(4) John Dalberg Dalberg-Acton (1872-73), born 30 May 1872; died 18 April 1873;
(5) Elizabeth Mary Catherine Dalberg-Acton (known as Lily) (1874-81); born 21 April 1874; died 1 October 1881;
(6) Jeanne Marie Dalberg-Acton (known as Simmy) (1876-1919); born 12 March 1876; died unmarried at Thun (Switzerland), 18 May 1919; buried at Thun.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1837, but only came into possession of it on achieving his majority in 1855. He added a large library to the house in about 1865, but lived mainly elsewhere after 1876.
He died 19 June 1902 and was buried at Tegernsee, Bavaria. His widow died 3 April 1923.
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| 2nd Baron Acton |
(1) Maria (known as Mia) Immaculée Antoinette Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1905-94), a Dame of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, m. 25 February 1933 John Douglas Woodruff CBE (1897-1978), the son of Cumberland Woodruff; died without issue at Marcham Priory, 5 April 1994;
(2) Dorothy Elizabeth Anne Pelline (known as Pelline) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1906-98), born 25 June 1906; m. 6 June 1928 Edward Joseph Eyre (d. 1962), son of Edward Eyre of New York and London, and had issue; died 7 April 1998, aged 91;
(3) John Emerich Henry Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1907-89), 3rd Baron Acton (q.v.);
(4) Richard William Herbert Peter (known as Peter) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton MBE (1909-46), born 21 February 1909, served in Intelligence Corps in WW2; m. 16 December 1937 Jill, daughter of Hugo C. Ehlert of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and died with his wife in a plane crash near Bathurst (Gambia), 7 September 1946;
(5) Helen Mary Grace Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1910-2001), born 21 May 1910 at Appleton Hall; m. 6 July 1933 (div. 1959) Prince Guglielmo Camillo Carlo Rospigliosi, son of Prince Ludovico Guardino Carlo Francesco Rospigliosi and had issue; died 6 June 2001, aged 91;
(6) Gabrielle Marie Leopoldine (known as Bunny) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1912-30), born 15 December 1912; died unmarried 2 August 1930;
(7) Joan Henrica Josepha Mary Clare Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1915-95), born 7 August 1915; died unmarried 14 November 1995;
(8) Margaret Mary Teresa (known as Puggy) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1919-97), born 27 May 1919; had issue by Leslie Hutchinson (1900-69), the Grenadan singer, one son (Gerald McCabe, later a monk at Ampleforth Abbey as Fr. Alexander), who was adopted; died unmarried, 9 December 1997;
(9) Ædgitha Bertha Milburg Mary Antonia Frances (known as Aeida) Lyon-Dalberg-Acton OBE (1920-95), born 15 December 1920; m. 7 July 1949 John Alexander, youngest son of Alexander Theodore Callinicos of Ithaca (Greece) and had issue; died June 1995.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1902.
He died in London, 16 June 1924, aged 53; his will was proved 17 October 1924 (estate £35,507). His wife died 17 March 1923; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 8 January 1924 (estate £1,465).
Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, John Emerich Henry (1907-89), 10th baronet and 3rd Baron Acton, of Aldenham Park. Elder son of Richard Maximilian Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton (1870-1924) and his wife Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Henry Lyon of Appleton Hall (Cheshire), born at Bordighera (Italy), 15 December 1907. Educated at Downside, Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and Trinity College, Cambridge. Served as Major in Royal Artillery in WW2; lived in Southern Rhodesia, 1947-65 and Majorca, 1970-89. Chairman of Gwebi Agricultural College 1958-62 and Chibero Agricultural College, 1960-65; Chairman of Rhodesian branch of British Red Cross, 1962-68; President of Rhodesian Agricultural Show Society, 1960-64; Director of Swaziland branch of British Red Cross, 1967-70. Appointed MBE, 1945 and CMG. He married, 25 November 1931 (sep.), Hon. Daphne (1911-2003), only daughter of Robert John Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh and had issue:
(1) Pelline Margot Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1932-2023), m. 1953 Laszlo Marffy (1928-2008) of Budapest (Hungary) and had issue; died 3 March 2023; will proved 3 June 2023;
(2) Charlotte Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1934-35), born 6 December 1934; died 1 March 1935;
(3) Catherine Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1939), m. 1960 Hon. Joseph Mervyn Corbett, fourth son of Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan and had issue;
(4) Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1941-2010), 4th Baron Acton (q.v.), barrister, created a Life Peer as Baron Acton of Bridgnorth, 2000, and sat on the Labour benches; born 30 July 1941, married 1st 28 August 1965 Hilary Juliet Sarah Cookson (d. 1973), daughter of Osmond Laurence Charles Cookson MB of Perth (Australia) and had issue one son, the current and 5th Baron Acton; married 2nd, 1 January 1974 (div. 1987) Judith (b. 1943), daughter of Hon. Sir Garfield Todd, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia; and m. 3rd, 1988, Prof. Patricia, only daughter of M. Morrey Nassif of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA); died in Iowa, 10 October 2010; for his obituary in The Independent see here.
(5) Canon John Charles Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1943-2016), professor of dogmatic theology at Allen Hall seminary, London, and later a canon of Westminster Cathedral; died 25 December 2016; will proved 14 August 2017;
(6) Robert Peter Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1946), m. 28 June 1974 Michèle Danièle, daughter of Henri Joseph Camille Laigle and had issue three sons;
(7) Jill Mary Joan Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1947), solicitor; born 15 June 1947; m. 1969 Nicholas (b. 1945), son of Dr. Eugene Lampert and had issue;
(8) Edward David Joseph Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1949), Vice-Chancellor of University of East Anglia since 2009; born 4 February 1949; m. 8 April 1972 Stella Marie, daughter of Henry Conroy of Bolton and had issue two daughters;
(9) Peter Hedley Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1950), born 27 March 1950; m. 1981 Anne, daughter of James Sinclair of Sandy (Orkney) and had issue one son and one daughter;
(10) Mary Anne Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1951), born 30 March 1951; m. 1972 Timothy John, only son of Matthew Joseph Sheehy and had issue;
(11) Jane Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1954), married 1st, 13 December 1975 (div. 1983), Charles Thomas, son of Rev. F. William Pugh (1951-89) and had issue; married 2nd, 26 August 1983, Xan de Crespigny (b. 1949), journalist and political editor of The Economist, elder son of Col. David Smiley and has further issue two sons.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1924, but sold it to his stepmother-in-law in 1947.
He died in Majorca (Spain), 23 January 1989, aged 81. His widow died 23 February 2003; her will was proved 7 August 2003.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1902.
He died in London, 16 June 1924, aged 53; his will was proved 17 October 1924 (estate £35,507). His wife died 17 March 1923; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 8 January 1924 (estate £1,465).
Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, John Emerich Henry (1907-89), 10th baronet and 3rd Baron Acton, of Aldenham Park. Elder son of Richard Maximilian Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton (1870-1924) and his wife Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Henry Lyon of Appleton Hall (Cheshire), born at Bordighera (Italy), 15 December 1907. Educated at Downside, Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and Trinity College, Cambridge. Served as Major in Royal Artillery in WW2; lived in Southern Rhodesia, 1947-65 and Majorca, 1970-89. Chairman of Gwebi Agricultural College 1958-62 and Chibero Agricultural College, 1960-65; Chairman of Rhodesian branch of British Red Cross, 1962-68; President of Rhodesian Agricultural Show Society, 1960-64; Director of Swaziland branch of British Red Cross, 1967-70. Appointed MBE, 1945 and CMG. He married, 25 November 1931 (sep.), Hon. Daphne (1911-2003), only daughter of Robert John Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh and had issue:
(1) Pelline Margot Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1932-2023), m. 1953 Laszlo Marffy (1928-2008) of Budapest (Hungary) and had issue; died 3 March 2023; will proved 3 June 2023;
(2) Charlotte Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1934-35), born 6 December 1934; died 1 March 1935;
(3) Catherine Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1939), m. 1960 Hon. Joseph Mervyn Corbett, fourth son of Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan and had issue;
(4) Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1941-2010), 4th Baron Acton (q.v.), barrister, created a Life Peer as Baron Acton of Bridgnorth, 2000, and sat on the Labour benches; born 30 July 1941, married 1st 28 August 1965 Hilary Juliet Sarah Cookson (d. 1973), daughter of Osmond Laurence Charles Cookson MB of Perth (Australia) and had issue one son, the current and 5th Baron Acton; married 2nd, 1 January 1974 (div. 1987) Judith (b. 1943), daughter of Hon. Sir Garfield Todd, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia; and m. 3rd, 1988, Prof. Patricia, only daughter of M. Morrey Nassif of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA); died in Iowa, 10 October 2010; for his obituary in The Independent see here.
(5) Canon John Charles Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1943-2016), professor of dogmatic theology at Allen Hall seminary, London, and later a canon of Westminster Cathedral; died 25 December 2016; will proved 14 August 2017;
(6) Robert Peter Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1946), m. 28 June 1974 Michèle Danièle, daughter of Henri Joseph Camille Laigle and had issue three sons;
(7) Jill Mary Joan Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1947), solicitor; born 15 June 1947; m. 1969 Nicholas (b. 1945), son of Dr. Eugene Lampert and had issue;
(8) Edward David Joseph Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1949), Vice-Chancellor of University of East Anglia since 2009; born 4 February 1949; m. 8 April 1972 Stella Marie, daughter of Henry Conroy of Bolton and had issue two daughters;
(9) Peter Hedley Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1950), born 27 March 1950; m. 1981 Anne, daughter of James Sinclair of Sandy (Orkney) and had issue one son and one daughter;
(10) Mary Anne Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1951), born 30 March 1951; m. 1972 Timothy John, only son of Matthew Joseph Sheehy and had issue;
(11) Jane Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 1954), married 1st, 13 December 1975 (div. 1983), Charles Thomas, son of Rev. F. William Pugh (1951-89) and had issue; married 2nd, 26 August 1983, Xan de Crespigny (b. 1949), journalist and political editor of The Economist, elder son of Col. David Smiley and has further issue two sons.
He inherited the Aldenham Park estate from his father in 1924, but sold it to his stepmother-in-law in 1947.
He died in Majorca (Spain), 23 January 1989, aged 81. His widow died 23 February 2003; her will was proved 7 August 2003.
Sources
Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, successive editions; G. Jackson-Stops, 'Aldenham Park, Shropshire', Country Life, 23 June 1977-7 July 1977; P. Reid, Burke’s & Savill’s Guide to Country Houses: vol. 2, West Midlands, 1980, pp. 73-75; B. Clarke, ‘William Taylor: new discoveries’, Georgian Group Journal, 1998, pp. 1-11; J. Ionides, Thomas Farnolls Pritchard of Shrewsbury, 1999, pp. 238-40; R. Hill, Lord Acton, 2002; J. Newman & N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Shropshire, 2006, p. 95, 109-12; Sir H.M. Colvin, Biographical dictionary of British architects, 1600-1840, 4th edn., 2008, pp. 91, 504, 1030; http://spaf.cerias.purdue.edu/Yucks/V1/msg00071.html; http://www.liberoricercatore.it/Storia/personaggiillustri/Genealogy-of-the-Acton-family.pdf.
Where are their papers?
Lyon-Dalberg-Acton of Aldenham Park (Shropshire), Barons Acton: deeds, manorial and estate records relating to Shropshire (Aldenham etc.), legal and family papers, 15th-20th cents. [Shropshire Archives, 1093, 6307, no ref.];
Sir John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 8th bt. and 1st Baron Acton: estate records, family, legal and personal papers, 17th-20th cents. [Cambridge University Library, Add MSS 4607-5021, 5347-5348, 5381-5710, 5751-5776, 6443, 7726-7732, 7892, 7956, 8119-8123, 8409-8417, 9761];
Cardinal Charles Januarius Acton (1803-47): corresp and papers, 1827-49 [Vatican Secret Archives, no ref.]
Revision and acknowledgements
This account was published 31 March 2013 and updated 15 May 2014, 15 October 2020, 18 September 2021 and 24 September 2024. I am most grateful to William Acton for sharing the results of his research on his family with me; the biographies above owe much to his work. I am also grateful to Xan Smiley for corrections and updates.
Revision and acknowledgements
This account was published 31 March 2013 and updated 15 May 2014, 15 October 2020, 18 September 2021 and 24 September 2024. I am most grateful to William Acton for sharing the results of his research on his family with me; the biographies above owe much to his work. I am also grateful to Xan Smiley for corrections and updates.
Well done.
ReplyDeleteFantastic reading ,well done ,
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