This post has been divided into three parts. Part 1 consists of my introduction to the family and its property, and a description of the houses built or acquired by the Hicks family. Part 2 contains descriptions of the houses built or acquired by the Beach and Hicks Beach families. This third part gives the biographical and genealogical details of all the branches of the family.
Hicks family of Campden Manor, Viscounts Campden, and of Beverstone Castle and Ruckholt, baronets
Hicks, Robert (c.1524-57). Probably the only son of John Hicks (d. 1546) of Tortworth (Glos) and his wife Margaret (fl. 1557), and perhaps the grandson of John Hicks (d. 1486) of Bristol and Tortworth, born about 1524. He was sent to London in 1538 as apprentice to Thomas Bartholomew, ironmonger, and later set up his own mercery in Cheapside. His activities later expanded into moneylending. Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. He married, about 1542, Juliana (1520-92), daughter of William Arthur (b. c.1494) of Clapton Court, Clapton-in-Gordano (Som.), who continued her husband's business until her death, and had issue:
(1) Sir Michael Hicks (1543-1612), kt. (q.v.);(2) Clement Hicks (c.1544-1627); Searcher of the Customs at Chester; married 1st, Ellen [surname unknown] (c.1563-98) and 2nd, Margaret [surname unknown] (fl. 1627), but apparently had no surviving issue; died after 3 September 1627 and was buried at Holy Trinity, Chester; his will was proved at Chester, 1628;(3) Francis Hicks (b. 1545), baptised at St Pancras, Soper Lane, London, 29 January 1544/5; died in infancy;(4) Hilary Hicks (1546-48), baptised at St Pancras, Soper Lane, London, 14 January 1545/6; died young and was buried at St Pancras, Soper Lane, London, 14 July 1548;(5) John Hicks (b. & d. 1548), born 17 March 1547/8, but died in infancy and was buried St Pancras, Soper Lane, London, the same day;(6) Sir Baptist Hicks (c.1551-1629), 1st bt. and 1st Viscount Campden (q.v.).He lived at the White Bear, Cheapside, London. His widow bought a house on St Peter's Hill, London, in 1559.
He died in 1557; his will was proved in the PCC, 22 February 1557/8. His widow married 2nd, Anthony Penne (d. 1572), whose will was proved in the PCC, 17 July 1572; she was buried at St Mary Magdalen, Milk St., London, 23 November 1592.
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| Sir Baptist Hicks (c.1551-1629) 1st Viscount Campden |
(1) Arthur Hicks (c.1585-86), born about 1585; died in infancy and was buried at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 28 August 1586;(2) Hon. Juliana Hicks (1586-1680), baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 31 July 1586; married, 20 December 1605 at Leyton (Essex), Sir Edward Noel (d. 1643), 1st Baron Noel of Ridlington and from 1629, when he succeeded to her father's peerages by special remainder, 2nd Viscount Campden, and had issue two sons and four daughters [further consideration of their descendants is deferred to a future post of the Noel family]; she died 25 November 1680 and was buried at Chipping Campden, where she and her husband are commemorated by a monument designed by Joshua Marshall; her will was proved in the PCC, 21 February 1680/1;(3) Hon. Mary Hicks (1588-1639), baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 11 February 1587/8; inherited her father's property and political interest at Tewkesbury (Glos); married 1st, 3 December 1606 at Leyton, Sir Charles Morrison (1587-1628), 1st bt., of Cashiobury (Herts), and had issue one daughter; married 2nd, 9 April 1629 at St Mary Magdalen, Milk St, London, Sir John Cooper (d. 1631), 1st bt. of Rockbourne (Hants), but had no further issue; married 3rd, 13 December 1632 at St Andrew, Holborn (Middx), Sir Edward Alford (d. 1653), kt. (who m2, Ann (c.1618-92), daughter of the Rev. Dr. Corbett, Chancellor of Norwich), and had issue one daughter, who died young; died 1639 and was probably buried at Watford (Herts), where she and her first husband are commemorated by a monument designed by Nicholas Stone; her will was proved in the PCC, 13 December 1639;(4) Arthur Hicks (b. 1590), baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 4 October 1590; died young;(5) Elizabeth Hicks (1592-99), baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 24 September 1592; died young and was buried at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 7 September 1599;(6) Baptist Hicks (1595-99), at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 9 February 1594/5; died young and was buried at St Mary Magdalene, Milk St., London, 11 October 1599.
He purchased the house at Kensington (Middx) later known as Campden House in 1609 and remodelled it. He purchased the manor of Chipping Campden (Glos) and built a new mansion there from 1612 onwards. At his death the majority of his property passed to his son-in-law, Sir Edward Noel.
He died 18 October 1629, when his baronetcy expired but his peerages descended to his son-in-law; he was buried at Chipping Campden, 4 November 1629 where he and his wife are commemorated by an immense and splendid monument in the south chapel of the chancel, attributed to Nicholas Stone. His widow died 21 July, and was buried at Chipping Campden, 11 August 1643.
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| Sir Michael Hicks (1543-1612) |
(1) Sir William Hicks (1596-1680), 1st bt. (q.v.);(2) Michael Hicks (c.1600-18), born about 1600; educated by Mr. Goodwin at Moreton (Essex) and at Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1618), where he is said to have died, unmarried;(3) Elizabeth Hicks (c.1602-26), born about 1602; married, 14 December 1619, Sir William Airmine (1593-1651), 1st bt., of Osgodby (Lincs) (who m2, 28 August 1628, Mary (c.1594-1675), daughter and co-heir of Hon. Henry Talbot, fourth son of George, Earl of Shrewsbury and widow of Thomas Holcroft of Vale Royal (Cheshire) and had further issue one son), and had issue three sons and two daughters; buried 27 September 1626.
He was granted the site and demesne of Lenton Priory (Notts) in 1604, and purchased the Beverston Castle estate in 1610. His wife inherited a life interest in Ruckholts, but after her death it passed to her son by her first marriage, Gabriel Parvishe, who sold it in 1635 to his half-brother, Sir William Hicks (1596-1680), 1st bt. (q.v.). Lady Hicks had a life interest in the Beverstone estate from her second husband and purchased the Great Witcombe estate in the early 17th century, presumably after she was widowed.
He died at Ruckholts, 15 August 1612, and was buried at Leyton, where he is commemorated by a monument erected by his widow; an inquisition post mortem was held 7 October 1612, and his will was proved in the PCC, 13 November 1612; most unusually it left the disposition of most of his property to the discretion of his executors. His widow was buried 14 February 1634/5; her will was proved in the PCC, 11 March 1634/5.
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| Sir William Hicks (1596-1680), 1st bt. |
(1) Letitia Hicks (1626-91), baptised at Westminster Abbey, 13 July 1626; married 1st,13 August 1651 at St Bartholomew the Less, London, as his third wife, Arthur Chichester (1606-75), 1st Earl of Donegall, and had issue one son and five daughters; married 2nd, before 1687, Sir William Francklyn (c.1636-91), kt., of Mavorn, Bolnhurst (Beds), but had no further issue; died about six weeks after her second husband and was buried in Westminster Abbey, 15 May 1691;(2) Baptist Hicks (1627-34), baptised at Leyton, 18 August 1627; died young and was buried at Leyton, 24 May 1634;(3) Elizabeth Hicks (1628-34), baptised at Leyton, 9 October 1628; died young and was buried at Leyton, 7 January 1633/4;(4) Sir William Hicks (1629-1702), 2nd bt. (q.v.);(5) Katherine Hicks (b. 1636), baptised at Leyton, 29 June 1636; probably died young;(6) Francis Hicks (1637-47), baptised at Leyton, 22 May 1637; died young and was buried at Leyton, 31 July 1647;(7) Sir Michael Hicks (1645-1710), kt. [for whom see below, under Hicks (later Hicks Beach) family of Witcombe Park];(8) Elizabeth Hicks (1647-76), baptised at Leyton, 20 August 1647; died unmarried and was buried at Leyton, 17 August 1676.
He inherited the Lenton Priory property from his father in 1612 and came of age in 1617; he inherited the Beverston Castle and Witcombe Park estates from his mother in 1635. He purchased Ruckholts (Essex) from his half-brother in 1635 and the manor of Chigwell in 1669; he lived in Essex.
He died at Ruckholts, 9 October and was buried at Leyton, 22 October 1680, where he is commemorated by a large standing wall monument; his will was proved 15 February 1680/1. His wife died at Westminster and was buried in Westminster Abbey, 10 September 1652.
Hicks, Sir William (1629-1702), 2nd bt. Elder surviving son of Sir William Hicks (1596-1680), 1st bt., and his wife Margaret, daughter of William Paget, 4th Baron Paget of Beaudesert (Staffs), born December 1629. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1646). High Sheriff of Essex, 1684-85. He is said to have been knighted at Ruckholt by King Charles II in his father's lifetime and succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 9 October 1680. He married, 13 February 1661/2 at Shenley (Herts), Marthagnes (c.1644-1724), eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Coningsby of North Mymms Park (Herts), and had issue:
(1) Mary Hicks (1665-1718), baptised at Leyton, 4 July 1665; married, 4 March 1711* at Whitechapel (Middx), as his third wife, James Darcy (1650-1731), later 1st Baron Darcy of Navan, of Sedbury Park (Yorks), son of James Darcy, but had no issue; buried at Gilling West, 2 February 1717/8, where she is commemorated on a mural tablet, which states she was buried in the north aisle of the church;(2) Sir Henry Hicks (1666-1755), 3rd bt. (q.v.);(3) Michael Hicks (1667-72), baptised at Leyton, 5 November 1667; died young and was buried at Leyton, 16 December 1672;(4) William Hicks (1670-81), baptised at Leyton, 29 March 1670; died young and was buried at Leyton, 11 March 1681;(5) Robert Hicks (b. 1671), baptised at Leyton, 14 April 1671; probably died young;(6) John Hicks (1672-81), baptised at Leyton, 12 September 1672; died young, and was buried at Leyton, 20 January 1681;(7) Michael Hicks (1673-74), baptised at Leyton, 19 September 1673; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 16 February 1673/4;(8) Elizabeth Hicks (1674-75), baptised at Leyton, 9 November 1674; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 31 December 1675;(9) Margaret Hicks (c.1675-1741), born about 1675; married, 17 July 1694 at Leyton (Essex), Anthony Wharton (b. c.1666) of Gilling Wood Hall (Yorks), fourth son of Humphrey Wharton of Gillingwood and Kirkby Thore (Yorks), and had issue one son and three daughters; her will was proved in the PCY, August 1741;(10) Charles Hicks (1678-1760) (q.v.);(11) Anne Hicks (1679-80), baptised at Leyton, 29 August 1679; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 8 March 1679/80.
He inherited the Lenton, Beverston and Ruckholts/Chigwell estates from his father in 1680, but sold Lenton Priory to Thomas Winford in 1686 for £9,650. He is said to have remodelled Ruckholts at considerate expense, and he probably built the new wing at Beverston for the use of his tenants after a fire in 1691.
He died 22 April and was buried at Leyton, 26 April 1702, where he and his wife are commemorated on his father's monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 8 July 1702. His widow was buried at Leyton, 28 January 1723/4.
* This marriage is recorded in the registers of both Whitechapel and Leyton for this date, but is stated erroneously in many secondary sources to have have taken place in 1693.
Hicks, Sir Henry (k/a Harry) (1666-1755), 3rd bt. Elder surviving son of Sir William Hicks (1629-1703), 2nd bt., and his wife Marthagnes, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Coningsby of North Mymms Park (Herts), baptised at Leyton (Essex), 8 October 1666. He married, 1st, 8 November 1698 at St James, Dukes Place, London, Elizabeth (1674?-1706), daughter of Adm. Sir John Holmes, and 2nd, 31 October 1711 at St Botolph, Aldgate, London, Barbara (1687-1746), daughter of Joseph Johnson of Walthamstow, and had issue:
(1.1) Margaret Hicks (1699-1700), born and baptised at Leyton, 23 October 1699; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 30? March 1699/1700;(1.2) Margaret Hicks (b. 1700), baptised at Leyton, 1 January 1700/1; said to have died in childhood;(1.3) Harry Hicks (1705-19), born about January 1705 and baptised at Leyton, 21 April 1705; died young and was buried at Leyton, 17 August 1719;(2.1) Sir Robert Hicks (1712-68), 4th bt. (q.v.);(2.2) Martha Hicks (b. 1713), baptised at Leyton, 26 January 1712/3; after the death of her brother Michael she inherited an interest in the family estates; married [forename unknown] Petty; living in 1755;(2.3) Elizabeth Hicks (1714-23), baptised at Leyton, 1 February 1713/4; died young and was buried at Leyton, 13 March 1722/3;(2.4) Ardina Hicks (c.1714-17), probably born in late 1714; buried at Leyton, 2 February 1716/7;(2.5) William Hicks (1715-20), baptised at Leyton, 7 November 1715; died young and was buried at Leyton, 13 April 1720;(2.6) Barbara Hicks (b. & d. 1717), baptised at Leyton, January 1716/7; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 14 May 1717;(2.7) John Hicks (1718-19), baptised at Leyton, 14 July 1718; died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 15 June 1719;(2.8) Michael Hicks (1719-64) (q.v.);(2.9) Harry Hicks (d. 1721); died in infancy and was buried at Leyton, 22 September 1721;(2.10) Ann Hicks (1724-76?), baptised at Leyton, 13 February 1723/4; after the death of her brother Michael she inherited an interest in the family estates; married, 10 July 1756 at St Clement Danes, London, Rev. Michael Burton (1701-59), rector of Staplehurst (Kent), and had issue one son; probably the Anne Burton buried at Staplehurst, 10 October 1776.
He inherited the Beverston and Ruckholts/Chigwell estates from his father in 1703, but sold Ruckholts in 1720 and much of his Chigwell land in 1727. He built the Bowling Green (later Manor House), Chigwell soon afterwards. At his death he left his property to his younger surviving son, Michael Hicks.
He died 28 October 1755, and was buried in the churchyard at Leyton (Essex) with his first wife, 8 November 1755; his will was proved 11 November 1755. His first wife died 14 January and was buried at Leyton, 21 January 1705/6. His second wife was buried at Leyton, 8 August 1746.
Hicks, Sir Robert (1712-68), 4th bt. Elder surviving son of Sir Harry Hicks (1666-1755), 3rd bt. and his second wife, Barbara, daughter of Joseph Johnson of Walthamstow, baptised at Leyton (Essex), 4 February 1711/2. He became an inveterate gambler, who by 1749 had run into serious debt, and as a result he was passed over by his father in favour of his younger brother in the succession to the family estates. He went blind between 1755 and 1758. He was apparently unmarried, but lived as husband and wife* with Mary (1716-83), daughter of Vice-Admiral John Greydon (d. 1726) of Fordwich (Kent); they had no issue.
After the death of his younger brother, he and his two sisters had a life interest in part of the family estates.
He died 31 March, and was buried at Hemel Hempstead (Herts), 6 April 1768. His partner was buried (as Mary Hicks) at Hemel Hempstead, 3 June 1783.
* No evidence of a marriage has been found, and Sir Robert's father, Sir Harry Hicks, made provision for her in a draft will of 1749, by the name of 'Mary Greydon alias Hicks'.
Hicks, Michael (1719-64). Younger surviving son of Sir Harry Hicks (1666-1755), 3rd bt. and his second wife, Barbara, daughter of Joseph Johnson of Walthamstow, baptised at Leyton, 29 September 1719. He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Beverston Castle and Bowling Green House estates from his father in 1755 and agreed with his cousin, Sir John Baptist Hicks (1721?-91) to break the entail on the estates, most of which he left to his kinsman, Michael Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1760-1830).
He was buried at Islington (Middx), 30 March 1764.
Hicks, Charles (1678-1760). Younger surviving son of Sir William Hicks (1629-1703), 2nd bt., and his wife Marthagnes, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Coningsby of North Mymms Park (Herts), baptised at St Peter's Hill, London, March 1677/8*. He married, 15 November 1716 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, Mary (1684-1739), daughter of John Coningsby, and had issue:
(1) Genevieve Hicks (1717-97), baptised at St. Andrew, Holborn (Middx), 26 August 1717; died unmarried and was buried at Aldenham, 4 April 1797; will proved in the PCC, 1 April 1797;(2) Juliana Hicks (b. c.1719); perhaps died young;(3) Sir John Baptist Hicks (1721?-91), 5th bt. (q.v.).
He lived at Kensington (Middx), and had an interest in The Wild, Shenley (Herts), which may probably be identified with Wild Farm on the north-western edge of Porters Park, in right of his wife.
He is said to have died in 1760. His wife died in Kensington (Middx), 10 October 1739, and was buried at Aldenham (Herts), 18 October 1739.
* The baptism is, however, entered in the Leyton (Essex) parish register.
Hicks, Sir John Baptist (1721?-91), 5th bt. Only recorded son of Charles Hicks (d. 1760) and his wife Mary Coningsby, born about 1720 and possibly the man of this name baptised at Ridge (Herts), 15 February 1721/2*. Apprenticed to Joseph Tily of Symonds Inn, attorney, 1736, but there is no evidence that he subsequently practised as a solicitor. He inherited the family baronetcy from his first cousin, Sir Robert Hicks, 4th bt., in 1768. He married 2nd**, 2 May 1771 at St Andrew, Holborn (Middx), Farrington (1725-1813), younger daughter of William Bristowe of Beesthorpe (Notts), but had no issue.
He was in remainder to the entailed Beverston Castle and Chigwell estates under the will of his uncle, Sir Henry Hicks, 3rd bt, but arranged with his cousin Michael Hicks to break the entail on these properties for a consideration. He lived at Hoddesdon (Herts).
He died 23 November 1791 and was buried at Broxbourne (Herts), where he and his wife are commemorated by a simple mural tablet; on his death the baronetcy passed to his second cousin, Sir Howe Hicks (1722-1801), 6th bt, [for whom see below, under Hicks (later Hicks-Beach) family of Witcombe Park]. His widow died in 1813; her will was proved in the PCC, 24 November 1813.
* However the register gives the father's name as George.
** No trace of an earlier marriage has been found, but he is described as 'widower' at his second marriage.
Hicks (later Hicks-Beach) family of Witcombe Park
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| Sir Michael Hicks (1645-1710), kt. |
(1) Sarah Hicks (1680-1710), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 20 May 1680; died unmarried, 18 February 1710 and was buried at St Benet's, Paul's Wharf, London, 24 February 1710;(2) Letitia Hicks (1681-82), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 7 October 1681; died in infancy, 2 August 1682 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(3) Letitia Hicks (1682-85), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 24 January 1682/3; died young, 28 June 1685 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(4) William Hicks (1684-85), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 10 September 1684; died in infancy, 10 July 1685 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(5) Michael Hicks (1685-86), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 3 September 1685; died in infancy, 7 November 1686 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(6) Michael Hicks (1687-89), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 17 October 1687; died in infancy, 3 July 1689 and was buried at Great Witcombe;(7) Howe Hicks (1689-1727) (q.v.);(8) Elizabeth Hicks (1690-91), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 5 December 1690; died in infancy, 19 May 1691 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(9) William Hicks (1691-95), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 5 February 1691; died young, 20 March 1694/5 and was buried at Low Leyton (Essex);(10) Alice Hicks (b. 1693), baptised at St Peter, Paul's Wharf, London, 15 September 1693; married, c.1712 (licence 22 February 1711/12), William White of Little Somerford (Wilts), and had issue.
His father settled the Witcombe Park estate on him on his marriage, and he built a new house there in or before 1697. He also received a house in Austin Friars, London, two houses on St Peter's Hill, London, and certain lands at Chigwell (Essex). His wife brought him one third of the manor of Old Paris Garden.
He died at an inn near Kingston Bagpuize (Berks), 4 May 1710 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where he was commemorated by a monument. His widow married 3rd, 1713, Jonathan Castleman (d. 1738) of Coberley Court and later of Painswick; she died in November 1724 and was buried at Great Witcombe.
Hicks, Howe (1689-1727). Only surviving son of Sir Michael Hicks (1645-1710), kt., and his wife Susanna, youngest daughter of Sir Richard Howe, sheriff of London, and widow of Samuel Beaumont Everard of the Middle Temple, baptised at St Peter, Pauls Wharf, London, 2 September 1689. He married, 30 April 1717 at Harmondsworth (Middx), Mary (c.1694-1728), daughter of Jeffrey Watts of Great Leighs (Essex) and widow of Benjamin Eames, and had issue:
(1) Susannah Hicks (1718-74), born 19 June 1718; married, 1741 (licence 12 June), Rev. Thomas Welles (c.1695-1763), rector of Cowley (Glos), 1724-63, and had issue two sons and two daughters; after her husband's death she lived at Twickenham (Middx), and was buried there, 30 December 1774; her will was proved in the PCC, 8 April 1775;(2) Mary Hicks (1719-55), born 20 November and baptised at Great Witcombe, 15 December 1719; married, 13 July 1747 at St Alfege, Greenwich (Kent), Rice Williams; died 14 February 1755 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where she was commemorated by a monument;(3) Michael Hicks (b. & d. 1721), born 5 January 1721/2; died in infancy, 6 March 1721/2 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where he was commemorated on his grandfather's monument;(4) Sir Howe Hicks (1722-1801), 6th bt. (q.v.);(5) Michael Hicks (b. 1727), baptised at Great Witcombe, 5 July 1727; apparently died in infancy.
He inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1710.
He died 12 February 1726/7 and was buried at Great Witcombe; his will was proved in the PCC, 18 March 1727/8. His widow died 6 August, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 9 August 1728; her will was proved in the PCC, 24 January 1728/9.
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| Sir Howe Hicks, 6th bt. |
(1) Howe Hicks (1740-44), baptised at Great Witcombe, 16 July 1740; died 4 January 1744/5 and was buried at Great Witcombe;(2) Martha Hicks (1742-1826), baptised at Great Witcombe, 9 June 1742; married, c.1764, as his second wife, Rev. John Pettat (1738-1811), rector of Stonehouse (Glos), 1763-1826 and of Quenington (Glos), 1789-97, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 26 September 1826 and was buried at Stonehouse, where she is commemorated by a monument;(3) Mary Hicks (1743-58), baptised at Great Witcombe, 7 February 1743; died young, 30 July, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 4 August 1758, where she is commemorated on a monument;(4) Howe Hicks (b. & d. 1745), said to have died at birth, 1745;(5) Susannah Elizabeth Hicks (1746-47), baptised at Great Witcombe, 20 June 1746; died 17 June 1747 and was buried at Coberley, where she was commemorated by a monument, now lost;(6) Alice Hicks (1747-69?), baptised at Great Witcombe, 14 December 1747; married, September 1768 (licence 15 September), probably at Great Witcombe, as his second wife, Thomas Lowfield of Oundle (Northants) and Bath (Som.); said to have died in 1769 and been buried at Great Witcombe;(7) Anne Hicks (1749-74), baptised at Great Witcombe, 10 November 1749; married James King (1732-1822) of Stanton (Herefs) (who m2, Margaret Cornish (d. 1836); buried at Great Witcombe, 25 March 1774;(8) Henrietta Howe Hicks (1752-68), baptised at Great Witcombe, 8 August 1752; died young, 16 March 1768 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where she was commemorated by a monument;(9) Sir William Hicks (1754-1834), 7th bt. (q.v.);(10) Michael Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1760-1830) [for whom see below, under Hicks Beach of Williamstrip, Earls St. Aldwyn].
He inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1727 and came of age in 1743.
He died suddenly of an apoplexy while berating some workmen at Witcombe, 9 April 1801, and was buried at Great Witcombe, where he was commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 11 February 1802. His widow died 4 May 1802 and was buried at Great Witcombe.
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| Sir William Hicks, 7th bt. |
(1.1) Howe Hicks (1786-87), baptised at Withington (Glos), 16 June 1786; said to have suffered from severe learning difficulties; died on his first birthday and was buried at Great Witcombe, 15 June 1787;(2.1) Anne Rachel Hicks (1794-1885), Lady Cromie (q.v.).
He lived at a house called Belle Vue at the eastern end of the High St., Cheltenham, until he inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1801, though he kept the Cheltenham house on until 1816 for his occasional use thereafter; it subsequently became the Belle Vue Hotel.
He died 23 October 1834, when his baronetcy passed to his great-nephew, Michael Hicks Beach (1809-54), 8th bt., [see below, Hicks-Beach family of Williamstrip Park, Earls St. Aldwyn]. He was buried at Great Witcombe, 30 October 1834, where he was commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 13 November 1834. His first wife died of consumption, 5 March 1787. His widow died 13 April 1839 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where she was commemorated by a monument.
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| Ann Rachel, Lady Cromie |
She inherited the Witcombe Park estate on the death of her mother in 1839, and at her death bequeathed it to her first cousin, twice removed, William Frederick Hicks Beach (1841-1923).
She died aged 91 on 23 September, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 26 September 1885; her will was proved 23 December 1885 (effects £2,085). Her husband died in an asylum, 27 March 1841, when his baronetcy became extinct.
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| William Frederick Hicks Beach (1841-1923) |
(1.1) William Hicks Beach (1866-1906), born 12 July 1866; educated at Charterhouse School; an officer in 4th (militia) battn, Gloucestershire Regiment (Lt., 1886; Capt., 1888; retired 1896); reputedly as a consequence of a failed love affair he emigrated to California about 1898, where he lived the 'purposeless existence' of a remittance man and had a variety of menial jobs for short periods; died unmarried at Bakersfield, California (USA), 20 July 1906, and was buried there; administration granted to his father, 26 May 1909 (estate £14,397);(1.2) Violet Elizabeth Hicks Beach (1867-1931), born at Sandleford Lodge (Berks), 14 August 1867; married, 3 December 1907 at St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster (Middx), Rt. Hon. Robert Threshie Read (1846-1923) 1st Earl Loreburn, Lord Chancellor, 1905-12, but had no issue; died 5 February 1931; will proved 5 March 1931 (estate £38,430);(1.3) Margaret Agnes Hicks Beach (1869-1943), born at Sandleford Lodge, 21 February 1869; married, 21 October 1908 at Great Witcombe, Joseph Dillworth Crewdson (1875-1946) of Syde Manor (Glos), farmer and landowner, youngest son of Theodore Crewdson of Syde, but had no issue; died 8 March 1943; will proved 6 August 1943 (estate £14,353);(1.4) Heather Edith Hicks Beach (1870-80), born at Sandleford Lodge, 22 August 1870; died young, 7 April 1880 and was buried at Great Witcombe, where she was commemorated by a monument;(1.5) Michael Hicks Beach (1872-1952), born at Shardeloes, 8 August and baptised at Amersham (Bucks), 18 September 1872; emigrated to USA and farmed at Bedford, New York (USA); served in Thorneycrofts Mounted Infantry (Sergeant) and Canadian Expeditionary Force (Corporal); married, 20 December 1907, Helene (c.1874-1941), daughter of Arthur Des Fosses of Montreal (Canada), and had issue three sons; died at Yorktown, New York (USA), 6 July 1952;(1.6) Ellis Hicks Beach (1874-1943) (q.v.);(1.7) Edward Howe Hicks Beach (1875-1967), born 7 December 1875; educated at Marlborough College; emigrated to British Columbia (Canada), 1893 and moved to Seattle, Washington (USA), 1921 and later, c.1940, to Los Angeles, California (USA), where he became a naturalised Amercian citizen, 1951; married, 2 September 1903 at North Cowichan, British Columbia, Alberta Louise (d. 1946), daughter of William Penn Jaynes of Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), and had issue one son and two daughters; died aged 91 at Culver City, Los Angeles, 21 April 1967;(1.8) Charles Hicks Beach (1878-1961), born 5 January and was baptised at Great Witcombe, 17 February 1878; civil engineer and district surveyor with Gloucestershire County Council; emigrated to Canada in 1907 and became an insurance agent; served in First World War with Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915-18, but returned to England and worked as a garage mechanic at Kingsdown (Kent); died unmarried, 13 March 1961; will proved 9 June 1961 (estate £3,503);(1.9) Myrtle Ardina Hicks Beach (1879-1937), baptised at Great Witcombe (Glos), 5 October 1879; ran a guest house at Kingsdown (Kent); died unmarried, 17 June, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 19 June 1937; will proved 2 September 1937 (estate £6.738).
After his marriage he rented Sandleford Lodge near Newbury (Berks) for several years. He then moved to Cranham Lodge on the Witcombe estate until he inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his first cousin twice removed, Lady Cromie, in 1885, and rebuilt the house.
He died 7 September and was buried at Great Witcombe, 10 September 1923; his will was proved 8 January 1924 (estate £38,835). His first wife died 22 January, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 25 January 1901; her will was proved 13 March 1901 (estate £1,010). His widow died 17 November 1958; her will was proved 22 January 1959 (estate £39,950).
Hicks Beach, Ellis (1874-1943). Third son of William Frederick Hicks Beach (1841-1923) and his first wife, Elizabeth Caroline, daughter of Thomas Tyrwhitt Drake of Shardeloes (Bucks), born 22 April 1874. Educated at Charterhouse. A career civil servant, he retired as Chief Chancery Registrar of the Supreme Court. He served in the First World War in the Welsh Guards (2nd Lt.) and 2nd (Vol. Battn), Gloucestershire Regiment. He married, 24 September 1903 at Thames Ditton (Surrey), Nancy (1877-1942), only child of Spencer Whitehead of Imber Grove, Thames Ditton (Surrey), a Master of the Supreme Court, and had issue:
(1) Rachel Hicks Beach (1904-83), born 17 July and baptised at Thames Ditton, 24 August 1904; married, 10 April 1934 at Great Witcombe, Col. Edward Roderick Hill DSO (1904-98) of St. Arvan's Court, Chepstow (Mon.), Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, only son of Capt. Roderick Tickell Hill, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 3 September 1983; will proved 25 October 1983 (estate £217,760);(2) William Whitehead Hicks Beach (1907-75) (q.v.);(3) Anne Hicks Beach (1908-77), born 30 March and baptised at Great Witcombe, 6 May 1908; married, 27 April 1931 at Great Witcombe, Rupert William Dudley Leigh (1909-79), 4th Baron Leigh, of Adlestrop Park (Glos) and Stoneleigh House (Warks), and had issue four sons; died 30 May 1977; cremated and ashes buried at Stoneleigh; will proved 22 September 1977 (estate £20,361);(4) Letitia Hicks Beach (1909-84), born 16 October 1909; antiques shop owner; married 1st, 7 August 1931 (div. 1939), Horace Alfred Townsend (1906-65), only son of William Alfred Townsend, and had issue one son and one daughter; married 2nd, 20 January 1947 (div. 1960), George Rufus Miles (1909-92), son of George Rufus Miles of Greenwich, and had issue two sons; married 3rd, 10 November 1960, John Messent Grover (1916-97), son of Douglas Walter Grover of Amberley (Glos); died 19 October 1984;(5) Spencer Ellis Hicks Beach (1911-69), born 7 May 1911; farmer; died unmarried at Barnwood House Mental Hospital, 30 November and was buried at Great Witcombe, 5 December 1969; will proved 20 January 1970 (estate £3,802);(6) John Hicks Beach (b. & d. 1913), born 4 May 1913; died in infancy, 15 June 1913.
He lived at Cranham House, Hampton-on-Thames in 1907-11, and inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1923, presumably because his elder brother had emigrated to America.
He died 27 September and was buried at Great Witcombe, 30 September 1943; his will was proved 29 March 1944 and 27 April 1964 (estate £22,102). His wife died 7 September and was buried at Great Witcombe, 10 September 1942; her will was proved 27 January 1943 (estate £8.918).
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| W.W. Hicks Beach MP |
(1) Elizabeth Anne Hicks Beach (1940-2018), born 17 August 1940; married 1st, 19 May 1962 (div. 1975), Simon Ernest Houlston Clarke (b. 1938), ship broker and racehorse owner, only son of Thomas Graves Clarke of Knightsbridge (Middx), and had issue two sons; married 2nd, 1987, Peter Malcolm Hinson (1928-2009) of Uckfield (Sussex), son of Harold Sydney Hinson; died 9 March 2018; will proved 28 June 2018;(2) Mark William Hicks Beach (1943-98) (q.v.);(3) Rosemary Gillian Hicks Beach (b. 1944), born 3 June 1944; married, 31 July 1965, Maj-Gen. (David) Murray Naylor CB MBE DL (b. 1938) of Huttons Ambo (Yorks NR), younger son of Thomas Humphrey Naylor of The Grange, Ashton (Ches.), and had issue three sons.
He inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1943.
He died 1 January 1975 and was buried at Great Witcombe; his will was proved 8 July 1975 (estate £178,512). His widow died 28 August 2002; her will was proved 11 March 2003.
Hicks Beach, Mark William (1943-98). Only son of William Whitehead Hicks Beach (1907-75) and his wife Diana, daughter of Christopher Gurney Hoare of Gateley Hall (Norfk), born 8 February 1943. Educated at Eton. He married, 25 March 1966, Cecilia Ruth (1939-2019), elder daughter of Douglas Allan Wright of Ashford (Kent), and had issue:
(1) Jonathan Ellis Hicks Beach (b. & d. 1967), born February 1967; died in infancy, 26 April, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 29 April 1967;(2) Andrew William Hicks Beach (b. 1970), born 1970;(3) Lucinda Jane Hicks Beach (b. 1975), born 1975; married, 2 October 1999, James Charles Wakefield (b. 1973) of Epperstone (Notts), son of Richard Herbert Wakefield, and had issue three daughters;(4) Frederick David Hicks Beach (b. 1980), born 6 November 1980; educated at Cheltenham College and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester (BSc); partner in Beach Baker Recruitment, 2008-20; inherited the Great Witcombe estate from his father in 1998 and rebuilt the house in 2007.
He inherited the Witcombe Park estate from his father in 1975.
He died 7 February 1998; his will was proved 3 November 1998. His widow died 4 March 2019; her will was proved 31 December 2019.
Hicks-Beach family of Williamstrip Park, Earls St. Aldwyn
Hicks (later Hicks Beach), Michael (1760-1830). Younger surviving son of Sir Howe Hicks (1722-1801), 6th bt., and his wife Martha, daughter of Rev. John Browne of Salperton Park (Glos), rector of Coberley (Glos), born 11 April 1760. Educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (matriculated 1778). JP for Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; Treasurer of Gloucestershire Quarter Sessions; High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, 1791-92; DL for Gloucestershire from 1796; MP for Cirencester, 1794-1818. He took the additional surname of Beach by royal licence, 23 June 1790. He married, 7 October 1779, Henrietta Maria (1760-1837), only surviving daughter of William Beach of Netheravon (Wilts) [for whom see below, Beach family of Fittleton Manor, Keevil House, Netheravon House and Oakley Hall], and had issue:
(1) Michael Beach Hicks Beach (1780-1815) (q.v.);(2) William Hicks (1781-82), baptised at Netheravon, 22 October 1781; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 7 May 1782;(3) William Hicks Beach (later Beach) (1783-1856) [for whom see below, Beach family of Fittleton Manor, Keevil House, Netheravon House and Oakley Hall];(4) Henrietta Maria Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1784-1808), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 2 August 1784; died unmarried, 22 June, and was buried at Fittleton, 28 June 1808;(5) Ann Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1785-1802), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn (Glos), 11 August 1785; died young, 15 October 1802 and was buried at Gt. Witcombe, but is commemorated by a monument at Fittleton;(6) Jane Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1786-96), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 14 December 1786; died young, 1 January, and was buried at Leyton (Essex), 7 January 1796, but is commemorated by a monument at Fittleton;(7) Charles Howe Hicks (b. & d. 1788), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 11 April 1788; died in infancy and was buried at Gt. Witcombe, 1 June 1788;(8) Jane Martha Hicks Beach (1801-82), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 3 August or 22 October 1801; acted as companion to her mother in the 1830s and later as housekeeper for her brother William at Oakley Hall in the 1840s before her late marriage; in the 1850s, a pioneering female photographer, noted particularly for calotype views taken in Italy while travelling with her husband; married, 24 February 1848, Edward William St. John (1815-86), son of Rev. Edward St. John of Ashe Park (Hants), but had no issue; died 18 November 1882 and was buried at Oakley; will proved 5 April 1883 (effects £2,613).
He inherited the Beverston Castle estate from his second cousin once removed in 1764 and came of age in 1781. He and his wife purchased Williamstrip Park from the estate of Samuel Blackwell in 1785. In 1790, on the death of her father, his wife inherited the Fittleton Manor, Keevil House and Netheravon House estates, and he inherited Shaw Hill House, Melksham. In 1799 he purchased the Bowling Green House, Woodford Bridge (Essex) from his distant relatives, but sold it again in 1800. He remodelled Williamstrip Park and Netheravon House to the designs of Sir John Soane.
He died at Williamstrip, 5 January 1830. His widow died 18 October 1837; her will was proved in the PCC, 27 January 1838.
Hicks (later Hicks Beach), Michael Beach (1780-1815). Eldest son of Michael Hicks (later Hicks Beach) of Williamstrip Park, and his wife Henrietta Maria, only surviving daughter of William Beach of Netheravon House (Wilts), born 22 October and baptised at Netheravon, 20 November 1780. Educated at Eton, in Edinburgh (by the Rev. Sydney Smith) and at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1800). He was an officer in the Coln St. Aldwyn, Hatherop and Quenington Volunteer Infantry (later Brightwells Barrow Hundred Volunteers (Capt., 1803; Maj. 1804). He married, 26 January 1809, reputedly at Wasing (Berks)*, Caroline Jane (1786-1860), eldest daughter of William Mount of Wasing Place, and had issue:
(1) Sir Michael Hicks Beach (1809-54), 8th bt. (q.v.);(2) William Hicks Hicks Beach (1810-44), born 19 November and baptised at Wasing, 20 November 1810; educated at Harrow and Oriel College, Oxford (matriculated 1828; BA 1832), and undertook a tour of France, Italy and Greece, 1834; was intended to inherit Witcombe Park from Lady Cromie but predeceased her; he died unmarried and without issue, reputedly from internal juries received while cutting trees in Oakley Park, 7 August, and was buried at Great Witcombe, 14 August 1844;(3) Caroline Jane Hicks Beach (1812-21), baptised at Longborough (Glos), 9 November 1812; died young in London, 15 April 1821.
After his marriage, he lived at Banks Fee House, Longborough, which he rented.
He died in the lifetime of his father, 27 September 1815 and was buried at Fittleton, 4 October 1815, where he and his daughter are commemorated by a mural monument. His widow died in London, 4 May and was buried at Great Witcombe (Glos), 11 May 1860; will proved 26 May 1860 (effects under £4,000).
* But according to the transcript prepared by the Berkshire Family History Society, there is no entry for this marriage in the Wasing parish register.
Hicks Beach, Sir Michael Hicks (1809-54), 8th bt. Elder son of Michael Hicks Beach (1780-1815) and his wife Caroline Jane, eldest daughter of William Mount of Wasing Place (Berks), born at Netheravon, 25 October 1809. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1827). He succeeded his great-uncle as 8th baronet, 23 October 1834. JP and DL for Gloucestershire; High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, 1840-41. An officer in the Royal North Gloucestershire Militia (Lt-Col). Conservative MP for East Gloucestershire, January-November 1854. He married, 14 August 1832 at Farthinghoe (Northants), Harriett Vittoria (1813-1900), second daughter of John Stratton of Farthinghoe Lodge, and had issue:
(1) Ellis Henry Hicks Beach (1836-37), born 30 August and baptised at St Mary, St Marylebone (Middx), 25 September 1836; died of influenza, 11 January 1837;(2) Sir Michael Edward Hicks Beach (1837-1916), 9th bt. and 1st Earl St. Aldwyn (q.v.);(3) Caroline Julia Hicks Beach (1839-1917), born 24 October 1839 and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 28 January 1840; married, 7 May 1861 at Coln St. Aldwyn, Sir John Talbot Dillwyn-Llewellyn (1836-1927), 1st bt., MP, son of John Dillwyn Llewellyn of Penllergare (Glam.), and had issue four sons and three daughters; died 3 March 1917; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 14 May 1917 (estate £2,196);(4) William Frederick Hicks Beach (1841-1923) [for whom see above, under Hicks (later Hicks Beach) family of Witcombe Park];(5) Henrietta Maria Hicks Beach (b. & d. 1843), born about September and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 16 October 1843; died in infancy and was buried at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), 25 November 1843;(6) Emily Georgina Jane Hicks Beach (1845-1930), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 23 October 1845; married, 28 January 1864 at Coln St. Aldwyn, George Pargiter Fuller MP (1833-1927) of Neston Park (Wilts), son of John Bird Fuller, brewer, and had issue five sons and one daughter; died 30 December 1930; administration of her goods granted 31 August 1931 (estate £3,179);(7) Alice Mary Hicks Beach (1847-1933), born 10 April and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 25 May 1847; married, 8 August 1865 at Coln St Aldwyn, William Henry Barneby (1843-1914) of Longworth Hall and Brockington Grange (Herefs), and had issue four sons and six daughters; died 27 January 1933; her will was proved 10 April 1933 (estate £5,108);(8) Henrietta Maria Hicks Beach (1849-1932), born in February and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 29 March 1849; married, 7 January 1873 at Coln St. Aldwyn, as his second wife, Rev. Robert Lowbridge Baker (1831-1904) of Ramsden House (Oxon), rector of Wilcote-cum-Ramsden, son of Robert Baker of West Hay, Wrington (Som.), and had issue one son and six daughters; died 25 February 1932; her will was proved 20 May 1932 (estate £10,411);(9) Laura Harriet Hicks Beach (1851-74), born 5 March and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 22 April 1851; married, 19 November 1872 at Coln St. Aldwyn, Arthur Charles Mitchell (1847-1917) (who m2, 1888, Constance Lucy (1858-1945), daughter of John Henry Elwes of Colesbourne House (Glos)), of Highgrove House, Tetbury (Glos), and had issue one daughter; died 6 March and was buried at Coln St. Aldwyn, 12 March 1874;(10) Mary Ethel Hicks Beach (1853-1914), born 27 June and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 14 August 1853; married, 12 October 1882 at Coln St Aldwyn, William Brooks (1853-1929), 2nd Baron Crawshaw, of Crawshaw Hall, Rawtenstall (Lancs), and had issue two sons and two daughters; died 1 October 1914; will proved 19 December 1914 (estate £12,500).
He inherited the Beverston Castle, Williamstrip Park, Fittleton Manor and Netheravon House estates from his grandfather in 1830, but sold Beverston in 1842.
He died of typhoid fever, 22 November, and was buried at Coln St. Aldwyn, 29 November 1854; his will was proved in the PCC, 14 March 1855. His widow died 20 January and was buried at Coln St. Aldwyn, 25 January 1900; her will was proved 14 March 1900 (estate £1,819).
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| Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, 9th bt. & 1st Earl St. Aldwyn |
(2.1) Lady Eleanor Lucy Hicks Beach (1875-1960), born in Dublin, 29 October 1875; married, 14 February 1907 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Lt-Col. Sir John Keane (1873-1956), 5th bt., army officer and barrister-at-law, of Cappoquin House (Co. Waterford), and had issue one son and three daughters; died in Dublin, 1 December 1960; will proved in London, 7 April 1961 (effects in England, £11,774) and in Dublin, 11 September 1961 (estate in Ireland, £11,887);(2.2) Michael Hugh Hicks Beach (1877-1916), Viscount Quenington (q.v.);(2.3) Lady Susan Evelyn Hicks Beach (1878-1965), born 15 June 1878; farmer; lived with her widowed mother and sister at The Manor House, Coln St. Aldwyn and later at Fittleton Manor House, which was sold after her death; died unmarried, 17 February 1965 and was buried at Fittleton; her will was proved 8 June 1965 (estate £28,838);(2.4) Lady Victoria Alexandrina Hicks Beach (1879-1963), born 12 September and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 19 October 1879 (HM Queen Victoria was her godmother); farmer; lived with her widowed mother and sister at The Manor House, Coln St. Aldwyn and later at Fittleton Manor House; wrote a Life of Sir Michael Hicks Beach (1932); died unmarried, 29 April 1963, and was buried at Fittleton; will proved 10 October 1963 (estate £18,731).
He inherited the Williamstrip Park, Fittleton Manor and Netheravon House estates from his father in 1854 and came of age in 1858. He sold the Netheravon and Fittleton estates to the War Office in 1898.
He died 30 April 1916, just six days after learning of his only son's death, and was buried at Coln St. Aldwyn, 4 May 1916. His first wife died following childbirth, 14 August 1865. His widow died 17 March 1940.
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| M.H. Hicks Beach, Viscount Quenington |
(1) Lady Delia Mary Hicks Beach (1910-2006), born 2 August and baptised at Sudeley, 11 September 1910; granted the rank of an Earl's daughter, 12 January 1920; Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; married, 3 December 1934 at Coln St Aldwyn (Glos), Brig. Sir Michael Dillwyn-Venables-Llewelyn (1900-76), 3rd bt., Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire, and had issue one son and one daughter; died aged 96 on 29 November 2006;(2) Michael John Hicks Beach, 2nd Earl St. Aldwyn (1912-92) (q.v.).
He bought back the Manor House at Fittleton in 1901, and bequeathed it to his sisters, who lived there from 1946 to their deaths, after which it was sold.
He was killed in action at Katya (Egypt), 23 April 1916, and was buried at Cairo New British Protestant Cemetery next to his wife; his will was proved 24 August 1916 (estate £145,294). His wife travelled to Egypt so as to be near him, but died of enteric fever in Cairo (Egypt), 4 March 1916 and was buried at Cairo New British Protestant Cemetery; administration of her goods was granted 5 October 1916 (estate £988).
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| 2nd Earl St. Aldwyn (Image: NPG) |
(1) Michael Henry Hicks Beach (b. 1950), 3rd Earl St. Aldwyn (q.v.);(2) The Hon. Peter Hugh Hicks Beach (1952-90), born 21 May 1952; painter; died unmarried, 5 May 1990; administration of goods granted 6 July 1990 (estate £166,357);(3) The Hon. David Seymour Hicks Beach (b. 1955), born 25 May and baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, November 1955; educated at Eton and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester; page of honour to HM The Queen, 1969-71; proprietor of The Bones Dogalogue (mail order accessories for dogs); Coln St Aldwyn Properties Ltd.; JP for Gloucestershire, 2009; married, 17 July 1993, Katrina (Kate) Louise Susannah, daughter of Michael Robert Quixano Henriques of Winson Manor (Glos), and had issue one son and two daughters; now living.
He inherited the Williamstrip Park estate from his grandfather in 1916 and came of age in 1938.
He died 29 January 1992; his will was proved 26 March 1992 (estate £1,495,536). His widow died 10 July 1992; her will was proved 5 February 1993 (estate £2,300,066).
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| 3rd Earl St. Aldwyn |
(1.1) Lady Atalanta Maria Hicks Beach (b. 1983), born 6 September 1983; educated at Leeds University (BA 2006), School of Oriental & African Studies, London (MA 2007) and St Barts & Royal London Hospital (MB, BS 2014); paediatric doctor in NHS: married, 2016, Rafael Gryner, son of Leonardo Gryner of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and has issue two daughters;(1.2) Lady Aurora Ursula Hicks Beach (b. 1988), born 1988; worked as a stage manager of theatrical productions on Broadway, New York; environmental activist.
He inherited the Williamstrip Park estate from his father in 1992 but sold the house and park in 2007, while retaining a home on the estate.
Now living. His first wife is now living. His second wife is now living.
Beach family of Fittleton Manor, Keevil House, Netheravon House and Oakley Hall
Beach, William (d. 1686). Eldest son of William Beach (d. 1647) of Brixton Deverell (Wilts) and his wife Joan Adlam. He married Mary (d. 1694), sister of John Giffard of Alhampton (Som.), and had issue including:
(1) Joan Beach (c.1650-84), baptised at Brixton Deverill, 12 June 16xx*; married, 14 July 1670 at Fittleton, John Champneys (d. 1705) of Orchardleigh (Som.), and had issue; died 1684 and was buried at Orchardleigh;(2) William Beach (1655-1741) (q.v.).
He inherited property at Brixton Deverell from his father and purchased the manor of Fittleton (Wilts) in 1665 and Keevil Manor House in 1678 from his mother's family, the Adlams.
He was buried at Fittleton, 6 May 1686; his will was proved at Salisbury, 21 May 1686. His widow was buried at Fittleton, 30 March 1693.
* The entry in the parish register has an illegible year, but states that it has been copied from an earlier (now lost) book, and must therefore date from before 1653.
Beach, William (1655-1741). Son of William Beach (d. 1686) and his wife Mary, sister of John Giffard of Alhampton (Wilts), baptised at Brixton Deverill, 4 January 1655/6. Educated at Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1673). He married, 9 October 1679 at Deane (Hants), Anne (d. 1742), eldest surviving daughter of Gilbert Wither of Hall Place (Hants), and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Beach (1680-1710), baptised at Deane (Hants), 15 July 1680; married, 6 October 1709 at Fittleton, George Grinley (d. 1741) of Covent Garden, Westminster (Middx) and later of Putney (Surrey), but had no issue; buried at St Paul, Covent Garden, 21 May 1710;(2) Ann Beach (c.1681-82), probably born in 1681; died in infancy, 1682;(3) William Beach (1682-1708), baptised at Fittleton, 26 October 1682; joined East India Co. and died on the ship Europe; administration of goods granted to his father, 9 November 1708;(4) Thomas Beach (1684-1753) (q.v.);(5) Mary Beach (1686-1707), baptised at Keevil, 26 March 1686; died unmarried and was buried at Deane (Hants), 24 October 1707;(6) Ann Beach (1688-1713), born 20 April and baptised at Fittleton, 10 May 1688; died unmarried and was buried at Fittleton, 10 May 1713;(7) Dorothy Beach (1690-1772), baptised at Fittleton, 6 March 1789/90; died unmarried and was buried at Keevil, 25 February 1772;(8) John Beach (1692-1750), baptised at Fittleton, 31 March 1692; evidently educated in London, perhaps through apprenticeship to a surgeon; married [name unknown] and had issue two sons and three daughters; said to have died in 1749/50;(9) Maria Beach (b. 1694), baptised at Fittleton, 27 November 1694; probably died in infancy;(10) Andrew Beach (1696-1735), born 3 October and baptised at Fittleton, 5 October 1696; surgeon in Bow Lane, London; married, 22 December 1726 at Salisbury Cathedral, Mary, daughter of William Wansborough of Salisbury (Wilts), and had issue two sons and two daughters (of whom only one daughter survived him); buried at St Mary, Aldermary, London, 1 March 1734/5; will proved in the PCC, 1 October 1735;(11) Henrietta Maria Beach (1698-1713), baptised at Fittleton, 25 November 1698; died unmarried and was buried at Fittleton, 12 May 1713;(12) Joan Beach (1700-65), baptised at Fittleton, 24 October 1700; died unmarried and was buried at Keevil, 5 July 1765; will proved in the PCC, 30 August 1765;(13) Charles Beach (1703-05), baptised at Fittleton, 18 March 1702/3; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 14 March 1704/5;(14) Sophia Beach (1705-87), baptised at Fittleton, 18 September 1705; died unmarried and was buried at Keevil, 6 August 1787; will proved in the PCC, 14 September 1787.
He bought the Keevil estate in 1681 and inherited the Fittleton and Brixton Deverell estates and Keevil Manor House from his father in 1686.
He was buried at Keevil, 24 August 1741; his will was proved in the PCC, 26 November 1741. His widow died 6 April, and was buried at Keevil, 9 April 1742.
Beach, Thomas (1684-1753). Second, but eldest surviving, son of William Beach (1655-1741) and his wife Anne, eldest surviving daughter of Gilbert Wither of Hall Place (Hants), baptised at Keevil, 25 July 1684. Educated at New College, Oxford (matriculated 1707; BA 1711). JP for Wiltshire. He married, 14 October 1718 at Mere (Wilts), Jane (d. 1735), only daughter of James Harding of Mere (Wilts), and had issue including:
(1) William Beach (1719-90) (q.v.);(2) twin?, Charles Beach (b. 1721), baptised at Fittleton, 12 July 1721; predeceased his father and probably died young;(3) twin?, Thomas Beach (b. & d. 1721), baptised at Fittleton, 12 July 1721; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 8 September 1721;(4) James Beach (1722-40?), baptised at Fittleton, 20 July 1722; predeceased his father and was perhaps the boy of this name who was buried at Winchester College (Hants), 15 December 1740;(5) Thomas Beach (b. & d. 1723), baptised at Fittleton, 3 September 1723; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 1 October 1723;(6) Jane Beach (1725-68), baptised at Fittleton, 28 October 1725; married, 26 August 1746, Rev. Thomas Talbot (1719-58) of Margam (Glam.), son of John Ivory Talbot of Lacock Abbey (Wilts), and had issue at least three sons and two daughters; buried at Keevil, 31 January 1768.
He inherited the Keevil House, Fittleton Manor and Brixton Deverell estates from his father.
He died 28 February and was buried at Keevil, 5 March 1753; his will was proved in the PCC, 22 March 1753. His wife was buried at Fittleton, 18 April 1735.
Beach, William (1719-90). Son of Thomas Beach (1684-1753) and his wife Jane, only daughter of James Harding of Mere (Wilts), baptised at Mere, 1 January 1719/20. Educated at New College, Oxford (matriculated 1739). JP for Wiltshire; High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 1778-79. He married, 29 June 1746, his second cousin, Anne (1718-88), youngest daughter and co-heir of Charles Wither of Hall Place (Hants), and had issue:
(1) William Wither Beach (1747-1829), baptised at Deane (Hants), 3 June 1747; educated at New College, Oxford (matriculated 1764), where he had some reputation as a poet; but, reputedly because he was crossed by his mother in a love affair, he 'fell into a low, odd and unsociable way' and became mentally ill for the rest of his life; he was left an allowance of £1,600 a year but no property or capital in his father's will, and seems to have lived at Netheravon House; buried at Fittleton, 1 July 1829;(2) James Harding Beach (b. & d. 1748), baptised at Fittleton, 28 May 1748; died in infancy and was buried at Deane, 25 October 1748;(3) Anne Beach (1749-71), baptised at Fittleton, 23 October 1749; two attempts to elope with the curate at Keevil having been frustrated by the vigilance of her mother, she waited until she was of age and then fled to him; and so she married, 22 November 1770 at Keevil, Rev. William Wainhouse (1738-97), curate of Keevil, but died of tuberculosis, 10 February 1771 and was buried at Steeple Ashton (Wilts); her husband subsequently wrote a libellous 'Tale of domestic and uncommon Parental Brutality', which was 'prepared for the Press, but was withheld from publication because the tale was too horrid for the general ear';(4) Frances Beach (1752-54), baptised at Fittleton, 21 July 1752;(5) Jane Beach (b. & d. 1754), baptised at Fittleton, 25 February 1754; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 1 March 1754;(6) Thomas Harding Beach (b. & d. 1758), baptised at Fittleton, 19 August 1758, but died in infancy and was buried the same day;(7) Henrietta Maria Beach (1760-1837) (q.v.).
He inherited the Keevil, Fittleton and Brixton Deverell estates from his father in 1753. He also inherited property in Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset and a considerable fortune from his maternal uncle, James Harding, a bachelor East India merchant; the money being used to fund the purchase of the Netheravon House estate in 1773, Shaw Hill House, Melksham, and Williamstrip Park.
He died 9 June, and was buried at Fittleton, 16 June 1790, where he is commemorated by a monument designed by Williams of London; his will was proved in the PCC, 24 June 1790. His wife died at Oakley Hall, 4 January, and was buried at Deane (Hants), 11 January 1788.
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| Henrietta Maria Beach (1760-1837) |
(1) Michael Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1780-1815) [for whom see above, under Hicks-Beach family of Williamstrip, Earls St. Aldwyn];(2) William Hicks (1781-82), baptised at Netheravon, 22 October 1781; died in infancy and was buried at Fittleton, 7 May 1782;(3) William Hicks (later Hicks Beach, then Beach) (1783-1856) (q.v.);(4) Henrietta Maria Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1784-1808), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 2 August 1784; died unmarried, 22 June, and was buried at Fittleton, 28 June 1808;(5) Ann Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1785-1802), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn (Glos), 11 August 1785; died young, 15 October 1802 and was buried at Gt. Witcombe, but is commemorated by a monument at Fittleton;(6) Jane Hicks (later Hicks Beach) (1786-96), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 14 December 1786; died young, 1 January, and was buried at Leyton (Essex), 7 January 1796, but is commemorated by a monument at Fittleton;(7) Charles Howe Hicks (b. & d. 1788), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 11 April 1788; died in infancy and was buried at Gt. Witcombe, 1 June 1788;(8) Jane Martha Hicks Beach (1801-82), baptised at Coln St. Aldwyn, 3 August or 22 October 1801; acted as companion to her mother in the 1830s and later as housekeeper for her brother William at Oakley Hall in the 1840s before her late marriage; in the 1850s, a pioneering female photographer, noted particularly for calotype views taken in Italy while travelling with her husband; married, 24 February 1848, Edward William St. John (1815-86), son of Rev. Edward St. John of Ashe Park (Hants), but had no issue; died 18 November 1882 and was buried at Oakley; will proved 5 April 1883 (effects £2,613).
She and her husband leased Shaw Hill House near Melksham until they purchased the Williamstrip Park (Glos) estate in 1785. They inherited the Netheravon House, Keevil, Fittleton and Brixton Deverell estates from her father in 1790.
She died 18 October 1837. Her husband died 5 January 1830. They are both commemorated by a monument at Fittleton (Wilts).
Hicks Beach (later Beach), William (1783-1856). Younger surviving son of Michael Hicks Beach (1760-1830) [for whom see above, under Hicks Beach of Williamstrip Park, Earls St. Aldwyn] and his wife Henrietta Maria, daughter of William Beach (1719-90), born 24 July and baptised at Melksham (Wilts), 26 August 1783. Educated in Edinburgh, 1800-03 by the Rev. Sydney Smith (who thought him 'the very best and most gentlemanly young man I ever saw' and though perhaps too reserved, 'of a very excellent understanding'), and at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1803; BA 1807; MA 1811). He was an officer in the Coln St. Aldwyn, Hatherop and Quenington Volunteer Infantry (later the Brightwells Barrow Hundred Volunteers) (Lt., 1803; Capt. 1804); the Royal West Gloucestershire Militia (2nd Maj, 1809) and the Royal North Gloucestershire Militia (Lt-Col., 1825). MP for Malmesbury, 1812-17. He dropped the surname Hicks by royal licence in 1838, in accordance with the will of his maternal grandfather. He married, 1 February 1826 at Salperton (Glos), Jane Henrietta (1809-31), daughter of John Browne of Salperton Park, and had issue:
(1) William Wither Bramston Beach (1826-1901) (q.v.);(2) Mary Jane Beach (1828-1903), baptised at Deane (Hants), 13 October 1828; married, 19 April 1849, Sir Wyndham Spencer Portal (1822-1905), 1st bt. of Laverstoke (Hants), and had issue three sons and four daughters; died 4 November 1903 and was buried at Oakley (Hants);(3) Henrietta Maria Beach (1830-1905), baptised at Deane, 18 November 1830; married, 22 June 1852, Col. Sir John Williams Wallington KCB (1822-1910) of Dursley (Glos) and later of Keevil Manor, and had issue four sons and three daughters; died 26 October and was buried at Keevil, 30 October 1905.
He inherited Keevil Manor from his father in 1830 and Oakley Hall (Hants) from his cousin, Wither Bramston, in 1832.
He died 22 November and was buried at Keevil, 29 November 1856; his will was proved in the PCC, 18 December 1856. His wife died 11 August 1831.
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| William Wither Bramston Beach (1826-1901) in his masonic regalia, by J.M. Rogier. |
(1) Archibald William Hicks Beach (1859-1924) (q.v.);(2) Agnes Caroline Beach (b. & d. 1864), born May 1864; died in infancy in the same month;(3) Alice Margaret Beach (1865-1935), born Oct-Dec 1865; married, 19 July 1890 at Holy Trinity, Chelsea (Middx), Rt. Hon. William Graham Nicholson (1862-1942) of Basing Park (Hants), MP for Hampshire East, 1897-1935, and had issue two sons; died 8 May 1935; administration of her goods was granted 19 October 1935 (estate £4,091);(4) Ellice Michael Hicks Beach (1875-1946), born 31 March 1875; educated at Eton and then travelled on the continent, visiting Hanover, Paris and Florence, but also spending time in Le Havre, Seville, Morocco and elsewhere; an officer in the Diplomatic Service (Third Secretary, 1900; Second Secretary, 1906; First Secretary; retired c.1922); a freemason from 1894; lived at Deane House (Hants), which was bought for him by his mother and sold after his death; JP for Hampshire; died unmarried, 6 September 1948; will proved 18 November 1948 (estate £16,708).
He inherited Oakley Hall and Keevil Manor from his father in 1856. His widow bought Deane House for their second son c.1903.
He died from injuries sustained when he was accidentally run over by a cab in Parliament St, Westminster, 3 August 1901; his will was proved 28 February 1902 (estate £63,787). His widow died 29 March 1918.
Beach, Maj. Archibald William Hicks (1859-1924). Elder son of Rt. Hon. William Wither Bramston Beach (1826-1901) and his wife Caroline Chichester, youngest daughter of Col. Augustus Cleveland of Tapeley Park (Devon), born 21 October 1859. An officer in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (2nd Lt., 1880; Capt. 1890; retired as hon. Maj., 1890); extra ADC to Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1886-89. Estate Steward to Sir Frances Newdegate of Arbury Hall (Warks), c.1890-1905; a Fellow of the Geological Society and a Professional Associate of the Chartered Surveyors Institution. JP for Hampshire from 1901. He married, 5 January 1888 at St Paul, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge (Middx), Violet Isabel Slingsby (c.1860-91), only daughter of the Hon. Slingsby Bethell CB, and had issue:
(1) Cicely Caroline Hicks Beach (1888-1973), born 1 November and baptised at Christ Church, Chelsea (Middx), 10 December 1888; married, 8 September 1914 at Holy Trinity, Chelsea, Walter Scott MacLellan (1885-1959), engineer, elder son of George Scott MacLellan of West Lodge, Glasgow (Lanarks), and had issue one son and one daughter; died in Glasgow, 1973;(2) Winifred Violet Hicks Beach (1889-1961), born 7 October 1889; married, 1 November 1923 at the Savoy Chapel, Westminster (Middx), William Henry Murray (b. 1892), second son of David Alexander Bruce Murray of Winnipeg (Canada); lived latterly at Genoa (Italy); died in Paris (France), 8 December 1961; administration of goods granted 17 July 1962 (estate in England, £2,325);(3) William Guy Hicks Beach (1891-1953) (q.v.).
He lived in Tite St., Chelsea and later at Wick House, Downton (Wilts) and Eathorpe Hall (Warks). He inherited Oakley Hall and Keevil Manor from his father in 1901, but let the former and sold the latter in 1911.
He died of pneumonia, 22 January 1924; his will was proved 16 April 1924 (estate £100,902). His wife died at Wick House, Downton, 19 September 1891.
Beach, William Guy Hicks (1891-1953). Only son of Archibald William Hicks Beach (1859-1924) and his wife Violet Isabel, only daughter of the Hon. Slingsby Bethell CB, born 23 July and baptised at Downton (Wilts), 5 October 1891. Educated at Eton. He served in the First World War as an officer in the City of London (Rough Riders) Yeomanry (2nd Lt., 1915) and the Hampshire Yeomanry (2nd Lt.; Lt., 1917; retired on grounds of ill-health). Stockbroker. He was declared bankrupt in 1931. He married 1st, 3 October 1914 at St. Anselm's church, Davies St., Westminster (Middx) (div. 1932), Fanny Muriel (c.1894-1965), only daughter of Ninian Bannatyne Stewart of Glasgow and Wemyss Bay (Renfrews) and 2nd, 14 December 1932, probably at Chelsea Registry Office, Beatrice Mary Swetenham (1901-75), only daughter of Arthur Oliver Johnstone and formerly wife of the First World War flying ace, Lt. Desmond Percival FitzGerald Uniacke (1895-1933), and had issue:
(1.1) Michael William Bramston Hicks Beach (1919-85), born 12 March 1919; educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Cambridge (BA 1939); served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (Sub-Lt, 1941; Lt., 1943) in Second World War, and was awarded the DSC; married, 22 July 1940 at Dover Registry Office, Kathleen Edith Doreen Augusta (1918-85), youngest daughter of Sir Brodrick Cecil Hartwell, 4th bt., and had issue one son; lived latterly in Chelsea (Middx); died 8 February 1985; will proved 21 May 1985 (estate £153,377);(1.2) Patricia Isabel Hicks Beach (b. & d. 1922), born 22 April 1922; died in infancy, 3 October 1922;(1.3) Peter Stewart Hicks Beach (1924-99), born 23 September 1924; educated at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth; an officer in the Royal Navy (Lt., 1945; Cdr., 1957; retired as Capt. after 1970), who served in the Second World War and was mentioned in despatches; appointed OBE, 1968; married, 20 May 1950 at Purbrook (Hants), Victoria Margaret (1922-86), youngest daughter of Ralph Victor Nelson RN of Horndean (Hants), and had issue one son and one daughter; lived latterly at Grayshott (Hants); died 7 December 1999;(1.4) Geoffrey Robert Wither (k/a Robin) Hicks Beach (1925-2016), born 14 November 1925; educated at Charterhouse; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1942; ); lived at Cucumber Hall, Fressingfield (Suffk); married, 19 July 1952, Rosemary Wendy (c.1931-2015), daughter of Harry Wolseley-Charles of Maidenhead (Berks), and had issue one son and one daughter; died 10 December 2016.
He inherited the Oakley Hall estate from his father in 1924 but it was sold following his bankruptcy in 1931. He lived subsequently at Ellington House, Maidenhead (Berks).
He died 8 February 1953. His first wife died 19 August 1965. His widow died 24 March 1975; administration of her goods was granted 29 May 1975 (estate £450).
Principal sources
Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, pp. 3466-68; S. Hicks Beach, A Cotswold family, 1909; G. Noel, Sir Gerard Noel and the Noels of Chipping Campden and Exton, 2004; History of Parliament entries for Sir Michael Hicks (1534-1612), Sir Baptist Hicks (c.1551-1629), 1st Viscount Campden, and Michael Hicks Beach (1760-1830).
Location of archives
Hicks, Beach and Hicks Beach family, Earls St. Aldwyn: deeds, manorial records, estate and family papers, personal and political papers, c.1250-20th century [Gloucestershire Archives, D1866, D2440, D2455]; deeds and legal papers concerning London and Gloucestershire property, 1472-18th century [The National Archives, C107/78-80]; Oakley (Hants) estate papers, 16th-17th cents [Hampshire Archives]
Coat of arms
Hicks-Beach, Earls St. Aldwyn: 1st and 4th, Vairy, argent and gules, a canton azure charged with a pile or (for Beach); 2nd and 3rd, gules, a fess wavy between three fleurs-de-lys or (for Hicks).
Can you help?
- I should be most grateful if anyone can provide photographs or portraits of people whose names appear in bold above and who are not already illustrated.
- If anyone can offer further information or corrections I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.
Revision and acknowledgements
This post was first published 29 November 2021.
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