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| Beaumont of Coleorton and Stoughton |
Sir Thomas Beaumont (d. 1457), the second son of the 4th Baron Beaumont, settled at Coleorton (Leics) in the early 15th century, having acquired the estate by his marriage in 1426 to Philippine, daughter and heiress of Thomas Maureward of Coleorton. Sir Thomas' son and heir, John Beaumont, was killed at the Battle of Towton in 1461 and forfeited his estates posthumously, although they were restored to his son, Sir John Beaumont (1446-1531) in 1485. Sir John died without issue, and Coleorton passed to his great-nephew, Richard Beaumont (1491-1538), with whom the genealogy below begins. Richard was an official in the household of George Hastings (1488-1545), 1st Earl of Huntingdon, at Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle (Leics), and was sent as a mature student to study law at Lincoln's Inn, presumably with a view to his becoming a more useful servant. He was then already married and his father-in-law, who was a distinguished alumnus of Lincoln's Inn, materially assisted his progress there. Richard and his wife Colette produced one son and four daughters, but it seems possible that they had separated before his death, as although she was still alive (and subsequently married again), she is not mentioned in his will, and the governance of his children was left to his mother and his brother Edward. His only son, Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85) was a child of tender years when his father died and may have been brought up in the household at Ashby as he later held the Puritan views which were fostered there. Nicholas served as an MP and High Sheriff for Leicestershire, and invested so heavily in developing coal mining on his estate that his finances became stretched, albeit perhaps only temporarily. He was, however, laying the foundations for the family's future prosperity.
Nicholas and his wife Anne Saunders had four sons, who all led interesting lives. The eldest, who was the heir to Coleorton, was Sir Henry Beaumont (c.1549-1607). He was one of the group of Leicestershire gentry who met King James I at Worksop (Notts) on his way south from Scotland to claim the English crown in 1603, and was knighted on that occasion. He was probably responsible for the building of a new towered house at Coleorton in the late 16th century. He became an MP in 1605 and was one of the commissioners appointed to investigate both the Bye Plot of 1603 and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In 1606 he petitioned the king for the revival of the Beaumont viscountcy in his favour, but this was denied and he died soon afterwards. Sir Henry's next brother was Francis Beaumont (1551-1624), whose career is obscure between his education at Cambridge and Grays Inn (completed in 1573) and his appointment as the Master of the Charterhouse in London in 1617. It seems probable that Francis owed this appointment (made directly by the king) to his kinsman, the king's favourite and possible lover, George Villiers (1592-1628), 1st Duke of Buckingham, who helped other members of the family at this time. Unlike his three predecessors as Master he was not a clergyman, and he may have been a lawyer, although he also had literary interests. The third brother, Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614), kt., leased mining rights in north Warwickshire and also married the heiress of the Stoughton estate in Leicestershire; his descendants will be considered below. The youngest brother, Huntingdon Beaumont (c.1560-1625) devoted himself to coal mining, and had mining interests in four counties. He developed two important innovations (the boring rod and the railed wagonway) but his practical skills were evidently greater than his business acumen, and he spent the last seven years of his life in a debtor's prison in Nottingham.
Sir Henry Beaumont's only child, and the heir to Coleorton, was his son, Sir Thomas Beaumont (c.1582-1625), who like his father was knighted during King James I's progress from Scotland to London. He became an MP in 1604, but obtained leave of absence after his father's death to travel on the continent for three years. On his return he became a JP and militia officer and served as High Sheriff, but these conventional appointments were overshadowed by a looming spectre of debt, and in 1616 he resigned all his offices, presumably with a view to devoting his time to resolving his financial problems. The helping hand of his kinsman, George Villiers, the king's favourite, is no doubt evident in his return to the magistracy in 1618, his appointment as a baronet in 1619 (without payment of the usual fee) and his elevation to the peerage as 1st Viscount Beaumont of Swords in 1622, gratifying his father's wish to see the Beaumont viscountcy revived. However, his financial problems persisted, and he was obliged to sell or mortgage all his property, including the manor of Elton (Hunts) inherited by his wife, Elizabeth Sapcote. Her father was a Catholic recusant and the household at Coleorton seems to have had a markedly anti-Puritan flavour at this time, something reflected in the text of a masque performed there in 1618. In October 1624 Thomas was wounded in a duel, and although he survived in the short term, he died of his injuries the following February, leaving as his heir, Sapcote Beaumont (1614-58), 2nd Viscount Beaumont of Swords, a child of eleven.
The 2nd Viscount was an active Royalist during the Civil War, and fortified the house at Coleorton for the king. It was subsequently captured by the Parliamentarians before being retaken by the Royalists, who burned it to prevent it being recovered by the Parliamentarians again. His estates were sequestered and he was obliged to compound for them for £500, and to fight off ill-founded claims against the estate from his brother-in-law, Henry Hastings. After the destruction of the house at Coleorton, he moved to Whitwick, but he may later have built the very modest new house at Coleorton, which incorporated one surviving tower of its predecessor. He died comparatively young in 1658, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas Beaumont (1634-1702), 3rd Viscount Beaumont of Swords, who was a JP for Leicestershire after the Restoration and noted for his persecution of Quakers and other protestant nonconformists. He was married, but had no children, and since his brothers had predeceased him (also without issue), the Viscountcy became extinct, and the Coleorton estate passed to his third cousin once removed, Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt., of Stoughton Grange.
The Stoughton Grange branch of the family was founded by Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614), kt., the third son of Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85) of Coleorton, who married Katherine, the daughter and heiress of Thomas Farnham, who had acquired the Stoughton property after the dissolution of the monasteries. Sir Thomas and Katherine had a large family of thirteen children, the eldest of whom was Elizabeth Beaumont (c.1576-1651). She married first Sir John Ashburnham of Ashburnham (Sussex), who was associated in coal mining activities with her father. After he died, she married Sir Thomas Richardson, Speaker of the House of Commons, and later Lord Chief Justice. In 1628, he was presumably offered a peerage, but instead of accepting one for himself, he arranged for Elizabeth to be created a peeress in her own right, as Baroness Cramond, with a special remainder in the patent not to her own children but to his son by his first wife. The point of this unusual arrangement was it enabled him to continue as Speaker of the Commons while ensuring that his descendants would have the benefit of a peerage.
Sir Thomas was succeeded at Stoughton by his eldest son, Sir Henry Beaumont (1584-1646), kt., who in 1615 leased coal mines around Bedworth (Warks). They suffered catastrophic flooding in 1619, and although some of the mines were later successfully drained and reopened, many of his workers were thrown into dire poverty for several years. Although he was a Royalist in the Civil War, there seems to be no evidence that his property was sequestrated, perhaps because he died before the process could be initiated or because his son and heir, Thomas Beaumont (1608-76), was a prominent Parliamentarian who would have been disadvantaged by a fine levied on his father. Thomas was a member of the committee controlling the New Model Army in 1644-45, and later, during the Commonwealth, he was MP for Leicestershire. In 1658 Oliver Cromwell made him a baronet, and although this dignity lapsed at the Restoration, it was renewed by King Charles II in 1661. One of his younger sons, William (1641-1718), was the founder of a cadet branch of the family, the Beaumonts of Buckland Court, but his heir was Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt. Sir Henry was MP for Leicester in the 1680s, but was chiefly notable for his enormous family of 21 children, which included no less than fourteen sons, three of whom joined the Royal Navy and perished at sea. He died at the beginning of 1689, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Thomas Beaumont (1663-90), 3rd bt., a soldier who died (probably of dysentery) while on campaign with King William III in Ireland in 1690. As he was unmarried, the baronetcy and the Stoughton estate then passed to his brother, Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt., who also inherited the Coleorton estate from his kinsman, the 3rd Viscount Beaumont, in 1702. Sir George was an arch-Tory and suspected Jacobite, who served as MP for Leicestershire for 35 years; he was a friend of Jonathan Swift and a trustee of Dr John Radcliffe's enormous bequest to Oxford University, part of which was eventually used to fund the building of the Radcliffe Camera. As Sir George was unmarried, the baronetcy and the Coleorton estate passed at his death to his younger brother, the Rev. Sir Lewis Beaumont (1673-1738), 5th bt., a canon of Chichester Cathedral, but he left Stoughton to his surviving sisters and the son and daughter of his deceased sister, Katherine Busby, so that it eventually passed out of the family to Anne Busby and her husband, Anthony Keck.
The baronetcy and the Coleorton estate passed in 1738 to Sir George Beaumont (1726-62), 6th bt., the twelve-year-old eldest son of William Beaumont (1681-1729) of Great Dunmow, who had already inherited his father's property either side of the Essex-Suffolk border, but who did not come of age until 1747. He was succeeded in 1762 by his only surviving son, Sir George Howland Beaumont (1753-1827), 7th bt., a highly cultured polymath who was a scholar as well as a talented amateur artist and actor, and whose income from coal revenues enabled him to act as an artistic patron. Although he lived chiefly in London (where his wife had inherited a house), he built a new house at Coleorton in 1802-09 with the advice of a wide circle of literary and artistic acquaintances. He also formed an important collection of Old Master and modern British paintings, and in his later years played a prominent role in the founding of the National Gallery, to which some of his own paintings were bequeathed. He and his wife had no children, so at his death the baronetcy and estate passed to his first cousin once removed, Sir George Howland Willoughby Beaumont (1799-1845), 8th bt. of Buckland Court (Surrey). Under the terms of the 8th baronet's father's will, his Buckland Court property passed to his younger brother when he inherited Coleorton. Sir George (d. 1845) married a daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury and had six children, of whom his eldest son, Sir George Howland Beaumont (1828-82), 9th bt. inherited Coleorton, while a younger son, the Rev. William Beresford Beaumont (1831-1901) became the rector there. The 9th baronet made considerable additions to Coleorton Hall, rather damaging its distinctive Regency character. One of his four sons had learning difficulties and as a teenager was placed in one of the earliest specialist private institutions created to help such people, but died young. Another son emigrated to British Columbia, where he became a rancher, and a third was in the army and was seriously injured in the First World War. The baronetcy and Coleorton Hall descended, however, to Sir George Howland William Beaumont (1851-1914), 10th bt., who was married in India during a brief career in the army. He and his wife had one son, but then seem to have separated, with Lady Beaumont living in the dower house on the estate (Swannington House) and Sir George living on the Continent, apparently with a mistress, and rarely returning to visit his estates, while Coleorton Hall itself was let from at least 1891. When the 10th baronet died, his property passed to his only son, Sir George Arthur Hamilton Beaumont (1881-1933), 11th bt., who experienced poor health after being wounded in the First World War. He sold the family's Essex and Suffolk property in 1917 and when the tenants left Coleorton Hall he returned to live there. It was, however, a financial struggle to manage the estate, and he opened a greengrocer's shop in Coalville through which he sold vegetables grown in the kitchen garden, with a view to at least making the gardeners self-financing! When he died, his only son and heir, Sir George Howland Francis Beaumont (1924-2011) was just nine years old, and his widow soon remarried. Coleorton was once more let, and after the 12th baronet came of age in 1945 it was quickly sold, becoming the regional headquarters of the National Coal Board in 1948, and later being converted into apartments. The 12th baronet was twice married and had two daughters but no sons, so on his death in 2011 the baronetcy became dormant or extinct.
Coleorton Hall, Leicestershire
There was a hunting park at Coleorton in the medieval period, and presumably a house or at least a hunting lodge associated with it. This was replaced by an Elizabethan mansion, presumably built for Sir Henry Beaumont (c.1549-1607), whose son Sir Thomas had a 'faire house and a park' at Coleorton, recorded by William Burton in 1622. The house was large and grand enough to be the setting for a masque of 1618 in which the Earl of Essex, Lord Willoughby, Sir Walter Devereux and Sir Thomas Beaumont all took part. Unfortunately, little can be said about the architecture of the house, which was garrisoned for the king by the 2nd Viscount in the Civil War, captured by the Parliamentarians (who used it as a base from which to attack Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle), and subsequently repeatedly attacked by the Royalists before finally being 'burnt to the ground' in about 1643.
In fact, one octagonal tower of the house survived and was incorporated into the replacement building constructed at an unknown date after the Civil War, but possibly before the death of the 2nd Viscount Beaumont in 1658. This was an extremely modest gabled vernacular building, with mullioned and transomed windows, which was fortunately recorded in about 1802 before it was demolished. It does seem to have been occupied by the 3rd Viscount, but after he died in 1702 the estate passed to Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt., of Stoughton Grange, and became the residence of the estate steward.
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| Coleorton Hall: survey drawing of 1802 by John Matthews showing the 17th century house, which incorporated one tower of its Elizabethan predecessor, destroyed in the Civil War. Image: Soane Museum D1/9/1. |
The present house was built in 1803-09 by George Dance the younger for Sir George Howland Beaumont (1753-1827), 7th bt., a man of taste who gathered around him a glittering circle of artists and writers, including Dance, Sir Uvedale Price, Richard Payne Knight, William Wordsworth, Thomas Coleridge and Thomas Hope. The building of a new house at Coleorton, and the landscaping of the park, which had been ravaged by coal workings, became a kind of group project in the Picturesque style for this team, who provided 'a disconcerting amount of advice' in correspondence, even if they weren't directly involved on the ground. Sir George's intention was to build on the existing site, which was on rising ground overlooking the coal pits. The design of the house went through a number of iterations. The first idea was to retain part of the 17th century house, but this idea was eventually dropped as limiting and impractical. Dance then designed several schemes, including an Adam-style castle, a regular house with an asymmetrical wing in the style of James Wyatt or John Nash, and an essentially square house with applied decoration in a variety of styles: the designs are in the Soane Museum collection. It was one of the latter schemes which was eventually chosen and built, with elevations that combined stripped Gothic, Greek and 'Hindoo' motifs in a way that Dance had done before at the City of London Guildhall.
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| Coleorton Hall: engraving of 1817 showing the entrance front of Sir George Beaumont's new house of 1802-09, as originally built. |
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| Coleorton Hall: drawing by John Constable, 1823, showing the side and rear elevations as first built. |
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| Coleorton Hall: view of the tribune in the mid 20th century. Image: A.F. Kersting/Historic England |
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| Coleorton Hall: the entrance front and service wing after the conversion to flats. |
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| Coleorton Hall: the rear elevation showing the top storey added in 1872 and the picture gallery of 1847. Image: A.F. Kersting/Historic England. |
The glazed façade of the picture gallery was rebuilt in stone in 1947, and after the house was sold the following year, some of the interiors were subdivided to form offices. Some fifty years of institutional use was followed by conversion to flats, so that only the central communal spaces now have anything like their original impact.
The creation of picturesque grounds was carried out alongside the building of the house, with the advice of Sir Uvedale Price, who urged that the house should be viewed as one element in a picturesque setting, alongside the existing woods and the church spire. The former deer park was pitted with humps and hollows that gave witness to the past coal mining from which Beaumont's wealth derived, and these can still be seen beyond the areas which were made into a picturesque landscape. Within these pleasure grounds, distinct themed areas were created and carefully linked together. The front of the house was framed by trees and a pool fed by a stream from a pond in the wood.
To the south, a disused quarry was developed as a winter garden by William Wordsworth in 1806, and there is a verse by the poet in a pedimented frame. The effect is somewhat spoilt by the house built in 1959 for the regional director of the coal board, which is now a private residence. A buttressed retaining wall separates the winter garden from the main lawns, and an aviary was built against this. 'Scott's Seat' was built into an outcrop of sandstone. A rose garden was set below a haha to the east of the house, allowing the house to have an unimpeded view of Bardon Hill, the highest point in the county. To the north-east was a yew walk, with busts of literary figures including Shakespeare and Milton and a memorial to the early 17th century dramatist Francis Beaumont inscribed by Wordsworth. Further north was a lime walk, where painters were commemorated: there are busts of Michelangelo and Raphael, and a cenotaph to Reynolds, who was a close friend of Sir George Beaumont, again with an inscription by Wordsworth. On the lawn in front of the Lime Walk, under a giant yew, was the Pondering Stone, 'brought here in January 1818', where Beaumont and his literary and artistic circle would meet for after-dinner conversation, although only, one imagines, in summer!
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| Coleorton Hall: painting by John Constable of the monument to Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1823. Image: National Gallery. |
Descent: Thomas Maureward; to daughter, Philippine, wife of Sir Thomas Beaumont (d. 1457); to son, John Beaumont (d. 1461); forfeited to Crown, 1461, but restored in 1485 to John's son, Sir John Beaumont (1446-1531), kt.; to great-nephew, Richard Beaumont (1491-1538); to son, Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85); to son, Sir Henry Beaumont (c.1549-1607), kt.; to son, Sir Thomas Beaumont (c.1582-1625), kt., 1st bt. and 1st Viscount Beaumont of Swords; to son, Sapcote Beaumont (1614-58), 2nd Viscount Beaumont of Swords; to son, Thomas Beaumont (1634-1702), 3rd Viscount Beaumont of Swords; to third cousin once removed, Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt.; to brother, Rev. Sir Lewis Beaumont (1673-1738), 5th bt.; to first cousin once removed, Sir George Beaumont (1726-62), 6th bt.; to son, Sir George Howland Beaumont (1753-1827), 7th bt.; to first cousin once removed, Sir George Howland Willoughby Beaumont (1799-1845), 8th bt.; to son, Sir George Howland Beaumont (1828-82), 9th bt.; to son, Sir George Howland William Beaumont (1851-1914), 10th bt.; to son, Sir George Arthur Hamilton Beaumont (1881-1933), 11th bt.; to son, Sir George Howland Francis Beaumont (1924-2011), 12th bt., who sold 1948 to National Coal Board; sold 1997 to Bloor Homes and converted into flats.
Stoughton Grange, Leicestershire
The estate derives its name from being a property of Leicester Abbey in the medieval period. It was acquired after the dissolution of the monasteries by Thomas Farnham, and either he or his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614), kt., to whom the estate passed by marriage, built a low Elizabethan manor house here in the late 16th century. Very little can be said about it, for the earliest visual record seems to be a late 18th century engraving in Throsby's Select Views of Leicestershire, which shows the results of a mid-18th century Gothick makeover for Anthony Keck, which seems to have been completed by the time he moved in in 1754.
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| Stoughton Grange: view of the house c.1790 from Throsby's Select Views in Leicestershire, showing the mid 18th century Gothick elevation. |
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| Stoughton Grange: the entrance front as altered in the early 19th century, from an early 20th century postcard. The looming presence of the Victorian block behind can also be seen. |
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| Stoughton Grange: the large new block added to the house by Carpenter & Ingelow in 1872. Image: M.A. Belville/Historic England BB83/5645. |
Descent: Thomas Farnham of Bedworth (Warks); to daughter, Catherine, wife of Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614), kt.; to son, Sir Henry Beaumont (1584-1646), kt.; to son, Sir Thomas Beaumont (1608-76), 1st bt.; to son, Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt.; to son, Sir Thomas Beaumont (1663-90), 3rd bt.; to brother, Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt.; to sisters, nephew and niece, of whom Anne (née Busby), wife of Anthony Keck was the survivor and heiress; to son, Anthony James Keck (c.1740-82); to son, Piers Anthony Keck (1769-97); to brother, George Anthony Legh-Keck (1774-1860); to nephew by marriage, Maj. the Hon. Henry Littleton Powys-Keck (1812-63); to son, Henry Leycester Powys-Keck (1841-1912); sold 1919 to Co-operative Wholesale Society, which demolished it in 1926.
Beaumont of Coleorton Hall and Stoughton Grange, baronets and Viscounts Beaumont of Swords
Beaumont, Richard (1491-1538). Eldest son of William Beaumont (d. 1529) [for whom see my account of the Beaumonts of Grace Dieu] and his wife Mary (d. 1539), daughter of Sir Thomas Basset of Blore (Staffs), born 1491. Educated at Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1526), while a servant of George Hastings (1488-1545), 3rd Baron Hastings and later 1st Earl of Huntingdon. It was claimed in the early 17th century that he was imprisoned while in the service of King Henry VIII, and had to sell some of his property to gain his freedom. He married, by 1526, Colette, daughter of Richard Clarke (d. 1530) of Lincoln's Inn and Washingborough (Lincs), and had issue:
(1) Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85) (q.v.);
(2) Mary Beaumont; married 1st, [forename unknown] Sharpe and 2nd, [forename unknown] Hatcliffe, but had no issue;(3) Dorothy Beaumont; living in 1538;(4) Avery (fem.) Beaumont (d. 1601); married Thomas Findern of Findern (Derbys), but had no children; died 1601;(5) Anne Beaumont; married William Keldon.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his great-uncle, John Beaumont (1446-1531).
He is said to have died 18 October 1538; his will was proved 19 February 1538/9 and rather curiously makes no reference to his wife, leaving the governance of his children to his mother and brother Edward. She was, however, evidently still alive, and married 2nd, William Villiers (d. 1559) of Brooksby (Leics), and had further issue one son; her date of death is unknown.
Beaumont, Nicholas (1526-85). Only son of Richard Beaumont (1491-1538) and his wife Colette, daughter of Richard Clarke of Buckinghamshire, born 25 November 1526. MP for Leicestershire, 1563, 1572, and for Bramber (Sussex), 1584. JP for Leicestershire from 1558; High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1577-78. He was evidently a Puritan, being described as 'earnest' in religion. He was one of the overseers of the will of Thomas Farnham of Bedworth, and was accused by one of the executors of trying to get possession of Farnham's Stoughton estate (which was eventually achieved through the marriage of his son Henry to Farnham's daughter). He was evidently under some financial pressure because of the extent of his investment in coal mining at Coleorton. He married, about 1548, Anne (d. 1582), daughter of William Saunders of Welford (Northants), and had issue:
(1) Sir Henry Beaumont (c.1549-1607), kt. (q.v.);(2) Francis Beaumont (c.1551-1624), born about 1551; educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge (matriculated 1565; BA 1570; MA 1573) and Grays Inn (admitted 1618); author of 'A judicious apology for the supposed levities of Chaucer' which was appended to a 1598 edition of poet's works; Master of Sutton's Hospital, Charterhouse, London, 1617-24; granted lands in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Cambridgeshire by King James I, 1622; said to have been a keen supporter of cockfighting; died unmarried, 18 June 1624 and was buried in the chapel of the Charterhouse, where he is commemorated by a monument;(3) Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614), kt. (q.v.);(4) Huntingdon Beaumont (c.1560-1625); educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1580); he became a coal mining entrepreneur, who contributed particularly to the engineering of coal mining, inventing the boring rod and building two of the earliest wagonways for coal trucks in England (at Strelley (Notts) and Bedlington (Northbld)); he had interests in Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Northumberland and Nottinghamshire, where he was associated in mining operations with Sir Francis Willoughby; he was ultimately unsuccessful in business and was imprisoned for debt at Nottingham from 1618; he married, c.1615, Joan Holland (fl. 1625) and had issue four sons; died at Nottingham gaol, on or shortly before 14 March 1624/5;(5) Dorothy Beaumont; married William Reade of Barton Court, Abingdon (Berks), and had issue at least one son (from whom descended the Reade baronets of Shipton Court (Oxon));(6) Katherine Beaumont; married 1st, Anthony Byron (c.1552-87), son of Sir John Byron (c.1526-1600) of Newstead Abbey (Notts); married 2nd, 28 July 1595 at St John, Clerkenwell (Middx), Sir Henry Berkeley (1566-1630), 1st bt. of Wymondham (Leics) (who m2, after 1618, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Mynne (d. 1618) of Epsom (Surrey));(7) Margery Beaumont; died in infancy.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1538 and came of age in 1547.
He died at Lambeth (Surrey) 9 July 1585 and was buried at Christ Church, Newgate St., where he was commemorated by a monument (erected by his descendant, Lady Cramond, in the 1630s) which gave his date of death incorrectly as 1598; his will was proved 24 July 1585. His wife died 7 September 1582 and was buried at Christ Church, Newgate St., London.
Beaumont, Sir Henry (c.1549-1607), kt. Eldest son of Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85) and his wife Anne, daughter of William Saunders of Welford (Northants), born about 1549. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge (admitted 1560) and Lincolns Inn (admitted 1566). JP for Leicestershire from 1584; High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1584-85; Custos Rotulorum for Leicestershire, 1605-07; MP for Leicestershire, 1589, 1605-07. He was a member of the commission of oyer and terminer for the Midlands Circuit from at least 1598-1607, and he was also named to the commissions of enquiry into the Bye Plot, 1603 and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was knighted at Worksop (Notts) by King James I on the king's progress from Scotland to London to assume the throne, 21 April 1603, but an attempt in 1606 to have the Beaumont viscountcy (extinct in 1507) revived in his favour was unsuccessful; his son did, however, secure the new creation of an Irish viscountcy in 1622. He married, 11 January 1571/2 at Breedon-on-the-Hill (Leics), Elizabeth (d. 1608), daughter of John Lowis or Lewis of London, mercer, and had issue (perhaps with others who died young):
(1) Sir Thomas Beaumont (c.1582-1625), 1st bt. and 1st Viscount Beaumont of Swords (q.v.).
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1585.
He died 5 March 1607 and was buried at Coleorton, 31 March 1607, where he and his wife are commemorated by a fine alabaster altar tomb with effigies. His widow died 26 March 1608 and was buried at Coleorton the following day.
Beaumont, Sir Thomas (c.1582-1625), 1st bt. and 1st Viscount Beaumont of Swords. Only child of Sir Henry Beaumont (c.1549-1607) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Lowis or Lewis of London, mercer, born about 1582. Educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge (admitted c.1596), and undertook a Grand Tour, 1607-10. He was knighted at Belvoir Castle (Leics) by King James I on the king's progress from Scotland to London to assume the throne, 23 April or 11 May 1603. MP for Tamworth, 1604-10 and for Leicestershire, 1621, when his election was overturned on appeal. He was admitted an honorary member of the Inner Temple in 1610, and was a JP for Leicestershire, c.1608-16, 1618-23; High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1610-11; a Sewer Commissioner for Lincolnshire, from 1618, and also for Rutland and Northamptonshire, 1624; and an officer in the Leicestershire Horse Militia (Capt., 1614; retired 1616). He resigned all of his offices in 1616 because of chronic indebtedness, but in 1618 the emergence of his kinsman George Villiers as a favourite of the king gave him sufficient protection to be reappointed as a JP, and on 17 September 1619 he was created a baronet without the payment of the usual fee. However, his financial situation continued to deteriorate and in 1620 he mortgaged most of his Leicestershire estates and mining rights to his wife's cousin, Sir Richard Burnaby. In the same year he sought election to parliament again, presumably because of the protection it offered from arrest for debt, but his election was overturned on petition. Thereafter, his luck improved somewhat, for he was awarded a share in the estate of John Harman of Barlestone, which was forfeited to the Crown on his conviction of a felony, and he was able to clear his debt to Sir Thomas Cheke by selling the Elton estate to Sir Nathaniel Rich. He was also raised to the peerage of Ireland, being created Viscount Beaumont of Swords (Co. Dublin), 20 May 1622, although he seems to have had no Irish connections or property; this was perhaps the king's way of avoiding the revival of the extinct Beaumont viscountcy while still conveying a favour on his favourite's kinsman. In 1618, a masque ("The fairies' farewell") was performed at Coleorton Hall to celebrate the marriage of the Earl of Essex's sister to Sir William Seymour, in which Beaumont and his friends and relatives all performed; apparently written by Thomas Pestall, the rector of Coleorton, it includes criticisms of the ‘new sect’ of puritans, who are attacked for abolishing ‘country mirth’. He married, 5 October 1600 at Bracebridge (Lincs), Elizabeth (b. c.1580; fl. 1637), daughter of Henry Sapcote (d. 1629) of Bracebridge (Lincs), a Catholic recusant who died in the Fleet Prison, and had issue:
(1) Hon. Elizabeth Beaumont (b. c.1601); married 1st, 1623 (licence), Sir Thomas Waldron (1599-1628), kt. of Charley Hall (Leics), son of Sir Richard Waldron, and had issue one son; married 2nd, Henry Hastings (d. c.1670), son of Sir Henry Hastings of Kirby Muxloe Castle and Braunston Hall (Leics), and had issue three sons and three daughters; her second husband was a Royalist in the Civil War and was obliged to sell his estate to pay his fines; he also claimed (unsuccessfully) that his wife's marriage portion had not been paid by her brother when it had been; her death has not been traced;(2) Catherine Beaumont (b. 1605), baptised at Coleorton, 21 April 1605; perhaps died young;(3) Francis Beaumont (b. 1607), baptised at Coleorton, 20 February 1606/7; perhaps died young;(4) Hon. Mary Beaumont (b. 1608), born 13 February 1607/8; married Francis Manby (c.1603-71) of Elsham (Lincs) (who m2, 1658, Mary, daughter of [forename unknown] Bradley and widow of John Mumby of Riby), eldest surviving son of William Manby of Riby, and had issue one son and one daughter; dead by 1658;(5) Jane Beaumont (b. & d. 1613), born 19 April and baptised at Coleorton, 2 May 1613; died in infancy and was buried at Coleorton, 28 July 1613;(6) Sapcote Beaumont (1614-58), 2nd Viscount Beaumont of Swords (q.v.);(7) Henry Beaumont (b. 1616), baptised at Coleorton, 16 April 1616; died without issue;(8) Hon. Thomas Beaumont (1617-42), baptised at Whitwick (Leics), 3 July 1617; a Royalist in the Civil War; died unmarried at the Battle of Edgehill, 1642;(9) Hon. Robert Beaumont (1618-37), baptised at Coleorton, 20 September 1618; educated at Clare College, Cambridge (matriculated 1637), but died there while an undergraduate, and was buried at St Mary the Great, Cambridge, 18 July 1637;(10) Hon. Eleanor/Ellen Beaumont (d. 1644) ; married, 2 May 1639 at Norton Disney, Daniel Disney (1616-61) of Norton Disney (Lincs), barrister, and had issue four sons; buried at Norton Disney, 23 March 1643/4;(11) Anne Beaumont.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1607, and was also heir to his maternal uncle, Humphrey Lowis/Lewis. His wife inherited the Elton (Hunts) estate through her mother but they sold it in an effort to clear their debts.
He died on 8 February 1624/5 of wounds received in a duel the previous October, and was buried at Coleorton; his will was proved 31 May 1625. His widow was living in 1637 but her date of death is unknown.
Beaumont, Sapcote (1614-58), 2nd Viscount Beaumont of Swords. Eldest son of Sir Thomas Beaumont (c.1582-1625), 1st bt. and 1st Viscount Beaumont of Swords, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Sapcote of Bracebridge (Lincs), born 10 May and baptised at Whitwick (Leics), 21 May 1614. He was a Royalist in the Civil War, and fortified his house at Coleorton as a garrison for the king, but the house was captured by the Parliamentarians who used it as their local headquarters, before it was recaptured by the Royalists and burned down by the king's army. He married 1st, 28 May 1632 at Burton-by-Lincoln (Lincs), Bridget* (d. 1640), a younger daughter of Sir Thomas Monson (1565-1641), 1st bt., of Burton Hall, Burton-by-Lincoln and South Carlton (Lincs), and 2nd, c. 1643, Anne (d. 1678), eldest daughter of Sir William Villiers (d. 1629), 1st bt., of Brooksby Hall (Leics), and had issue:
(1.1) Hon. Elizabeth Beaumont (1633-97). baptised at Burton, 20 March 1632/3; married, 8 August 1650 at Burton, Sir John Hotham (1632-89), 2nd bt., of Dalton Hall, South Dalton (Yorks ER), and had issue five sons and four daughters; died 6 December and was buried at South Dalton, 10 December 1697; administration of her goods was granted 20 December 1697;(1.2) Thomas Beaumont (1634-1702), 3rd Viscount Beaumont of Swords (q.v.);(1.3) Hon. John Beaumont (1636-1701), baptised at Burton, 17 July 1636; educated at Market Bosworth Grammar School and Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1653); said to have gone into exile in the 1650s to attend on King Charles II and the Duke of York; became an officer of the Royal Household at the Restoration (Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, 1660; Carver, 1679-82?; Equerry, 1685-88); he was also an officer in the army intermittently (Capt., 1666-67, 1674-84; Lt-Col., 1685-88) until he was one of a group of army officers who refused King James' order to accept Irish Catholic soldiers and officers into their regiment and were court martialled and cashiered; he subsequently went to Torbay to join William of Orange on his landing, and was made Colonel of his old regiment by the new king, serving in Ireland, Flanders and Scotland before he retired in 1695; MP for Nottingham, 1685-87 and for Hastings (Sussex), 1689-95; Lieutenant-Governor of Dover Castle, 1686-88, 1689-94; JP for Northamptonshire, 1685-1701 and for Leicestershire, 1687-1701; elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, 1685; fought a duel with Sir William Forrester, 1695, 'occasioned by some works between them in parliament', in which the latter was disarmed; married 1st, 1663 (licence 10 September), Felicia Mary (d. 1687), daughter of Thomas Pigott of Chetwynd (Shrops) and widow of William Wilmer (d. 1660) of Sywell (Northants) and the Hon. Sir Charles Compton (c.1624-61), kt. of Grendon (Northants), second son of Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton; he married 2nd, 3 October 1693 at St Matthew, Friday St., London, Philippa (1668-1744) (who married 2nd, 1705 (licence 30 March), Richard Gee (d. 1724) of Orpington (Kent) and had issue one son and one daughter), daughter of Sir Nicholas Carew (d. 1688), kt., of Beddington (Surrey), but had no issue; died 3 July 1701; will proved in the PCC, 15 July 1701;(2.1) Hon. William Beaumont (1643-80?), baptised 10 December 1643; said to have died in 1680 and was perhaps the man of this name buried at St Martin, Leicester, 19 March 1679/80 or 17 February 1680/1.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1625. After the house there was burned in the Civil War, he moved to a house at Whitwick (Leics). His estates were sequestered by Parliament, but he compounded for them. He may have built the very modest replacement house at Coleorton before his death.
He died in 1658. His first wife died 29 May and was buried at South Carleton (Lincs), 1 June 1640; her funeral sermon has survived. His widow died at The Grange, Leicester, and was buried at Brooksby, 6 September 1678; administration of her goods was granted 20 September 1678, 12 March 1680/1 and 19 June 1682.
* She needs to be distinguished from her elder sister, also called Bridget, who married in 1610 Sir John Leeds of Wappingthorne (Sussex).
Beaumont, Thomas (1634-1702), 3rd Viscount Beaumont of Swords. Elder son of Sapcote Beaumont (1614-58), 2nd Viscount Beaumont of Swords and his first wife, Bridget, daughter of Sir Thomas Monson of Burton and Carleton (Lincs), baptised at Burton (Lincs), 1 April 1634. JP for Leicestershire (from 1660), noted for his persecution of Quakers and other protestant nonconformists. He founded and endowed a school at Coleorton with homes for six masters and mistresses, and provided almshouses for six widows. He married Mary, daughter of Sir Erasmus de la Fontaine (1601-72) of Kirby Bellars (Leics), but had no issue.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1658. At his death it passed to his kinsman, Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt., of Stoughton Grange (q.v.).
He died 11 June 1702, when his peerage and baronetcy became extinct, and was buried at Coleorton. His widow married 2nd, before 1704, George Croke (d. 1721) of Nottingham; she evidently predeceased her second husband as she is not mentioned in his will, but her date of death is unknown.
Beaumont, Sir Thomas (1556-1614), kt. Third son of Nicholas Beaumont (1526-85) of Coleorton, and his wife Anne, daughter of William Saunders of Welford (Northants), born 1556. He leased the right to mine coal in Chilvers Coton, Griff and Bedworth (all Warks) from 1601, and secured a virtual monopoly on the supply of coal to an area forty miles around Coventry. He was knighted by King James I during his progress from Scotland to London to assume the throne, 1603. He was a client of George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon, who nominated him for Parliament in 1597, and although he was not then elected, he succeeded in becoming MP for Leicester, 1604-10. He served on many committees including that inquiring into the Gunpowder Plot, 1605, but in 1610 he opposed a large increase in the king's annual revenue, against the wishes of his patron, and so he was not nominated for the next parliament. He married, by 1575, Katherine (d. 1621), daughter and heiress of Thomas Farnham of Stoughton Grange (Leics), and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Beaumont (c.1576-1651), eldest daughter, born about 1576; married 1st, 27 November 1594 at Ashburnham (Sussex), Sir John Ashburnham (1571-1620), kt., and had issue four sons and six daughters; married 2nd, 14 December 1626, Sir Thomas Richardson (1569-1635), kt., Speaker of the House of Commons and later Lord Chief Justice, who arranged for her to be created Baroness Cramond in her own right, 29 February 1627/8 (with remainder to his eldest son by his first wife); this arrangement enabled him to secure a peerage for his descendants while he himself remained a commoner and could continue in his role as Speaker; she was granted a pension of £300 a year in 1629, erected a number of monuments at Stoughton and in London to her parents and other forebears, 1631, and published 'a little book of pleasant piety' entitled A Ladie's Legacie to her Daughters, 1645; she died in Covent Garden, and was buried with her first husband in St. Andrew, Holborn, 3 April 1651; her will was proved in the PCC, 7 April 1651;(2) Frances Beaumont (c.1578-1654), second daughter, born about 1578; married, 31 August 1598 at St James, Clerkenwell (Middx), Sir Wolstan Dixie (1576-1650), kt., of Market Bosworth (Leics), and had issue four sons and four daughters; buried at Market Bosworth, 22 December 1654; will proved 15 February 1654/5;(3) Katherine Beaumont (b. 1579), baptised at Stoughton, 12 April 1579; said to have died in infancy;(4) Anne Beaumont (b. c.1581; fl. 1631), born about 1581; married John Dillon of Farthingstone? (Northants); living in 1631;(5) Sir Henry Beaumont (1584-1646), kt. (q.v.);(6) Farnham Beaumont (1585-c.1650), baptised at St John, Clerkenwell (Middx), 18 October 1585; merchant in London; a Royalist in the Civil War; married, 1620 (licence) Lucy Dawson of Market Bosworth (Leics), and had issue one daughter; living in 1647, when his portrait was painted, but dead by 1654, when there was a dispute about his estate;(7) Ellen alias Eleanor alias Helen Beaumont (b. 1587), fourth daughter, baptised at Stoughton, 10 July 1587; died unmarried after 1631;(8) Isabel Beaumont (1589-1630), baptised at Stoughton, 20 May 1589; married, before 1621, Hugh Snawsell (1580-1661) of Bilton in Ainsty (Yorks WR), and had issue one son; buried at Bilton in Ainsty, 4 June 1630;(9) Jane Beaumont (b. 1591), baptised at Stoughton, 6 June 1591; married, about 1611, William Temple (b. c.1577), merchant, fifth son of John Temple (c.1542-1603) of Stowe (Bucks), and had issue one son and two daughters; living in 1631;(10) Nicholas Beaumont (1592-93), baptised at Stoughton, 9 August 1592; died in infancy and was buried at Stoughton, 28 February 1592/3;(11) Mary Beaumont (b. 1593), baptised at Stoughton, 3 March 1593; married, 1616 (licence 10 February), Richard Paramour of London, victualler; living in 1631;(12) Thomas Beaumont (1595-1669?), baptised at Stoughton, 10 August 1595; educated at Wadham College, Oxford (matriculated 1613) and Inner Temple (admitted 1615); married, after 1621, Judith, daughter of Thomas Plumbe of Potters Marston (Leics) but had no issue; living in 1654 and was perhaps the Thomas Beaumont Esq. buried at Bedworth (Warks), 19 December 1669;(13) Edward Beaumont (1596-97), baptised at Stoughton, 26 September 1596; died in infancy and was buried at Stoughton, 20 January 1597.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate in right of his wife, and invested in exploiting coal deposits in Nottinghamshire and at Bedworth (Warks), some of them in conjunction with his son-in-law, Sir John Ashburnham. His widow had a house in Leicester and another in the parish of St Botolph without Aldersgate alias Aldgate, London.
He died 27 November 1614, and was buried at Stoughton, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument erected by his eldest daughter in 1631; his will (proved 19 April 1615) placed his property outside Leicestershire in a trust to pay his debts and provide legacies for his brother Francis and his younger children. His widow died 10 May 1621, and was apparently also buried at Stoughton, although there is no entry for her in the parish register; her will was proved in the PCC, 10 May 1621.
Beaumont, Sir Henry (1584-1646), kt. Eldest son of Sir Thomas Beaumont (1556-1614) and his wife Katherine, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Farnham of Stoughton Grange (Leics), born 1584. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1603). He was knighted by King Charles I, and was a Royalist in the Civil War. He continued and extended his father's coal mining interests in Warwickshire, but about 1619 many of his workings were flooded and abandoned, with the result of dire poverty among the mineworkers who became unemployed; some of the mines were later recovered. He married, 1606 (licence), Elizabeth (d. 1642), daughter of Sir William Turpin of Knaptoft (Leics), and had issue:
(1) Sir Thomas Beaumont (1608-76), 1st bt. (q.v.);(2) William Beaumont (1609-79), born 1609; married, about 14 April 1641 (licence) in the diocese of London, Elizabeth (b. 1608?), probably the daughter of John Bridges of Witherley (Leics), and had issue one son (John Beaumont (b. 1647), from whom descended the Beaumont family of Barrow-upon-Soar (Leics)); buried at St Martin, Leicester, 19 March 1679;(3) Anne Beaumont (c.1610-53), eldest daughter, born about 1610; said to have died unmarried, 1653;(4) Fr. Henry Beaumont [alias Harcourt] (1612-73), born 1612; became a Jesuit priest and adopted the pseudonym Harcourt; worked in Lancashire (1649), Hampshire (1655) and Suffolk (1672); author of England's old religion faithfully gathered out of the Church of England as it is written by the Venerable Bede almost a thousand years ago (Antwerp, 1650); died 1673;(5) Elizabeth Beaumont (1613-73?), baptised at Stoughton, 10 October 1613; married Zouch Percival (d. 1669) of London, and had issue two sons and one daughter; perhaps the Elizabeth Percival buried at St Botolph Aldgate, London, 15 April 1673;(6) Frances Beaumont (b. 1615), born 1615; married, 1635 (licence 27 April), Maj. James Sinclair of Sinclair Holmes, commander of the Castle of Wardoe Huys, North Cape (Norway), which he held for the King of Denmark, son of Sir Andrew Sinclair;(7) Farnham Beaumont; probably died in infancy;(8) A daughter; married [fu] Meeze.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate from his father in 1614. In 1615 he purchased the manor of Bedworth (Warks) and the right to dig for coal there, which he leased to his father-in-law, Sir William Turpin, and later to others.
He died in April 1646 and was buried at Stoughton where he is commemorated by a ledger stone. His wife was buried at Stoughton, 22 December 1642.
Beaumont, Sir Thomas (1608-76), 1st bt. Eldest son of Sir Henry Beaumont (1584-1646), kt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Turpin of Knaptoft (Leics), born 1608. He was a Parliamentarian during the Civil War, serving on the committee of the New Model Army, 1644-45; MP for Leicestershire, 1654-59; High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1668-69. He was created a baronet by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, 5 March 1657/8, and although this honour lapsed with the Restoration, it was renewed by King Charles II, 21 February 1660/1. He married 1st, by 1637, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir Nicholas Trott (d. 1636), kt., of Quickswood, Clothall (Herts), and 2nd, 17 April 1666 at Evington (Leics), Jane (1622-70), daughter of Thomas Burton of Stockerston (Leics) and widow of Hugh Watts (1611-56) of Newarke, Leicester, and had issue:
(1.1) Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt. (q.v.);(1.2) Rev. Thomas Beaumont (1639-1710), baptised at Stoughton, 27 May 1639; educated at Winchester College (admitted 1653) and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1657; BA 1660; MA 1664); ordained, 1669; vicar of Sawbridgeworth (Herts), 1673-78; rector of Great Dunmow (Essex), 1678-1710 and of Thorley (Herts), 1690-1710; prebendary of Hoxton (Middx) and canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London, 1681-1710; married Susannah, daughter of Rev. William Oldys, and had issue four sons (none of whom left male heirs) and two daughters; died of smallpox, 15 January 1710 and was buried at Great Dunmow;(1.3) Henrietta Beaumont (b. c.1640), eldest daughter, born about 1640; died young;(1.4) William Beaumont (1641-1718) [for whom see my post on the Beaumonts of Buckland Court];(1.5) Mary Beaumont (b. c.1642), second daughter, born about 1642; died young;(1.6) Nicholas Beaumont (1643-51), baptised at Stoughton, 30 October 1643; died young and was buried at Stoughton, 31 January 1651;(1.7) Margaret Beaumont (b. c.1644), third daughter, born about 1644; married John Kendall of Kempston (Beds), and had issue three daughters;(1.8) Frances Beaumont (b. 1646), baptised at Stoughton, 9 February 1645/6; living in 1654 but probably died young;(1.9) Jane Beaumont (b. c.1648), youngest daughter, born about 1648; probably died young.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate from his father in 1646.
He died 11 August 1676; administration of his goods was granted to his third son, 15 August 1676. His first wife died before 1666. His second wife was buried with her first husband at St Mary de Castro, Leicester, 4 May 1670.
Beaumont, Sir Henry (1638-89), 2nd bt. Eldest son of Sir Thomas Beaumont (1608-76), 1st bt., and his first wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Nicholas Trott of Quickswood (Herts/Middx), baptised at Stoughton, 2 April 1638. Educated at St John's College, Oxford (matriculated 1655). He succeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 11 August 1676. MP for Leicester, 1679-87; although he initially sided with the Whigs he seems to have gone over to the Court party by 1685, and his instincts were essentially Tory. He secured a new charter for Leicester in 1688, which specified electoral arrangements for the parliamentary franchise that were more favourable to the Tories. He was again nominated for Parliament in 1689, but died before he could be elected. JP for Leicestershire, 1660, 1677-89; DL for Leicestershire, 1680-89. He married, 12 April 1662 at St Andrew, Holborn (Middx), Elizabeth (d. 1727), daughter of George Farmer, protonotary of Common Pleas, of Holbeach (Lincs), and had issue fourteen sons and seven daughters, including:
(1) Sir Thomas Beaumont (1663-90), 3rd bt. (q.v.);(2) Sir George Beaumont (1664-1737), 4th bt. (q.v.);(3) Henry Beaumont (b. & d. 1665), born prematurely; died in infancy, 28 May 1665;(4) William Beaumont (c.1666-75), born about 1666; died young, 14 May 1675, and was buried at Stoughton;(5) Henry Beaumont (c.1668-69), born prematurely; died in infancy, 1669;(6) Rear-Adm. Basil Beaumont (1669-1703), born 8 September 1669; an officer in the Royal Navy (midshipman, 1682; Lt., 1688; Capt., 1689; Rear-Adm., 1703), who took part in the Battle of Barfleur, 1692, and became commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, 1699; his portrait was painted by Nicholas Dahl; he died in the Great Storm of 1703 when the HMS Mary was driven onto the Goodwin Sands and lost with all hands, 27 November 1703;(7) Elizabeth Beaumont (1671-1727), eldest daughter, born 1671; died unmarried, 5 February 1726/7 and was buried at Stoughton;(8) Rev. Sir Lewis Beaumont (1673-1738), 5th bt. (q.v.);(9) John Beaumont (1674-84), baptised at Stoughton, 28 May 1674; died young, 18 February 1683/4;(10) Anne Beaumont (c.1675-1753), second daughter, born about 1675; died unmarried, 29 September 1753 and was buried at Stoughton;(11) William Villiers Beaumont (1676-97), born 7 August 1676; joined the Royal Navy in 1690 (Lt., 1695); died of fever in the West Indies, 17 July 1697;(12) Diana Beaumont (c.1677-94), third daughter, born about 1677; died young, 4 November 1694 and was buried at Stoughton;(13) Henrietta Beaumont (c.1678-1725), born about 1678; married, 6 July 1719 at St Bartholomew the Great, London, as his second wife, John Styleman (c.1659-1734) of London, merchant, but had no issue; buried at Bexley (Kent), 8 March 1724/5;(14) Katherine Beaumont (c.1680-1726), born about 1680; married, 2 September 1705 at Coleorton, William Busby (d. 1727) of Loughborough (Leics), and had issue one son and three daughters (of whom the second, Anne, was the ultimate heir to Stoughton Grange which she carried in marriage to Anthony Keck of Lincoln's Inn;, serjeant-at-law); she died 23 March 1725/6 and was buried at Stoughton, 1 April 1726;(15) Arabella Beaumont (c.1681-1754), sixth daughter, born about 1681; died unmarried, 7 February 1754 and was buried at Stoughton;(16) Charles Beaumont (c.1682-1700), born in or before 1682, when he is named in his father's will; an officer in the Royal Navy (midshipman); killed when HMS Carlisle accidentally exploded, 19 September 1700;(17) James Beaumont (c.1684-1722), born about 1684; educated at Winchester (admitted 1700), New College, Oxford (matriculated 1701; LLB 1708) and the Inner Temple (admitted 1702); Fellow of New College, 1701-12; died unmarried, 4 January 1722/3 and was commemorated by a ledger stone in the cloisters of New College which contained a number of factual errors and has since been lost;(18) Christiana Beaumont (c.1686-1746), born about 1686; died unmarried, 28 February 1745/6 and was buried at Stoughton; her will was proved in the Leicester Archdeaconry Court, 1746.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate from his father in 1676.
He died 27 January 1688/9; his will was proved in the PCC, 18 May 1689. His widow died 30 September 1727 and was buried at Stoughton; her will was proved in the Leicester Archdeaconry Court, 1727.
Beaumont, Sir Thomas (1663-90), 3rd bt. Eldest son of Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Farmer, protonotary of Common Pleas, of Holbeach (Lincs), born 1663. An officer in the Queen's Regt. of Horse (Cornet, 1685). His military career has frequently been confused with that of his kinsman, the Hon. John Beaumont (d. 1701) [for whom see above], but it seems almost certain that he also transferred his loyalty to King William III and accompanied the King on his Irish campaign, where he died of fever. He succeeded his father as 3rd baronet, 27 January 1688/9. He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate from his father in 1689.
He died of 'the flux' (probably dysentry) in Ireland, 5 December 1690 and was buried at Stoughton; his will was proved 7 May 1691.
Beaumont, Sir George (1664-1737), 4th bt. Second son of Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Farmer, protonotary of Common Pleas, of Holbeach (Lincs), born 1664. Educated at Winchester (admitted 1677) and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1683; BCL 1690; DCL 1713); Fellow of Winchester College, 1683-1701 and of New College, 1714. He succeeded his elder brother as 4th baronet, 5 December 1690. A Tory in Politics, he was a member of Bolingbroke's 'October Club' and was MP for Leicestershire, 1702-37. He was in Government during the Tory administration of 1710-14 as commissioner for the Privy Seal, 1711-13 and a Lord of the Admiralty, April-October 1714. He seems to have possessed a lively mind and sound judgement, and might have risen to higher office had the Tories not been eclipsed for a generation. JP for Leicestershire c.1690-1714 and c.1720-37. In 1721 he was included on a list of suspected Jacobites who were likely to support a Stuart invasion, but there is no evidence to suggest he undertook any treasonable activity. He was an executor of Dr. John Radcliffe, who bequeathed £80,000 to Oxford University, and one of the Radcliffe trustees, 1714-37. He was also a friend of the Tory man of letters, Jonathan Swift. He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Stoughton Grange estate from his elder brother in 1690 and the Coleorton estate from his kinsman, Thomas Beaumont, 3rd Viscount Beaumont of Swords, in 1702. At his death, Coleorton passed with the baronetcy to his younger brother, but Stoughton was bequeathed to his three surviving sisters (Anne, Arabella and Christina), and to the son and daughter of his deceased sister Katherine (William and Anne Busby). The last survivor of these was Anne Busby, the wife of Anthony Keck, serjeant-at-law, whose descendants owned it until 1913.
He died 9 April 1737 and was buried at Stoughton, where he is commemorated by a monument by Peter Scheemakers; his will was proved 9 May 1737.
Beaumont, Rev. Sir Lewis (1673-1738), 5th bt. Sixth son of Sir Henry Beaumont (1638-89), 2nd bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Farmer, protonotary of Common Pleas, of Holbeach (Lincs), born 1673. Educated at New College, Oxford (matriculated 1694; BA 1698; MA 1702). Ordained deacon, 1700, and priest, 1702. Rector of Pyecombe (Sussex), 1702-38 and canon of Chichester, 1719-38. He succeeded his elder brother as 5th baronet, 9 April 1737. He married, 25 July 1709 at Portslade (Sussex), Elizabeth (c.1666-1750), daughter of [forename unknown] Courtenay of the Isle of Wight, and widow of Rev. John Temple (1636-1709), vicar of Portslade 1660-1702, but had no issue.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his elder brother in 1737. At his death it passed with the baronetcy to Sir George Beaumont (1726-62), 6th bt.
He died 23 December and was buried at Pyecombe, 28 December 1738, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 23 January 1738/9. His widow died aged 84 and was buried at Pyecombe, 15 July 1750, where she is also commemorated by an inscription.
Beaumont, Sir George (1726-62), 6th bt. Eldest son of William Beaumont (1681-1729) of Great Dunmow (Essex) [for whom see my account of the Beaumonts of Buckland Court] and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1763), daughter of William Jordan of Gatwick (Sussex) and sister and co-heir of Thomas Jordan of Gatwick, Chaldon and Buckland (Surrey), baptised at Great Dunmow, 16 March 1725/6. He succeeded his first cousin once removed as 6th bt., 23 December 1738. Educated at New College, Oxford (matriculated 1745)*. High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1761-62. He married, 26 March 1751 at St John, Clerkenwell (Middx), Rachel (c.1718-1814), daughter of Michael Howland of Stonehall, Great Dunmow (Essex), and had issue:
(1) Sir George Howland Beaumont (1753-1827), 7th bt. (q.v.);(2) Charles Beaumont (1755-57), baptised at Great Dunmow, 18 November 1755; died in infancy and was buried at Great Dunmow, 25 September 1757;(3) William Beaumont (1757-58), born 15 October and baptised at Great Dunmow, 12 November 1757; died in infancy and was buried at Great Dunmow, 31 December 1758.
He inherited lands at Great Dunmow (Essex) from his father in 1729 and the Coleorton estate from the 5th baronet in 1738. He came of age in 1747.
He died 4 February 1762 and was buried at Great Dunmow, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 10 February 1763. His widow died 5 May 1814; her will was proved in the PCC, 16 June 1814.
* The Complete Baronetage says he was admitted to Winchester College in 1735, but he does not appear in the college registers.
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| Sir George Beaumont, 7th bt. (by Sir Thomas Lawrence) |
He inherited the Coleorton and Great Dunmow estates from his father in 1762 and came of age in 1774. In 1785 his wife inherited 34 Grosvenor Sq., Westminster, a house 'full of books and paintings', which became their main residence (and to which they added a picture gallery in 1792). They built a new house at Coleorton in 1802-09, and after it was finished spent part of each year there.
He died 7 February 1827 and was buried at Coleorton. The baronetcy and estates then passed to his first cousin once removed, George Howland Willoughby Beaumont (1799-1845), 8th bt. His will was proved in the PCC, 24 March 1827. His widow died 14 July 1829; her will was proved in the PCC, 29 October 1829.
Beaumont, Sir George Howland Willoughby (1799-1845), 8th bt. Eldest son of Thomas Beaumont (1767-1818) of Buckland Court (Surrey) [for whom see my post on that family] and his wife Bridget (d. 1842), youngest daughter of the Rev. William Davie of Creedy Park (Devon), vicar of Exminster (Devon) and prebendary of Exeter, born 16 December 1799. Educated at Eton (admitted 1814) and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1819). He was a patron of the arts and a friend of the artist, David Wilkie, who had also been part of the 7th baronet's artistic circle. He succeeded his first cousin once removed as 8th baronet, 7 February 1827. He married, 16 June 1825 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Mary Anne (1806-35), eldest daughter of the Most Rev. & Rt. Hon. Dr. William Howley (1766-1848), Archbishop of Canterbury 1828-48, and had issue:
(1) Susan Mary Beaumont (b. & d. 1827), born at Fulham Palace (Middx), 31 August 1827; died in infancy, 25 September, and was buried at Buckland (Surrey), 29 September 1827;(2) Sir George Howland Beaumont (1828-82), 9th bt. (q.v.);(3) Raymond Curzon Beaumont (b. & d. 1830), baptised at Coleorton, 14 April 1830; died in infancy and was buried at Coleorton, 10 May 1830;(4) Rev. William Beresford Beaumont (1831-1901), born 4 August and baptised at Addington, 13 August 1831; educated at Winchester (admitted 1844) and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1849; BA 1853; MA 1856); Student of Christ Church, 1851-60; ordained deacon, 1858 and priest, 1859; curate of Church Stretton (Shrops.), 1858-60 and Seavington St Mary (Som.), 1860-63; rector of Coleorton, 1864-1901, rural dean of Akeley West (Leics), 1875-96, and honorary canon of Peterborough Cathedral, 1889-1901; JP and County Councillor for Leicestershire; married 1st, 13 December 1860 at Westmill (Herts), Julia (1836-66), youngest daughter of Charles Soames of Coles (Herts); married 2nd, 9 January 1868 at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), Elizabeth Mary (1830-1900), daughter of Rev. Samuel Hurry Alderson (1789-1863) of Risby (Suffk); died 18 February and buried at Coleorton, 23 February 1901; will proved 17 April 1901 (estate £12,076);(5) Willoughby Hastings Beaumont (1832-35), born 15 April 1832 and baptised at Addington, 6 January 1833; died young, 20 February 1835;(6) Constance Mary Beaumont (1834-1929), born 25 July and baptised at Addington, 22 August 1834; married, 6 July 1852 at Coleorton, William Unwin Heygate (1825-1902), barrister-at-law and MP for Leicester, 1861-65, Stamford, 1868, and South Leicestershire, 1870-80, son of Sir William Heygate (1782-1844), 1st bt. of Roecliffe Hall (Leics), and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 7 October 1929; will proved 12 November 1929 (estate £910).
He inherited the Dunmow and Buckland estates from his father in 1818 and the Coleorton estate from his first cousin once removed in 1827, at which point his Buckland estate passed, under his father's will, to his younger brother.
He died 7 June 1845 and was buried at Coleorton; his will was proved 29 July 1845 (effects under £25,000). His wife died at Hyères (France), 15 February 1835*; administration of her goods was granted, 3 November 1860 (effects under £20).
* Not 1834, as mistakenly given in the Complete Baronetage and some other sources.
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| Sir George Beaumont, 9th bt. (Image: Leicester Museum & Art Gallery) |
(1.1) Sir George Howland William Beaumont (1851-1914), 10th bt. (q.v.);(1.2) Francis Howley Beaumont (1854-75), born 11 February and baptised at British consulate chapel in Naples (Italy), 20 March 1854 and again at Coleorton, 12 April 1857; admitted to Normansfield Training Institution for Imbeciles, Teddington (Middx), 2 March 1869; died unmarried, 3 January and was buried at Teddington, 9 January 1875;(1.3) Lina Mary Howley Beaumont (1857-1934), baptised at Coleorton, 12 April 1857; married, 19 October 1876 at Coleorton, Col. Gawen William Rowan-Hamilton (1844-1930) of Killyleagh Castle (Co. Down) and had issue one son and one daughter; died in London, 6 June 1934; will proved 3 July 1934 (estate £7,975);(1.4) Eleanor Grace Caroline Beaumont (1859-70), baptised at Coleorton, 24 April 1859; died young, 16 December and was buried at Coleorton, 19 December 1870;(1.5) Frederick Louis Maureward Beaumont (1862-1948), born 17 June and baptised at Coleorton, 3 August 1862; emigrated to Canada, 1882 and became a rancher at Riske Creek, British Columbia (Canada); married 1st, 21 November 1900 at St Anselm, Davies St., Westminster (Middx), Helen Mary (c.1871-1924), daughter of Decimus Sturges, barrister, and 2nd, 27 August 1927 at Quamichan, British Columbia (Canada), Isabella Mary Rachel (c.1876-1942), school matron, daughter of Richard Pierce of Liverpool, but had no issue; died in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), 26 November 1948;(1.6) Henry Cecil Charles Beaumont (1864-1944), born 24 April and baptised at Coleorton, 22 May 1864; an officer in the Scots Guards (Lt., 1886; retired 1892) and later in the Imperial Yeomanry (Lt., 1900); he rejoined the Scots Guards at the outbreak of the First World War (Capt., 1914), and was severely wounded; married 1st, 19 December 1894 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), Jessie Lee (c.1858-1916), daughter of George A. Fellowes of New York (USA); married 2nd, 21 June 1919, Marie Adele (1861-1948), daughter of Albert Pierre Tachard, minister plenipoteriary for France to Belgium, 1870-71, and widow of Peter Carl von Grunelius (1858-1911), banker in Frankfurt (Germany), but had no issue; died at Montreux (Switzerland), 13 February 1944; administration of goods granted 15 June 1945 (estate in England, £4,062).
He inherited the Coleorton and Dunmow estates from his father in 1845.
He died 'of brain disease', 8 June and was buried at Coleorton, 14 June 1882; his will was proved 8 September 1882 (effects £49,111). His first wife died at Coleorton, 9 December 1870. His widow died in London, 19 June 1901 and was buried at Coleorton.
Beaumont, Sir George Howland William (1851-1914), 10th bt. Eldest son of Sir George Howland Beaumont (1828-82), 9th bt., and his first wife, Pauline Menzies, daughter of William Hallows Belli, born 10 March and baptised at Coleorton, 4 June 1851. Educated at Eton and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the Royal Horse Artillery (Lt., 1872; Capt., 1881; retired 1884); JP for Leicestershire. He succeeded his father as 10th baronet, 8 June 1882. He married, 24 February 1880 at St George, Agra (India) (sep. about 1885*), Lillie Ellen (1859-1946), second daughter of Maj-Gen. George Ayton Craster (c.1830-1912) of the Royal Engineers, and had issue:
(1) Sir George Arthur Hamilton Beaumont (1881-1933), 11th bt. (q.v.).
He inherited the Coleorton and Dunmow estates from his father in 1882, and in 1883 he owned 2,977 acres in Leicestershire, 378 acres in Essex and 201 acres in Suffolk. After separating from his wife he is said to have lived abroad and rarely visited his estates, while Lady Beaumont lived at Swannington House (Leics). Coleorton Hall was let from 1891 to A.R. Donisthorpe of Leicester and from c.1904 to Francis Abel Smith.
He died at Aix-les-Bains (France), 21 June 1914; his will, proved 3 September 1914 (estate £3,042) left all his property to Mlle. Gabrielle Louise Liégeard, who was presumably his mistress. His widow died 17 August 1946; her will was proved 12 March 1947 (estate £8,988).
* In 1886 he visited Melbourne (Australia) without his wife.
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| Sir George Beaumont, 11th bt. (Image: NPG) |
(1) Sir George Howland Francis Beaumont (1924-2011), 12th bt.;(2) Eleanor Brienne Beaumont (1927-79), born 10 June 1927; married, 18 November 1954, Maj. Hugh Abdy Collins OBE (1919-98), only son of Dr. Michael Abdy Collins OBE MD BS of Canterbury (Kent), but had no issue; died at Karen (Kenya), 13 October 1979, and was buried there.
He inherited the Coleorton and Dunmow estates from his father in 1914, but sold the Essex and Suffolk property in 1917. He continued to let Coleorton Hall to the widow of Francis Abel Smith until 1925, but then moved back into the house.
He died at the home of a friend (later his wife's second husband), Stork House, Lambourn (Berks), 2 October 1933; his will was proved 2 February 1934 (estate £144,257). His widow married 2nd, 20 October 1934 at Christ Church, Down St., Mayfair, Westminster (Middx), Capt. Oswald Marmaduke Dalby Bell (c.1875-1949), racehorse trainer, son of Hon. Sir Joshua Peter Bell KCMG of Queensland (Australia), and 3rd, Oct-Dec 1952 (div.), Lisle James Hawkins (1895-1982), farmer and cattle dealer; she died 28 November 1987 and was buried at Newbury (Berks); her will was proved 25 May 1988 (estate £103,819).
Beaumont, Sir George Howland Francis (1924-2011), 12th bt. Only son of Sir George Arthur Hamilton Beaumont (1881-1933), 11th bt., and his wife Renée Muriel, daughter of Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Northey GCMG of Hinton Waldrist (Berks) and Woodcote House, Epsom (Surrey), Governor of Kenya, born 24 September 1924. Educated at Stowe School. He succeeded his father as 12th baronet, 2 October 1933. He served in the Second World War in the Coldstream Guards but later received a commission in his father's old regiment, the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (Lt., 1945). After the ending of his first marriage, he served with the Royal Australian Infantry (Sgt., 1952; Warrant Offr), 1952-58. He married 1st, 11 June 1949, the model and (briefly) actress Barbara (1926-90), second daughter of William Singleton of Princes Risborough (Bucks) and formerly wife of Philip John Urlwin-Smith, who left him during their honeymoon in Capri; the marriage was annulled in 1951 on the grounds of her 'wilful refusal to consummate the marriage'; her first marriage had ended in the same way. He married 2nd, 27 December 1963 (div. 1986), Henrietta Anne (b. c.1943), daughter of Dr. Arthur Waymouth of Ladywell House, Speen (Berks), and had issue:
(2.1) twin, Georgina Brienne Arabella Beaumont (b. 1967), born 12 June 1967; took the name Beaumont-Fay on her marriage; emigrated to Perth, Western Australia; married, February 1994, Patrick Tomas Fay (b. 1968), and had issue one son and one daughter;(2.2) twin, Francesca Renée Henrietta Beaumont (b. 1967), born 12 June 1967; emigrated to Currambine, Western Australia; an officer in the Dept. of Health & Human Services, Greater Perth; married, July 1993 (div. 2008), John William Storey Clarke (who took the name Beaumont-Clarke), and had issue one son and one daughter.
He inherited the Coleorton estate from his father in 1933, but sold it in 1948. He lived subsequently at Gordon House, Lambourn (Berks), Deddington Mill (Oxon) and Stretton House, Stretton-on-the-Fosse (Warks).
He died 23 March 2011, when the baronetcy became dormant or extinct. His first wife became a heroin addict and was jailed for 18 months for dealing in heroin in 1978; she died in Jan-Mar 1990. His second wife's date of death is unknown.
Principal sources
Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 2003, pp. 308-12; D. Stroud, 'George Dance and Cole Orton House' in H.M. Colvin & J. Harris, The country seat, 1970, pp. 215-19; D. Stroud, George Dance, architect, 1741-1825, 1971, pp. 196-200; Sir N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, The buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, 2nd edn., 1984, pp. 136-38, 398; P.J. Finkelpearl, 'The fairies' farewell: the mask at Coleorton, 1618', Review of English Studies, August 1995, pp. 333-51; S. Porter, 'Francis Beaumont's monument in Charterhouse Chapel and Elizabeth,
Baroness Cramond as patroness of memorials in early Stuart London', Trans. London & Middlesex Archaeological Society, vol. 54, 2003, pp. 111-20; C. Watkins & B. Cowell, Uvedale Price (1747-1829): Decoding the Picturesque, 2012, pp. 105-11; L. La Zouche, Beaumont: crusaders and campaigners, 2nd edn., 2020.
Location of archives
Beaumont of Stoughton Grange: deeds, estate and family papers, 16th-17th cents [Record Office for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland, 13D40]
Coat of arms
Azure, semée-de-lis, a lion rampant or.
Can you help?
- Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
- If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article 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 6 June 2022.
