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Stanley family, Earls of Derby

This page summarises records created by this Family

The summary includes a brief description of the collection(s) (usually including the covering dates of the collection), the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection.

Date: 1200-2000
History:

Sir John Stanley, second son of Sir William Stanley of Storeton (Cheshire) acquired estates in Lancashire, including Lathom and Knowsley, through his marriage in 1390 to Isabel, heiress of Sir Thomas Lathom. He also acquired estates in Cheshire, where the family were hereditary Stewards and Master Foresters of Macclesfield, and was granted the Lordship of Man in 1405. His grandson, Sir Thomas, created Lord Stanley in 1456, acquired Hawarden and Mold (Flintshire) in 1443 and Bosley (Cheshire) in 1446. Thomas, 2nd Lord Stanley, was created Earl of Derby in 1485. His son George married Joan, heiress of Lord Strange of Knockin, and inherited the Strange title and estates in Shropshire (including Ellesmere) and the Welsh marches. The 1st Earl of Derby and his son Lord Strange were granted the manor of Holborn (Middlesex) in 1474, and estates in Lancashire, Cheshire, Flintshire (Hope), Westmorland (Witherslack), Northamptonshire (King's Sutton and Brackley), Cumberland (Bassenthwaite), London and elsewhere. Estates in Yorkshire (Burton-in-Lonsdale and Mewith in the West Riding, and Thirsk and Kirkby Malzeard in the North Riding) were also acquired at this time. The 3rd Earl bought Burscough Priory, Dieulacres Abbey and Manchester College estates, and in 1545 exchanged estates in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for Eynsham Abbey's estates in Oxfordshire.

On the death of the 5th Earl in 1594, the earldom and entailed estates in Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales went to his brother, William, who also secured the Isle of Man, but the Brackley and Ellesmere estates passed to the heirs general (see Egerton, Earls of Ellesmere). Substantial outlying estates, including Eynsham, were sold in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and further property, including Mold, was lost on the execution of the 7th Earl and forfeiture of his estates in 1651. On the death of the 9th Earl in 1702 he was succeeded by his brother, as 10th Earl, in most of the family estates, but Lathom, Childwall and other Lancashire manors passed to the 9th Earl’s daughter, the Countess of Ashburnham (see Ashburnham, Earls of Ashburnham). In 1705 the 10th Earl married Mary, daughter and heir of Sir William Morley of Halnaker (Sussex), but part of her estate was sold to pay her family's debts. The 10th Earl also sold his Yorkshire manors, but in 1724 he bought Sir Cleave Moore of Bankhall's properties in Bootle, Kirkdale and Liverpool. In 1736, on his death without issue, the Isle of Man and the barony of Strange passed to his heir general, the second Duke of Atholl (see Murray, later Stewart-Murray, Dukes of Atholl), but the entailed estates descended with the earldom to Sir Edward Stanley, 5th Bt, of Bickerstaffe (Lancashire).

Sir Henry Stanley, son of Sir James Stanley of Cross Hall, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl, acquired Bickerstaffe through marriage in 1563. His son Edward was created a baronet in 1627. In 1697 Sir Thomas, 4th Bt, inherited the manor of Thornley and Patten House in Preston (Lancashire) through his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Thomas Patten. Their son Edward married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Hesketh of Rufford, and succeeded to the earldom in 1736. His son James (d. 1771), who predeceased his father, inherited estates in Ireland and Hamerton (Huntingdonshire) through his marriage to Lucy, daughter and co-heir of Hugh Smith of South Weald (Essex). The 12th Earl acquired The Oaks (Surrey) from his aunt's husband, General John Burgoyne (d. 1792), but it was sold in 1833. The 13th Earl sold the site of Patten House and, in 1847, part of the Moore estate in Liverpool. Irish estates were also sold in the mid-19th century. Estates in Kent and Surrey were late 19th-century purchases.

Estates in 1883: Earl of Derby: Lancs 57,000 acres, Cheshire 9,500 acres, Surrey 1,400 acres, Kent 950 acres, Flintshire 92 acres, total 68,942 acres worth upwards of £163,273 a year, excluding 900 acres leased for buildings and returned in the tenants' names; Hon F Stanley (in 1873): Westmorland 1,431 acres worth £737 a year.

Places:
  • Beetham, Westmorland
  • Bickerstaffe, Lancashire
  • Bolton-cum-Adgarley, Lancashire
  • Brackley, Northamptonshire
  • Bradworthy, Devon
  • Burton in Lonsdale, Yorkshire
  • Bury, Lancashire
  • Clonmore, County Louth
  • Colham, Middlesex
  • Coonagh, County Limerick
  • Corney, Cumberland
  • Crag Hall, Cheshire
  • East Lavant, Sussex
  • Ellesmere, Shropshire
  • Epworth, Lincolnshire
  • Eynsham, Oxfordshire
  • Fleetham, Northumberland
  • Glassmore, Cambridgeshire
  • Halnaker, Sussex
  • Hamerton, Huntingdonshire
  • Hawarden, Flintshire
  • Hillingdon, Middlesex
  • Hope, Flintshire
  • Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire
  • Knockin, Shropshire
  • Knowsley, Lancashire
  • Lathom, Lancashire
  • Liverpool, Lancashire
  • London
  • Lyonstown, County Tipperary
  • Macclesfield, Cheshire
  • Manchester, Lancashire
  • Meriden, Warwickshire
  • Mewith Head, Yorkshire
  • Milton, Oxfordshire
  • Mold, Flintshire
  • Newmarket, Suffolk
  • Pilkington, Lancashire
  • Preston, Lancashire
  • Priestown, County Meath
  • Smithstown, County Louth
  • South Weald, Essex
  • Thirsk, Yorkshire
  • Whicham, Cumberland
  • Wildboarclough, Cheshire
  • Witherslack, Westmorland
Sources of authority: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Guide to principal estate and family collections L-W, 1999.
Name authority reference: GB/NNAF/F84217 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/F10767 )
Collections
Number Description Held by Reference Further information
1
13th-20th cent: Lancs (Knowsley, etc) deeds, legal papers, manorial records, rentals, accounts, estate and Stanley family corresp and papers 13th-20th cent, with deeds and papers rel to properties in Cheshire (Macclesfield, etc) 15th-20th cent, Oxon (Eynsham, etc) 1383-1635, Salop (Knockin, etc) 1249-1447, 1629, Sussex (Halnaker, etc) 1565, 18th cent, Warwicks (Meriden, etc) 17th-18th cent, Westmorland (Beetham, etc) and Yorks (Thirsk, etc) 15th-18th cent, Flintshire (Hope, etc) 1570-19th cent and Ireland (cos Limerick, Louth, Meath, Tipperary, etc) 18th-19th cent, Glassmore (Cambs) rental 1774-77, Bradworthy (Devon) manorial papers 1555, Corney and Whicham (Cumberland) rental c1660, Colham and Hillingdon (Middlesex) bailiff's accounts 1372-1418, Fleetham (Northumberland) survey 1658, Ellesmere (Salop) bailiff's accounts 1378-80, Newmarket (Suffolk) plans late 19th-20th cent, papers rel to Essex (South Weald, etc), Hunts (Hamerton, etc), London and Middlesex mid 18th cent and London household papers 1812-34, etc
Lancashire Archives
NRA 53 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99a]
2
c1790-20th cent: Lancs (Bury, Pilkington, etc) estate corresp and papers
Lancashire Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99b]
3
1826: Preston (Lancs) borough election accounts
Lancashire Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99c]
4
16th cent-17th cent: misc Lancs (Bickerstaffe, etc), Cheshire (Macclesfield, etc) and Flintshire (Hawarden, etc) legal and estate papers and Stanley family corresp and papers 16th-17th cent, incl household papers c1561-90
Lancashire Archives
NRA 334

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99e]
5
1836-1949: Bolton-cum-Adgarley (Lancs) manorial records
Cumbria Archive and Local Studies Centre, Barrow
NRA 32581 Hart Jackson

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99l]
6
1654: Manchester (Lancs) college survey and copy conveyance
Chetham's Library
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99j]
7
1808-1818: Knowsley (Lancs) game book, with some personal notes of the 13th Duke (1775-1851)
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99q]
8
1700-20th cent: Cheshire (Crag Hall in Wildboarclough, Macclesfield, etc) manorial, estate and forest papers 1700-20th cent, with Crag Hall household inventories and papers 1842-67
Cheshire Archives and Local Studies
NRA 39460

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99i]
9
1899-1936: Cheshire (Macclesfield, etc) estate and labour accounts
Cheshire Archives and Local Studies
See Annual Return 2001
10
mid 17th cent, c1736: Derby House (London) inventory c1736 and misc papers of the 7th Earl of Derby (d 1651)
Blair Castle
NRA 11000 Stewart-Murray

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [71a]
11
1505-1545: Epworth (Lincs) manorial court rolls
Lincolnshire Archives
NRA 12402 Taylor & Glover
12
16th cent-17th cent: Northants (Brackley, etc), Salop (Ellesmere, etc) and Isle of Man deeds, legal and estate papers
Huntington Library
NRA 24601 Egerton (Bridgwater)

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [33a]
13
13th cent-17th cent: Northants (Brackley, etc) deeds, legal and estate papers
Northamptonshire Archives Service
NRA 4357

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [33c]
14
c1200-16th cent: Salop (Ellesmere, etc) deeds, manorial records and estate papers
Shropshire Archives
NRA 37869 Cust

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [27l]
15
1512, 1620-1628: Kirkby Malzeard (Yorks) manorial court rolls
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds
NRA 39454 Bostock

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99m]
16
1477: Flintshire (Hawarden, etc) estate accounts
North East Wales Archives (NEWA), Hawarden (formerly Flintshire Record Office)
NRA 24328 Clwyd Record Office
17
1379-19th cent: Isle of Man deeds, legal and case papers, leases, surveys, accounts and estate papers 1379-19th cent and Stanley family papers 17th-18th cent, mainly rel to the government of Man
Manx National Heritage Library & Archives
NRA 39139 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99h]
18
16th-18th cent: misc Isle of Man estate papers
Manx National Heritage Library & Archives
NRA 42063 Castle Rushen
19
19th cent-20th cent: Stanley family, official, political and personal corresp and papers, incl papers of the 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th Earls of Derby
Liverpool Record Office
NRA 20761

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99f]
20
mainly 20th cent: Stanley family corresp and papers
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99g]
21
18th cent-19th cent: Stanley family natural history papers (13th Earl of Derby's collection)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99o]
22
1841-1921: Stanley family papers, incl Canadian papers of the 16th Earl of Derby (1841-1908)
Cambridge University: Parker Library, Corpus Christi College
NRA 11916 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99s]
23
17th cent-20th cent: misc Stanley family papers
Collection held privately: enquiries to West Sussex Record Office
NRA 23389 Henderson

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99u]
24
19th cent: Stanley family corresp and papers
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99v]
25
1819, 1908: Stanley family settlement 1819 and corresp 1908
Lancashire Archives
See Annual Return 1998
26
1850: letters received by the 15th Earl of Derby (1826-1893) from the 13th Earl
Lancashire Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99d]
27
18th cent: recipe book of Elizabeth, Countess of Derby (1714-1776)
Liverpool Record Office
NRA 18456 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99f]
28
1816-1869: corresp and papers of the 14th Earl of Derby (1799-1869)
Liverpool Record Office
NRA 20084

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99f]
29
c1824-1999: papers of the 14th Earl of Derby (1799-1869), Emma, Countess of Derby and her family
Liverpool Record Office
See Annual Return 2004
30
c1583-1589: misc papers of the 4th Earl of Derby (d 1593)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99n]
31
1799-1850: corresp and papers of the 13th Earl of Derby (1775-1851)
National Museums Liverpool: Maritime Archives and Library
NRA 37366 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99p]
32
19th cent: corresp and papers of Mary, Countess of Derby (1824-1900)
Hatfield House Library and Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99r]
33
1869-1879: War Office papers of the 16th Earl of Derby (1841-1908)
National Army Museum Templer Study Centre
NRA 33449 Stanley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [99t]
34
1498-1499: roll rel to the seignorial courts of the 1st Earl of Derby (d 1504)
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds
NRA 6160

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [89a]
35
1550-1551: account roll of the estates of the 3rd Earl of Derby (d 1572)
Bedfordshire Archives
NRA 6283 Wrest Park

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [28a]
36
genealogical notes and extracts rel to the Stanley family
London University: Senate House Library
NRA 22711 IHR Collection