Irene Preston's Historical Writing
STANLEY
FAMILY
Adam de Audithlegh (Audley), of Normandy, resided in
Thalk, Staffordshire.
The Audley family seem to have been founded during the reign
of Henry I. One of the founder's grandsons had a liking for
Stoneylea and exchanged Thalk with his uncle for the said land,
near Leek, during the reign of King John.
The Saxon word stan means stone and probably refers to the
type of soil, moorland and craggy rocks.
This offshoot of the Audley family took the name of Stanlegh
which later changed to Stanley.
William Stanley I (1284-1320) held the manor of Stourton on the Wirral
together with the hereditary forestership through marriage. He acquired
only a third of the manor of Stourton upon his marriage. In 1316, by
grant of Edward II, William assumed the armorial bearings of 3 stag's
heads gold on a blue bend, in place of those borne by his ancestors. By
1398 his grandson, William Stanley III, had acquired all the land of the
manor by murder and violence towards the people of the Wirral. He had
married the sister of Hamo de Massey of Dunham and held great power and
influence, but misused his office in the administration of the Black
Prince, Edward Earl of Chester, but was pardoned when he used his
military skills fighting with the Prince in France.
His first son, another William, married the heiress of Hooton and he
died in 1428. This created another family line of Stanley of Hooton.
The second son, John married Isabel heiress of Thomas Lathom of Lathom
and Knowsley. In 1385 John was Lord of Ireland (Richard II) and in 1406
had a grant of the Isle of Man from Henry IV. He was created a Knight of
the Garter in 1414, the year he and wife seem to have died.
The line of Stanleys of Hooten died out and the Stanleys of Lathom
became the main line of the family.
John's third son, Thomas, married Maud the daughter and heiress of John
Arderne of Aldford in Cheshire and Elford in Staffordshire, during the
early part of the 15th cent. There are many effigies of the Ardernes and
Stanleys in Elford Church near Tamworth. The Stanleys of this line also
took in Etchells and Nether Alderley. Their son John married Matilda the
daughter of Richard Vernon of The Peak.
Thomas, son of John, became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1432 and was
also created a Knight of the Garter in 1456 and Baron Stanley in the
same year. He died in 1459. His son Thomas was 26 when he became the
second Baron and by the time of Edward IV (1461-1483) he held the office
of Master Forester of Macclesfield Forest and Stewardship of
Macclesfield Hundred.
Thomas had married, first, Eleanor Neville sister of the Earl of Warwick
and daughter of the Earl of Salisbury, she died in 1472. He then married
Margaret Beaufort mother of Henry Duke of Richmond who usurped Richard
III and became Henry VII. The King, also his stepfather, created Thomas
the 1st Earl of Derby in 1485 and he died in 1504. His sister Katherine
married Sir John Savage, he died in 1495.
Margaret Beaufort, daughter of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, was the
great granddaughter of John of Gaunt (son of Edward III). At 14 she
married Edmond Tudor, Earl of Richmond, half-brother of Henry VI, son of
Owen Tudor who had married Katherine Valoir, widow of Henry V. Edmond
died a few months after the birth of Henry in 1456 and three years later
Margaret took for her second husband Henry Stafford, the son of the Duke
of Buckingham. In 1481 her second husband died and she married for the
third time to Lord Stanley. By then Margaret was forty years of age.
Lord Stanley's eldest son George married Joan the daughter and heiress
of John, Lord Strange, her mother was the sister of Elizabeth Woodville.
This marriage brought to the Stanleys the Barony of Strange.
The title of Lord Strange was a courtesy title of the eldest sons
of the Earls of Derby.
George had been held as a hostage by Richard III to ensure the
Stanleys support fortunately the King's order to kill George was
disregarded.
George's 2nd brother Edward became Lord Mounteagle, forming another
branch of the Stanleys.
His 3rd brother, James, became Bishop of Ely and had a natural son
called John. In 1515 he married Margaret Hondford daughter and heiress
of William. She was the granddaughter of Margaret Savage of Clifton and
linked to the Leghs of Adlington. There was a dispute over land with the
Leghs and John Stanley fought a legal battle for years and could not get
satisfaction. This was probably due to the fact that one of the Leghs
had married the mistress of Thomas Wolsey and took his children as well.
John Stanley was frustrated and bitter and decided to become a monk.
Margaret was supposed to enter a nunnery but later decided against this
and married Urian Brereton who rebuilt Handforth Hall.
In the early years Lathom was the headquarters of the family until they
moved to Knowsley.
Edward, the 3rd Earl of Derby, was married four times. His 2nd wife was
Dorothy Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. By her
he had a son and heir, Henry, who married Margaret Clifford, daughter of
Henry, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, and his wife Eleanor. Eleanor was the
younger daughter of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor daughter of Henry
VII.
Henry's son, the 5th Earl, was called Ferdinando, he married Alice
Spencer of Althorpe but there was no issue and he is believed to have
been poisoned to prevent him making a claim on the throne of England
through his maternal grandmother.
The 7th Earl was James was a staunch Royalist and in 1643 he moved to
the Isle of Man, the Earls of Derby still being the Lords of Man, and
established it as a Royalist stronghold. He returned to England on a
false promise of safety but was beheaded in 1651.
James had married Charlotte de la Tremouille, daughter of Claude de la
Tremouille, Due de Thouars. In her husband's absence she held Lathom
House against the Forces of Parliament in 1644 and the Isle of Man in
1651.
Their daughter Emily married John the Marquis of Athol and
advised her husband to side with her mother's ancestor William
of Orange in 1688. In 1703 their son was created Duke of Athol
by Queen Ann. During the reign of Victoria one of the daughters
of the Duke became her lady-in-waiting and Blair Castle holds
many photographs of the Royal Family.
In more recent times the 13th Earl of Derby was a natural
historian and his zoological collections founded Liverpool Museum in the
early part of the 19th century.
He was also a patron of the arts and the poet Edward Lear wrote
‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ for the Earl's children.
The 14th Earl was a Tory and served three times as Prime
Minister of England. His wife was the daughter of Edward
Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale.
Their eldest son, Edward Henry, was a prominent politician and served
under his father as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
Colonial Secretary and Foreign Secretary. He served in this last
capacity under Benjamin Disraeli. In 1880 he joined the Liberal Party
and was Colonial Secretary under William Gladstone, 1882 and 1885.
The 2nd son, Fredrick Arthur Stanley, also held positions in the
Government and became Baron Stanley of Preston in 1886. He
was Governor-General of Canada 1888-1893. He was married to
Lady Constance Villiers, daughter of the 4th Earl of Clarendon.
His daughter married the 7th Duke of Manchester.
The 18th Earl established Knowsley Safari Park in 1971.