{95} Ruvigny Elaboration: Henry VII Descent & Issue of Lady Arabella Fermor-Hesketh (1828-1870)

Lady Arabella Fermor-Hesketh(1828-1870)

The Fermor family had been seated at Easton Neston House in Northamptonshire for more than four centuries when George, 5th Earl of Pomfret, died in June 1867, a 42-year-old bachelor and the last male descendant of the family. His heirs were his two sisters, Lady Arabella Hesketh, a 39-year-old baronet's wife with six children, and Lady Henrietta Ogilvy, a 37-year-old officer's wife who was childless. Pomfret's will stipulated that everything be divided evenly between his two sisters, but it must have been obvious to the family that Lady Henrietta would most likely remain childless, so eventually the entire Fermor inheritance would come to Lady Arabella and her issue. Consequently, five months later in November 1867, Lady Arabella's husband Sir Thomas Hesketh, 5th Baronet assumed by royal licence the additional surname of Fermor, as did his eldest son (and the second son when he inherited the baronetcy in 1876). Easton Neston House also came into the possession of the Hesketh family, giving them another large estate in addition to Rufford Hall, their chief seat in Lancashire.

Ruvigny, on p. 312 of his 1903 Tudor volume, lists Lady Arabella Fermor-Hesketh, and her descendants up to that point. The account below elaborates on Lady Arabella's children, as well as her line of descent from Henry VII traced by Ruvigny.

Descendants of Lady Arabella Fermor-Hesketh from Ruvigny's 1903 Tudor volume

LADY (ANNA MARIA) ARABELLA FERMOR, b. 2 Jan. 1828 Westminster, London, bap. 19 Mar. 1828 St George Hanover Square, London; d. 25 Feb. 1870 Rufford Hall, Lancashire, bur. 5 Mar. 1870 St Mary Church, Rufford, er dau. of Thomas William Fermor, 4th Earl of Pomfret (1770-1833, descended from Henry IV) and Amabel Elizabeth Borough (1802-1889, descended from Henry VII - see Generation 12 below); m. 10 Mar. 1846 St George Hanover Square, Sir THOMAS GEORGE HESKETH [later FERMOR-HESKETH], 5th Baronet of Rufford, bap. 11 Jan. 1825 St Peter Church, Liverpool, Lancashire; d. 20 Aug. 1872 Rufford Hall, bur. 23 Aug. 1872 St Mary Church, Rufford, only son of Sir Thomas Henry Hesketh, 4th Baronet of Rufford (1799-1843, descended from Edward III) and Annette Maria Bomford (c.1799-1879, descended from Edward III), and had issue, three sons and three daughters.

Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Bt
(1849-1924)

Issue of Lady Arabella and Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Bt:

1) Sir THOMAS HENRY FERMOR-HESKETH, 6th Baronet of Rufford, b. 9 Jan. 1847 Misterton Hall, Leicestershire, bap. 15 Apr. 1847 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. unm. 28 May 1876 Fermor Lodge, Southport, Lancashire, bur. 29 May 1876 St Mary Church, Rufford.

2) Sir THOMAS GEORGE FERMOR-HESKETH, 7th Baronet of Rufford, b. 9 May 1849 Rufford Hall, bap. 3 June 1849 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. 19 Apr. 1924 Park Hall, Towcester, Northamptonshire, bur. 24 Apr. 1924 St Mary Church, Rufford; m. 23 Dec. 1880 Ralston Hall, Belmont, San Mateo County, California, FLORENCE EMILY SHARON, b. c.1858 San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA; d. 25 Sept. 1924 Euston Hall, Suffolk, dau. of William Tang Sharon of San Francisco, U.S. Senator for Nevada 1875-81 (1821-1885) and his 1st wife Maria Malloy (1832-1875), and had issue, two sons.

1st Baron Hesketh
(1881-1944)

Issue of Sir Thomas and Florence (Sharon) Fermor-Hesketh:

2A) THOMAS FERMOR-HESKETH, 1st Baron Hesketh 1935-44, b. 17 Nov. 1881 Rufford Hall, Lancashire, bap. 23 Dec. 1881 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. 20 July 1944 Easton Neston House, Northamptonshire, bur. 24 July 1944 St Mary Church, Easton Neston; m. 3 Sept. 1909 British Embassy, Paris, France, FLORENCE LOUISE BRECKINRIDGE, b. 31 Dec. 1880 San Francisco; d. 4 Mar. 1956 Easton Neston House, bur. 8 Mar. 1956 St Mary Church, Easton Neston, dau. of John Witherspoon Owen Breckinridge of Merced, Member California State Assembly 1884-85 (1850-1892) and Louise Tevis (1858-1938), and had issue, three sons and two daughters.

2B) Lt. FREDERICK FERMOR-HESKETH, b. 24 Sept. 1883 Ireland; disappeared unm. 29 Oct. 1910 Ireland (believed a victim of foul play).

Fermor-Hesketh of Rufford coat of arms
[1st & 4th, Hesketh; 2nd & 3rd, Fermor]

3) HUGH ROBERT HESKETH of Fermor Lodge, b. 11 June 1850 Rufford Hall, bap. 7 July 1850 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. unm. 31 Aug. 1879 Fermor Lodge, bur. 3 Sept. 1879 St Mary church, Rufford.

4) EDITH ELIZABETH HESKETH, b. Oct. 1851 Rufford Hall, bap. 9 Nov. 1851 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. 27 Dec. 1931 Lyncote, Parkstone, Dorset; m. 10 Aug. 1871 St Paul Church, Knightsbridge, London, LAWRENCE RAWSTORNE of Penwortham Priory, Lancashire, b. 6 Aug. 1842 Penwortham Priory; d. 11 Nov. 1938 Lyncote, Parkstone, son of Lawrence Rawstorne of Penwortham Priory (c.1775-1850, descended from Henry IV) and his 2nd wife Margaret Elizabeth Ledward (1817-1886), and had issue two sons and one daughter.

5) CONSTANCE MARIA HESKETH, bap. 26 Mar. 1854 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. unm. bef. 1924[*1].

6) AUGUSTA SOPHIA HESKETH, bap. 27 May 1855 St Mary Church, Rufford; d. unm., bur. there 11 June 1875.

[*1] I cannot uncover a date of death for Constance Hesketh. It's clear from the newspaper accounts of the death and funeral of her brother the 7th baronet, that Constance had predeceased him. Ruvigny lists her in the Tudor volume, so presumably she was living when it was published in 1903. The 1924 edition of Burke's Peerage (the earliest 20th-century edition which I have access to here in Vancouver) states only that she died unmarried, with no date.

Henry VII

Henry VII had a dau:
1) Princess MARY TUDOR, b. 18 Mar. 1496 Richmond Palace, Surrey; d. 25 June 1533 Westhorpe Hall, Suffolk, bur. 22 July 1533 Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk; m. 2nd 31 Mar. 1515 Paris, France, CHARLES BRANDON, 1st Duke of Suffolk, b. c.1483; d. 22 Aug. 1545 Guildford, Surrey, bur. 9 Sept. 1545 St George Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, yr son of Sir William Brandon (c.1453-1485, descended from Edward I) and Elizabeth Bruyn (d. 1494), and had
2) Lady FRANCES BRANDON, b. 16 July 1517 Hatfield, Hertfordshire, bap. 18 July 1517 St Ethelreda Church, Hatfield; d. 21 Nov. 1559 Richmond Palace, Surrey, bur. 5 Dec. 1559 St Edmund Chapel, Westminster Abbey; m. 1st May 1533 Suffolk House, Southwark, Surrey, HENRY GREY, 1st Duke of Suffolk, b. 17 Jan. 1517 Bradgate Hall, Leicestershire; d. 23 Feb. 1554 Tower of London, est son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset (1477-1530, descended from Edward III) and his 2nd wife Margaret Wotton (d. 1541), and had

Katherine (née Grey),
Countess of Hertford -
see Generation 3

3) Lady KATHERINE GREY, b. c.1540; d. 27 Jan. 1568 Cockfield Hall, Yoxford, Suffolk, bur. 21 Feb. 1568 St Peter Church, Yoxford; m. 2nd Dec. 1560 Beauchamp Place, London, as his 1st wife, EDWARD SEYMOUR, 1st Earl of Hertford, b. 22 May 1539 Beauchamp Place; d. 6 Apr. 1621 Netley, Hampshire, bur. Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, est son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c.1500-1552, descended from Edward III) and his 2nd wife Anne Stanhope (c.1510-1587, descended from Edward III), and had
4) EDWARD SEYMOUR, Lord Beauchamp, b. 24 Sept. 1561 Tower of London, bap. there 26 Sept. 1561; d. 13 July 1612 Wick, Wiltshire, bur. St Mary Church, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire; m. 1581 HONORA ROGERS, dau of Sir Richard Rogers of Bryanston (c.1527-1605, descended from Edward I) & his 1st wife Cecilia Luttrell (d. 1566, descended from Edward I), and had
5) FRANCIS SEYMOUR, 1st Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, b. c.1590; d. 12 July 1664, bur. St Mary Church, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire; m. 1st c.1620, FRANCES PRYNNE, bap. 8 Apr. 1602 St Andrew Church, Chippenham, Wiltshire; d. 6 Sept. 1626 Marlborough Castle, Preshute, Wiltshire, bur. 7 Sept. 1626 St Peter & St Paul Church, Marlborough, dau. of Sir Gilbert Prynne of Allington (d. 1627) and Mary Davies (d. 1628), and had
6) CHARLES SEYMOUR, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, b. 5 Feb. 1621; d. 25 Aug. 1665, bur. 7 Sept. 1665 St James Church, Trowbridge, Wiltshire; m. 2nd by 1654, as her 1st husband, Hon. ELIZABETH ALINGTON, b. Bottisham Hall, Cambridgeshire, bap. 16 Sept. 1635 Holy Trinity Church, Bottisham; bur. 30 Oct. 1692 All Saints Church, Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, est dau. of William, 1st Baron Alington of Killard (1611-1648, descended from Edward III) and Elizabeth Tollemache (1616-1671, descended from Edward III), and had

St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex

7) Hon. HONORA SEYMOUR, b. 6 July 1659 Marlborough Castle, bap. 13 July 1659 St George Church, Preshute, Wiltshire; d. Hampstead, Middlesex, bur. 11 May 1731 St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex; m. 10 Feb. 1676 St Michael Cornhill, London, Sir CHARLES GERARD, 3rd Baronet of Harrow on the Hill, b. 16 Aug. 1653; d. Flambards House, Harrow on the Hill, bur. 15 Apr. 1701 St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill, son of Sir Francis Gerard, 2nd Baronet of Harrow on the Hill (1617-1680, descended from Edward III) and Isabel Cheke (c.1623-1670, descended from Edward III), and had
8) ELIZABETH GERARD, b. Mar. 1678 Flambards House, bap. 2 Apr. 1678 St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill; bur. there 15 Feb. 1766; m. 1st 23 Mar. 1709 St Bartholomew the Less, London, her 1st cousin once removed, WARWICK LAKE of Canons Park, Little Stanmore, Middlesex, b. there, bap. 13 Apr. 1661 St Lawrence Church, Little Stanmore; bur. there 14 May 1713, yst son of Sir Lancelot Lake of Canons Park (1609-1680) and Frances Cheke (1617-1678, descended from Edward III), and had

9) LANCELOT CHARLES LAKE of Canons Park, b. 29 May 1711 Canons Park, bap. 12 June 1711 St Lawrence Church, Little Stanmore; d. 13 Apr. 1751, bur. 20 Apr. 1751 St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill; m. 20 Dec. 1735 St Marylebone Parish Church, London, LETITIA GUMLEY, bap. 16 Dec. 1713 St Clement Danes, London; d. 13 May 1760, bur. 19 May 1760 St Mary Church, Harrow on the Hill, dau. of John Gumley of Isleworth (c.1670-1728) and Susannah White, and had

1st Viscount Lake - see
Generation 10

10) GERARD LAKE, 1st Viscount Lake of Delhi, b. 27 July 1744 London, bap. 7 Aug. 1744 St George Hanover Square; d. 20 Feb. 1808 Mayfair, London, bur. 5 Mar. 1808 St Michael & All Angels Church, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire; m. 3 July 1770 St George Hanover Square, ELIZABETH BARKER, b. 17 Aug. 1751; d. 20 July 1798, bur. St Michael & All Angels Church, Aston Clinton, dau. of Edward Barker, Consul at Tripoli 1767-72 (d. 1772) and Anne Crompton (d. 1800), and had
11) Hon. ANNA MARIA LAKE, bap. 19 Sept. 1775 St Michael & All Angels Church, Aston Clinton; d. 14 June 1863 Mayfair, London; m. 21 Aug. 1799 Ireland, Sir RICHARD BOROUGH, 1st Baronet of Coolock Park, b. 18 Apr. 1756 Ireland; d. 22 Jan. 1837 Portland Place, London, son of Richard Borough of Querrin and Dorothy Jones, and had
12) AMABEL ELIZABETH BOROUGH, b. 10 Apr. 1802 Westminster, London, bap. 18 May 1802 St Marylebone Parish Church; d. 12 July 1889 Chaldon, Bournemouth, Hampshire; m. 1st 13 Jan. 1823 St George Hanover Square, THOMAS WILLIAM FERMOR, 4th Earl of Pomfret, b. 22 Nov. 1770 Sunbury Court, Middlesex, bap. 29 Dec. 1770 St Mary Church, Sunbury; d. 29 June 1833 Portman Square, London, bur. 7 July 1833 St Mary Church, Easton Neston, yr son of George Fermor, 2nd Earl of Pomfret (1722-1785, descended from Henry IV) and Anna Maria Delagarde [later Draycott] (1733-1787), and had
13) Lady (Anna Maria) Arabella Fermor (1828-1870 - see details above) m. Sir Thomas Hesketh, 5th Baronet of Rufford

The next post will look at the Henry IV line of descent, and the descendants, of Lawrence Rawstorne, son-in-law of Lady Arabella Fermor-Hesketh.

Cheers,                         ----Brad