George Lee, 3rd Earl of Lichfield
Encyclopedia
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(21 May 1718 – 17 September 1772) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician and peer. He was made a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
The Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms is a UK government post since 1945 held by the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords. Prior to 17 March 1834, the Gentlemen-at-Arms were known as the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners....
in 1762, holding both honors until death. Previously, he had served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxfordshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 this was increased to three...
from 1740 until acceding to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
in 1743.
Biography
He was born at Windsor CastleWindsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
on May 21, 1718, the son of George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield was the sixth son of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II by his mistress, the celebrated courtesan Barbara Villiers. On 14 July 1716 George Henry Lee succeeded his father as the 2nd...
and his wife, Frances Hales. From birth he was styled Viscount Quarendon
Lee Baronets
- Lee Baronets, of Quarendon, Buckinghamshire :This branch of the family owned Ditchley House, current home of the Ditchley Foundation. The last male heir of the Lees of Quarendon, was the 4th Earl of Lichfield Robert Lee, a grandson of Charles II...
. In the family tradition, he was educated at St John's College
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. On February 14, 1732, he was made an M.A. of Oxford. In 1740 and from 1741 to 1742, he served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the county of Oxford
Oxfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxfordshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 this was increased to three...
, and in the next year, upon the death of his father on February 15, 1743, Viscount Quarendon became the 3rd Earl of Lichfield.
He went on to earn his D.C.L. of Oxford
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
on August 25, 1743. 23 years later, on August 19 of the year 1760, Lichfield received the great position of High Steward of the University of Oxford
High Steward (academia)
The High Steward in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge is a once-important but now largely ceremonial university official...
. On December 9, 1760 he became Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
; and on July 12, 1762, Captain of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. He joined the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on July 14, 1762. He replaced George Huddesford
George Huddesford
Rev. George Huddesford was a painter and a satirical poet in Oxford. Huddesford published a number of works. His first was described by Fanny Burney as a "vile poem" as it revealed that she had written the novel, Evelina.-Life:...
as the Deputy Ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
of Hampton Court Park
Hampton Court Park
Hampton Court Park – sometimes called the Home Park – is adjacent to Hampton Court Palace and Gardens in southwest London, United Kingdom....
in July, 1762. Finally, on September 23, 1762, he assumed the role of Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
From the Gentleman's Magazine, XXXIII., p. 349:
"The graceful dignity, the polite condescension, the ne quid nimis ('Let there be nothing in Excess') of the Chancellor were universally admired" — 1763.
In brief, he earned his D.C.L.
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
of Oxford degree on September 27, 1762; became a Vice-President of the Society of Arts; and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
county on October 17, 1763.
He married Diana or Dinah, daughter of Sir Thomas Frankland
Sir Thomas Frankland, 3rd Baronet
Sir Thomas Frankland, 3rd Baronet , of Thirkelby in Yorkshire, was an English Member of Parliament.He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Frankland, 2nd Baronet, and entered Jesus College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1700. He succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father on 30 October...
; they had no children, and the Earldom of Lichfield
Earl of Lichfield
Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times in British history. Lord Bernard Stewart, youngest son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, was to be created Earl of Lichfield by Charles I for his actions at the battles of Newbury and Naseby but died before the creation could...
passed to his uncle Robert Lee
Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield
Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield was an uncle of the 3rd Earl, George Henry Lee II. He was a son of Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II....
upon his death on September 19, 1772.
End of the line
The 3rd and 4thRobert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield
Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield was an uncle of the 3rd Earl, George Henry Lee II. He was a son of Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II....
Earls, George Henry II and Robert Lee respectively, died without issue, therefore the estate eventually reverted to the 2nd
George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield was the sixth son of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II by his mistress, the celebrated courtesan Barbara Villiers. On 14 July 1716 George Henry Lee succeeded his father as the 2nd...
Earl's eldest surviving daughter, and sister of the 3rd Earl, Lady Charlotte Lee. In 1744 Charlotte had married the 11th Viscount Dillon
Henry Dillon, 11th Viscount Dillon
Henry Dillon, 11th Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallen was an English peer.Henry's father was the Hon. Arthur Dillon , a son of the 7th Viscount, who was Colonel and founder of the Dillon Regiment in 1688...
. Their son Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
Charles Dillon-Lee, 12th Viscount Dillon, KP, PC was Member of Parliament for the English borough of Westbury ....
inherited the estate of Ditchley
Ditchley
Ditchley is a country house and estate about northeast of Charlbury in Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:There are remains of a Roman villa on the Ditchley Park estate at Watts Wells, less than southeast of the house...
but not the title. Ditchley remained the home of the Viscounts Dillon
Viscount Dillon
Viscount Dillon, of Costello-Gallen in the County of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1622 for Theobald Dillon, Lord President of Connaught. The Dillons were an Hiberno-Norman landlord family from the 13th century in a part of County Westmeath was called 'Dillon's...
until 1934.
The title was created for a third time when Thomas Anson was created Earl of Lichfield in the 1831 coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
honors of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
.