Records of the Anson Family of Shugborough, Earls of Lichfield
- Located At: Staffordshire Record Office
- Document Reference Number: 508, D615, D895, D1240 pt., 1342, D(W)03, D(W)1474, D(W)1748, D(W)1765, D(W)1840, 3848, D5763, D5800, D6120, 6276
- Date: 16th cent- 20th cent
- Level: Collection
- Administrative History: Administrative History The Anson family originated in the Dunston area and the first member whose activities are recorded in the collection is William Anson (d.1644) a successful lawyer who purchased an estate at nearby Shugborough from John Whitby in 1624. From that date Shugborough was the principal residence of the family and the house there was rebuilt after 1693 by William Anson III (1656-1720) who married Isabella Corvier of Wirksworth. Their children included Janette (1690-1771) who married Sambrook Adams of Sambrooke (1701-1734), Thomas (1695-1773) and George (1697-1762). The latter became the famous Admiral Anson but as a younger son dying before his brother his contact with Staffordshire was tenuous and there is very little concerning him amongst the collection at Stafford. Thomas Anson was a typical 'man of taste' of the 18th century and Shugborough owes most of its basic form to his work on the house and park in which he employed James 'Athenian' Stuart, Nicholas Dahl, Scheemakers, and other well known artists. Nor did he neglect the other parts of the estates and these were extended by purchase throughout the period. On his death the estates passed to George Adams the son of his sister, Janette. George Adams (1731-1789) assumed the name of Anson as a result and from this date there is a virtually complete series of estate records. His son Thomas (1767-1818) acquired considerable electoral interests in Lichfield, as the result of transaction, well represented in the collection and was created Viscount in 1806. His son Thomas William (1795-1854) continued the political activity on behalf of the Whigs, was made 1st Earl of Lichfield in 1831 and held the office of Postmaster General from 1835-1841. There are however no official papers in the collection. In spite of this rise in fortune the estate fell on difficult times in the late 1830s, a heavy mortgage had to be raised and the contents of Shugborough were sold. The successors in title made long and eventually successful attempts to recover the situation of their predecessors. Thomas George, 2nd Earl (1825-1892) made considerable efforts to buy back the contents of Shugborough. He also took an interest in politics, his most important activity probably being membership of the Royal Commission on Trades Unions. There are however not many items relating to this subject in the collection. His son Thomas Francis 3rd Earl (1856-1918) continued the work and made attempts to arrange the MSS and deeds. The collection bears many works of his interest and there is a quantity of notes in his hand on the house and family, notably the Admiral. He was an active member of the House of Lords on the Liberal party side and was fairly prominent during the Parliament Act crisis. He also took over the running of the estate before the death of his father and the effects of his organisation are reflected in the archives. The bulk of the collection was transferred to the County Record Office between 1960 and 1965 from Shugborough. The bulk appears always to have been kept there, although some items had been brought in from sub-agencies at various dates in the previous hundred years. A group of legal and estate papers had also been transferred to Shugborough from the offices of Messrs. Broughton and Broughton the London solicitors for the Lichfield agency. Subsequent deposits have come in from the Earl of Lichfield's Ranton Estate Office.
- Format: Family and Estate papers
- Description: Note: accession D6120 is not fully catalogued. It includes probate of the will of the 1st Earl of Lichfield, 1854, leases and tenancy records, records of copyhold land, and plans, 19th-20th cent. (4.5 boxes).
There is also additional estate material in uncatalogued accession 7001 including deeds, maps, valuations (3 boxes). Please ask for further information.
There is also additional material under the D615 reference, mainly relating to estate property in Yarmouth (Great Yarmouth). This consists of 7 boxes and 4 volumes. Please ask for further information. - Category:Estate management
- Legal Status: private
- Accession Number: SRO 615 add (2006)
- Accession Number: SRO 5800
- Accession Number: SRO 5763
- Accession Number: SRO 6120
- Accession Number: SRO 6276
- Accession Number: SRO 7001
- Accession Number: SRO W0/3
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