Description:The name Leveson-Gower originated with the marriage of Frances Leveson, the grandaughter of Sir John Leveson of Halling (1555-1615), and Sir Thomas Gower in 1631.
The Leveson family were extremely wealthy by the seventeenth century, owning land and property in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Kent. However, their wealth and status had mercantile origins - they were not an ancient family and did not have an illustrious lineage like the Gower family.
The Gowers were an ancient family who owned land in Stittenham in Yorkshire. Thomas and Francis’s marriage fused the lineage and wealth of the two families, creating the increasingly powerful Leveson-Gower family.
The Sutherland Papers includes twelve volumes of the Leveson-Gower family’s correspondence. A number of these volumes include pictures, paintings and genealogical notes made about the family in the early nineteenth century. These genealogical notes include details about Sir Thomas Gower telling us that he ‘died September 3rd 1672’. The notes state that Sir Thomas ‘married Frances the 2nd Daughter of Sir John Leveson of Haling in Kent’, adding that Thomas and Francis had a number of children ‘Mr Edward Gower & Mr William Gower who married Jane the daughter of John Granville Earl of Bathe & became Heir, in right of Frances Leveson his Mother, to Sir Richard Leveson K.B.’
These notes indicate that Sir Thomas Gower’s marriage to Frances Leveson and the subsequent marriage of his son William to Lady Jane Granville, daughter of the 1st earl of Bath (d. 1696) were extremely important in the history of the Leveson-Gower family, adding wealth and status to both families.
The ancient lineage of the Gower family was extremely important to the Leveson-Gower family. In one volume of correspondence there is a painting of the Gower family’s Burial place in Sherriff Hutton Church in Yorkshire. The detailed painting of the heraldic flags and armour, emphasises the importance of the family’s ancient lineage.
The Sutherland Papers includes much of Sir Thomas Gower’s personal correspondence with his family. The letters are very detailed, including commentary on politics and military strategy in the 1640s as well as providing an insight into family relationships. Sir Thomas’s correspondence tells us much about his role in the Leveson-Gower family, suggesting he was extremely well respected, particularly in his old age.