Description:Sir William Leveson-Gower was the son of Sir Thomas Gower (1605-1672). Following the death of his nephew Thomas, Sir William inherited the Gower family's Stittenham estates in Yorkshire which had been left to Thomas by his father Sir Thomas Gower (1605-1672).
Following the deaths of Francis and Richard Fowler, the original heirs of William’s Great Uncle Sir Richard Leveson (1598-1661), William also inherited Sir Richard's Trentham and Lilleshall estates.
Sir William was the first person in the Leveson-Gower family to adopt the family surname Leveson-Gower, following the marriage of his father and mother, Sir Thomas Gower and Frances Leveson in 1631. In 1669 Sir William married Lady Jane Granville, daughter of the 1st Earl of Bath (d. 1696). Many letters in the Sutherland Papers reflect a strong relationship between the Leveson-Gowers and the Granvilles.
The Sutherland Papers contain many examples of Sir William’s family correspondence, political newsletters which were sent to him and also his will which was made in 1691. In addition, the collection also contains papers and depositions relating to an accusation of treason made against Sir William in 1685.