Charity in Newcastle-under-Lyme
This bundle of documents contains a number of deeds which were made between the Leveson-Gower family and the Corporation of Newcastle-under-Lyme between 1715 and 1898. The deeds include terms which secure ...
Disputes over Rent at the Manor Court
The Manor Court was not just an occasion for tenants to show deference to the Lord of the Manor. Important local issues were also debated, including disputes over rent.
One document within the Court ...
Goldsmith’s Almanack, 1715
Amongst the personal papers of Sir John Leveson-Gower, 2nd Baron Gower and 1st Earl Gower (1694-1754) is a tiny leather bound book entitled ‘Goldsmith, 1715 An Almanack’. The title pages states that the ...
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower and 1st Marquis of Stafford (1721-1803)
Granville Leveson-Gower was born in August 1721, the son of John Leveson-Gower, first Earl Gower (1694-1754) and his first wife Lady Evelyn Pierrepont (1691-1727). Granville married three times. His second ...
Land Disputes in the Manor of Longton: William Fowler and Longton Boundary Deeds
One of the most intriguing documents amongst the Manor Court Papers for Longton (1696-1733) is a letter written to Obadiah Lane, Lord of the Manor of Longton by a man called William Fowler.
Fowler, ...
Letter from George Cookes, Stone to Isaac Brisbane, Trentham, 1719
George Cookes of Stone wrote to Isaac Brisbane of Trentham on 31st March 1719 concerning the number of cattle that had been purchased from Trentham.
Cookes refers to a visit to Stone and a letter ...
Letters from Michael Johnson to George Plaxton
Lichfield is famous for being the birthplace of Dr. Samuel Johnson, and has attracted visitors for this reason from as early as 1801. Johnson was born in Lichfield in 1709 and was the son of a man named ...
Lichfield Elections 1748, 1753 and 1754: Lawyers Costs
During the eighteenth century the Gower-Anson interest made extensive purchases of property in Lichfield in order to secure the voting rights which were attached to certain properties. Tenants who were ...
Political Interest in Staffordshire: Letter from William Fitzherbert to Earl Gower, 1723
Found within the personal papers of Sir John Leveson-Gower, first Earl Gower (1694-1754), this letter dated 20th April 1723 is signed by William Fitzherbert of Swynnerton.
The Fitzherbert family, Lords ...
Problems with Voters & Property
Amongst the papers relating to Lichfield elections in the 1740s and 1750s are a number of documents providing details about the people who voted in the Lichfield elections.
One document concerns the ...
Property in Newcastle: Houses and a Smithy, 1734
Throughout the eighteenth century the Leveson-Gowers purchased property in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The Sutherland Collection contains many deeds and leases telling us about the type of property which was ...
Rioting in Newcastle
A number of letters were found amongst the papers of Sir John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower (1694-1754) relating to the family’s estates and associates in Staffordshire and Shropshire written during the ...
Schooling in Wolverhampton through the Ages
Educational provision in Wolverhampton was greatly improved by Sir Stephen Jenyns in the early sixteenth century. Born in Wolverhampton, Sir Stephen was a very important Merchant of the Staple who rose ...
Sir John and Horse Racing
In addition to these blood sports, Sir John was also involved in the organisation of horse racing. A letter written to Sir John by William Manners, the son of John, the third Duke of Rutland, discusses ...
Sir John Leveson, Baron Gower (1675-1709)
Sir John Leveson-Gower was the only son of Sir William Leveson Gower and Lady Jane Granville. Born in 1675, Sir John distinguished himself in political circles, being appointed in his father’s place as ...
Sir John Leveson-Gower 2nd Baron Gower of Stittenham and first Earl Gower (1694-1754)
Sir John Leveson-Gower was born on 9th August 1694, the eldest son of Sir John Leveson-Gower (1675-1709), the first Baron Gower, and his wife Lady Katherine Manners (1675-1722). Sir John inherited extensive ...
Sir John Leveson-Gower and Mrs. Doncastle the Housekeeper
Mrs. Doncastle was Sir John’s housekeeper at Leicester House in Middlesex. A number of letters in Sir John’s papers demonstrate that Sir John and Mrs Doncastle shared a close relationship, Mrs. Doncastle ...
Sir John Leveson-Gower and the Jacobean Uprisings
Sir John was the Lord Privy Seal during the Jacobite Uprisings of the 1740s. His prominent political position and his loyalty to the King against the Jacobites earned him the title of Earl Gower in 1746. ...