The Dukes of St Albans

Descendants of Charles II and Nell Gwyn

They held Hanworth Manor from 1787 to 1816

D. Adamson and P. Beauclerk Dewar, ‘The House of Nell Gwynn 1670-1974’, (London, William Kimber & Co., 1974).

In 1797 Hanworth Manor House was totally destroyed by fire.

Date inherited Name Comment

1667-1668 Charles II

Charles II is said to have fallen in love with Nell Gwyn at the Dukes Theatre. Nell then soon became one of his mistresses.

1670 Charles 08May1670 a son, Charles, is born to Charles II and Nell Gwyn.

1671 James 25Dec1671 James, a second son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn born.

1676 Beauclerk - Headington - Burford. Nell demanded, from Charles II, that her son (s) be ennobled. The boys were given the surname Beauclerk. Charles Beauclerk became Baron Headington and Earl of Burford. James Beauclerk became Lord Beauclerk .

1684 Charles Beauclerk, Baron Headington and Earl of Burford ennobled as 1 st Duke of St Albans .

1685 Charles, 1 st Duke of St Albans , was created Hereditary Grand Falconer of England.

1726, Death of Charles, 1 st Duke of St Albans.

1726 Charles, son of 1 st Duke of St Albans inherits his father’s title to become 2 nd Duke of St Albans. He was noted as saying ‘the labour of doing nothing was very supportable’.

1736 Mary Chamber received 738 acres in Hanworth from a bequest in her father’s will. By 1748 the estate had increased to 849 acres. 1736 , Mary married Vere, 1 st Baron Vere of Hanworth , the third son of Charles, 1 st Duke of St Albans

1751 Death of Charles, 2 nd Duke of St Albans.

1751 George, son of 2 nd Duke of St Albans, inherits his father’s title to become 3 rd Duke of St Albans . It was necessary for him to look for a wife who had already inherited.

1752 23Oct1752, George, 3 rd Duke of St Albans , married Jane Roberts (daughter of Sir Walter Roberts – with a dowry of £125,000) Parted after two and a half years of marriage.

1786 01Feb1786 , George, 3 rd Duke of St Albans , died in Brussels, without issue.

1786 George 4th Duke of St Albans 1786 He was the second cousin of George, 3 rd Duke of St Albans inherited title to become the 4 th Duke of St Albans. (His grandfather was William, brother to Charles who was himself, the 2nd Duke of St Albans .)

1787 1787, death of George, 4 th Duke of St Albans .

1787 Aubrey, second cousin of 4 th Duke (George) inherited the title to become 5 th Duke of St Albans. He had already inherited the title of Lord Vere of Hanworth from his father. His father was Vere, brother to Charles, 2nd Duke of St Albans; Aubrey inherited Hanworth from his mother , Mary Chamber (died 1783), whose family had owned Hanworth since 1670. Aubrey married Lady Catherine Ponsonby (daughter of 2nd Earl of Bessborough) on 04May1763.

1789, death of Catherine, wife of 5 th Duke of St Albans , he spent little time at Hanworth after his wife’s death.

1793 Manor House and twenty acres leased to Edward Russell Howe . (Possibly Sir Edward Russell Howe)

1797 Hanworth Manor House burnt to the ground.

1798 Aubrey, 5 th Duke of St Albans auctioned his art collection to raise money for building a new house.

1798-1802 Building of a new house in the grounds of the Manor House

1802 09Feb1802 , death of Aubrey, 5 th Duke of St Albans . He died at his house in Mansfield Street, Portland Place.

1802 Aubrey, son of Aubrey, 5 th Duke of St Albans, inherited his father’s title to become 6 th Duke of St Albans . Aubrey married Jane Moses, who died in 1800, he then married Louisa Grace Manners (fourth daughter of Lady Louisa Manners, later to become Countess Dysart).

1810 James Ramsey Cuthbert leased the Park and Lodge.

1811 Beauclerks sold off a great part of their Hanworth estate, including the park, for £56, 175 to pay off mortgage of £41,000. They still owned approximately 463 acres.

1815 Death of Aubrey , the 6th Duke of St Albans. He had died not being aware that his wife was pregnant, for in his will he made no provision for any children .

1815 Louisa, Duchess of St Albans , received lands in Hanworth, Feltham, Heston and Isleworth from a bequest in her husband’s will, the 6 th Duke of St Albans.

19Feb1816 Aubrey, who had inherited his father’s title to become the 7th Duke of St Albans sadly died in infancy, the same day and only a few hours earlier than his mother, Louisa.

19Feb1816 Louisa, Duchess of St Albans died, age 38.

The Manor of Hanworth was no longer part of the Beauclerk family estates, for Louisa passed them to her family.