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Stafford, Baron (E, 1563 - 1640)

Created: Act of Parliament Nov-Dec 1563

Extinct: c. 1640

Family name: Stafford

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Arms:

Or a Chevron Gules

Crest:

Out of a Ducal Coronet per pale Gules and Sable a Demi Swan rising Wings elevated and displayed Argent beaked also Gules

Supporters:

On either side a Swan proper beaked and legged Sable ducally gorged per pale Gules and of the second

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Henry [Stafford], 1st Baron Stafford

only son and heir of Edward [Stafford], 3rd Duke of Buckingham, by his wife Lady Eleanor Percy, 1st dau. of Henry [Percy[, 3rd Earl of Northumberland

born

18 Sep 1501

mar.

16 Feb 1518/9 Lady Ursula Pole (d. 12 Aug 1570), only dau. of Sir Richard Pole KG, Constable of Harlech Castle, by his wife Lady Margaret Plantagenet, suo jure Countess of Warwick and Salisbury, only dau. of George [Plantagenet], 1st Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III

children

1. Hon Henry Stafford, later 2nd Baron Stafford

2. Hon Edward Stafford, later 3rd Baron Stafford

3. Hon Richard Stafford, mar. Mary Corbet, dau. of John Corbet, of Lee, co. Salop, and had issue:

1a. Roger Stafford, later 6th Baron Stafford

1a. Jane Stafford (b. c. 1581), mar., and had issue

4. Hon Walter Stafford

1. Hon Dorothy Stafford, mar. Sir William Stafford, of of Blatherwyck, co. Northampton, and had issue

2. Hon Elizabeth Stafford, mar. Sir William Nevill, of Chebsey

died

30 Apr 1563

created

by Act of Parliament Nov-Dec 1547 Baron Stafford, with remainder to the heirs male of his body

suc. by

son

note

granted several of the estates forfeited by his late father 1522 and 1531, including the castle and manor of Stafford; Recorder of Stafford 1532; restored in blood by the Act of 1547 and restored to the 1299 precedency of the original Barony of Stafford by a resolution of the House of Lords 1557/8; Chamberlain of the Exchequer 1553/4; Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire 1579; Ranger of Carnock Forest 1560

Henry [Stafford], 2nd Baron Stafford

born

bef. 1534

mar.

bef. 25 Feb 1557 Elizabeth Davy, sister of William Davy, of Holbeach, co. Lincoln, dau. of John Davy, by his wife Maud .....

died

s.p. 1 Jan 1565/6

suc. by

brother

note

knighted 1553; Member of Parliament for Shropshire 1555

Edward [Stafford], 3rd Baron Stafford

born

17 Jan 1535/6

mar.

bef. 23 Nov 1566 Lady Mary Stanley (d. 3 Sep 1609), 3rd dau. of Edward [Stanley], 3rd Earl of Derby, by his first wife Lady Dorothy Howard, 4th dau. by his second wife of Thomas [Howard], 2nd Duke of Norfolk

children

1. Hon Edward Stafford, later 4th Baron Stafford

1. Hon Ursula Stafford, mar. Walter Erdeswick

2. Hon Dorothy Stafford, mar. ..... Gervais, of Chadsden

died

18 Oct 1603

suc. by

son

note

Member of Parliament for Stafford 1558 and 1559 ; one of the peers who tried Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringhay Castle 1586; Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire 1587; Councillor for the March of Wales 1601

Edward [Stafford], 4th Baron Stafford

bapt.

20 Sep 1572

mar.

bef. 22 Nov 1595 Isabel Forster (d. after Jul 1646), dau. of Thomas Forster, of Tong, co. Salop, by his wife Ursula Vise, dau. of Humphrey Vise, of Staundon, co. Stafford

children/

1. Hon Edward Stafford (bapt. 9 Jul 1601; dvp. 6 Apr 1621), mar. bef. 15 May 1617 Anne Wilford, 1st dau. of James Wilford, of Newman Hall, in Quendon, co. Essex, by his wife Anne Newman, dau. and hrss. of Thomas Newman, of Newman Hall, in Quendon, co. Essex, and had issue:

1a. Henry Stafford, later 5th Baron Stafford

1a. Hon Mary Stafford, later suo jure Countess of Stafford for life

died

25 Sep 1625

suc. by

grandson

note

one of the peers who protested to the King against the creation of Baronets 1618

Henry [Stafford], 5th Baron Stafford

born

24 Sep 1621

died

4 Aug 1637

suc. by

first cousin twice removed

note

Roger [Stafford], 6th Baron Stafford

born

c. 1574

died

c. 1640

note

Roger Stafford succeeded to the Barony, at the age of 65, as heir male of the grantee and accordingly claimed it in 1637. He was unjustly denied the title on the ground of his "very mean and obscure condition". It was unfortunate for Roger that William Howard, the husband of Mary Stafford, sister of the late 5th Baron Stafford, was a favourite at Court. The King, to whom Roger had submitted his claim, declared in 1639 that "the said Roger Stafford, having no parte of the inheritance of the said Lord Stafford, nor any other landes or means whatsoever ..... should make a resignation of all claims and title to the said barony of Stafford, for his Majesty to dispose of as he should see fit." Roger accordingly by a deed dated 7 December 1639 surrendered the Barony of Stafford to the King in return for a payment of £800 (about £80,000 in 2004 terms), even though in law such surrenders were invalid. Roger Stafford, the last in the direct male line of the Stafford family, died the next year, when the Barony of Stafford became extinct. Shortly afterwards in September 1640 the King created William Howard and his wife Baron and Baroness Stafford and two months later created William Howard Viscount Stafford.

Roger Stafford's only sister, Jane Stafford, is said to have married a joiner from Newport, co. Salop, and to have had a son who was a cobbler by trade. To quote Burke's Extinct Peerages: "... thus the great-great-grandson of Margaret Plantagenet, daughter and heiress of George, Duke of Clarence, sunk to the grade of the mender of old shoes." Whilst one cannot agree with the elitism of this comment, it does serve to show the extreme fluidity of the English class structure in which not only can families rise in status but can also within the space of only a few generations fall from the highest level of the aristocracy to that of manual labourers.

First written 21 Feb 2004

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