Anson Family
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The Anson family is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Anson family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Anson family include the earldom of
Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
(since 1831) and the Anson baronetcy (also since 1831). Over time, several members of the family have risen to prominence, including
Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...
George Anson, 1st Baron Anson Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, PC, FRS (23 April 1697 – 6 June 1762) was a Royal Navy officer and politician from the Anson family. He served as a junior officer during the War of the Spanish Succession and then saw ...
, PC, FRS (1697–1762) and the society photographer
Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield Thomas Patrick John Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield (25 April 1939 – 11 November 2005), was an English photographer from the Anson family. He inherited the Earldom of Lichfield in 1960 from his paternal grandfather. In his professional practi ...
(1939–2005).


History

The Anson family is descended from William Anson (c.1580–1644), a Staffordshire lawyer, who purchased
Shugborough Hall Shugborough Hall is a stately home near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England. The hall is situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, about east of Stafford and from Rugeley. The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the dissol ...
in 1624. His grandson, also William (1656–1720), was father to George (1697–1762), an Admiral and 1st Baron Anson;
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
(1695–1773), MP for Lichfield; and Janette (1690–1771), whose son George Anson (1731-1789) inherited the family fortune and estate. George, a Member of Parliament for
Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
from 1770 to 1789, was born George Adams, the son of Sambrooke Adams and his wife Janette Anson. In 1773, on the death of his uncle Thomas Anson, he succeeded to the substantial estates accumulated by his uncles, including Shugborough. The same year George Adams assumed by Royal licence the surname of Anson in lieu of Adams. In 1831, two of his sons were elevated to hereditary titles: his eldest son,
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, was made a viscount, while the latter's brother,
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, was made a baronet (see Anson Baronets). George Anson's aforementioned eldest son was Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson (1767–1818), who represented Lichfield in the House of Commons as a Whig from 1789 to 1806 until he was raised to the peerage on 17 February 1806 as ''Baron Soberton'', of Soberton in the County of Southampton, and ''Viscount Anson'', of Shugborough and Orgreave in the County of Stafford, both in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...
. He was succeeded by his eldest son
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
(1795–1854), who became the 2nd Viscount. He was a landowner and Whig politician who served as
Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...
from 1830 to 1834 and as
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from 1835 to 1841. In 1831 the 2nd Viscount Anson was created '' Earl of Lichfield'', of Lichfield in the County of Stafford, in William IV's coronation honours. This was the third creation of the title of Earl of Lichfield, but the first in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...
. The titles associated with the earldom of Lichfield continued to descend from father to son until the death of the 4th Earl in 1960. He was succeeded by his grandson, the 5th Earl, the only son of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas William Arnold Anson, Viscount Anson (1913–1958), eldest son of the 4th Earl. Known professionally as Patrick Lichfield, he was a successful photographer. the titles are held by the 6th Earl, only son of the 5th Earl and Lady Leonora Grosvenor, daughter of the 5th Duke of Westminster. He succeeded as the 6th Earl of Lichfield upon his father's death on 11 November 2005. The 6th Earl married in December 2009 Lady Henrietta Conyngham, daughter of Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham. They have one son, Thomas Ossian Patrick Wolfe Anson, Viscount Anson (b. 20 May 2011).


Family seats

The family seat of the Anson baronets is Birch Hall in the County of Lancaster. The family seat of the Anson earls of Lichfield is
Shugborough Hall Shugborough Hall is a stately home near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England. The hall is situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, about east of Stafford and from Rugeley. The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the dissol ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, which is about 15 miles from the city of
Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
. Many family members are buried a short distance from Shugborough Hall: Admiral Lord Anson, the 1st Earl of Lichfield and others are buried at St Michael and All Angels Church in Colwich. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Earl and other Ansons after 1854 were buried in the churchyard of St Stephen's Church in Great Haywood until the 5th Earl decided to return to the Anson vault at Colwich. He was buried there in 2005.


Members of the family


Barons Anson (1747)

*
George Anson, 1st Baron Anson Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, PC, FRS (23 April 1697 – 6 June 1762) was a Royal Navy officer and politician from the Anson family. He served as a junior officer during the War of the Spanish Succession and then saw ...
(1697–1762), created 1st ''Baron Anson'' in 1747


Viscounts Anson (1806)

:''Other title: Baron Soberton'' (1806) * Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson (1767–1818), created 1st ''Viscount Anson'' in 1806 * Thomas William Anson, 2nd Viscount Anson (1795–1854), created 1st ''Earl of Lichfield'' in 1831


Earls of Lichfield (1831)

:''Other titles: Baron Soberton'' (1806), ''Viscount Anson'' (1806) * Thomas William Anson, 2nd Viscount Anson (1795–1854), created 1st ''Earl of Lichfield'' in 1831 * Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (1825–1892) *Thomas Francis Anson, 3rd Earl of Lichfield (1856–1918) *Thomas Edward Anson, 4th Earl of Lichfield (1883–1960) **Thomas William Arnold Anson, Viscount Anson (1913–1958) * Thomas Patrick John Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield (1939–2005) *Thomas William Robert Hugh Anson, 6th Earl of Lichfield (b. 1978) m. Lady Henrietta Conyngham, daughter of Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham. The
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
is the present holder's son, Thomas Ossian Patrick Wolfe Anson, Viscount Anson (b. 2011).


Anson baronets (1831)

* William Anson (1772–1847), created 1st baronet in 1831 *Sir John William Hamilton Anson, 2nd Baronet (1816–1873) * Sir William Reynell Anson, 3rd Baronet (1843–1914) *Sir Denis George William Anson, 4th Baronet (1888–1914) *Sir John Henry Anson, 5th Baronet (1897–1918) *Sir Edward Reynell Anson, 6th Baronet (1902–1951) *Sir Peter Anson, 7th Baronet (1924–2018) *Sir Philip Roland Anson, 8th Baronet (born 1957) The
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
is the present holder's brother Hugo William Anson (born 1962)


Other notable members

Several other members of the Anson family have also gained distinction. These include: * Adelbert Anson (1840–1909), a clergyman and first Bishop of Qu'Apelle in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. He was the fourth and youngest son of the 1st Earl. *
Augustus Anson Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Henry Archibald Anson VC (5 March 1835 – 17 November 1877) was a member of the Anson family and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy t ...
(1835–1877), a recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
and Member of Parliament. He was the third son of the 1st Earl. * Sir Edward Anson, KCMG (1826–1925), a military commander and later Major-General. He was the youngest son of Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet. * Elizabeth Anson (1941–2020), a professional party planner. She was a sister of the 5th Earl of Lichfield. * Frederick Anson (1779–1867), a clergyman and Dean of
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
. He was a younger brother of the 1st Viscount Anson. * Frederick Anson (1811–1885), a clergyman and Canon of Windsor. He was a son of Frederick Anson (1779–1867), Dean of Chester. * Sir George Anson, GCB, KTS (1769–1849), a general in the Army and MP for Lichfield. He was a younger brother of the 1st Viscount Anson. * George Anson (1797-1857), a prominent soldier and politician. He was the second son of the 1st Viscount Anson. * Sir George Augustus Anson (1857–1947), was a courtier and Lieutenant-Colonel in the army. He was the second son of the 2nd Earl. * George Edward Anson (1812–1849), private secretary to
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...
. He was a son of Frederick Anson (1779–1867), Dean of Chester. * George Edward Anson (1850–1934), a cricketer and doctor in New Zealand. He was a son of Frederick Anson. * George Henry Greville Anson (1820–1898), clergyman and Archdeacon of Manchester. He was a son of Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet. * Talavera Vernon Anson (1809–1895), an admiral in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. He was a son of General Sir George Anson. * Thomas Anson (1818–1899), a clergyman and cricketer. He was a son of General Sir George Anson.


References


External links

*{{commons category-inline Noble families of the United Kingdom