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The Croome Collection

Coventry Family History

The Croome collection held at Worcestershire Record Office includes papers from the time of the 1st Baron Coventry of Allesborough, right up to the 9th Earl of Coventry. To make it easier to understand which Earl was seated at Croome throughout which years, here is a chronological table of the Barons and Earls of Coventry, the heads of the Croome estate to which this collection relates. Simply click on the names in the table below, or scroll down the page, to find out more about each Baron and Earl of Coventry.

Thomas Coventry, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, 1st Baron of Allesborough (1578-1640)

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Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Title	Date Inherited Title	Title	Date Inherited Title
Sir Thomas Coventry	1547	12 December 1606
Lord Keeper Thomas Coventry	1578	14 January 1640	1st Baron of Allesborough	10 April 1628
Thomas Coventry	1606	27th October 1661	2nd Baron of Allesborough	1640
George Coventry	1628	15 December 1680	3rd Baron of Allesborough	1661
John Coventry	2 September 1654	25 July 1685	4th Baron of Allesborough	1680
Thomas Coventry	1629	15 July 1699	5th Baron of Allesborough	1685	Viscount Deerhurst and 1st Earl of Coventry	26 April 1697
Thomas Coventry	1662	20 August 1710	6th Baron of Allesborough	1699	Viscount Deerhurst and 2nd Earl of Coventry	1699
Thomas Coventry	c.1702	28 January 1712	7th Baron of Allesborough	1710	Viscount Deerhurst and 3rd Earl of Coventry	1710
Gilbert Coventry	1668	27 October 1719	8th Baron of Alllesborough	1712	Viscount Deerhurst and 4th Earl of Coventry	1712
William Coventry	1678	18 March 1751			Viscount Deerhurst and 5th Earl of Coventry	October 1719
George William Coventry	26 April 1722	3 September 1809			Viscount Deerhurst and 6th Earl of Coventry	1751
George William Coventry	28 April 1758	26 March 1831			Viscount Deerhurst and 7th Earl of Coventry	1809
George William Coventry	16 October 1784	15 May 1843			Viscount Deerhurst and 8th Earl of Coventry	1831
George William Coventry	9 May 1838	13 March 1930			Viscount Deerhurst and 9th Earl of Coventry	May 1843
Post-1930

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Sir Thomas Coventry

Born 1547. He was married to Margaret Jeffery, daughter and heir of William Jeffery of Earl’s Croome, Worcestershire. Together they had one son, Thomas Coventry (later the 1st Baron Coventry). In 1592 Sir Thomas purchased the manor of Croome D'Abitot from Francis Clare of Kidderminster. Croome was to remain the seat of the Coventry family until the sale of Croome Court in 1948. Sir Thomas was made Sergeant at Law in 1603, and served as King’s Sergeant to James I, 1605-6. In 1606 he became one of the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas. In this year he also received a Knighthood. Sir Thomas died on 12th December 1606. He was buried at Croome D’Abitot.

Sir Thomas Coventry, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, 1st Baron Coventry

Born1578, he was the first son of Sir Thomas Coventry and his wife, Margaret. He was married to his first wife Sarah Seabright, daughter of Sir Edward Seabright, Knight, of Besford, Worcestershire, in 1606. Together they had a son and heir, Thomas Coventry (later the 2nd Baron Coventry) and a daughter, Elizabeth, who went on to marry Sir John Hare of Stow Bardolph, Norfolk. After the death of his first wife, he was remarried to Elizabeth Pitchford, daughter of John Aldersley of Spurstow, Cheshire and widow of William Pitchford. Together they had four daughters: Anne, Joane, Margaret and Dorothy, and four sons; John, Francis, Henry and Sir William.

Sir Thomas Coventry was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, with the intention of pursuing a career in Law. He moved to the Inner Temple in 1595 where he later took on the role of Treasurer. He was called to the Bar in 1603. In 1606 he became judge to the Sheriff’s court. Sir Thomas had a very busy career in Law, including positions such as Counsel for the Company of Apothecaries; Justice of the Peace in Surrey and Middlesex; Autumn Reader and High Steward for Cambridge, Coventry, St Albans, Kingston-upon-Hull and Bath. In November 1616 he was appointed as Recorder of London and at various times in his life he also held the position of Recorder for Coventry and Boston. In March 1617 he was appointed as Solicitor General, the same year in which he was Knighted. He was elected as MP for Worcestershire in 1621 and later that year was appointed as Attorney General. In 1622 he purchased part of the manor of Pershore. He became Custos Rotulorum for Worcestershire in 1624. In 1625 he was appointed to perhaps his most prestigious position, that of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. He continued in this role until his death. In 1627 he was admitted as brother of the Company of Apothecaries, the first lawyer to have received this honour. On 10th April 1628 he was made Baron Coventry of Allesborough (or Aylesborough) by Patent. Sir Thomas died 14th January 1640. He was buried at Croome D’Abitot.

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Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry

Born 1606, the first son of Sir Thomas Coventry (1st Baron) and his first wife, Sarah. He succeeded as Baron Coventry in 1640. Married to Mary Craven, daughter of Sir William Craven, Knight in April 1627. Together they had two sons: George (later the 3rd Baron Coventry) and Thomas (later the 5th Baron Coventry), and two daughters, both of whom died young. Thomas served as MP for Worcestershire and in 1633 became Councillor for Wales. During the 1630’s he was to purchase some of the most important additions to the Coventry estate, including lands in Pirton, Powick, Mitton and Severn Stoke. In the 1640’s there was a fire at Croome court, which resulted in some major rebuilding work under the 2nd Baron. Thomas died 27th October 1661. He was buried at Croome D’Abitot.

George Coventry, 3rd Baron Coventry

Born 1628, the first son of Thomas Coventry (2nd Baron) and his wife, Mary. He succeeded as Baron Coventry in 1661. He was married to Margaret Tufton, daughter of John Tufton, Earl of Thanet, in July 1653. Together they had three sons: John (later 4th Baron Coventry), Thomas and William, both of whom died young, and two daughters: Anne (died young) and Margaret, who went on to marry Charles, eldest son of the Marquis of Winchester. He became Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire, and High Steward of Tewkesbury in around 1661. George died 15th December 1680. He was buried at Croome.

John Coventry, 4th Baron Coventry

Born 2 September 1654, the first son of George Coventry (3rd Baron) and his wife, Margaret. He succeeded as Baron in 1680. He became Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire. John died unexpectedly, 25th July 1685, unmarried. He was buried at Croome.

Thomas Coventry, 5th Baron Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and 1st Earl of Coventry

Born 1629, the second son of Thomas Coventry (2nd Baron) and his wife, Mary. He succeeded as Baron on the death of his nephew in 1685. He married his first wife Winifrida Edgcomb, daughter of Colonel Peirce Edgcomb, of  Mount Edgcomb, Devon, in 1660. Together they had four sons: Thomas (later 6th Baron and 2nd Earl of Coventry), William, who died young, another who died young, and Gilbert (later 8th Baron and 4th Earl). After Winifrida’s death he remarried to Elizabeth, one of his servants and the daughter of Richard Graham, Esquire. After the death of the 5th Baron, Elizabeth remarried to Thomas Savage of Elmley Castle, Worcestershire.

Thomas was seated in his estate at Snitterfield, which he purchased around 1660, as his chances of inheriting the Croome estate seemed remote at this time. As the 4th Baron had died intestate, most of the estate went to Lady Coventry and had to be bought back by Thomas in 1697 with a huge sum of £6000. He also purchased additional land in the parishes of Birlingham and Defford around this time. On 26th April 1697, he was created Viscount Deerhurst and Earl of Coventry by Patent, with limitations to William, Thomas and Henry Coventry, the grandsons of Walter, brother of the 1st Baron Coventry, and their issue male. Lavish expenditure took place in order to inherit this title and estate, including a gift of £8000 to William III. He was created Custos Rotulorum and Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire. Thomas died 15th July 1699. He was buried at Croome.

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Thomas Coventry, 6th Baron Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and 2nd Earl of Coventry

Born 1662, the first son of Thomas (5th Baron) and his first wife, Winifrida. He succeeded as Baron and Earl in 1699. He married Anne, daughter of Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort in May 1691. Together they had two sons: Thomas (later the 7th Baron) and John, who died young. In 1706 he became Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire and Recorder of Coventry. He died 20th August 1710, leaving debts of £7,914. The Countess Dowager administered the estate and saw that she paid off all of his debts, starting with the servants and tradesmen and paying off the wealthy financiers last.

Thomas Coventry, 7th Baron Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and 3rd Earl of Coventry

Born 1702, the first son of Thomas (6th Baron) and his wife, Anne. He succeeded as Baron and Earl in 1710. Thomas died 28th January 1712, aged only 10 years old.

Gilbert Coventry, 8th Baron Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and 4th Earl of Coventry

Born 1668,, the fourth son of Thomas (5th Baron) and his first wife, Winifrida. He succeeded as Baron and Earl in 1712 after the death of his nephew, aged 44. Gilbert married his first wife Dorothy Keyte, daughter of Sir William Keyte, 22nd Baronet of Ebrington, Gloucestershire, in November 1694. Together they had a daughter, Anne, who later married Sir William Carew, 5th Baronet of Antony, Cornwall. After the death of Dorothy, he remarried to Anne, daughter of Sir Streinsham, Knight, of Worcestershire. Gilbert was quite extravagant with his family’s money and only served to worsen the financial difficulties that were arising at this time. Gilbert died 27th October 1719. As he left no male issue, with his death the Barony of Coventry became extinct. The Earldom and the greater part of the estates devolved upon William Coventry, the lineal descent of Walter Coventry, brother to the 1st Lord Coventry, according to the limitation of the patent. Some of the Coventry archives went to Antony, Cornwall with Gilbert's daughter, they remain there now.

William Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and 5th Earl of Coventry

Born 1678, the grandson of Walter Coventry (brother of Sir Thomas, Lord Keeper Coventry, 1st Baron). He succeeded as 5th Earl in October 1719. He married Elizabeth Allen, daughter of John Allen, of Westminster in 1719. Together they had three sons: Thomas Henry, who died in 1744, aged only 23, George William (later 6th Earl) and John Bulkeley. Around 1710 William became MP for Bridport, Dorset. In April 1717 he became Joint Clerk Comptroller of the Board of the Green Cloth. He was appointed a Privy Councillor in 1719, then Custos Rotulorum and Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire in 1720. In 1719 he ordered an inventory of Croome to be made, which deemed many areas ‘unfit’ and recognised the improvements needed. He proved himself to be a competent landlord, with annual incomes rising during his time. He spent much of his time dealing with the family's legal and financial affairs, with his wealth helping to cushion the estate from an impending disaster. Issues eased after the mid-1720’s. William died 18th March 1751, leaving money to every member of his staff.

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George William, Viscount Deerhurst and 6th Earl of Coventry

Born 26th April 1722, the second son of William Coventry (5th Earl) and his wife, Elizabeth. He succeeded as Earl in 1751. He married his first wife Maria Gunning, daughter of John Gunning of Castle Coote, Co. Roscommon, Esquire, in March 1752 . Together they had one son, George William (later 7th Earl), and 3 daughters: Elizabeth Ann, who died an infant, Maria Alicia and Ann Margaret. After the death of his first wife, he remarried to Barbara, daughter of John St John, 10th Baron of St John of Bletsoe. Together they had two sons: John and Thomas William.

George William became MP for Bridport and Worcester. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum for Worcester in 1758 and served as Recorder of Worcester from 1774-1809. In October 1747 he was appointed the first co-president of Worcester Infirmary alongside the Bishop of Worcester. He chaired the annual meetings for this without fail for the next 20 years. George William served as Lord of the Bedchamber to King George II and King George III.

It was under George William that extensive works were carried out on Croome Court and the surrounding parkland. His elder brother, Thomas, had many plans for improvements he wished to make. His untimely death affected his younger brother greatly and the transformation of Croome by George William owes largely to his desire to carry out his wishes. Not long after death of his elder brother, George William began to put his plans for the estate into action. Survey work was carried out, fields were exchanged, divided and enclosed and there was reduction in leaseholders between 1749-50, which was made possible by doubling the rent. Formal gardens were also swept away, creating a blank canvas for work to begin. Around 1751 Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-1783) was commissioned to work on the designs for the house and the garden. He was to continue working at Croome for over 30 years, until his death in 1782 on his way home from dining with the Coventry family. Croome is believed to be the first complete landscape design by ‘Capability’ Brown. This places particular importance upon the original plant bills and accounts in the collection, which show evidence of the original work carried out at this time.

George William also employed Scottish architect and designer, Robert Adam (1728-1792), to work on the redesign of the house and its surrounding buildings. Apart from his work on the house and the church at Croome, Adam designed most of the important buildings in the park, including the Temple Greenhouse, the Alcove or Park Seat, the London Arch and the pier gates, and possibly Dunstall castle. Architect James Wyatt completed the work in the park after Adam's death and developed the design of the Panorama tower from Adam's drawings. Original letters and bills from Adam’s work survive in the Croome archive.

‘Capability’ Brown was also commissioned to build a new house for the Earl on his Broadway estate around 1763, called Springhill House. This was built with the aim of allowing the Earl a place in Worcestershire where he could retreat from his arduous social and official duties. In 1764 the Earl acquired another new home, Coventry House, in Piccadilly, London.

George William died 3rd September 1809 at Coventry house, aged 87. His body was taken to Croome and is said to have been met at Evesham by a whole body of his tenants. The funeral procession was said to have been 1 mile long. A monument to the Earl was erected in Croome Park, on the jubilee of George III later that year.

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George William, Viscount Deerhurst and 7th Earl of Coventry

Born 28th April 1758, the son of George William (6th Earl) and his first wife, Maria. He succeeded as Earl in 1809, at the age of 51. He eloped to Scotland with Lady Catherine Henley, 4th daughter of Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, a former Lord Chancellor and the last person to hold the title of Lord Keeper (c.1760-79), in late 1776. Upon their return to England his father arranged for the errant couple to be remarried in Worcestershirein 1777. Catherine died in childbirth in 1779 and George William later remarried to Margaret 'Peggy' Pitches, daughter of Sir Abraham Pitches, a wealthy brandy merchant from Streatham, Surrey. Together they had five sons: George William (later 8th Earl), John, Thomas Henry, who died an infant, another Thomas Henry (named after his brother who died) and William James, and five daughters: Augusta Margaretta (who later married Sir Willoughby Cotton), Georgiana Catherine, Jane Emily, Barbara and Sophia.

In 1776 George William became an ensign in the 64th Foot Regiment and by 1777 had risen to the rank of lieutenant in the 17th Light Dragoons. Immediately after his first marriage George William set sail to fight in American War of Independence. Only a few weeks after his arrival he sold his commission for £500 and returned home. In 1780 he was tragically blinded in a hunting accident. Around 1800 he purchased an estate at Streatham. Here he had part of the house demolished and commissioned James Wyatt to build him a fashionable villa, later known as Coventry Hall. In 1808 he succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum for Worcester, and from 1809 served as Recorder of Worcester and High Steward of Tewkesbury.

From the 1820’s onwards the 7th Earl's health began to fail. The Countess Coventry took over responsibility of running the estates. The Earl also gave her control of his bank accounts, an indication that he knew that he would lose control of his mental processes. His physical and mental state declined to a critical level, and George William died 26th March 1831.

George William, Viscount Deerhurst and 8th Earl of Coventry

Born 16th October 1784, the first son of George William (7th Earl) and his second wife, ‘Peggy’. He succeeded as Earl in 1831. He married his first wife Emma Susannah Lygon, 2nd daughter of Lord Beauchamp of Madresfield, Worcestershire, in 1808. Together they had one son, George William. Emma died only 2 years after their marriage and in 1811 the 8th Earl eloped to Scotland with Lady Mary Beauclerk (1791-1845), only daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk, 6th Duke of St Albans. They remarried on their return to England. George William and Mary together had a daughter, Mary Augusta, and a son, Henry Amelius Beauclerk. Not long after their marriage Mary had affairs with two of George William’s younger brothers, amongst others. Newspaper reports on the various affairs of the 8th Earl’s wife and the affairs he had in retaliation meant the reputation of the Coventry family had suffered greatly during this period. George William died 15th May 1843 at Coventry House, from an ‘unsound mind’.

In September 1834 the 8th Earl's eldest son and heir was blinded in a shooting accident at Donnington, just a few miles from Sir Charles Cockerell's new Indian Palace at Seizincote, Gloucestershire. He spent time in Seizincote recovering, where he met Sir Charles's eldest daughter, Harriet Anne Cockerell (1812-42). They became inseparable and decided to marry. Together they had a daughter, Maria Emma Catherine, and a son, George William (later 9th Earl). George William, Viscount Deerhurst, died from consumption, 5th November 1838. When the 8th Earl died in 1843, the title went to his grandson, George William, then aged only 5 years old.

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George William, Viscount Deerhurst and 9th Earl of Coventry

Born 1838, the first son of George William (Viscount Deerhurst) and his wife Harriet Anne Cockerell. After the death of their parents, George William and his sister, Maria Emma Catherine (who later married Gerald Henry Brabazon Ponsonby), were brought up at Seizincote, but they visited Croome regularly.  He succeeded as Earl in 1843, aged only 5 years old. During his minority his great-uncle William James (fifth son of the 7th Earl and his wife ‘Peggy’) took responsibility for the estate, with assistance from his guardians and trustees: Richard Temple of the Nash, Kempsey, Worcestershire and his grandfather, Sir Charles Cockerell. When the 9th Earl came of age at 21 he let William James and his wife Mary live at Earls Croome Court rent-free for the rest of their lives.

George William married Lady Blanche Craven (1842-1930), the third daughter of William Craven, 2nd Earl Craven of Combe Abbey, Warwickshire. Together they had five sons: George William, Charles John, Henry Thomas, Reginald William and Thomas George, and three daughters: Barbara Elizabeth, Dorothy and Anne Blanche Alice.

In 1859 George William was elected as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). In 1868 he was invited to be the first Master of the new North Cotswold Hunt when the Cotswold Hunt split. He became a Privy Councillor in 1877 and served as Captain and Gold Stick of the Corps of Gentleman-at-Arms from 1877-80. George William served as Chairman of the County Quarter Sessions from 1880-88. From 1886-92 he was honoured with the Mastership of the Queen's Buckhounds, and then again from 1895-1900. He served as Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire from 1891 onwards. In 1901 he became High Steward of Tewkesbury and was presented with the Freedom of both Tewkesbury and Worcester. He was created Honourable. Colonel of the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Worcestershire Regiment.

In 1891 the 9th Earl bought the fishing lodge called Wardens House, in Leintwardine, Herefordshire. This was a favourite holiday spot for the family and they kept dairies of their time there. It remained a popular retreat for them until 1920, after which the Earl's rheumatism made fishing impossible.

Community was very important to the 9th Earl and his family and they involved themselves in many local affairs. On Christmas Eve every year the Earl and his wife handed out gifts of beef and bread to all the tenants and their children. This was a tradition  which marked the start of the Christmas festivities on the estate. In 1890 George William established a jam and pickle factory in a former industrial building near Pershore station. This enabled his tenants to sell their produce at fair market prices, thereby saving the cost of railway carriage and the risk of sending large consignments of perishable goods on long journeys. In 1915 Lady Coventry and their daughters organised a fund-raising concert at Croome in aid of the Red Cross. They were to become absorbed in many fundraising schemes.

The 9th Earl died on 13thMarch 1930 following an illness that lasted 12 days, aged nearly 92. Three days later his wife Blanche died also. A joint funeral was arranged that was attended by many; they had been married 65 years.

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Post-1930

Owing to the huge cost of running the estate and the desire of George William, the 9th Earl of Coventry, not to split any part of the estate by selling part of it off to reduce the tax burden, the whole estate was placed in the hands of the Croome Estate Trust in 1921. This is the date up to which the archive collection held at Worcestershire Record Office covers.

The 9th Earl's son, George William, Viscount Deerhurst, died 8th August 1927, before he could inherit the title of Earl of Coventry. He was buried at Croome. Upon the death of the 9th Earl in 1930, it was his grandson, George William, who took the title of 10th Earl. The 10th Earl died in battle in Givenchy, France, in 1940 whilst fighting in the Second World War, he was buried there. The death of the 10th Earl effectively brought to a conclusion the association of the Coventry family with Croome Court as it was sold shortly afterwards in 1948.

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