Washington Shirley, 8th Earl Ferrers

Washington Shirley, 8th Earl Ferrers (13 November 1760 – 2 October 1842), styled The Honourable Washington Shirley from 1778 to 1827, was a British hereditary peer.

Early life and education

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Ferrers was the third son of Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers and his wife Catherine Cotton. He was educated at Westminster School.[1]

On 19 May 1780, he was appointed a cupbearer in the Royal Household, but this sinecure was abolished on 14 November 1782.[2]

Later life

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Ferrers succeeded his elder brother, Robert, in the earldom in 1827.

On 13 July 1832, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire.[1]

Marriages and children

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Shirley married Frances Ward (d. 4 March 1812), daughter of The Reverend William Ward and granddaughter of William Ward, on 24 July 1781 at Gretna Green. They had one son and two daughters:[3]

  • Lady Frances Shirley (23 March 1782 – 5 February 1834), unmarried
  • Robert William Shirley, Viscount Tamworth (24 August 1783 – 2 February 1830), married Anne Weston on 12 December 1821, with whom he had two sons and a daughter:
  • Julia Anne Shirley (6 February 1785 – 23 November 1825)

After the death of his first wife, Ferrers married Sarah Davy (d. 30 June 1835) on 28 September 1829. They had no children.[3]

Death

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Lord Ferrers died at Chartley on 2 October 1842 at the age of 81 and was buried at Staunton Harold.[3] His only son having predeceased him, Ferrers was succeeded in the earldom by his grandson, Washington.

References

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  1. ^ a b Doyle, James William Edmund (1886). The Official Baronage of England. Vol. 1. London: Longmans, Green. p. 743.
  2. ^ Robert Bucholz. "Database of Court Officers". Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Shirley, Evelyn Philip (1873). Stemmata Shirleiana. Westminster: Nichols and Sons. pp. 202–203.
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl Ferrers
1827–1842
Succeeded by