Sir Berkeley Lucy A recent visitor, who is a volunteer at the NT property Mottisfont
Abbey, asked Ray, a Tuesday room guide whether Sir Berkeley Lucy, whose
portrait (right) hangs We’ll go back to Sir Thomas Lucy II, who married twice; first Dorothy Arnold by whom he had a son, Thomas (died young) and daughter, Joyce. Second, Constance Kingsmill by whom he had six sons and several daughters. (His first son, Also Thomas, inherited Charlecote); his second son, Sir Richard interests us here. Sir Richard was born in 1592, educated at Magdalen, Oxford and Lincoln’s Inn and created a baronet; 1st. baronet of Broxbourne, Herts. He was MP for Old Sarum (1647-53) and Hertfordshire (1654-58). Sir Richard married twice; first Elizabeth West, widow of Robert West and daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Cock MP of Broxbourne. (Robert West was the younger son of 3rd Baron Delaware, after whom the state of Delaware in the USA was named). Richard and Elizabeth had two children, Constantia and Kingsmill. Richard enjoyed the Broxbourne estate for his life only. After Elizabeth’s death, Richard married Rebecca, widow of Sir Robert Lytton, daughter of Sir Thomas Chapman. Sir Kingsmill Lucy, born in 1649, became the 2nd baronet of Faccombe, Hants. The extensive lands around Highclere, which included Faccombe, (bought by Richard in1655) belonged to the Kingsmill family were inherited by Kingsmill Lucy (christened with his mother’s maiden name). Highclere castle (built in the1800s), of course is the setting for Downton Abbey. In 1661 he was elected as MP for Brecknock but the election was declared void, after all, he was only 12 years old! However, he was elected MP for Andover 1673-8. In May 1668 he married Lady Theophila Berkeley, second daughter of the 9th Lord (Baron) Berkeley who was created Earl of Berkeley in 1679. He was also an MP; for Gloucestershire from 1654-8. Kingsmill and Theoplila had one surviving son, Sir Berkeley Lucy Berkeley was born in 1672 and became the 3rd baronet of Faccombe and Netley. He married Catharine Cotton, only daughter of Charles Cotton of Beresford Hall, Derbyshire, died in November 1759 and is buried at Faccombe. Charles Cotton was a poet and keen angler and friend of Izaak Walton; he wrote the second part of The Compleat Angler. Berkeley and Catharine had two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary and as there were no sons, the baronetcy ceased. Elizabeth married William Thompson and they had one daughter, also Elizabeth. Mary married the Hon. Charles Compton, son of George Compton, 4th. Earl of Northampton. Sir Berkeley acquired Netley Abbey in 1700. The original abbey had been converted by Sir William Powlett into a house which he envisaged being a palace. Sir Berkeley decided to demolish it in1704 and sell the materials to a builder but the demolition was never completed as the builder died and so it is as it can be seen today. Frank Storr Charlecote Extras No. 9. |
at Mottisfont was related to the Charlecote Lucys. Ray consulted me
and I could not give an answer there and then but decided to do some
foraging, resulting in the following.