George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry
George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry (26 April 1722 – 3 September 1809), styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1744 to 1751, was a British peer and Tory politician.
Coventry was the second but eldest surviving son of William Coventry, 5th Earl of Coventry, and his wife Elizabeth (née Allen), and was educated at Winchester and University College, Oxford. He was elected to the House of Commons for Bridport in 1744 (succeeding his elder brother Viscount Deerhurst), a seat he held until 1747, and then represented Worcestershire from 1747 to 1751. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire from 1751 to 1808 and was a Lord of the Bedchamber to George II from 1752 to 1760 and to George III from 1760 to 1770.
Lord Coventry married firstly Maria, daughter of Colonel John Gunning, in 1752. She died in 1760. He married secondly the Hon. Barbara, daughter of John St John, 11th Baron St John of Bletso, in 1764. There were children from both marriages. Lady Coventry died in 1804. Lord Coventry survived her by five years and died in September 1809, aged 87. He was succeeded in his titles by his son from his first marriage, George.
Gallery
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Memorial to the 6th Earl of Coventry in the church at Croome Court
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Angelica Kauffmann, Barbara St. John Bletsoe, Countess of Coventry, Princeton University Art Museum, the second wife of the Earl of Coventry
See also
- Broadway Tower, a folly built for Lady Coventry in 1798-99.
- Croome Court
References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Coventry
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Richards Viscount Deerhurst |
Member of Parliament for Bridport 1744–1747 With: George Richards 1744–1746 Thomas Grenville 1746–1747 James Grenville 1747 |
Succeeded by James Grenville John Frederick Pinney |
| Preceded by Edmund Lechmere Edmund Pytts |
Member of Parliament for Worcestershire 1747–1751 With: Edmund Pytts |
Succeeded by Edmund Pytts John Bulkeley Coventry |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Coventry |
Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire 1751–1808 |
Succeeded by Viscount Deerhurst |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by William Coventry |
Earl of Coventry 1751–1809 |
Succeeded by George William Coventry |