The Vernons of Hanbury

The Vernons first came to England with William the Conqueror, and this book starts with the story of the early Vernons, including many aristocratic families. Rev Richard Vernon came from a branch in Staffordshire, and was appointed rector of Hanbury in 1580. His son Edward was able to buy the manor and advowson of Hanbury, but suffered in the Civil War when there appeared to be family divisions. His grandson Thomas, a successful chancery lawyer, substantially increased the family estates.
Thomas's heir was his cousin Bowater, who seems to have been somewhat bowled over by his inheritance, but it was Bowater's grand-daughter Emma who created the first family scandal by eloping with the local curate. This book publishes, for the first time, fascinating extracts from newly discovered letters written by her cuckolded husband Henry from his hideout in Shropshire.
The family re-established themselves in the nineteenth century, but in the early twentieth century, hit by the agricultural depression, they endured hard times again. The last of the line and 2nd baronet, Sir George Vernon, struggling to keep his family property together, again indulged in wayward behaviour, and in 1940 his life ended in tragedy.
This book is based on original research in the extensive family archives and elsewhere, and tells for the first time the full story of these events.
First Published 2009

Dettagli