Closet catholic - Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire

"In Sacred memory of Frances, born of the illustrious and ancestral family of the lords of Berkeley, daughter of the most honourable Henry , Baron Berkeley and his wife Catherine sister of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, and most dear wife of George Shirley of Staunton, knight, to whom she bore 4 sons, two of whom were summoned to their heavenly home in infancy, and one daughter. She was lady of the highest chastity, modesty, integrity, faith in God and love for her husband, and splendidly equipped with the glory of all other virtues worthy of such a family. Piously and calmly she ended this mortal life in childbirth and was called to the company of the immortals on the 29th of December in the year of our Lord 1595 aged 31 years.

For her husband and her children she left behind a most greavous sense of loss.

George Shirley, grieving and sorrowing, has set up this monument and ordained that with her, to whom when living he was united in wedlock in the hope of children, he be invited to her tomb in death, together in the hope of the resurrection at the last day.

Death which untimely tore thee from my bed and robbed my home

Shall one day give me back with thee to wed in this thy tomb "

 

George Shirley 1622 and 1st wife Frances Berkeley 1598 who died in childbirth

George kneels with his 2 sons, in front of wife Frances and daughter Mary with 2 infants in cradles. Underneath lies a skeleton, a reminder of what they will become

Frances was the daughter of Henry 7th Baron Berkeley and Katherine www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/9496809132/ 3rd daughter of Henry Howard (the 'Poet Earl'), Earl of Surrey ex 1547 and Frances www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/9493951767/ daughter of John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth Trussell. www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/14513115062/

 

George was the son of John Shirley 1570 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/sKgCZz of Staunton Harald and Jane heiress daughter of Thomas Lovett 1572 www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/5356352947/ of Astwell by Elizabeth Fermor of Easton Neston

He was the grandson of Francis Shirley 1571 & Dorothy Giffard www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/1G500z

Francis Shirley had bought the former priory lands here from the Crown in 1539

 

Both his father and Shirley grandfather having already died, at the age of 13 after the death of his other grandfather Thomas Lovett , his custody, wardship and marriage were given by the Queen to Henry McWilliam & wife Lady Cheke

He studied at Harford College Oxford before "presenting his services at Court"

 

George & Frances married 22nd February 1586 at Callowden, near Coventry

Children

1. George b/d 1587 died an infant

2. Henry 1588-1634 m Dorothy daughter of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex and Frances daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham (parents of Sir Robert Shirley 1656 of Staunton Harold www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/44XiwC )

3. Thomas 1594-1654 described as an antiquarian

4. John died an infant

1. Mary 1595-1630

 

Frances was "struck with a deadly disease lying in childbed and seeing herself on her deathbed, she sent for a famous and holy priest whom she had honoured for his learning, innocensy and sanctity of life, to assist her with his prayers at her last hours. She gave her blessing to her children, took her leave and gave her last farewell to her husband recommending unto him her surviving three little children, most earnestly praying and desiring that he would have a care that they might be instructed and brought up in the fear of God and the true Catholick religion,and having made a general confession of her whole life, she received with great fervour and devotion the blessed sacrament, and by divers miracles she was visited by the heavenly courtiers St Peter, St John & St Thomas of Canterbury on whose day she died ...... "

 

George m2 Dorothy www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/2401560660/ daughter of Sir Thomas Wroughton of Broadhinton Wilts by Anne flic.kr/p/j5QVHF co-heiress of John Barwick of Wilcot.: Dorothy was the widow of Henry Unton

According to son Thomas, Sir George "had spent 3 whole years in mourning and solitary widowhood", before

"following his sute verie hard, but doth nowe meane to desist without shee will be brought to qualifie the conditions of her obigations "

Dorothy's "pre nup" on her marriage to George shows she wasn't taking any chances. -

" First she doth require to reserve her own living entire to herself, to bestow the commodities of it to her own pleasure, without any controls; secondly, she doth demand a £1000 yearly jointure; third, £500 land to be tyed upon her son, if by any good means there may be one gotten; fourthly, if it so fall that her husband and she should fall out, she doth require £500 a year out of his living, and to live apart from him with that added to her living of Faringdon".

 

George was created a baronet in 1611 having loaned King James £50 the highest sum in the county

George was suspected of being a Catholic, although mindful of the fines imposed, he outwardly conformed to the church of England.. (If a Papists refused to come to church on Sunday, they were liable to a penalty of 20 pounds for every lunar month during which they absented themselves). He was placed on the list of suspected Papists in Northamptonshire. All his armour and weapons were removed from Astwell House in his absence overseas in 1618 on the plea that his servants were recusants. Lord Exeter, then Lord Lieutenant, thereupon wrote to the Privy Council on his behalf that "he had always been loyal and forward in service and declared himself no recusant". Three years later his arms were restored to him. A letter to Dr. Lambe, Chancellor of the Diocese of Peterborourgh, from four of the local clergy, suggests that they thought very strongly that his attendance at their services was more than a mere formality. He was perhaps one of those who had "true unity, which is most glorious."

"May it please you, Sir, Whereas we whose names are hereunder written are intreated by Sir George Shirley of Astwell in your Countie of Northampton Baronet, to certifie our knowledge to your worship of his conformities in coming to the church and hearing devine service and sermons there, upon Sundays and Holldayes, according to the lawe in that case; we do hereby certifie you that the said Sir George Shirley (being an old gent. and his house farr from the parish churche) and having an auntient privileged chappell in his house, hathe, according to the booke of Common prayer, service red in the same chappell by Mr. Jones. a Batchelor in Divinitie and Chaplen in his house, who hathe of him a yearely stipend for reading prayer and preaching there, to which service and sermons himselfe, his Ladie and his familie doe come verie orderly, and we doe further certifie your worship that we ourselves doe verifie often every yeare in the absence of his said chaplen, or when we are thereunto entreated by the said Sir George Shirley, come thither and read service and preache in his his said chappell to him, his Ladie and his familie; and this with remembrance of our humble dutie we committ you to God, and rest.

However in the words of his son, Thomas, George died on 27th of April 1622, aged 63, "in the bosom of his mother, the Roman Catholick Church". "His piety was so remarkable in his large and bountiful alms, that he merited the glorious title of father and nourisher of the poor, relieving during the great dearth, 500 a day at his gates"

 

The monument was put up in 1598 after 1st wife Frances died. In 1596 he contracted with Garrett and Jasper Hollemans to put up a monument at Wappenham, Northamptonshire where her father was buried, but he evidently changed his mind about the location and had it erected at Breedon instead. .

The Shirley family bought the manor after it was surrendered to the Crown in 1539

 

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- Church of St Mary & St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire

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