Pedigree of Savile of Mexborough

In the Middle Ages the Saviles were a knightly family based in the West Riding of Yorkshire. They gradually built up estates by marriages to the heiresses of the Tankersley, Eland, Thornhill and Soothill families. By the 16th century their main seat was at Thornhill near Wakefield, and they came to own extensive property in the Halifax-Huddersfield region on the western edge of the Pennines.

Thornhill Hall was destroyed during the Civil War and the family consequently adopted Rufford Abbey as their principal seat. Sir William's son Sir George Savile was raised to the peerage as Marquess of Halifax and became a prominent minister in successive Restoration governments, earning the nickname of 'The Trimmer', as he constantly trimmed his sails in accordance with the political winds of the day. He extensively enlarged Rufford Abbey into a major country seat in c.1679-85. Following the death of both the Marquess in 1695 and his son five years later the estates passed to distant Savile cousins from Yorkshire and subsequently through a torturous sequence of inheritance during the 19th century. Notable owners were Sir George Savile, 8th bart. (1726-1784) who was a highly respected MP for Yorkshire (and commemorated by a statue in York Minister) and John Lumley Savile, the 8th Earl of Scarbrough (1788-1856).

John Savile the first Earl of Mexborough was born in December 1719 and acceded in February,1766, son of Charles Savile (1676-1741) of Methley amd Alethia Mellingson.

In January, 1760 he married Sarah Delavil (d9/08/1821), daughter of Francis Blake Delavil. . They had three children:

• John , the 2nd Earl, was born in April, 1761 and married Elizabeth Stephenson.Died in 1830
• Henry Charles, born September, 1763, died 1828
• Charles born April, 1774, died 1807.

Sarah (nee Delavil) married again on 4th May, 1780 to Rev. Sandford Hardcastle.

Children of John , the 2nd Earl, and Elizabeth (Nee Stephenson) :

• Sarah Savile married in October 1807, John George, Baron Monson fourth. Married in October, 1816 to Henry Greville, 3rd Earl of Warwick.
• John, 3rd Earl of Mexborough, born July, 1783. acceded in 1830, died December, 1860.

The 3rd earl John born 1783 married Ann Yorke in 1807. They had seven children:.

• John Charles George, Earl of Mexborough 4th, b. 4 JUN 1810
• Henry Alexander (1811-1850)
• Sarah Elizabeth (1813-1890) married Sir James Lindsay, M.P.
• Rev.Philip Yorke (1814-1897)
• Charles Stuart (1816-1870)
• Lieutenant Frederick (1817-1851)
• Rev. Arthur (1819-1870) of Royston Cambridgeshire

The 4th Earl, John Charles George (1810-1899) married Rachel Walpole, daughter of Horatio Walpole, the 3rd Earl of Orford. Acceded in 1860

Children of the 4th Earl of Mexborough and Rachel:

• John Horace (1843- 1916). 5th Earl of Mexborough. Acceded 1899. He married 3 times:

April, 1867 to Venetia Stanley Errington

April, 1906 to Sylvia Cecilia Maria de Ser-Antoni

January, 1916 to Anne Belcher

In 1861 the 4th Earl married Agnes Louisa Elizabeth Raphael, they had 4 children:

• John Henry, 6th Earl of Mexborough (1868-1945) Acceded 1916
• George, JP (1871-1937)
• Mary Louisa died 1945
• Anne died 1927

Source:Visitation of Yorkshire, Sir.William Dugdale, A.D. 1665 and 1666

See also Bankruptcy of John Savile, Earl of Mexborough, December, 1846

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