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Genealogy & Family History

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).

Pedigree of Savile of Mexborough

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:

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

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

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

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:

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

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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