George Lee, 3rd Earl of Lichfield

George Henry Lee II, 3rd Earl of Lichfield PC (1718–1772) was a British politician and peer. He was made a Privy Councillor and Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms in 1762, holding both honours until death. Previously, he had served as Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1740 until acceding to the peerage in 1743.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Lichfield PC
The 3rd Earl of Lichfield by George Huddesford
Member of Parliament (MP) for county of Oxford
In office 1740–1743
Ranger of Hampton Court Park
In office 1762–1762
Chancellor of the University of Oxford
In office 1762–1772
Personal details
Born	21 May 1718 Windsor Castle
Died	17 September 1772 (aged 54)
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Birth and origins

George was born on 21 May 1718 at Windsor Castle. He was the son of George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield and his wife, Frances Hales. His father was the eldest son of George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield. George's mother had been brought up as a Catholic by her father, Sir John Hales, 4th Baronet of Hackington, of Woodchurch in Kent.[1]

He heads the list of his siblings below as the eldest:

1. George Henry (1718–1772);
2. Charles Henry (c. 1719 – 1740);
3. Frances (1721–1723);
4. Edward Henry (c. 1723 – 1742);
5. Frances (1724–1761), married to Henry Hyde, 5th Baron Hyde;
6. Charlotte (c. 1724 – 1794); married to Henry Dillon, 11th Viscount Dillon;
7. Henrietta or Harriet (1726–1752), married to John Bellew, 4th Baron Bellew of Duleek;
8. Mary (born c. 1728), married to Cosmo Neville, Esq.; and
9. Anne (1731–1802), married to Hugh Edward Henry Clifford, 5th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh.

Early life

From birth he was styled Viscount Quarendon. In the family tradition, he was educated at St John's College, Oxford. On 14 February 1732 he was made an M.A. of Oxford. In 1740 and from 1741 to 1742, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the county of Oxford.

On 15 February 1743, his father died and Viscount Quarendon became the 3rd Earl of Lichfield.[2]

He continued to study and earned his D.C.L. of Oxford on 25 August 1743. 23 years later, on 19 August of the year 1760, Lichfield received the great position of High Steward of the University of Oxford.

On 9 December 1760, he became Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III; and on 12 July 1762, Captain of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. He joined the Privy Council on 14 July 1762. He replaced George Huddesford as the Deputy Ranger of Hampton Court Park in July 1762. Finally, on 23 September 1762, he assumed the role of Chancellor of the University of Oxford.[2]

From the Gentleman's Magazine, XXXIII., p. 349:

"The graceful dignity, the polite condescension, the ne quid nimis ('Let there be nothing in Excess') of the Chancellor were universally admired" — 1763.

In brief, he earned his D.C.L. of Oxford degree on 27 September 1762; became a Vice-President of the Society of Arts; and a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire county on 17 October 1763.

Family tree

George Lee, 3rd Earl, with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. Charles II 1630–1685 Barbara Villiers 1640–1709 Edward 1st Earl 1663–1716 Charlotte FitzRoy 1664–1718 George 2nd Earl 1690–1742 Frances Hales d. 1769 Robert 4th Earl 1706–1766 Catherine Stonhouse 1708–1784 George 3rd Earl 1718–1772 Diana Frankland c. 1719–1779 Henry 11th Viscount 1705–1787 Charlotte Lee d. 1794 Henrietta- Maria Phipps 1757–1782 Charles 12th Viscount 1745–1813 Marie Rogier d. 1833 Legend XXX George Lee XXX Earls of Lichfield XXX Viscounts Dillon Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

Marriage

He married Diana or Dinah, daughter of Sir Thomas Frankland; they had no children, and the Earldom of Lichfield passed to his uncle Robert Lee upon his death on 19 September 1772.[2]

Death

Lord Lichfield died on 17 September 1772.[3]

End of the line

The 3rd and 4th earls, George Henry II and Robert Lee respectively, died without issue, therefore the estate eventually reverted to the 2nd Earl's eldest surviving daughter, and sister of the 3rd Earl, Lady Charlotte Lee. In 1744 Charlotte had married the 11th Viscount Dillon. Their son Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon inherited the estate of Ditchley but not the title. Ditchley remained the home of the Viscounts Dillon until 1934.

The title was created for a third time when Thomas Anson was created Earl of Lichfield in the 1831 coronation honors of William IV.

Timeline
Age	Date	Event
0	1718, 21 May	Born.
26	1745, 16 Jan	Married Diana Frankland.
54	1772, 17 Sep	Died.

See also

• Earl of Lichfield
• Lee Baronets of Quarendon, Buckinghamshire, 1611–1776.
• Viscount Dillon

References

1. Cokayne 1893, p. 75, line 26: "He [George Lee, the 2nd Earl] m. Frances, da. of Sir John HALES, 4th Bart. of Woodchurch, co Kent, by his first wife "
2. Blakiston 1892.
3. Cokayne 1893, p. 75, line 40: "He d. s.p. 17 Sep. 1772, aged 54, and was bur. at Spelsbury."

Bibliography

• Blakiston, Herbert Edward Douglas (1892). "Lee, George Henry" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 32. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1893), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, 5 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – L to M (for Lichfield)
• Thorne, Roland (2004), "Lee, George Henry, third earl of Lichfield (1718–1772)", in Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 35, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 69–71, ISBN 0-19-861383-0

External links

• Genealogy of George Lee, 3rd Earl of Lichfield on The Peerage website