Lyons family

The Lyons family (originally styled de Lyons, or de Leonne, and also spelled Lyon) is an eminent noble Anglo-Norman family descended from Ingelram de Lyons, Lord of Lyons, who arrived in England with the Norman Conquest, and from his relation, Nicholas de Lyons, who emigrated from Normandy to England in 1080 and was granted lands at Warkworth, Northamptonshire by William of Normandy.

House of Lyon
(de Lyon, de Leonne, Lyon)
Norman noble house of Haute Normandie
Country
Founded1066 (in Britain)
Founder
  • Ingelram, Lord of Lyons (1066)
  • Sir John de Lyons (1080)
Titles

The family originated in the district of the Forest of Lyons, north of the town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Haute Normandie, where the family seat was the Castle of Lyons. The original surname was ‘de Lyons’ (‘of [the Forest and Castle] of Lyons’): subsequently, the ‘de’ was removed from the name, and some branches removed the ‘s’ from the end of the word, producing ‘Lyon’.

During the 14th century, a branch of the family emigrated to Scotland, where they became Clan Lyon, the Lords of Glamis, and the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

During the 15th century, a branch of the family emigrated to Ireland, where they established a seat at King's County that became known as River Lyons, and a seat at County Westmeath, Ledestown Hall (or Ledistown Hall). Members of the family repeatedly served both as High Sheriff of Westmeath and as High Sheriff of King’s County. This branch of the family owned extensive plantations in Antigua and later removed from Ireland to England. Their descendants include Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, the diplomat who solved the Trent Affair, Sir Algernon McLennan Lyons, Admiral of the Fleet, and Richard Lyons Pearson, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.[1]

The financier and Sheriff of London, Sir Richard Lyons PC, MP, who was friend of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and who was beheaded during the Peasants' Revolt, by its leader Wat Tyler, was an illegitimate descendant of the branch of the family that remained in England.

The descendants of the Warkworth family who remained in England had ceased to reside at Warkworth by the 16th century, and resided on estates in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Middlesex. They intermarried with descendants of the branch of the family that had emigrated to Scotland. The Middlesex line of the family produced Sir John Lyon, Lord Mayor of London for 1553–1554, and John Lyon (d.1592), the founder of Harrow School, after whom The John Lyon School, the John Lyon's Charity, and a Harrow School house, Lyon’s, are named.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, especially after the defeat of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War numerous members of the family emigrated to America. The greatest concentration of descendants is in New York. A notable descendant of the American branch was Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon.

Norman Origin

The family derives its name from the district of the Forest of Lyons, north of the town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Haute Normandie, where the family seat was the Castle of Lyons. During the first decades of the 12th century, Henry I of England built a new castle in the district, the Château de Lyons-la-Forêt, where he died in 1135.[2][3][4]

The family name was originally ‘de Lyons’ (‘of [the Castle and Forest] of Lyons’). Later the ‘de’ was removed from the name of the family, producing merely ‘Lyons’; some branches subsequently removed the ‘s’ from the end of the word, producing ‘Lyon’.[5]

Coat of Arms

Technically, the original arms of the family are described as, ‘Sable, a chevron between three lions sejant-guardant argent’. The crest is described as ‘On a chapeau gules, turned up ermine, a lion’s head erased argent’. The motto of the family is ‘Noli irritare leones’ (‘do not provoke the lions’).[1]

Warkworth (Northamptonshire) Line

In 1066, Ingelram, Lord of Lyons, arrived in England with the Norman Conquest and was granted lands in Corsham and Culington.[5] Fourteen years later, in 1080, a member of the Norman family, Nicholas de Lyons, emigrated to England with his son, Sir John de Lyons, who is considered the founder of the English Lyons family.[6]

Nicholas was granted, by William I, lands in Warkworth, Northamptonshire, where his family subsequently bought Warkworth Castle, a castellated mansion consisting of a body with two wings, forming three sides of a quadrangle,[6] with a large gatehouse and semi-circular towers, which was the English seat of the Lyons family until 1412. Warkworth Castle was converted into a spectacular house by subsequent owners, during the Jacobean period, but was demolished c.1805.[5][7]

Many genealogies erroneously state that the seat of the Lyons was Warkworth Castle in Northumberland: this is incorrect, Warkworth Castle in Northumberland belonged to the Percy family. The English seat of the Lyons family was the identically named Warkworth Castle in Northamptonshire.[6][7][8] Several members of the English branch of the family are buried in the Church of St Mary, Warkworth, Northamptonshire: in the North Aisle there is a tomb-chest with an effigy of enclosed Sir John de Lyons (fl.1322),[6][7][8] who was Lord of Warkworth in 1322.

The eldest son of Sir John (the son of Nicholas) was also named John (b.1100), who travelled to the Holy Land.[6] There was a branch of the family living in Norfolk, whose members included Sir John Lyon (1289–1346), Sir Richard Lyons, Sheriff of London, PC, MP[6] (1310–1381), a friend of Geoffrey Chaucer who was beheaded during the Peasants' Revolt. Some members of the Norfolk branch intermarried with descendants of the branch that had emigrated to Scotland. From the Norfolk branch was descended the Middlesex Branch.[6]

Notable members of the Warkworth family include Sir John de Lyons (1268–1313), Sir John de Lyons (b.1299), who fought at the Battle of Crecy and the Battle of Poitiers, Sir John de Lyons (1289–1348), who was Lord of Warkworth in 1322, Sir John de Lyons (1320–1385), who is interred in the Church of St Mary in Warkworth,[8] Sir John Lyon (1289–1348), Baron of Forteviot Forgandenny and Drumgawan, who was born in Scotland, William Lyons, Governor of Bordeaux during the reign of Henry V of England (c.1420),[9] and Sir Richard Lyons, Governor of Calais during the reign of Henry VIII.[9] The daughter, Elizabeth, of Sir John Lyons, (d.1385) who was Lord of Warkworth,[8] married Sir John Chetwode:[10] Elizabeth had no male siblings and the estate passed to Chetwode, who adopted the Lyons arms and the title 'Lord of Warkworth'.[11] However, during the 15th century, a member of the Warkworth line of the House of Lyons was ennobled as Baron Lyon of Warkworth, Northamptonshire.[6]

Scottish Branch

Some sources identify the progenitors of the Scottish branch of the family, Clan Lyon, who subsequently became the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne,[12] to be members of the Anglo-Norman family who emigrated to Scotland the end of the eleventh century in the retinue of Edgar, son of Malcolm III of Scotland, to fight against his uncle, Donald Bane.[12][13][14][15][16] Subsequent to the victory of Edgar, these members of the family received lands that were later called Glen Lyon in Perthshire,[12] and, in 1105, Roger de Leonne witnessed a charter from Edgar to Dunfermline Abbey.[12] Other sources identify the progenitor of the Scottish branch as Sir John Lyon, Baron of Forteviot, Forgandenny, and Drumgawan (1289–1348), the son of a member of the Warkworth line,[6] who was born in Scotland. His son was Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis (1340–1382), who married a daughter of Robert II of Scotland, for whom he served as Chamberlain of Scotland: this Sir John Lyon was known as the White Lyon due to his pale complexion.[12][17] His marriage brought him ownership of Tannadice on the River Esky, and he was also granted the barony of Kinghorne. The present Lords of Kinghorne descend from the White Lyon in the direct line.[17] The son of this Sir John (b.1340) was Sir John Lyon (1377–1445), who married a granddaughter of Robert II, and the grandson was Patrick Lyon, 1st Lord Glamis,[6][18] who was a Privy Counsellor and Master of the Royal Household.[17]

The eighth Lord Glamis renounced his allegiance to Mary, Queen of Scots and served under the Regents Moray and Lennox. He was made Chancellor of Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal. His son was Captain of the Royal Guard and a Privy Counsellor to James VI: in 1606 he was created Earl of Kinghorne, Viscount Lyon, and Baron Glamis. In 1677, the Third Earl was granted the titles Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Viscount Lyon, Baron Glamis, Tannadice, Sidlaw, and Strathdichtie. His son was a Privy Counsellor.[17]

Irish Branch

The grandson of Sir Richard Lyons, Governor of Calais during the reign of Henry VIII of England, was Captain William Lyons,[9] a Huguenot and supporter of Henry of Navarre who fled to England after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572.[9] William entered the army of Elizabeth I of England and, in 1599, commanded a company of cavalry, under the Earl of Essex, in the Tudor conquest of Ireland. William was subsequently granted the estate of Clonarrow, subsequently known as River Lyons,[1] in King's County: the transfer of the land to Lyons occurred in 1622,[9] after which a branch of the family settled in Ireland.[19] William also bought the lands of Mullalough, Casement, Killeen, and Killowen, together constituting over 3000 acres, in the same County.[20] The Irish seat of the Lyons family was Ledestown/Ledistown Hall, Mullingar, County Westmeath.[19][20] Several members of the Irish family served as High Sheriff of Westmeath and High Sheriff of King’s County during the 17th and 18th centuries.[1]

Major John Charles Lyons JP DL (1792 - 1874) of Ledestown Hall, was the son of Charles John Lyons and Mary Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Levinge, 4th Baronet, and the grandson of John Lyons, who was High Sheriff of Westmeath in 1778.[19] He was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford and was High Sheriff of Westmeath in 1816:[21] his son, Charles Lyons, JP DL, served as High Sheriff of Westmeath.[1]

Antigua and Anglo-Irish Branch
Admiral Lord Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons

Major Henry Lyons – the son of Charles Lyons, JP DL, of River Lyons (d.1694) and grandson of Captain William Lyons of River Lyons (d.1633) and Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Moore of Crogham – married Lady Anne Rochfort, sister of the 1st Earl of Belvedere, and emigrated from River Lyons, King's County, Ireland, the Irish seat of the Lyons family to Antigua, where he succeeded to the 563 acre Lyons Estate[1] which had been founded by Major John Lyons of Westmeath. Henry served as a member of the Council of Antigua in 1710. His son and grandson were born in Antigua, where they inherited the estates and also served as members of the council.[1]

The great-grandson of Henry Lyons was John Lyons of Antigua (b.1760), who, as the eldest of 11 children, inherited the Lyons Estates in Antigua, which constituted 563 acres. He was sworn in as a member of the Council of Antigua in 1782. John married Catherine Walrond, the daughter of the 5th Marquis de Vallado and his wife Sarah Lyons (1731-1764):[1] the couple had 15 children, including Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, by whose military and diplomatic prowess the family first rose to international political influence: in addition to his military commands, in which he wielded considerable diplomatic influence, Lyons, served various official international diplomatic posts, including ambassadorial positions in Sweden, Switzerland, and to the newly established court of King Otto of Greece. The Lyons River in Australia is named after him.[22] There is a life size statue of him, by Matthew Noble, in St Paul’s Cathedral, which remains in place.[23][24]

The international influence of the family was increased by the son of Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, who was Queen Victoria's favourite diplomat, whom Queen Victoria said that she would permit to represent her 'at any court in the world'. Richard Lyons served as British Ambassador to the United States during the American Civil War, during which he resolved the Trent Affair, and as British Ambassador to France. His influence over subsequent British diplomats was such that he has been credited with founding a "Lyons school" of British diplomacy.[25] Richard Lyons developed a relationship with the Rothschild banking family of France.[1]

Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons was also the father of Augusta Mary Minna Catherine Lyons, who married Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk, and the great-grandfather of Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian, founder of the Round Table Journal.

John Lyons's other grandchildren included Sir Algernon McLennan Lyons, Admiral of the Fleet, and Richard Lyons Pearson, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.[1]

After the death of their second child, in 1803, John and his wife, Catherine, returned to England and settled at St Austin's, a 190-acre estate in the New Forest, Lymington, Hampshire.

During the late 19th-century, the family lived in Glamorgan, where their property included Kilvrough Manor.[26][27] They later married into[28] the Jones family, shipping magnates of Glamorgan.[29][30] During this period, a member of the family, Major Richard Thomas Lyons MD (1875–1903), owned Cherry Hinton Hall, Cambridge.[31]

Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, photographed by Mathew Brady

Middlesex Branch
Arms of John Lyon (d.1592)
The Middlesex line were the founders of Harrow School

Sir John Lyon (b.1353) owned lands in Middlesex in addition to lands in Suffolk and Norfolk, which he inherited from his ancestors. Sir Henry Lyon (b. 1355) moved to Middlesex.[6] From the Middlesex line of the Lyons family descended Sir John Lyon,[32] Lord Mayor of London for 1554–1555,[33][34] and John Lyon (d.1592), who was the founder of Harrow School,[32][35][36] after whom The John Lyon School, the John Lyon's Charity, and a Harrow School house, Lyon’s,[36] are named.[35][37] The Middlesex line were a prosperous yeoman family who owned substantial estates at Harrow-on-the-Hill.[32][37][38] John Lyon (d.1592) resided at Preston Hall in Harrow, Middlesex and, in 1564, had the largest land-rental income in Harrow.[32] There are memorials to this John Lyon (d.1592) and his wife, Joan Lyon, at St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill. The Middlesex line supported the Royalist cause of Charles I of England in the English Civil War: after the Royalist defeat some members of the family emigrated to New England.[6] William Lyon (1620 -1692), was the first Lyon to emigrate to America, in 1635. Richard Lyon (b.1590) died in Connecticut.[5][6]

American Branch

During the 16th and 17th centuries, especially after the defeat of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War, numerous members of the English family emigrated to New England. William Lyon (1620 -1692), was the first Lyon to emigrate to America, in September 1635.[5][6]

Nathaniel Lyon

Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union General to be killed in the American Civil War, was a descendant of the family’s emigrants to New England.[39][40] For his efforts, he received the Thanks of Congress.[39] 15,000 persons attended his funeral.[39] The 24th Missouri Volunteer Infantry was recruited as "The Lyon Legion" in honor of the General, and carried a unique regimental color, depicting a Lion beneath a constellation of six stars.[39] Counties in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, and Lyons valley in Jamul, California, are named after him.[39][41] Two forts were also named in his honor: Fort Lyon in Colorado and Fort Lyon (Virginia). Lyon Park in St. Louis, Lyon Street in San Francisco and Lyon Lane in Carson City, Nevada are also named after him.[39]

Notable members

See also

[43] The Lyons of Cossins and Wester Ogil: Cadets of Glamis by Andrew Ross, Marchmont Herald, traces the origins of the Lyon family in Scotland until John Lyon, 3rd Lord Glamis and then the descendants of David Lyon of Baky, his second son.

References
  1. Langford Vere, Oliver. History of the Island of Antigua, Vol. 2. Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1894. pp. 214–217.
  2. Base Mérimée: Château fort, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  3. Judith A. Green Henry I: King of England and Duke of Normandy, Cambridge University Press, 2006. The introduction is online: "Introduction: A surfeit of lampreys"
  4. Office de Tourisme du Pays de Lyons-la-Forêt: Le pays de Lyons à travers l’histoire Archived 23 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. This site also contains further historical detail concerning the castle and its royal connections. (in French)
  5. Miller, Robert (ed.) (1907). The Lyon Memorial: New York Families Descended from the Immigrant, Thomas Lyon of Rye. Press William Graham Printing Co.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  6. Hewitt, Michael (2014). A Most Remarkable Family: A History of the Lyon Family from 1066 to 2014. AuthorHouse.
  7. Pevsner, Nikolaus. The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire (2nd edition, revised by Cherry, Bridget. Yale University Press. p. 444.
  8. Rutherford-Edge, Shana. "The Ancient and Noble Seat: The History of the Villages of Overthorpe and Warkworth in Northamptonshire" (PDF). pp. 11–23.
  9. Lyons, John Charles, JP DP, of Ledestown. Grand Juries of Westmeath, 1727–1853.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Kimberley, E.; Johnson, R. (1771). The Baronetage of England, Vol. 2. G. Woodhall. p. 536.
  11. "History of Parliament Online: Sir John Chetwode".
  12. Way, George and Squire, Romily. Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 202 - 203.
  13. Ross, Andrew (1901). The Lyons of Cossins and Wester Ogil. Edinburgh: G. Waterston & Sons. pp. 4–8.
  14. Herald, Ross (1911). "Lyon, Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne". Scotts Peerage: 1.
  15. Anderson, W (1862). "The Story of the Family Lyon". The Scottish Nation. 3.
  16. Thomson, Ingrid, Glamis Castle Archivist
  17. "Scots Web, Lyon Clan Info".
  18. "Lyon, Patrick". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/54275. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  19. Reynell, William Alexander. Entry for Lyons, John Charles (1792 - 1874) in Dictionary of National Biography, 1885 - 1900, Vol. 34.
  20. Woods, James (1907). Annals of Westmeath, Ancient and Modern. Sealy, Bryers, and Walker. p. 68.
  21. Walford, E. (1882). The County Families of the United Kingdom. p. 405.
  22. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names – E". Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  23. Edmund Lyons at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  24. "Victorian Web, Sculpture of Edmund Lyons, St Paul's Cathedral". Victorian Web.
  25. Jenkins, Brian. Lord Lyons: A Diplomat in an Age of Nationalism and War. McGill-Queen’s Press, 2014.
  26. "Sir Algernon Lyons". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  27. Rees, David. "Major Penrice's Dilemma". The National Library of Wales. p. 23. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  28. Obituary of P. S. Lyons, Rutland and Stamford Mercury, Friday 20 April 2007
  29. "Engagement Announcement of James William Webb-Jones and Barbara Bindon Moody". Engagements. The Times, 3 July 1930.
  30. "Entry for M.Jones and Brother, Steamship Agents, 1914 Who's Who in Business".
  31. The St Andrews University Calendar: 1902–1903. William Blackwood and Sons. p. 649.
  32. Hunt, William. Entry for Lyon, John (1514? - 1592), in Dictionary of National Biography, 1885 - 1900, Volume 34.
  33. A.B. Beavan, The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III to 1912 (Corporation of the City of London, 1913), II, p. 32 (Internet Archive).
  34. Thornbury, Walter. "The Temple: Church and Precinct (Part 3 of 3)". British History Online.
  35. "John Lyon's Charity: History".
  36. Tyerman, Christopher (2000). A History of Harrow School. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-822796-5.
  37. Cockburn, J. S.; King, H. P. F.; McDonnell, K. G. T., eds. (1969). "Schools: Harrow School". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1, Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, the Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes To 1870, Private Education From Sixteenth Century. London: Victoria County History. pp. 299–302 – via British History Online.
  38. "'Harrow, including Pinner: Other estates', in A History of the County of Middlesex, Vol. 4 [...], (ed. T. F. T. Baker, J. S. Cockburn, and R. B. Pugh". British History Online. pp. 211–218.
  39. Hewitt, Michael (2014). A Most Remarkable Family: A History of the Lyon Family from 1066 to 2014. AuthorHouse. p. 163.
  40. Hewitt, Michael (2014). A Most Remarkable Family: A History of the Lyon Family from 1066 to 2014. AuthorHouse. p. 154.
  41. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 193.
  42. "Lyon, James Frederick" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  43. The Lyons of Cossins and Wester Ogil: Cadets of Glamis by Andrew Ross, Marchmont Herald
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