George Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry


George William Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry, styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1809 to 1831, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament.

Early life

Coventry was the eldest son of George Coventry, 7th Earl of Coventry, and his wife Peggy. His younger brother was the Hon. William Coventry and his sisters were Lady Augusta Coventry, Lady Barbara Coventry and Lady Sophia Coventry.
His paternal grandparents were George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry and the former Maria Gunning. His mother was the second daughter and co-heiress of Sir Abraham Pitches, former High Sheriff of Surrey, and Jane Hassel.
He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

On 10 November 1806 he was appointed by his grandfather the 6th Earl as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Worcestershire Militia, then carrying out home defence duties. He continued in this role until 21 December 1838, when he was promoted to Colonel of the regiment.
He was elected to the House of Commons as one of two representatives for Worcester in 1816, a seat he held until 1826. In 1831, he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. In 1838, he served as Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.

Personal life

On 16 January 1808, Lord Coventry married the Hon. Emma Susanna Lygon, daughter of William Lygon, 2nd Baron Beauchamp, subsequently created 1st Earl Beauchamp. At around the time of his marriage, he was also involved with Sophia Dubochet, a girl in her early teens with whom he eloped and whom he subsequently kept as a mistress while she was courted by Thomas Noel Hill, 2nd Baron Berwick, who married her in 1812. Her relationship with Coventry is recorded in some detail by Sophia's sister, the noted courtesan Harriette Wilson. Before her death in 1810, Emma and George were the parents of:
On 6 November 1811, Coventry married secondly to Lady Mary Beauclerk, daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk, 6th Duke of St Albans. Together, they were the parents of:
  • Hon. Henry Amelius Coventry, who married Caroline Stirling Dundas, daughter of James Dundas, 28th of Dundas Castle and Hon. Mary Tufton Duncan.
Has a child with his sister Mary named William who was adopted by the Cripps
He died in May 1843, aged 58. His son from his first marriage had predeceased him and he was succeeded in his titles by Viscount Deerhurst's son, his grandson, George. Lady Coventry died on 11 September 1845, aged 54.

Descendants

Through his second son Henry, he was a grandfather of Mary Eleanor Lauderdale Coventry, who married Henry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk and was the mother of his great-grandchildren, Henry Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk, Hon. James Knyvett Estcourt Howard, Lady Mary Howard, Lady Eleanor Howard, Lady Agnes Howard, and Lady Katharine Howard.
His granddaughter, Mary Augusta Henrietta Coventry, married John Turner Hopwood. Their nine children included the lyricist and novelist Aubrey Hopwood and the Royal Navy officer Ronald Hopwood. His great-granddaughter, Geraldine Sarah Ponsonby, married Dermot Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo.