St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles
St Giles House is located at Wimborne St Giles in Dorset in England, just south of Cranborne Chase. It is the ancestral seat of the Ashley-Cooper family, which is headed by the Earl of Shaftesbury. The estate covers over.
Built in 1651, the Grade I listed house stands in a vast park through which the River Allen flows, feeding a seven-acre lake as it winds its way towards the small parish village of Wimborne St Giles. The 17th-century house is a low, quadrangular building. Although the name of the architect is not known, the influence of Inigo Jones is obvious in the Renaissance north and east fronts with their Classical façades. The original plan of the house called for a square courtyard, to which was added two large ground floor rooms, with additional rooms on the second and third floors. The house was once completely crenellated along the edge of the parapet, however most of these fortifications were removed in the 19th century. The east front, with its seven bays, remains much the same today.
The surrounding estate park of 400 acres features a serpentine lake, garden ornaments, a notable grotto and a 1000-yard avenue of beech. The park is Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Ashley family
The Ashley family were originally from Wiltshire, where they had owned the manor of Ashley since the 11th century. The first ancestor to reside in Wimborne St Giles was Robert Ashley ; he was the fifth great-grandfather of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.Robert Ashley acquired a large family manor in Wimborne St Giles through his marriage to Egidia Hamelyn, daughter of Sir John Hamelyn. Ashley and his two immediate successors, Edmund Ashley, and Hugh Ashley flourished under King Henry IV. When Hugh Ashley died 29 April 1493, his estates transferred to his eldest son, Sir Henry Ashley I.
- Sir Henry Ashley I was married to Radegan Gilbert, daughter of Robert Gilbert of Somerset. Together, they had two sons, Henry II and Anthony of Damerham. When Sir Henry Ashley I died on 1 March 1549, his son Henry II inherited the estate at Wimborne St Giles.
- Sir Henry Ashley II was married to Catherine Bassett, sister of Anne Bassett, both daughters of Sir John Bassett and Honor Grenville, Viscountess Lisle. Sir Henry II was knighted at the coronation of Queen Mary and appointed ranger of Alice Holt Forest. He was succeeded by his son, Henry Ashley III, who was gentleman pensioner to Queen Elizabeth.
- Sir Henry Ashley III was married to Anne Burgh, daughter of Lord Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh. Sir Henry and Anne had three sons and four daughter - MP for Wareham, 1572, Christchurch, 1586 and Poole, 1589. He was Vice-Admiral of Dorset, 1588, commanded HMS Scout at the time of the Armada, and also concerned himself with land defenses against invasion. Gentleman Pensioner to Queen Elizabeth by 1586; knighted, 1603. Between 1589 and 1595 Ashley was involved in a series of disputes and prosecutions before the Privy Council and the Star Chamber over accusations of extortion, libel, a forged warrant and an affray on the streets of Salisbury, most probably driven by his urgent need for funds, as in 1589 it was claimed that his estates were indebted to the tune of £8,000. In the 1590s he obtained permission to travel to Ireland, where his brother-in-law, Lord Burgh, who was Lord Deputy, obtained for him the keepership of a castle near Waterford, but he was later relieved of the command by the Privy Council. In 1602 he again visited Ireland, taking a hundred Dorset men with him, perhaps with the intention of settling in Munster, but he was again recalled by the Privy Council. but this did not fully resolve his financial embarrassments,
- By 1596 he was actively trying to sell the Wimborne St. Giles estate, which he eventually he entailed the Estate to his cousin, Sir Anthony Ashley of Wimborne St Giles. As His Son's passed away with no Male Heir's and His one daughter Ann
- He died about 1605; as he had no lands no inquisition post mortem was held, but many years later administration of his goods was granted to his son, 7 November 1622
Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet of Wimborne St Giles
Ashley was married twice. His first wife was Jane Okeover, daughter of Philip Okeover of Okeover Hall. She was the widow of Sir Thomas Cokayne of Ashbourne and High Sheriff of Derbyshire. Sir Anthony Ashley and Jane were married about 1592 and had a daughter, Anne Elizabeth Ashley, who was born in 1593. In 1622, two years after Jane died from smallpox, Ashley married 19-year-old Philippa Sheldon. She was the sister of Elizabeth Sheldon, who was married to Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey, brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Through this marriage, Ashley cemented a political alliance with the most powerful man at court. On 3 July 1622, Ashley was created baronet of Wimborne St Giles.
Ashley took great interest in shaping the future of his grandchild, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, born to inherit the ancient possessions of his estate. He lived long enough to choose his grandson's first tutor, insisting that a man with Puritan leanings tutor his grandchildren. At his insistence, Dr Aaron Guerdon was chosen as the children's tutor.
After Ashley died at the age of 76, on 13 January 1628, his wife Philippa went on to marry Carew Raleigh, son of Sir Walter Raleigh, while his daughter, Anne Ashley who married Sir John Cooper of Rockbourne, inherited the family estates at Wimborne St Giles.
Cooper family
In 1620, the Ashley-Cooper dynasty was established when Sir John Cooper of Rockbourne married Anne Elizabeth Ashley, the daughter of Sir Anthony Ashley of Wimborne St Giles. The extensive estates that both inherited, consolidated the holdings of the Ashley and Cooper families in Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. The vast properties, lands, and holdings effectively solidified the Ashley-Coopers as one of the wealthiest families in England.Sir John Cooper, 1st Baronet of Rockbourne
Sir John Cooper was created 1st Baronet of Rockbourne on 4 July 1622, the day after Sir Anthony Ashley was created 1st Baronet of Wimborne St Giles. He sat in the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament for Poole, in the first and third parliaments of King Charles I, 1625 and 1628. He was the son of Sir John Cooper Sr and Margaret Skutt.As a condition of Sir John's marriage to Anne, Sir Anthony Ashley required that John Cooper's heir use the surname of Ashley-Cooper. Furthermore, he required that if an Ashley-Cooper male ever achieved nobility, the title should carry the name of Ashley. In turn, by her marriage to John, Anne Ashley transferred the legal right of ownership of the Ashley estate at Wimborne St Giles to her husband, John Cooper. This agreement was made prior to 1622, when John Cooper, himself, was created a Baronet. John and Anne's first son and heir was born on 22 July 1621 at his grandfather's home at Wimborne St Giles. Accordingly, oldest son and heir of John Cooper, was christened Anthony Ashley-Cooper at birth. All his younger siblings remained Coopers.
In later years, the 4th Earl of Shaftesbury preserved a note in the family papers, stating that Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper was unaware of the marriage agreement established between his father and grandfather, when he chose the title of Baron Ashley after the Restoration. He was very happy when he found out about the marriage and property agreement and amazed that he had unwittingly complied with this provision regardless of the lack of prior knowledge.
Six months later, on 20 July 1628, Anne died of smallpox, leaving her husband with three children. Their two sons were Anthony Ashley and George Cooper. Their daughter, Philippa, was two years younger than Anthony, while George was two years younger than his sister. As George grew into adulthood, he relocated to Clarendon Park and Farley, Wiltshire. Philippa became the wife of Sir Adam Browne, 2nd Baronet of Betchworth. Anthony inherited the titles of his grandfather, father, and father-in-law, as well as St Giles House and the vast holdings of the Shaftesbury Estate.
Anthony Ashley-Cooper
Anthony Ashley-Cooper's parents both died before he reached the age of ten years. At their death, Anthony inherited extensive estates, after consolidating the holdings of both the Ashley and Cooper families in Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset. The vast properties, lands, and holdings effectively solidified the Ashley-Cooper family as one of the wealthiest in England. The family also owns Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles.After the death of his parents, Ashley-Cooper and his siblings lived with Sir Daniel Norton, one of his Trustees, at Southwick, who was also a trusted friend of King Charles I. When Sir Daniel Norton died in 1635, the siblings went to live with their uncle, Edward Tooker of New Sarum. Edward Tooker was the husband of the children's aunt, Martha Cooper, and another Trustee of Sir John Cooper's estate. Much of Ashley-Cooper's inheritance was squandered owing to the incompetence of the men entrusted with responsibility for guarding his interests. In the end, the uncertainties of Ashley-Cooper's childhood shaped the man. He grew into one of the most influential statesmen of the late 17th century.
Ashley-Cooper was married three times. His first wife was Margaret, daughter of Lord Thomas Coventry. On 27 July 1646, she miscarried a son when her brother, John, jokingly threw her against a bed. She had been pregnant 20 weeks at the time of miscarriage. To the great sorrow of both parents, she miscarried a second pregnancy on 29 March 1647. She was 11 weeks along in the pregnancy. The following year, in November, she gave birth to a stillborn son, just two weeks short of the scheduled delivery date. On 10 July 1649, six weeks short of delivery her fourth child, she complained of a headache and had seizure. Unable to speak, she went to bed and died the next morning. Married just under ten years, she had been pregnant four times, yet not one child was born alive.
On 25 April 1650, nine months after the death of his first wife, Shaftesbury married Lady Frances Cecil, daughter of the royalist, David Cecil, 3rd Earl of Exeter. A few days before this marriage, Shaftesbury entered in his diary: "I laid the first stone of my house at St Giles's." In 1651, Countess Shaftesbury bore a son, who was christened Cecil. However, the young Cecil Ashley-Cooper died during childhood. The following year, on 16 January 1652, she gave birth to Shaftesbury's son and namesake, Anthony Ashley-Cooper. Through his marriage to the former Frances Cecil, Shaftesbury acquired property at Exeter House, also known as Cecil House in London. It was here that the philosopher, John Locke resided from 1666 to 1688, while serving as Shaftesbury's personal physician, secretary, researcher, political operative, and friend. While living with him, Locke became drawn into the heart of English politics in the 1670s and 1680s.
Shaftesbury's third wife was Margaret, daughter of William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton. Margaret's mother was Penelope, first daughter of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. Margaret, Countess of Shaftesbury, was the mother of Ashley-Cooper's two daughters, Penelope and Lucretia. While Burke's Peerage states that Ashley-Cooper had only one child, son and heir Anthony Jr, Ashley-Cooper's published papers and biographies state that he had several daughters. It is also documented that he had at least one illegitimate son, Charles, born during his first marriage.