Biography of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland 1591-1667

In 1585 [his father] Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth (age 26) and [his mother] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth (age 24) were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. They were fourth cousins.

On 3rd September 1587 Henry Cheney 1st Baron Cheyne (age 47) died. He was buried at St George's Church, Toddington on 3rd September 1587. Baron Cheyne extinct. His estates were left to his widow Jane Wentworth Baroness Cheyne who subsequently bequeathed them to her nephew Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland.

In 1591 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland was born to [his father] Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth (age 32) and [his mother] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth (age 30).

On 16th August 1593 [his father] Henry Wentworth 3rd Baron Wentworth (age 35) died. His son Thomas (age 2) succeeded 4th Baron Wentworth, de jure 9th Baron Despencer.

In 1595 [his step-father] William Pope 1st Earl Downe (age 21) and [his mother] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth (age 34) were married.

Before 1612 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 20) and Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. They were second cousin once removed.

Before 2nd February 1612 [his son] Thomas Wentworth 5th Baron Wentworth was born to Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 21) and [his wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland. On 2nd February 1612 Thomas Wentworth 5th Baron Wentworth was baptised. He married March 1658 his fifth cousin once removed Philadelphia Carey Baroness Wentworth, daughter of Henry Carey 1st Earl Dover and Judith Pelham Countess Dover, and had issue.

On 29th July 1623 [his daughter] Anne Wentworth 7th Baroness Wentworth Baroness Lovelace was born to Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 32) and [his wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland. She married before 1641 John Lovelace 2nd Baron Lovelace, son of Richard Lovelace 1st Baron Lovelace and Margaret Dodworth Baroness Lovelace, and had issue.

On 10th May 1625 [his mother] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth (age 64) died.

In 1626 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 35) was created 1st Earl Cleveland. [his wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland by marriage Countess Cleveland.

On 20th April 1636 [his half-brother] Thomas Pope 3rd Earl Downe (age 38) and [his sister-in-law] Beatrix Poole were married at Wroxton, Oxfordshire. He the son of [his step-father] William Pope 1st Earl Downe and [his mother] Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth.

On 16th January 1637 [his wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland died.

After 16th January 1637 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 46) and Lucy Wentworth Countess Cleveland (age 26) were married. She by marriage Countess Cleveland. The difference in their ages was 20 years. They were half second cousin once removed.

Before 1641 [his son-in-law] John Lovelace 2nd Baron Lovelace (age 24) and [his daughter] Anne Wentworth 7th Baroness Wentworth Baroness Lovelace (age 17) were married. She by marriage Baroness Lovelace of Hurley in Berkshire. She the daughter of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 49) and [his former wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland.

On 23rd November 1651 [his wife] Lucy Wentworth Countess Cleveland (age 40) died.

In 1656 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 65) was imprisoned at Tower of London [Map].

Around March 1658 [his son] Thomas Wentworth 5th Baron Wentworth (age 46) and [his daughter-in-law] Philadelphia Carey Baroness Wentworth were married. She by marriage Baroness Wentworth. She the daughter of Henry Carey 1st Earl Dover (age 78) and Judith Pelham Countess Dover. He the son of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 67) and [his former wife] Anne Crofts Countess Cleveland. They were fifth cousin once removed.

On 28th December 1660 Thomas Pope 2nd Earl Downe (age 38) died. On 11th January 1661 he was buried in Wroxton, Oxfordshire. His uncle [his half-brother] Thomas (age 62) succeeded 3rd Earl Downe.

John Evelyn's Diary. 4th July 1663. I saw his Majesty's (age 33) Guards, being of horse and foot 4,000, led by the General, the Duke of Albemarle (age 54), in extraordinary equipage and gallantry, consisting of gentlemen of quality and veteran soldiers, excellently clad, mounted, and ordered, drawn up in battalia before their Majesties in Hyde Park [Map], where the old Earl of Cleveland (age 72) trailed a pike, and led the right-hand file in a foot company, commanded by the [his son] Lord Wentworth (age 51), his son; a worthy spectacle and example, being both of them old and valiant soldiers. This was to show the French Ambassador, Monsieur Comminges; there being a great assembly of coaches, etc., in the park.

On 1st March 1665 [his son] Thomas Wentworth 5th Baron Wentworth (age 53) died. His daughter [his granddaughter] Henrietta (age 4) succeeded 6th Baroness Wentworth.

John Evelyn's Diary. 31st October 1666. I heard the signal cause of my Lord Cleveland (age 75) pleaded before the House of Lords; and was this day forty-six years of age, wonderfully protected by the mercies of God, for which I render him immortal thanks.

On 25th March 1667 Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Cleveland (age 76) died. Earl Cleveland extinct. His granddaughter [his granddaughter] Henrietta (age 6) de jure 10th Baroness Despencer.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 7th April 1667. Thence back to White Hall, and there saw the King (age 36) come out of chapel after prayers in the afternoon, which he is never at but after having received the Sacrament: and the Court, I perceive, is quite out of mourning; and some very fine; among others, my Lord Gerard (age 49), in a very rich vest and coat. Here I met with my Lord Bellasses (age 52): and it is pretty to see what a formal story he tells me of his leaving, his place upon the death of my Lord Cleveland (deceased), by which he is become Captain of the Pensioners; and that the King did leave it to him to keep the other or take this; whereas, I know the contrary, that they had a mind to have him away from Tangier. He tells me he is commanded by the King to go down to the Northward to satisfy the Deputy Lieutenants of Yorkshire, who have desired to lay down their commissions upon pretence of having no profit by their places but charge, but indeed is upon the Duke of Buckingham's (age 39) being under a cloud (of whom there is yet nothing heard), so that the King is apprehensive of their discontent, and sends him to pacify them, and I think he is as good a dissembler as any man else, and a fine person he is for person, and proper to lead the Pensioners, but a man of no honour nor faith I doubt.