| AdminHistory | The Greville family can trace their roots back to William Greville of Chipping Campden (d.1401), a prominent wool merchant and citizen of London. Greville invested much of his income into land and buildings, including the manor of Milcote, which is believed to be the Greville family’s first link with Warwickshire.
Edward Greville, (c.1467-1529) son of John Greville of Milcote was knighted in 1513 for his valiant behaviour in battle. He secured the wardship of Elizabeth Willoughby, 3rd Baroness Willoughby de Broke, who later married his second son, Sir Fulke Greville (c1505-1559). Fulke and Elizabeth settled at Beauchamp Court in Alcester. Their son, Sir Fulke Greville (1536-1606), was born at Beauchamp Court and later became de jure 4th Lord Willoughby de Broke through his mother. This Fulke Greville married Lady Anne Neville, who gave birth to their only son, Fulke Greville, (1st Baron Brooke). It was this Fulke Greville who would go on to be courtier, poet and statesman within the courts of Elizabeth I and James I, VI of Scotland.
Fulke Greville, (1st Baron Brooke), was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he met and became firm friends with Philip Sidney. Through Sidney’s family he made useful contacts at court, taking up positions that proved his capability as an administrator. Fulke Greville served as ‘Treasurer of Marine Causes’ (a position later known as ‘Treasurer of the Navy’) before petitioning James I for Warwick Castle in 1604, then a dilapidated ruin. The king agreed and Greville began a programme of renovation.
Following the death of his father in 1606, Sir Fulke Greville became 13th Baron Latimer and 5th Baron Willoughby de Broke. In 1614, Greville became Chancellor of the Exchequer, serving until he was raised to the peerage in his own right when he was granted the title Baron Brooke of Beauchamp Court in 1621. Greville, now 1st Baron Brooke, was fatally injured by his servant, Ralph Hawarde in his London home on 1 September 1628. Hawarde had stabbed Lord Brooke before turning the knife on himself. Lord Brooke lived for a further four weeks before succumbing to infection. Lord Brooke had never married, instead choosing to adopt his first cousin once removed, Robert Greville.
Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke (1608-1643) had been born to the Lincolnshire branch of the Greville family. Fulke Greville had taken on the responsibility of providing for Robert’s education. Robert, a Puritan, took the side of Parliament during the English Civil Wars. He had already obtained a reputation for religious radicalism, and in August 1642 he was appointed as the commander of Parliamentarian forces in Staffordshire and Warwickshire. He was killed while laying siege to Lichfield Cathedral on 2 March 1643.
The title and estates then passed to Robert’s eldest son, Francis (1637-1658) who was ordered to be placed in the care of his Royalist uncle, Lord Digby, by the crown under the system of wardship. Robert’s widow, Katherine (c.1618-1676) fought for and succeeded in having Francis returned to her custody. She did much to maintain Warwick Castle and the estates while her son was still a minor. Francis, 3rd Baron Brooke, died around the age of 21 and was succeeded in turn by his two surviving younger brothers, Robert and Fulke, 4th and 5th Baron Brooke respectively.
During the mid-18th century, the Greville family’s social status was elevated when Francis, 8th Baron Brooke (1719-1773) married Elizabeth Hamilton (1720-1800). Elizabeth was the granddaughter of the 3rd Duke and Duchess of Hamilton. This alliance led to Francis being made Earl Brooke in 1742, and eventually Earl of Warwick in 1759, reuniting the title with the castle for the first time in over 150 years.
The family encountered financial difficulties in the early 19th century when George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick (1746-1816) faced bankruptcy due to his excessive expenditure as a patron of the arts. He was a great collector, being one of the greatest contributors to the Greville collection at Warwick Castle and noted especially for his purchase of the Warwick Vase.
Henry Richard Greville, 3rd Earl of Warwick (1779-1853) held positions in the Royal Household, serving three monarchs: Gentleman of the Bedchamber to George IV (1828-1830); Lord of the Bedchamber to William IV (1830) and Lord in Waiting to Victoria (1841-1846). He was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1827. He had married Sarah Elizabeth (1786-1851), widow of the 4th Baron Monson, in 1816.
Henry and Sarah’s only son, George Guy (1818-1893), became 4th Earl of Warwick in 1853. In the early hours of 3 December 1871, a fire tore through Warwick Castle, destroying the Great Hall and many of the private apartments. A public subscription was set up to raise funds for restorative works to be undertaken. George Guy and his wife Anne, Countess of Warwick (1829-1903) worked hard to rebuild the castle. Much of their input can still be seen at Warwick Castle today.
One of the most notable family members was Frances Evelyn “Daisy” Greville, née Maynard (1861-1938), who married George and Anne’s son, Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville (1853-1924), future 5th Earl of Warwick. Although Daisy was a rich heiress when she married Francis, both the Greville and Maynard inheritances were largely exhausted during their incumbency, and they came perilously close to ruin. Despite her reckless spending and lavish lifestyle, Daisy came to see herself as a socialist, promoting education for women and standing for Labour for the constituency of Warwick and Leamington at the general election of 1923; Anthony Eden took the seat.
Francis and Daisy’s son, Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville (1882-1928) 6th Earl of Warwick, inherited the earldom in 1924. He had married Elfrida ‘Marjorie’ Eden (1887-1943), sister of future Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, in 1909. Marjorie went on to play a significant role in local government in Warwick, becoming Mayor of Warwick in 1929, and serving as a local magistrate. Guy died in 1928, and the earldom passed to his eldest son, Charles Guy ‘Fulke’ Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick (1911-1984).
In the 1930s, with rising costs and limited funds, the Greville family looked for new ways to diversify their income. Charles turned to the American film industry and became the first British aristocrat to be offered a Hollywood contract by MGM. However, his career was short-lived, fizzling out when he was dropped after his only mainstream movie, ‘The Dawn Patrol’ in which he appeared alongside David Niven and Errol Flynn.
The 7th Earl of Warwick handed control of the family estates to his son, David Robin Francis Guy Greville, later 8th Earl of Warwick (1934-1996) in 1967. Just over a decade later in 1978, David sold Warwick Castle to Madame Tussauds for £1.3m, causing a public confrontation between father and son. Warwick Castle had been in the Greville family for 374 years.
The earldom continues to be passed down from one generation to another, but the title, once again, has become separated from the Castle. |