Colonel Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers

Robert Shirley was born at East Sheen on 20 Oct 1650. He was the third son of Sir Robert Shirley 4th Bt, an ardent Royalist who had defied his Catholic family by turning to the Church of England and marrying Katharine Okeover. Young Robert was educated at Christ Church, Oxford where he received an MA. In 1669 he inherited the title Sir Robert Shirley 7th Bt. From 1677 he entered the House of Lords as Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers. In 1683 he replaced the Duke of Monmouth as the High Steward of Stafford.
Shirley was appointed Master of the Horse to the Queen Consort, Catherine of Braganza, in February 1685, but Charles II died in 1685 and he then became the Queen’s Lord Steward and Chief Bailiff of the Revenues. After James became King he was appointed the first Colonel of the King’s Regiment (The Princess Anne of Denmark’s Regiment of Foot) but because of his Protestantism this only lasted until November 1686 when he was replaced by the King’s son, the Duke of Berwick. Also his refusal to vote for the repeal of the anti-Catholic Test Act caused him to lose the high stewardship of Stafford.
But that position was restored to him after the Glorious Revolution in which James was sent into Exile and William and Mary became King and Queen. In 1711 he was elevated to Earl Ferrers. He was married twice and produced a total of 27 children; 10 sons and 7 daughters with his first wife, Elizabeth Washington, and 5 sons and 5 daughters with Selina Finch. The Earl Ferrers died on 25 Dec 1717.

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