Lowther (No. 1.) family genealogy

Of Lowther Castle, County Westmoreland; of Ingleton and Swillington, in Yorkshire; and of Skryne Abbey, County Meath, Ireland[1]

Arms: Or, six annulets sa. Crest: A dragon pass. ar. Motto: Magistratus indicat virum.

The ancient family of Lowther, Lowthre, or Louthre, is of great antiquity in the county of Westmoreland. Harrison, in page 370 of his History of the County of York, deduces the line from Arkfrith, a Danish noble, who held great possessions in the North of England, in the time of Canute or Knut. He was succeeded by his son:

2. Arkill, lord of Marske, county of York (living in the time of Edward the Confessor), who had:

3. Gospatric Fitz Argill, lord of Lowthre, A.D. 1066, who had:

4. Dolphin of Louthre (A.D. 1120), who had:

5. Hamon (“fil Dolfin”) de Louthre (AD. 1140), who had three sons:

1. Robert de Louthre, of whom presently.
2. Uchtred (temp. Richard I.), who had Robert FitzUchtred, A.D. 1249.
3. Gilbert (temp. John and Henry III. 1190-1220), who had three sons:
   1. Gervase, who married dau. of Lord Ros of Hamlake, temp. Henry III. 1217 (Dugdale’s Monasticon, II. 46), and had Hugh de Louthre, who married dau. of L’Engleys de Cosyn (Dugd. Baron, I. 506), and had Hugh, who mar. a dau. of Moriceby of Moriceby, co. Cumberland, and had Sir Hugh de Louther (Attorney-General, 20 Edw. I. 1292), Knight of Shire, 18—33 Edw. I., 1st Edw. II., and 5th Edw. III. (died 18 Edw. III., A.D. 1345), and who mar. dau. of Sir Peter Tilliol, of Scaleby Castle, and had Hugh, only son and heir.
   2. Henry de Louthre, living in 1290.
   3. Rykin de Louthre, who m. and had William, living in 1292; and Enda, living in 1302.

6. Robert de Louthre (temp. Henry II. 1180) mar. and had two sons.

1. Geoffrey (temp. John and Hen. III. 1270), of whom presently.
2. Thomas, who mar. and had three sons:
   1. Thomas (d. 1263), a witness to a charter of Liulf of Kirkbythroe (temp. Hen. II.), m. Beatrice Crosthawyt(d. 1266) and had with two other sons (Hugh and Nicholas) Thomas de Louther (living 1314), who m. Amy Stockton, and had two sons: Thomas Louther (living 1329), Justice of King’s Bench (5 Edw. III.), who held the manors of Penrith and Sowerby, 1330; and William Louther died 1373.
   2. Robert: second son of Thomas.
   3. William de Louthre, living 32 Henry II.

7. Geoffrey: son of Robert, m. and had four sons:

1. Hugh, of whom presently.
2. John (temp. Edw. II. 1333).
3. Theobald.
4. Adam.

8. Hugh de Lowther (d. 1316): son of Geoffrey; m. Iretta, dau. of Henry d’Alneto,[2] and had three sons:

1. Sir Hugh, of whom presently.
2. Robert de Louther (1326), who m. Christina —.
3. John de Louthre, living in 1333.

9. Sir Hugh de Lowther (living, 1326), Sheriff of Cumberland (23, 45, and 46 Edw. III.), was twice mar.: 1st, to Margaret, daughter of William de Quall; and, secondly, to Margaret, dau. of John de Lucy of Cockermouth (1330), and had three sons:

1. Sir Hugh (or John), of whom presently.
2. Simon de Louther (1356), m. Elenor, daughter of Robert of Castlecarrock.
3. Adam de Louther.

10. Sir Hugh (or John) de Louther (1356), Knight of Shire of Westmoreland (1377, and 1379), m. Margaret (who was afterwards wife of Sir Robert Kendall), and had two sons:

1. Sir Robert, of whom presently.
2. William Louthre, of Crookdale.

11. Sir Robert de Lowther, Knt. of Shire of Westmoreland (15 and 17 Richard II.; d. 1430), m. Margaret, dau. and heir of William Strickland of Ormshead, co. Westmoreland, and had one son and three daus.:

1. Sir Hugh, of whom presently.
1. Mary, who married Sir James Pickering.
2. Anne, who m. Sir Thomas Curwen of Workington.
3. Elizabeth, who m. William Lancaster, of Sockbridge and Barton.

12. Sir Hugh[3] de Lowther: son of Sir Robert; was at Agincourt (1415); Sheriff of Cumberland (18 and 34 Henry VI.); m. Anne (or Margaret) de Derwentwater, and had:

1. Sir Hugh, of whom presently.
2. Robert (31 Henry VI.).

13. Sir Hugh de Lowther (34 Henry VI.; d. 15 Edw. IV.), mar. Mabel, dau. and heir of Sir William Lancaster, of Sockbridge, co. Westmoreland, and had:

14. Sir Hugh de Lowther (7 Henry VII.; d. 2 Henry VIII.), m. Anne, dau. of Lancelot Threlkeld, of Threlkeld, co. Cumberland, by Margaret, dau. and heir of Henry Bromflete, Lord Vesey (and widow of John, Lord Clifford), and had three sons and two daughters:

1. Sir John, of whom presently.
2. Lancelot.
3. Robert.
1. Mabel, m. John Leigh.
2. Joan, m. John Fleming.

15. Sir John Lowther, Sheriff of Cumberland (7, 34 Henry VIII., 4 Edw. VI.), Captain of Carlisle Castle (37 Henry VIII.), married Lucy, daughter of Sir Thomas Curwen of Workington, and had one son and three daus.:

1. Sir Hugh, of whom presently.
1. Elizabeth, mar. Sir William Lancaster of Sockbridge.
2. Joan, mar. John Fleming, of Rydal.
3. Mabel, married Christopher Dulston, of Acombank.

16. Sir Hugh Lowther, Knight of the Bath, m. Dorothy, only dau. and heir of Henry, 10th Lord Clifford, by his second wife, Florence, daughter of Henry Pudsey, Lord of Bolton, in York, and had two sons and four daughters:

1. Sir Richard, of whom presently.
2. Gerard, of Penrith, a Bencher at Lincoln’s Inn, who m. Lucy Dudley, and d. 1597.
1. Mary, m. John Richmond of Highhead Castle.
2. Anne, m. Thomas Wyberg.
3. Frances, m. Henry Goodyear.
4. Barbara, m. Thomas Carlton, of Carlton.

17. Sir Richard Lowther, Sheriff of Cumberland (8, 30 Elizabeth), Commissioner between England and Scotland; and Custodian of Mary, Queen of Scots, in May, 1568. He was born in 1530, and d. in 1607; m. Frances, dau. of John Middleton, of Middleton, and had eight sons and eight daughters:

1. John, d.s.p.
2. George, d.s.p.
3. Sir Christopher, of whom presently.
4. Sir Gerard, of St. Michael’s, Dublin, a Judge in Ireland; b. 1561, d. 1624. Was four times married: first, to Grace Bellingham[4] (widow of Edmund Cleburne, of Cleburne), died 1594; secondly, to Anne Bulwer; thirdly, to Anne, dau. of Sir Laurence Parsons, to whose grandson Lowther Parsons, said Gerard left his manor of St. John’s, county Wexford: and, fourthly, to Margaret King.
5. Hugh, a Captain in the Army.
6. Richard, d.s.p.
7. Lancelot.
8. William, of Engleton, from whom descend the Lowthers of Yorkshire, and of Skryne, county Meath.
1. Anne, m. Fetherstonhaugh.
2. Florence.
3. Frances, d. an infant.
4. Margaret, m. John Bysse, of Dublin.
5. Dorothy, d. an infant.
6. Mabel, d. an infant.
7. Frances (2), mar. Thomas Cleburne, of Cleburne, county Westmoreland, from whom descend the Clebornes, of Ballycollitan.
8. Susanna, d.s.p.

18. Sir Christopher Lowther (b. 1557, d. 1617): third son of Sir Richard; knighted, 13th April, 1603; had a natural son, Sir Gerard Lowther, who was Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, and who died in 1660. Sir Christopher was married twice: first, to Elenor, daughter of Middleton, of Middleton, county Westmoreland; and, secondly, to Elenor, dau. of William Musgrave, of Hayton Castle, county Westmoreland, and had seven sons and three daughters:

1. Sir John, of whom presently.
2. Gerard, a Captain in the Polish service; killed in Turkey.
3. Richard, of St. Giles, Cripplegate.
4. Rev. Christopher, Rector of Lowther.
5. William.
6. Rev. Lancelot (died 1661), Rector of Long Marton.
7. Robert, of Marske.
1. Elenor, m. Richard Fullerfield.
2. Anne.
3. Frances, d. an infant.

19. Sir John Lowther, Knight of Shire of Westmoreland (21 James I.); member of Council at York, 1629; d. 15th Sept., 1637, possessed of Manors of Lowther, Bampton, Knife, Ravenworth, etc. He mar. Elenor, dau. of William Fleming of Rydal, and had three sons and three daus.:

1. Sir John, of whom presently.
2. Christopher, of Whitehaven and St. Bees.
3. William, from whom descend the Lowthers of Swillington.
1. Agnes, m. Roger Kirby.
2. Frances, who was twice mar.: first, to John Dodsworth, second, to Richard Lamplugh.
3. Anne.

20. Sir John Lowther, Knight of Shire for Westmoreland; created a Baronet of Nova Scotia, in 1640. Was twice married; by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Fletcher, he had, with other children, Colonel John Lowther, of whom presently.

21. Colonel John[5] Lowther of Hackthorpe, who married, as his second wife, Elizabeth, dau. and co-heir of Sir Henry Bellingham, and had:

1. Sir John (born 1655), of whom presently.
2. Mary, who was twice mar.: first, to John Lowther; secondly, to George Preston.

22. Sir John Lowther, Baronet, b. 1655, at Hackthorpe Hall, parish of Lowther; created Viscount Lonsdale and Baron Lowther, on 28th May, 1696; died 10th July, 1700; m. 3rd December, 1674, Catherine Thynne, sister of Viscount Weymouth, and had three sons and six daughters:

1. Richard (b. 1692), the second Viscount, d. 1713.
2. Henry, the third Viscount, of whom presently.
3. Anthony, who d. 1741.

The daughters were:

1. Mary, who m. Sir John Wentworth.
2. Elizabeth, who m. Sir Wm. Ramsden.
3. Jane, who d. unm. in 1752.
4. Eleanor, who m. Sir Christopher Wandesford (d. 1687).
5. Mary, who mar. Sir Joseph Penington.
6. Barbara, who mar. Thomas Herbert, of Corby.

23. Henry, third Viscount Lonsdale: second son of Sir John Lowther; died 1750. With him the “Viscountcy” became extinct.

Notes

[1] Lowther: The ancient pedigree of “Lowther,” here given, is from the MSS. of the late George Hanson, of Chestertown, Maryland, United States, America; which were compiled from the Thanet Papers, MS. Chron. Cliburn, Denton and Gilpin MSS.

[2] De Alneto: This name has been anglicised Dawnay, Danay, and Dana; and was in Ireland in the 12th century. There was also in Ireland an ancient family named O’Dana (“dana;” Irish, bold); but we are unable to identify it with this De Alneto family.

[3] Hugh: Geoffrey and Richard de Lowther were with their kinsman Sir Hugh de Lowther at Agincourt.

[4] Bellingham: From this ancient family, of Helsington and Levins, in England, are (see the “Bellingham” pedigree, ante) descended the Bellinghams of Castlebellingham, in the county Louth, Ireland; and the Bellinghams of Massachusets, United States, America.

[5] John: This John had a younger brother Richard from whom Sir James Lowther, the first “Earl of Lonsdale” (created 1784, and extinct 1802) was descended.

Rev. Sir William Lowther, of Preston, cousin of Sir James, the first Earl of Lonsdale, was, in the second Peerage, created “Earl,” in 1807, and died 1844. This Rev. Sir William Lowther had a brother, who married Elizabeth, second dau. of the ninth Earl of Westmoreland, and by her had two sons:—1. Sir John-Henry Lowther, born 1793; 2. Charles-Hugh Lowther.