The Shirley Family: One Thousand Years of English History

The Shirley Family: One Thousand Years of English History tells the story of one of the country’s oldest families. First documented living in Warwickshire in the eleventh century, the family were soon after based in Derbyshire, from where they took their name. Their history then takes us all over Britain: to Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Sussex, Norfolk and Ireland; and even as far afield as Persia. As a case study the Shirleys, Earls Ferrers from the eighteenth century, offer a fascinating and focussed insight into the British past. As with any family history we find an array of characters: some virtuous, others less so; some who amassed great fortunes; others who lost them. Eccentrics and academics, admirals and privateers, architects and evangelists: all these and more decorate the Shirley history with colourful and intriguing vignettes. Drawing on a broad range of primary and secondary source material from public and private collections, this book is also richly illustrated with images from illuminated manuscripts, medieval documents, paintings and sculptures, buildings, stone carvings and new and old family photographs.