George Downing 2nd Baronet Of East Hatley + Catherine Cecil

3 children

Birth: 1685 29 22 — Cambridgeshire, England

Christening: October 24, 1685 29 22 — Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, England

LifeSketch: Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet KB MP (baptised 24 October 1685 – 10 June 1749) was a British landowner and initially Tory, but later Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1710 and 1749. Through a donation in his will, he was the founder of Downing College, Cambridge. Downing was the only son of Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet, and his wife, Lady Catharine Cecil, daughter of James Cecil, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. His grandfather, who was created a baronet in 1663, was the namesake of Downing Street. Lady Catharine died in 1688, and, as her husband was apparently considered an unsuitable parent, the young George was brought up in the family of his maternal aunt, Lady Mary Cecil Forester, the wife of Sir William Forester of Dothill Park, in Wellington, Shropshire. In 1700, aged 15, "by procurement and persuasion of those in whose keeping he was", he married his 13-year-old cousin, Sir William's daughter, Mary, who ultimately died childless in 1734. Between his marriage and 1704 he travelled in Europe, mainly Holland, Germany, Denmark and Italy. While George was away, Mary went against George's explicit demand that she should not accept a place at court, when she became a Maid of Honour to Queen Anne. On George's return, it was apparent that the marriage had broken down. The couple agreed a financial settlement only in 1715, whereupon Mary petitioned the House of Lords to have the marriage dissolved because of non-consummation. The petition was refused and they remained married. They jointly petitioned again in 1717, asking for a separation, which was granted. That made them legally independent, with no responsibility to one another. However, neither could remarry, and neither could have a legitimate heir. He was a Member of Parliament for the pocket borough of Dunwich, Suffolk in the parliaments of 1710 and 1713. He lost the 1715 election but, with the aid of a 99-year lease from George I for the borough, regained the seat in 1722. He held the seat from that time until his death. He was an uninspiring politician, but remained loyal to the ministries of Robert Walpole and subsequently Henry Pelham. In 1732, as a result of his loyalty, he was created a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath. Downing succeeded to his father's baronetcy and estates in 1711. He built a grand family seat in Gamlingay Park in Cambridgeshire. Death and estate Upon his own death, aged 63, in 1749, his title passed to his cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet, with his will providing that if his line should die out, his fortune and Gamlingay estate should be used to found a college at Cambridge University. Sir Jacob Downing died childless in 1764, but his widow, Lady Margaret Downing, argued that George Downing's fortune should pass to her. This case was tied up in litigation for decades at considerable expense before the courts finally ordered that the estate should be used to found a college at Cambridge, which occurred with the founding of Downing College, Cambridge in 1800. Lady Margaret then had the Downing mansion demolished in 1776. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Downing,_3rd_Baronet

INDI:FSID: L8PL-XGV

Death: June 10, 1749 — Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, England

Burial: 1749 — All Saints Church, Croydon, Cambridgeshire, England

Links

Compact tree Interactive tree Pedigree map Family with spouse Mary Forester Family with spouse Mary Townsend Elizabeth Downing

George Downing

1685–1749

Birth: 1685 29 22 — Cambridgeshire, England

Death: June 10, 1749 — Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, England

Links

Compact tree Interactive tree Pedigree map

James Downing

–

Links

Birth: March 12, 1692 36 29 — Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales

Marriage: March 14, 1714 — Denbigh, Dlwyd, Wales

LifeSketch: Fake person invented in 1925 https://edwardsvirginiagenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/01/who-was-thomas-nathaniel-edwards.html

INDI:FSID: LK5W-SK6

Death: June 8, 1783 — Bagillt, Flintshire, Wales

Links

Compact tree Interactive tree Pedigree map Family with spouse Thomas Nathaniel Edwards John Crawford Edwards Robert Edwards Joshua Edwards William Edwards Thomas Nathaniel Edwards Leonard Edwards Jonathan Edwards Martha Isabell Edwards

Isabella Elizabeth Downing

1692–1783

Birth: March 12, 1692 36 29 — Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales

Death: June 8, 1783 — Bagillt, Flintshire, Wales

Links

Birth: 1656 32 23 — Essex, London, England

Marriage: July 12, 1683 — Glamorganshire, Wales

LifeSketch: Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet (c. 1656 – June 1711) was a British civil servant. He was the son and heir of Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, for whom Downing Street is named. His father worked as Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer from 1660 until 1684 and was made a baronet of East Hatley, in 1663. In 1680, the younger George Downing joined his father as a Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer, holding that position until April 1689. His father died in July 1684, and the younger Downing inherited his father's baronetcy. On 12 July 1683, Downing married Lady Catharine Cecil, daughter of James Cecil, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, and his wife Lady Margaret Manners, daughter of the Earl of Rutland. They had one son before Lady Catharine's death in 1688, George Downing, who inherited his father's title upon the second baronet's death in June 1711. George married Mary Forester, daughter of Sir William Forester of Dothill, Shropshire, in whose home he was brought up following his mother's death. He also served as Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1686–87. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Downing,_2nd_Baronet

INDI:FSID: G8HZ-WDX

Death: June 1711 — Gaminglay, Cambridgeshire, England

Links

Compact tree Interactive tree Pedigree map Family with spouse Catherine Cecil George Downing James Downing Isabella Elizabeth Downing

George Downing 2nd Baronet Of East Hatley

1656–1711

Birth: 1656 32 23 — Essex, London, England

Death: June 1711 — Gaminglay, Cambridgeshire, England

/Users/jtayloe/Documents/Family Tree Maker/Johnnie R Tayloe March 1 2019 Media/SirGeorgeDowning.jpg

Links

Birth: August 1623 37 22 — Dublin, Ireland

Arrival: June 13, 1630 — Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Education: 1642 — Graduated from Harvard

Marriage: 1654

Civic Duties: Member of Parliament for Edinburgh — between 1654 and 1656 — Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Civic Duties: Member of Parliament for Carlisle — between 1656 and 1660 — Carlisle, Cumberland, England

Appointed: July 1, 1663 — Created a Baronet

Civic Duties: Teller of the Exchequer — between 1660 and 1684

Civic Duties: Member of Parliament for Morpeth — between 1660 and 1684 — Morpeth, Northumberland, England

Title of Nobility: Baronet of East Hatley — between 1663 and 1684 — East Hatley, Cambridgeshire, England

LifeSketch: Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (c. 1625 – c. 19 July 1684) was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman, diplomat, turncoat and spy, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts. The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Emmanuel Downing, barrister, and of Lucy Winthrop, sister of Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. While Downing Street, London, is named after him, Downing College, Cambridge derives its name from his grandson, Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet. The title became extinct when the 3rd Baronet's cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet, died in 1764. His family joined Winthrop in America in 1638, settling in Salem, Massachusetts. Downing attended Harvard College and was one of nine students in the first graduating class of 1642. He was hired by Harvard as the college's first tutor. In 1645 he sailed for the West Indies with slaves in tow, as a preacher and instructor of the seamen, and arrived in England some time afterwards, becoming chaplain to Colonel John Okey's regiment (who had originally sponsored Downing's education in America). ... His wife, Frances, died on 10 July 1683, and he died in Cambridge just over a year later, around 19 July 1684, when his will was proved, after having acquired a substantial fortune, and was considered to be the largest landowner in Cambridgeshire (critics claimed he amassed the fortune partly through his exceptional meanness about money). He was succeeded in the title by his eldest son Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet. He had two younger sons, William and Charles, and four daughters: 1. Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet (c. 1656 – 15 April 1740), who succeeded to the baronetcy; married Lady Catharine Cecil (died 1688), daughter of the third Earl of Salisbury, with whom he had one son: Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet (c. 1685–1749); died without issue 2. William Downing (1663–1704) 3. Charles Downing (died 15 April 1740); Comptroller of Customs in Salem; married Sarah Garrard, daughter and coheir of Jacob Garrad, son and heir of Sir Thomas Garrad, 2nd Baronet of Langford, with whom he had two children: Sarah (died young, 1706); Sir Jacob Garrard Downing, 4th Baronet (1717–1764), MP for Dunwich, who inherited the baronetcy from his cousin in 1749 but who died without a male heir, leaving it extinct 4. Frances (died 1681); married John Cotton, heir of Sir John Cotton, 3rd Baronet; her husband died before his father, leaving the title to their son Sir John Cotton, 4th Baronet; 5. Philadelphia (died 8 March 1676), married Sir Henry Pickering, 2nd Baronet in Westminster Abbey and had three daughters. 6. Mary (died 1728), married Thomas Barnardiston; mother of Thomas Barnardiston, whose law reports became a legend for their inaccuracy; 7. Lucy (died 1711), who married firstly the Irish statesman Sir Richard Bulkeley, 2nd Baronet, and secondly the Irish judge William Worth, but had no surviving issue by either marriage. He was buried in the family vault he had had built in All Saints' Church in the village of Croydon in Cambridgeshire. While Downing Street, London, is named after him, Downing College, Cambridge, derives its name from his grandson, Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet. The title became extinct when the 3rd Baronet's cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet, died in 1764. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Downing,_1st_Baronet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Downing_College_Bird's_Eye Cambridge Upon the death of Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet in 1749, the wealth left by his grandfather, Sir George Downing, who served both Cromwell and Charles II and built 10 Downing Street (a door formerly from Number 10 is in use in the college), was applied by his will. Under this will, as he had no direct issue (he was legally separated from his wife), the family fortune was left to his cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, and if he died without heir, to three cousins in succession. If they all died without issue, the estates were to be used to found a college at Cambridge called Downing. Sir Jacob died in 1764, and as the other named heirs had also died, the college should have come into existence then, but Sir Jacob's widow, Margaret, refused to give up the estates and the various relatives who were Sir George's legal heirs had to take costly and prolonged action in the Court of Chancery to compel her to do so. She died in 1778 but her second husband and the son of her sister continued to resist the heirs-at-law's action until 1800 when the Court decided in favour of Sir George's will and George III granted Downing a Royal Charter, marking the official foundation of the college. The architect William Wilkins was commissioned by the trustees of the Downing estate, who included the Master of Clare College and St John's College and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, to design the plan for the college. Wilkins, a disciple of the neo-classical architectural style, designed the first wholly campus-based college plan in the world based on a magnificent entrance on Downing Street reaching back to form the largest quadrangle in Cambridge, extending to Lensfield Road. But this was not to be. The estate was much reduced by the suit in Chancery, and the grand plans failed. Much of the north side of what was then the "Pembroke Leys" was sold to the University and is now home to scientific buildings ("The Downing Site"). In fact, only limited East and West ranges were initially built, with the plans for a library and chapel on the south face of the college shelved. Downing College Chapel, built in 1951 The third side of the square was only completed in 1951 with the building of the college chapel. Where the fourth side would have been is now a large paddock (known simply as "The Paddock"), with many trees. Though not fully enclosed, the court formed before the Downing College is perhaps largest in Cambridge or Oxford (a title contested with Trinity College's Great Court). An urban legend amongst Cambridge students claims that Trinity pays an undisclosed sum to the college annually with the condition that it will never build the fourth side of the square, so that Trinity may maintain the distinction of having the largest enclosed court of all colleges of Cambridge.[citation needed] The college is renowned for its strong Legal and Medical tradition, the former subject being built up by the late Professor Clive Parry, his pupil and successor John Hopkins (now an emeritus fellow) and the current Director of Studies in Law and Senior Tutor, Graham Virgo. Legal notables who have been honorary fellows of the college include the late Sir John Smith, the pre-eminent criminal lawyer of his generation, the first solicitor to be appointed to the Court of Appeal and House of Lords, Lord Collins of Mapesbury and Sir Robert Jennings, former President of the International Court of Justice. Downing has one of the biggest intakes in Law for undergraduate study. Although the College law society is named after Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranwoth, it is fabled that there exists a more secretive law society named the Three Kings. However, since identities of members have never been disclosed, this is doubted. Downing students remain prominent in the University world; in the past few years Cambridge Union Presidents, Blues captains, Law and Economic Society Presidents and more have hailed from the college. It is also a politically active college, but rather with politically active members and alumni occupying different parts of the British political spectrum, from the militant left to the extreme right (Nick Griffin, the leader of BNP, went to Downing). In this sense, it is quite different from other colleges, as the student body of many of the politically active colleges tend to incline toward one party or another. The college is also strong in the sports field, with its men's football team currently league champions (2008/9) and their rugby team resident in the upper echelons of Division 1. The newly re-established women's rugby team won cuppers in 2007. The boat club is successful too, with the Women's first boat gaining Lents Headship of the river in the 1994 Lent Bumps The men's first boat has held the headship several times in the 1980' and 1990's (for example in 1994 to 1996) while gaining the Mays headship in 1996, on each occasion recognising the tradition of "burning the boat" (using an old wooden 8 oared boat, while the rowers of the winning boat jump the flames)and remains near the top positions in both University bumps races [Lents and Mays] in 2010 ,[1] gregcurtis63

Educated: Harvard College — Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

Military: Scoutmaster-General of Commonwealth Forces in Scotland

Title of Nobility: Sir, Baronet

INDI:FSID: LR6P-4NV

INDI:_PHOTO: /Users/jtayloe/Documents/Family Tree Maker/Johnnie R Tayloe March 1 2019 Media/SirGeorgeDowning.jpg

Death: July 7, 1684 — Camlingay, Cambridgeshire, England

Burial: 1684 — All Saints Church, Croydon, Cambridgeshire, England

Links