The Lilleshall collection is part of the archive of the Leveson-Gowers, Dukes of Sutherland, recording the family's activities in Shropshire. The earliest representatives of the family of Leveson (pronounced ''loosn'') came from Wolverhampton, where they acquired considerable wealth as merchants. Taking advantage of the property bonanza resulting from the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid-1500s, James Leveson invested his wealth in landed estates in Shropshire and Staffordshire, purchasing the lands of Lilleshall Abbey and Trentham Priory. His brother, Nicholas Leveson, had settled in London and acquired the estate of Haling in Kent. The next three generations of Levesons were headed by Sir Richard Leveson, who served as Sheriff of Shropshire in 1557, Sir Walter Leveson, who invested heavily in improvements on his estates, and the second Sir Richard Leveson, who served as vice-admiral of the Fleet during the struggle with the Armada. With his death the Shropshire and Staffordshire estates passed to the line of the family descending from Nicholas Leveson of Haling. Its representative at the time was Sir John Leveson, under-sheriff of Kent. With the marriage during the first half of the 17th century of Sir John's granddaughter Frances Leveson to Sir Thomas Gower (pronounced ''gore'') the Levesons merged with another wealthy clan, the Gowers, who had been settled at Stittenham in Yorkshire since the 11th century. In 1703 Sir John Leveson Gower was created Baron Gower. His son became Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham and the next generation saw the creation of the Marquessate of Stafford. As a consequence of his marriage in 1785 to the Countess of Sutherland, the first Marquess of Stafford added a substantial part of northern Scotland to the family's landholding. In 1833 he was created Duke of Sutherland. The present (2007) head of the family is Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland, the Dukedom having passed to the Earls of Egerton, descendants of the first Duke's second son. There are three main groups of records: the title deeds and other documents of Lilleshall Abbey (from 1145), a run of leases of property on the Lilleshall Estate (1542-1759), and records concerning the estate's management from the end of the 18th century. In the 19th Century the Lilleshall Estate Office managed the South Staffordshire Estates including Wolverhampton, Rowley Regis, Great Wyrley and Little Wyrley. The work of the estate was mainly concerned with agriculture; its role in mining and industry was that of landlord. The family can be said to be the founders of the Lillehall Company, but it was settled on a younger son and became an unrelated concern. Family pedigree available as a PDF file attached to this record
Related Material
See the Sutherland Collection at Staffordshire Record Office D593/. This Collection is also available on Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service's Online Catalogue (Gateway to the Past)
A number of published items are also available which provide additional information records within the Lilleshall Collection:
1. Antiquities of Shropshire by R. W. Eyton, 1854-60
2. A history of Shropshire volume XI; Telford. The Victoria history of the counties of England edited by George C. Baugh, 1985
3. The cartulary of Lilleshall Abbey edited by Una Rees, 1997
4. The cartulary of Haughmond Abbey edited by Una Rees, 1985
5. The cartulary of Shrewsbury Abbey edited by Una Rees, 1975
6. Disputes in the Weald Moors in the late 16th and early 17th centuries by P R Edwards. Article in TSAS Vol LXIII, 1985
7. The Wealdmoors, 1560-1660 by M C Hill in. TSAS Vol LIV, 1953.
8. The demesne and the waste: A study of medieval inclosure on the manor of High Ercall, 1086-1399 by M C Hill. Article in TSAS Vol LXII, 1984
Unpublished:
1. The Duke of Sutherland Cottage (dissertation) by M. Guppy. Reference: qK71.4 (Shropshire Archives Local Studies Collection)
