Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar
Encyclopedia
Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar (9 July 1584 – 13 August 1639) was born in Staffordshire
, England
, about 1584, a son of Sir Edward Aston of Tixall
and Anne Lucy of Charlecote Park
.
At the coronation of King James I of England, Walter was honored with the Order of the Bath
. In 1611, he was created a baronet
. The event was particularly significant for the Aston family; as descendants of John Aston
, minor nobility of the Plantagenet
dynasty, they had little standing with the Tudor dynasty
which had driven the last Plantagenet, King Richard III
, from power when he was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field
in 1485.
In 1587, Sir Edward Aston, father of Walter, was the head of a commission appointed by Queen Elizabeth I to examine the letters and seal up the papers of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was then imprisoned at Chartley Castle
. Later, Sir Edward Aston was appointed High Sheriff of Staffordshire
, an office his ancestors had held since the time of King Edward III. A portrait in the Lichfield
home of his descendant Theophilus Levett
, painted in 1573, showed Sir Edward holding in one hand a medallion suspended from a gold chain, and bearing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. The family portrait likely celebrated the return to Royal favor of the Aston family.
In 1622, Sir Walter Aston was employed by the crown to negotiate a marriage between Charles, the Prince of Wales
, and the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain. For this service, he was elevated to the peerage on November 28, 1627, as Lord Aston of Forfar
.
Lord Aston married Gertrude, only daughter of Sir Thomas Sadler of Standon
. Lord Aston's sister Anne was married to Ambrose Elton, Esq., of The Hazle, Ledbury
, Herefordshire
, an Oxford graduate, JP and High Sheriff of Herefordshire
in 1618. Thomas Levett
of Lichfield, a great-grandson, erected a monument in honor of Ambrose Elton in 1753 in Ledbury Church, Ledbury
. Elton Levett of the same family, later of Nottingham, was named for his ancestor Elton. Elton Levett's daughter Frances married Hon. George Byron of the Lords Byron
of Newstead Abbey
.
Walter Aston died in 1639, and was succeeded by his son Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar
.
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, about 1584, a son of Sir Edward Aston of Tixall
Tixall
Tixall is a small village and former civil parish in the English county of Staffordshire lying on the western side of the Trent valley between Rugeley and Stone, Staffordshire and roughly 4 miles east of Stafford...
and Anne Lucy of Charlecote Park
Charlecote Park
Charlecote Park is a grand 16th century country house, surrounded by its own deer park, on the banks of the River Avon in Wellesbourne, about east of Stratford-upon-Avon and south of Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It has been administered by the National Trust since 1946 and is open to the public...
.
At the coronation of King James I of England, Walter was honored with the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. In 1611, he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. The event was particularly significant for the Aston family; as descendants of John Aston
Thomas Aston
Thomas Aston, born in 1480 in Checkley, Staffordshire, England was a minor noble of that area due to the marriage of his great-grandfather Roger Aston to Joyce Freville , a descendant of royalty...
, minor nobility of the Plantagenet
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
dynasty, they had little standing with the Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
which had driven the last Plantagenet, King Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, from power when he was slain at the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
in 1485.
In 1587, Sir Edward Aston, father of Walter, was the head of a commission appointed by Queen Elizabeth I to examine the letters and seal up the papers of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was then imprisoned at Chartley Castle
Chartley Castle
Chartley Castle lies in ruins to the north of the village of Stowe-by-Chartley in Staffordshire, between Stafford and Uttoxeter . It is a Grade II* listed building...
. Later, Sir Edward Aston was appointed High Sheriff of Staffordshire
High Sheriff of Staffordshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
, an office his ancestors had held since the time of King Edward III. A portrait in the Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
home of his descendant Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett was an attorney and early town clerk of Lichfield, Staffordshire, a prominent early Staffordshire politician and landowner, and a member of a thriving Lichfield social and intellectual circle which included his friends Samuel Johnson, the physician Erasmus Darwin, the writer Anna...
, painted in 1573, showed Sir Edward holding in one hand a medallion suspended from a gold chain, and bearing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. The family portrait likely celebrated the return to Royal favor of the Aston family.
In 1622, Sir Walter Aston was employed by the crown to negotiate a marriage between Charles, the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, and the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain. For this service, he was elevated to the peerage on November 28, 1627, as Lord Aston of Forfar
Lord Aston of Forfar
Lord Aston of Forfar was a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 28 November 1627 for Sir Walter Aston, Bt, who had been a baronet of Tixall Hall, Staffordshire on 22 May 1611...
.
Lord Aston married Gertrude, only daughter of Sir Thomas Sadler of Standon
Standon
Standon could be:*Standon, Hampshire*Standon, Hertfordshire*Standon, Staffordshire*Standon Green End, Hertfordshire...
. Lord Aston's sister Anne was married to Ambrose Elton, Esq., of The Hazle, Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, an Oxford graduate, JP and High Sheriff of Herefordshire
High Sheriff of Herefordshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now...
in 1618. Thomas Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
of Lichfield, a great-grandson, erected a monument in honor of Ambrose Elton in 1753 in Ledbury Church, Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
. Elton Levett of the same family, later of Nottingham, was named for his ancestor Elton. Elton Levett's daughter Frances married Hon. George Byron of the Lords Byron
Baron Byron
Baron Byron, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1643, by letters patent, for Sir John Byron, a Cavalier general and former Member of Parliament...
of Newstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, England, originally an Augustinian priory, is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron.-Monastic foundation:The priory of St...
.
Walter Aston died in 1639, and was succeeded by his son Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar
Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar
Walter Aston, 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar was a son of Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar, and Gertrude Sadleir of Standon.In 1639, he succeeded his father as Lord Aston of Forfar in the peerage of Scotland...
.