Thursday 14 April 2022

General Gage


The family of GAGE, which is of Norman extraction, derives its descent from De Gaga, Guage, or Gage, who accompanied WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR into England, and was rewarded with large grants of land in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire; adjacent to which forest he fixed his abode, and erected a seat at Clearwell. He also built a large mansion house in the town of Cirencester, where he died, and was buried in the abbey there.


The ancestor of the present Lord Gage,

JOHN GAGE, whose name is found in deeds during the time of HENRY IV, and who was lineally descended from the Norman, left a son,

JOHN GAGE, who married Joan, daughter and co-heir of John Sudgrove, of Sudgrove, Gloucestershire.

The son and successor of this John,

SIR JOHN GAGE (c1420-75/6), Knight, made great additions to his estate by purchases, and, further, by marrying Eleanor, daughter and heir of Thomas St Clere, lord of the manor of Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, and had issue,
WILLIAM;
John, ancestor of GAGE OF RATHLIN ISLAND;
The elder son,

WILLIAM GAGE (c1456-96), who resided at Bristow, in Surrey, wedded Agnes, daughter of Benjamin Bolney, and was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON SIR JOHN GAGE KG (1479-1556), a distinguished soldier and statesman in the reigns of HENRY VIII, EDWARD VI, and QUEEN MARY, whose services are thus detailed in an ancient manuscript written by his third son, Robert Gage.

This eminent person espoused Philippa, daughter of Sir Richard Guildford KG, and had issue,
EDWARD, his heir;
John;
Robert;
William;
Alice; Anne; Elizabeth Cicily.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR EDWARD GAGE KB, of Firle, Sussex, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Parker, and had issue,
JOHN, his heir;
Edward;
Thomas;
Agnes; Philippa; Mary; Margery; Lucy; Margaret.
Sir Edward died in 1568, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN GAGE, at whose decease, in 1595, without issue, the estates, including no less than fifteen manors, devolved upon his nephew,

JOHN GAGE, who was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Firle, Sussex.

Sir John wedded Penelope, daughter of Thomas Darcy, 1st Earl Rivers, and had issue,
THOMAS, his successor;
John;
Edward;
Henry;
Frances; Penelope; Elizabeth; Anne.
Sir John died in 1633, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 2nd Baronet, who wedded, in 1635, Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of John Chamberlain, of Sherburn, Oxfordshire, and had issue,
THOMAS, his successor;
JOHN, 4th Baronet;
Henry, dsp;
Joseph, of Sherburn;
Catherine; Mary; Frances.
Sir Thomas died in 1654, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 3rd Baronet, who died unmarried in 1660, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR JOHN GAGE, 4th Baronet (c1642-99), who espoused firstly, Mary, daughter of Robert Middlemore, of Edgebaston, Warwickshire, and had issue,
Bridget; Mary.
He married secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir William Stanley Bt, and had further issue,
JOHN, 5th Baronet;
THOMAS, 6th Baronet;
WILLIAM, 7th Baronet;
Mary.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN GAGE, 5th Baronet (c1691-1700), who was succeeded by his brother,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 6th Baronet (c1694-1713), who died on his travels, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

SIR WILLIAM GAGE, 7th Baronet (1695-1744), KB, who, conforming to the Church of England, was elected to the last Parliament of GEORGE I, as MP for Seaford, 1727-44.

Sir William died unmarried, in 1744, and his sisters, Lady Shelley and the Viscountess Fauconberg, became his co-heirs, while the title reverted to his kinsman,

THOMAS GAGE, as 8th Baronet (c1702-54); who was created, in 1720, Baron Gage, of Castlebar, County Mayo, and VISCOUNT GAGE, of Castle Island, County Kerry.

His lordship married firstly, in 1717, Benedicta Maria, Theresa, only daughter and heir of Benedict Hall, of High Meadow, Gloucestershire, and had issue,
William Hall, his successor;
THOMAS, of whom we treat;
Theresa.
He wedded secondly, in 1750, Jane, widow of Henry Jermyn Bond, by whom he had no child.

His lordship's younger son,

THE HON THOMAS GAGE (c1718-87), the celebrated General Gage, Commander-in-Chief, North America, 1763-75, Governor of Massachusetts Bay, 1774-5, wedded, in 1758, Margaret, daughter of Peter Kemble, President of the New Jersey Provincial Council, and had issue,
HENRY, his successor;
John;
William Hall (Admiral Sir, GCB);
Maria; Charlotte; Harriet; Louisa; Emily.

General Gage was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY GAGE (1761-1808), who succeeded to the viscountcy of Gage following the decease of his uncle, the 2nd Viscount.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon Henry William Gage (b 1975).

Gage arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

1 comment :

JSMac said...

The same family had the Manor House on Rathlin.