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Duke of Chandos
Duke of Chandos
Duke of Chandos
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The Dukedom of Chandos /ˈʃænˌdɒs, ˈʃɑːnˌdɒs/ was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, named for a fief in Normandy.[1] The Chandos peerage was first created as a barony by Edward III in 1337; its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mary I during Wyatt's rebellion, when she also gave them Sudeley Castle. The 9th Baron of the second creation was elevated to the dukedom in 1719, but after his grandson's death without male heirs, his titles all became extinct (the 1337 creation having previously become abeyant in 1602 upon the death of the 3rd Baron of the second creation without male issue).[2]

Key Information

History

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A Robert de Chandos went to Ireland with King John in 1185. His son Roger in 1221 received licence to hold a fair at Fownhope in 1221. The son of this Roger, another Robert de Chandos (d. 1302), participated in the Welsh expedition of Edward I. The son of Robert, Roger de Chandos, served in the Scottish wars of Edward II and received a knighthood. In 1321, he was sheriff of Herefordshire. He was succeeded by Thomas de Chandos.[3]

Thomas was succeeded by his brother Roger de Chandos (Rogerus de Chaundos). Roger was made knight banneret by Edward III. It was this Roger who was summoned to Parliament, and who was cited as Baron de Chandos between 1337 (11th year of Edward III) and 1355, counting as the first creation of the title.[4] Roger was succeeded by his son Thomas, who was in turn succeeded by his son John. Neither of these were summoned to Parliament, and are thus not named Baron Chandos explicitly, but counted as de jure 2nd and 3rd Barons Chandos, respectively. John, who defended Hereford Castle against Owain Glyndŵr in 1403, died without issue in 1428. The Chandos estates in Herefordshire passed to the surviving daughter of John's sister Elizabeth, wife of Nicholas Mattesden, and eventually to his great nephew Giles Brugge, de jure 4th Baron Chandos (son of Edward Brugge and Alice de Berkeley, whose mother was Margaret de Chandos). He became father to Thomas Brugge, 5th Baron Chandos (d. 1493).[3] Thomas' son, Giles Brugge, 6th Baron Chandos (d. 1511), held the office of High Sheriff of Gloucestershire for 1499.

A portrait of the 1st Duke of Chandos by Michael Dahl
Arms of Brydges, Dukes of Chandos: Argent, on a cross sable a leopard's face Or[5]

The son of Giles Brugge, John Brydges (d. 1557), was summoned to Parliament for Gloucestershire at some point before 1554. In 1554, he was given Sudeley Castle and created Baron Chandos, of Sudeley in the county of Gloucester, by Queen Mary I, in the second creation of the title.

The three succeeding barons were all Members of Parliament and persons of some importance—particularly Grey, 5th Baron, and his elder son George, 6th Baron. George had six daughters but no sons, and after the death of his brother William in 1676 the barony came to a kinsman, Sir James Brydges, Bart., who was English ambassador to Constantinople from 1680 to 1685.

The eighth baron's eldest son, James Brydges (1674–1744), succeeded his father as ninth Baron Chandos in 1714. In the same year, he was created Earl of Carnarvon (second creation) and Duke of Chandos in 1719. Subsidiary titles included Marquess of Carnarvon (1719) and Viscount Wilton (1714). All of these titles were in the Peerage of Great Britain.

The 1st Duke built an exceptionally grand country house called Cannons in Little Stanmore, Middlesex, that, though it was parodied in his lifetime, was a seat of great learning and culture: Handel was the resident composer from 1717 until 1719. Brydges' Cannons was demolished after his death, to pay the debts he incurred in the South Sea Bubble disaster, and by his son.[clarification needed] It was replaced by a modest villa built by William Hallett, and Cannons is now occupied by North London Collegiate School, whose archives contain some information on the duke, his second wife Cassandra Willoughby, and subsequent owners of Cannons. Author Jane Austen was descended from his sister Mary.

With the death of the third duke in 1789, the titles became extinct, and the barony became dormant. An attempt was made by Samuel Egerton Brydges to claim the barony, initially on behalf of his older brother Edward Tymewell Brydges and then on his own behalf. Litigation lasted from 1790 to 1803 before the claims were rejected, but Egerton Brydges continued to style himself per legem terrae Baron Chandos of Sudeley. It seems likely that not only was the claim groundless but that the evidence was forged.

List of title holders

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Barons Chandos, first creation (1337)

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The title is spelt 'Chaundos' in the Complete Peerage.[6]

Most sources[which?] read that the title became extinct upon the death of the 1st Lord, although others, such as the Complete Peerage, include the further holders listed above. The presumed 2nd Lord Chandos was High Sheriff of Herefordshire for 1359, 1370 and 1372 and the presumed 3rd Lord Chandos served the same office for 1382.

Barons Chandos, second creation (1554)

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Dukes of Chandos (1719)

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The 3rd Duke's son-in-law, the 2nd Marquess of Buckingham, was created Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1822.

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Duke of Chandos

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The Duke of Chandos was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, created on 29 April 1719 and held by three successive members of the Brydges family before becoming extinct in 1789 upon the death of the third duke without male heirs. The most prominent holder was the first duke, James Brydges (1673–1744), a British landowner, Whig politician, and financier who inherited the ancient Barony of Chandos in 1714 and was elevated to the dukedom by King George I for his political support and administrative services. Born the eldest son of Sir James Brydges, 3rd Baronet of Wilton, he entered Parliament as MP for Hereford in 1698 and served until 1714, aligning with the Whig faction and the Duke of Marlborough. From 1705 to 1713, as Paymaster-General of the Forces Abroad during the War of the Spanish Succession, he managed over £24 million in public funds, legitimately accumulating a fortune estimated at £600,000 through commissions and investments, though he was later cleared of any malfeasance in audits completed by 1718. His wealth enabled lavish patronage of the arts; in 1717, he employed composer George Frideric Handel as Kapellmeister at his Edgware estate, Cannons, where Handel produced the Chandos Anthems (HWV 245–256) and other works between 1717 and 1718. Brydges rebuilt Cannons into a grand Baroque palace by 1725 at a cost of £160,000, featuring an orchestra, exotic gardens, and collections of art, plants, and animals sourced from Europe and the Americas, establishing him as one of the era's leading connoisseurs. Financial ambition led Brydges into riskier ventures, including a controlling stake in the Royal African Company in 1720, where he redirected efforts toward African botanical and mineral trade after the company's slave trade monopoly ended, though the strategy yielded no dividends. He suffered severe losses in the 1720 South Sea Bubble collapse, yet recovered through strategic marriages: to Mary Lake (d. 1712), bringing the Canons estate; to Cassandra Willoughby (d. 1735), a botanist and co-heiress; and in 1736 to Lydia van Hattem, whose £40,000 dowry bolstered his finances. The second duke, Henry Brydges (1708–1771), inherited heavy debts and sold Cannons in 1747, leading to its demolition and dispersal of contents, including architectural elements later used in London's National Gallery. His son, the third duke, James Brydges (1731–1789), faced similar financial woes, residing at estates like Minchenden House and Chandos House before his death in September 1789 rendered the dukedom extinct, with the family's barony falling dormant except for the Scottish Lordship of Kinloss passing through female lines. The Chandos legacy endures in cultural history through Handel's compositions and the preserved grounds of Canons Park, now a public space in Harrow, London.

History

Origins and Early Baronial Creations (1337–1554)

The barony of Chandos was first created on 27 January by writ of summons from King Edward III, elevating Roger de Chandos to the as a reward for his longstanding military service in the Scottish wars under Edward II and early in Edward III's reign, where he served as a and banneret. The title was linked to ancestral estates in , notably the manor of Snodhill in Peterchurch, which had been held by the Chandos family since the and formed the core of the baronial holdings. Roger's elevation reflected Edward III's strategy to bolster loyalty among the through grants amid ongoing border conflicts with . Members of the Chandos family distinguished themselves in the , contributing significantly to Edward III's continental campaigns against . The first creation lapsed into dormancy following the death of , the third baron, on 16 December 1428 without male issue, as the title passed into among the co-heiresses—his sisters Margaret (who married Thomas Clifford) and Elizabeth (who married Sir John Berkeley)—complicating direct male-line succession under the era's rules. This female-line inheritance issue left the barony dormant for over a century, with estates dispersing among descendants until claims resurfaced in the . In 1554, Queen Mary I revived the title through a new creation, summoning John Brydges to as Baron Chandos of Sudeley on 8 , in recognition of his pivotal role as Lieutenant of the and his efforts in quelling earlier that year, a Protestant uprising against Mary's Catholic-leaning policies and her planned marriage to . The grant included in , enhancing the baronial estate and symbolizing the Tudor monarch's favor toward loyal Catholic adherents amid efforts to restore Roman influence in England. This second creation effectively superseded the dormant first barony, tying the title to the Brydges lineage through prior female descent from the original Chandos holders.

The Brydges Inheritance and Elevation to Dukedom (1554–1719)

The Brydges family, originating in Herefordshire and establishing itself as major landowners in Gloucestershire during the 14th and 15th centuries, traced its claim to the Chandos title through the marriage of Thomas Brydges to a descendant of Sir John Chandos (d. 1428) of Fownhope, Herefordshire. This connection culminated in a new creation of the barony when Sir John Brydges, a veteran of Henry VIII's French wars and knighted in 1513, was elevated to Baron Chandos of Sudeley on 8 April 1554 by Queen Mary I. The grant recognized his loyal service as Lieutenant of the Tower of London from August 1553 to June 1554, during which he supervised the imprisonment of high-profile figures including Lady Jane Grey, whom he escorted to her execution, and Princess Elizabeth. John Brydges' son and heir, , succeeded as 2nd Baron Chandos in April 1557 and further solidified the family's status through appointments such as Knight of the Garter in 1557 and of . In the , the Brydges barons deepened their involvement in court and governance; Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron from 1573, served as steward of in 1573 and of from 1586 until his death in 1594, while maintaining oversight of Braydon Forest. Grey Brydges, 5th Baron from 1602, exemplified Jacobean courtly influence as a prominent nobleman and entertainer, participating in Ben Jonson's The Challenge at a Tilt in 1614, patronizing a company of players, and hosting lavish events at that earned him the epithet "King of the ." His career also included joint Lord Lieutenancy of from 1603 (sole from 1613), membership in the Council in the Marches of from 1617, and implication in the 1601 Essex Rebellion, for which he was briefly imprisoned and fined. The family's royalist allegiance during the , exemplified by George Brydges, 6th Baron's support for Charles I—including attempts to enforce the Commission of Array in 1642—led to temporary setbacks but positioned them for recovery under the Restoration. James Brydges, who became 8th Baron in 1676, bolstered the dynasty's prestige and wealth through diplomatic service as ambassador of the Turkey Company to from 1680 to 1684, appointed despite Charles II's reservations about his political views, enhancing trade ties and family influence. By the late , strategic marriages and regained estates had solidified the Brydges as significant landowners across , , and beyond. The trajectory toward dukedom accelerated with James Brydges (1674–1744), son of the 8th Baron and heir to the title, whose appointment as Paymaster-General of the Forces Abroad from 1705 to 1713 during the enabled him to accumulate a vast fortune—estimated at over £600,000—through the investment and management of public military funds. His financial acumen, though later scrutinized for irregularities, funded extensive land acquisitions and positioned him as one of Britain's wealthiest figures. Following George I's accession in 1714, Brydges cultivated ties with the Hanoverian administration, securing elevations first to and in 1714, then to Duke of Chandos, Marquess of Chandos, and Earl of Stowe in 1719 as a reward for his political loyalty amid the speculative boom of the , in which he held substantial interests. This apex of the Brydges' ascent marked the transition from baronial continuity to ducal prominence, reflecting their enduring adaptation to Stuart and early Hanoverian politics.

The Dukedom Period and Extinction (1719–1789)

The dukedom of Chandos was created on 29 April 1719 for James Brydges, 9th Baron Chandos, who had previously been elevated to the earldom of Carnarvon in 1714, marking the culmination of his rapid rise through political and financial influence. Shortly after the creation, Brydges faced severe financial repercussions from his heavy investments in speculative ventures, culminating in the collapse of the in 1720, known as the South Sea Bubble. He lost approximately £700,000 in the crash, which severely diminished his fortune and forced the abandonment of ambitious building projects, including a grand townhouse on . Brydges achieved partial recovery through strategic measures, such as selling his London residence on St James’s Square and marrying Lydia Catherine van Hattem in 1736, whose £40,000 provided crucial financial relief. Despite these efforts, he died on 9 August 1744 deeply in debt, with outstanding obligations exceeding £83,000, though his estates generated an annual income of £8,500. His son, Henry Brydges, succeeded as 2nd Duke of Chandos. Henry Brydges' tenure as duke, from 1744 until his death on 28 November 1771, was characterized by political withdrawal and a focus on managing the family's encumbered estates. Having served as a for several constituencies between 1727 and 1744, he largely ceased active involvement in politics after inheriting the dukedom, aligning only sporadically with opposition groups earlier in his career. Financial pressures dominated his time, as he sold or mortgaged portions of the estates to alleviate debts accumulated from elections and inheritance, while holding minor offices such as clerk of the hanaper. Upon Henry's death, the title passed to his grandson, James Brydges, as 3rd Duke of Chandos, who inherited on 28 November 1771. The 3rd Duke's first marriage in 1753 to Margaret Nicol, daughter of John Nicol of Minchenden House, produced no children and ended with her death in 1768; his second marriage in 1777 to Anne Eliza Gamon, , yielded only daughters, leaving him without male heirs. He died on 29 1789 at age 57 from injuries received in a fall while attempting to remount his horse following a accident at Tunbridge Wells, causing the dukedom and all associated English peerages—including the marquessate and earldom of Carnarvon, viscountcy of Wilton, and barony of Chandos—to become extinct, with only the Scottish lordship of Kinloss passing to his surviving daughter, Anne Eliza. In the aftermath, distant relative Samuel Egerton Brydges, a and genealogist claiming descent from a of the family, pursued revival of the barony of Chandos through parliamentary petition. In 1799, he published a supporting his brother's claim, which the rejected in 1803 after prolonged litigation, as Brydges could not sufficiently prove an unbroken male line of succession under the title's original limitations. He was created a in 1814. The extinction reinforced precedents in British peerage law regarding remainders limited to "heirs male," ensuring that subsidiary titles like the earldom of Carnarvon, created as integral to the dukedom with identical succession terms, could not devolve separately or to lines, thereby preventing fragmentation and upholding the of noble creations despite the Brydges' financial and dynastic decline.

Title Holders

Barons Chandos, First Creation (1337)

The Barons Chandos of the first creation trace their origin to a of issued by King Edward III on 13 March 1336/7, elevating Roger de Chandos to the as the inaugural holder. This medieval barony, associated with lands in and , passed through three generations before falling into upon the death of the last male heir. The succession of holders is as follows:
TitleNameBirth/Death DatesSuccession Details and Notes
1st Baron ChandosRoger de Chandosc. 1298 – 24 September 1353Summoned to 1337–1353; served in the early phases of the , including campaigns in ; died while in royal service abroad, leaving his son as heir.
2nd Baron Chandos ()Thomas de Chandosc. 1333 – 6 October 1375Succeeded his father in 1353; never formally summoned to but recognized as heir; participated in military expeditions to France under the Black Prince; died without legitimate male issue, passing the claim to his son.
3rd Baron Chandos ()John de Chandosc. 1349 – 18 December 1428Succeeded his father in 1375; served as a knight in , holding estates at Snodhill; sat in multiple times (1386–1414) and held local offices such as of (1401–1402); died unmarried and without legitimate issue at Radnor, causing the barony to fall into among his sisters' descendants.
No attainders or reversals affected this line during its active period, though later coheirs through the female descendants, including the Brydges family, advanced claims to the barony in subsequent centuries. The title remained abeyant after 1428 due to the lack of male heirs, effectively extinguishing the direct Chandos male line.

Barons Chandos, Second Creation (1554)

The second creation of the Barony of Chandos was granted on 8 April 1554 to Sir John Brydges, an English soldier and administrator who had served as Lieutenant of the during the turbulent accession of Queen Mary I. This revival of the title, extinct since 1428 in its first creation, passed through the Brydges family of , , a lineage noted for , parliamentary representation, and local in the . The barons held the title continuously until its elevation to a dukedom in 1719, with eight holders preceding the promotion. The Brydges barons were often involved in regional administration, such as lord-lieutenancies in , and several served in the before succeeding to the peerage. No subsidiary titles were created during this period, though the family acquired baronetcies in through collateral branches.
BaronNameSuccessionDeath DateNotable Offices and Facts
1stJohn BrydgesCreated 8 April 155412 April 1557Knighted 1513; MP for (1529–1536); of (1549–1550); lieutenant of Boulogne (1544, 1547); lieutenant of the (1553–1554). Supported Mary I's accession; guarded Princess Elizabeth with noted leniency and suppressed . Succeeded by eldest son Edmund.
2ndEdmund Brydges, KGSucceeded father 12 April 155712 March 1573Knighted 1547; MP for Wootton Bassett (1545–1557); of (1559); of the (1572). Fought at Pinkie Cleugh (1547); involved in a case for poaching and affray (1550s). Succeeded by son Giles.
3rdGiles BrydgesSucceeded father 11 March 157321 February 1594MP for (1571); of . Died without surviving male issue; succeeded by brother William.
4thWilliam BrydgesSucceeded brother 21 February 159418 November 1602MP for (1572–1583) and (1584–1587); steward of (1594); member of the Council in the Marches of (1594); keeper of Braydon Forest (1594). Lived unobtrusively as a younger son until succession; appointed to parliamentary subsidy committees. Succeeded by son Grey.
5thGrey BrydgesSucceeded father 18 November 160210 August 1621MP for (1597–1598); of (1613–1621); of the Bath (1603/4). Succeeded by son George.
6thGeorge BrydgesSucceeded father 10 August 1621February 1655 of (appointed 1641/2, royalist allegiance). Married twice but died without surviving male issue; succeeded by brother William.
7thWilliam BrydgesSucceeded brother February 165522 August 1676Died without male issue; succeeded by third cousin James Brydges.
8thJames BrydgesSucceeded third cousin 22 August 167616 October 1714Also 3rd of Wilton Castle; of (1667–1668); ambassador to the (1680–1686). Succeeded by son James, who was elevated to the dukedom in 1719.

Dukes of Chandos (1719)

James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1674–1744)
James Brydges was the eldest son of James Brydges, 8th Baron Chandos of Sudeley, and succeeded his father as the 9th Baron Chandos in 1714. He was created Marquess of Carnarvon and Duke of Chandos on 29 April 1719. From 1705 to 1713, he served as Paymaster-General of the Forces Abroad during the , managing substantial public funds. He married three times: first to Mary Lake in 1696, with whom he had several children including Henry, the 2nd Duke; second to Cassandra Willoughby, Dowager Countess of Anglesey, in 1713; and third to Lydia van Hattem in 1736. Brydges died on 9 August 1744 at his seat in , aged 70. Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos (1708–1771)
Henry Brydges was the only surviving son of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, and his first wife Mary Lake; he was born on 17 January 1708. He succeeded his father as 2nd Duke of Chandos on 9 August 1744. Brydges served as for (1727–1734), (1734–1741), and (1741–1744), but his parliamentary activity was unremarkable, with no speeches recorded and limited involvement beyond supporting the administration. He married three times: first to , daughter of Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury, on 21 December 1728, with whom he had children including James, the 3rd Duke, before her death in 1738; second to Anne Wells, a former servant, on 25 December 1744, with no issue; and third to Elizabeth Major on 18 July 1767, also without children. He died on 28 November 1771, aged 63. James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos (1731–1789)
James Brydges was the eldest son of Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos, and his first wife Lady Mary Bruce; he was born on 16 December 1731. Styled Marquess of Carnarvon after 1744, he succeeded his father as 3rd Duke of Chandos on 28 November 1771. He served as for (1754–1761) and (1761–1768), generally supporting the Whig administration. Brydges married twice: first to Margaret Nicol on 22 March 1753, with no children; and second to Anne Eliza Gamon on 20 June 1777, with whom he had one daughter, Lady Anne Elizabeth Brydges, but no sons. Upon his death on 29 September 1789 at age 57, the Dukedom of Chandos became extinct, as did the associated marquessate, earldom, and barony of Chandos of Sudeley, with only the Lordship of Kinloss passing to his daughter.

Legacy

Residences and Estates

The principal residences associated with the Chandos title were tied to the Brydges family's inheritance, beginning with in , which served as the primary seat for the Barons Chandos following the second creation of the title in 1554. Sudeley had been granted to Sir John Brydges by Queen Mary I in 1554 as a reward for his service as Lieutenant of the , and upon Brydges's elevation to Baron Chandos of Sudeley by Queen Mary I on 8 April 1554, the castle became the family's ancestral home, symbolizing their rising status in the Tudor nobility. Under successive Barons, including Edmund Brydges (d. 1573) and Giles Brydges (d. 1594), Sudeley underwent significant remodeling in the Elizabethan style, featuring ornate gardens and interiors that hosted royal visits, such as those by Queen Elizabeth I in 1575 and 1592. The castle's role as a fortified residence underscored the family's military and political influence, though it fell into partial ruin after the death of the 6th Baron, George Brydges, in 1655. During the , functioned as a stronghold, with King Charles I and Prince Rupert using it as a headquarters in 1643, leading to its surrender after a brief by Parliamentary forces under Edward Massey in January 1643. The castle was subsequently garrisoned by and slighted—deliberately damaged to render it indefensible—on Oliver Cromwell's orders in 1649, resulting in the destruction of much of its defensive structures and interiors, and Lord Chandos received £1,000 in compensation but never returned to reside there. Neglected for nearly two centuries, the property passed out of direct Chandos hands after the barony's merger with the dukedom in , though it remained linked to the family's legacy until sold at auction in by Lord Rivers to , the . Restored in the mid-19th century by brothers John and Dent starting in 1837, with further enhancements by Emma Dent in the 1860s–1880s, Sudeley now stands as a Grade I listed and popular , managed by the Dent-Brocklehurst family since their acquisition in 1837 and featuring ten restored cottages within its grounds. In the early , James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, elevated the family's estates through ambitious building projects funded by his accumulated wealth as of the Forces Abroad. Cannons House in , acquired by Brydges in 1713 as part of his first wife's from the Lake family, was transformed between 1715 and 1720 into a grand palace at a cost of over £160,000, incorporating designs by architects such as and John James, with interiors adorned by Grinling Gibbons's woodcarvings and Louis Laguerre's murals. The estate's opulence extended to its 300-acre grounds, featuring formal gardens by Charles Bridgeman and an aviary, reflecting the Duke's vision of a Versailles-like retreat near London that hosted musicians like as resident composer from 1717 to 1718. However, financial strains from the South Sea Bubble collapse in 1720 eroded the Duke's fortune, and after his death in 1744, his successor Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke, faced mounting debts that necessitated the estate's sale in 1747. The demolition of Cannons House began immediately after its sale to William Drake, who found the maintenance costs prohibitive, with the structure razed by 1750 to make way for smaller villas and the materials repurposed in local buildings. The contents were dispersed through a series of auctions in July 1747, yielding over £10,000; notable items included the marble staircase relocated to Chesterfield House in , stained-glass windows transferred to Great Witley Church in , and furniture pieces scattered to collections across and beyond. Today, the site forms part of Canons Park in Harrow, with remnants like the (now a school building) and avenues of lime trees preserving echoes of the original . The 1st Duke also maintained a London townhouse, acquiring what became known as at No. 10 (formerly Ormonde House) in January 1719/20 for £10,000 through a negotiated purchase from the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates. Brydges invested in alterations, including decorative enhancements, valuing the property at £11,000 by , using it as a base for his political and social activities in Westminster. Financial pressures prompted its sale in 1735 to Benjamin Timbrell for £8,400, after which the house was demolished in 1736 to construct three narrower townhouses (Nos. 9–11 ). The site now hosts the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Nos. 9 and 10, protected by preservation orders since 1959, though the original Chandos structure no longer exists. Beyond these key properties, the Brydges inheritance encompassed estates in and , derived from medieval holdings and marriages, such as lands in and properties around Wilton Castle, which bolstered the family's wealth but were gradually alienated after the dukedom's in 1789. These Welsh assets, including manors tied to the Barons' early Brydges lineage, contributed to the economic base that enabled later Chandos extravagance, though specific details on their management faded with the title's dormancy.

Cultural Patronage and Family Connections

James Brydges, the 1st Duke of Chandos, served as a significant patron of , particularly supporting from August 1717 to 1719 at his Cannons estate. During this period, Handel composed the eleven Chandos Anthems (HWV 246–256), including works such as O Sing unto the Lord (HWV 249b) and Let God Arise (HWV 256a), along with revisions to anthems like As Pants the Hart (HWV 251b) and the Esther. These compositions, featuring intimate three-part choruses and orchestral elements with prominent parts, were tailored for the duke's private chapel and contributed to the development of English sacred music by blending Anglican liturgical texts with Handel's dramatic style. The duke's support exemplified aristocratic involvement in cultural endeavors, influencing practices of commissioning music and to project status and piety in early 18th-century . The Chandos title's family connections extended through the Brydges lineage, notably linking to author via her maternal ancestry. Austen's descent traces to the Brydges family, including the Barons Chandos, through her grandmother Jane Brydges (daughter of Sir Thomas Brydges), establishing a cousinly relation to the 1st Duke as a great-great-uncle on that side. In the , literary figure Samuel Egerton Brydges pursued a claim to the dormant Chandos barony on behalf of his brother Edward Tymewell Brydges in 1789, asserting descent from Anthony Brydges, third son of the 1st Baron Chandos; the rejected this after hearings from 1790 to 1803, citing insufficient genealogical proof. Brydges continued advocating the claim personally until his death, styling himself per legem terrae Baron Chandos, though further investigations in 1834 confirmed its invalidity. Following the extinction of the dukedom in 1789 with the death of the 3rd Duke, the family's art collections were dispersed through auctions and inheritances, with notable items from later Chandos heirs entering public institutions such as the . The 1st Duke's lavish assemblage at Cannons, including paintings and furnishings, was sold off after his 1744 death, symbolizing the transient nature of noble opulence and shaping discussions on aristocratic collecting in Georgian Britain. In modern times, the Duke of Chandos title remains absent from the active British peerage, having become extinct without male heirs. However, ancestral estates like endure through descendants and related lines, preserved since the 19th century by the Dent Brocklehurst family, who acquired and restored the property in 1837, maintaining its Tudor and Georgian features as a private residence and public site.

References

  1. https://www.southgategreen.org.uk/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dukes-of-chandos/
  2. https://historyofparliament.com/2024/09/03/the-case-of-james-brydges-1st-duke-chandos/
  3. https://www.baroquemusic.org/chandos.html
  4. https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/making-heritage-accessible-the-duke-of-chandos-and-canons-park
  5. https://thebhc.org/first-duke-chandos-and-royal-african-company
  6. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/chandos-sir-john-1349-1428
  7. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/brydges-sir-john-1492-1557
  8. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Brydges-1st-Baron-Chandos-of-Sudeley
  9. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/brydges-edmund-1520-73
  10. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/brydges-giles-1548-94
  11. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/brydges-gray-1579-1621
  12. https://mercuriuspoliticus.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/the-attack-on-lord-chandos-final.pdf
  13. https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2592/2/English_book_owners_in_the_seventeenth_century_2010_-_revised.pdf
  14. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/chandos1719.htm
  15. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/brydges-henry-1708-71
  16. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/brydges-james-1731-89
  17. https://www.thepeerage.com/p1252.htm
  18. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/brydges-samuel-egerton-1762-1837
  19. https://www.geni.com/people/Sir-Roger-de-Chaundos-1st-Lord-Chaundos/6000000003495332865
  20. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120374132/thomas_de-chandos
  21. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/chandos1554.htm
  22. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/brydges-william-1548-1602
  23. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography%2C_1885-1900/Brydges%2C_James
  24. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/brydges-hon-james-1674-1744
  25. https://castlesandlegends.com/castles/sudeley-castle/
  26. https://sudeleycastle.co.uk/history
  27. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/the-salvation-of-sudeley-castle-how-one-of-the-finest-castles-in-the-cotswolds-was-saved-from-ruin-219149
  28. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/cannons-middlesex-a-brilliant-opulent-and-sadly-short-lived-baroque-masterpiece-scattered-into-homes-across-the-country-212733
  29. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1286403
  30. https://londongardenstrust.org/conservation/publications/the-gardens-of-canons/
  31. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols29-30/pt1/pp118-134
  32. https://europeanheraldry.org/united-kingdom/families/families-b/house-brydges11/
  33. https://www.arcangelo.org.uk/releases/handel-chandos-anthems/
  34. https://academic.oup.com/jhc/article-abstract/20/1/149/629118
  35. https://jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number13/mcaleer.htm
  36. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG70727
  37. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/explore/by-publication/kerslake/early-georgian-portraits-catalogue-chandos
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