John St Aubyn (1829 - 1908)

Born 23 Oct 1829 in Clowance, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Clementina (Townshend) St Aubyn — married 15 Jul 1856 (to 1908) in England

Descendants

Died 14 May 1908 at age 78 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Sir John St Aubyn Bart. was a British Liberal politician and Member of Parliament for West Cornwall from 1858 to 1885 and for St Ives from 1885 to 1887. He was raised to the Peerage in 1887 as 1st Baron St Levan.

The St Aubyn's

John was the eldest son of Edward St Aubyn and his wife Emma (Knollys) St. Aubyn (1806-1887), the daughter of the General William Knollys. He was born on 23 October 1829^{[1] [2]} at Clowance, his father's country estate near Crowan in Cornwall and baptised on 4 November at St Crewenna's church in Crowan. ^[3]. The St Aubyn's family had a long history in Cornwall; they had owned Clowance since the latter part of the 14th century and it is thought that the family originally came to England with William the Conquerer ^[4]

John was born Mr John St Aubyn. However in 1866, Queen Victoria revived the St Aubyn baronetcy for John's father Edward St Aubyn (1799-1872). It had lapsed in 1839 with the death of John's grand father, Sir John St Aubyn (1758-1839), the 4th Baronet, because his children (including Edward) were born before he married Juliana (Vinicombe) St Aubyn (1770-), his mistress. John succeeded his father as 2nd Baronet, becoming Sir John St Aubyn Bart. on 30 November 1872^[5]

He was raised to the Peerage as Baron St Levan, of St Michael's Mount in 1887.

Lord St Levan died on 17 May 1908^[1]. His death was registered in the district of Eastbourne ^[6] He was buried in Marazion cemetery ^[1]

Education

John was educated at Eton and at Trinity College Cambridge where he matriculated in 1848, obtained his B.A. in 1852 and his M.A. 1897. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in November 1850. ^[2]

Public Life

Mr St Aubyn was appointed Justice of the Peace for Cornwall in 1854 and a deputy-warden of the Stanneries of Cornwall. In 1853 he joined the 3rd Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry as a Lieutenant, and was promoted to Captain in 1855 then Major in 1856. He also served with Marazion Artillery Volunteer, retiring as Colonel in 1882. In politics he was a liberal and was elected, unopposed, as Member of Parliament for West Cornwall in 1858, a seat that he retained for 27 years. Under the Redistribution Act of 1885, the West Cornwall electorate was divided and in the General Election that year, Sir John St Aubyn stood for and narrowly won the seat of St Ives for the Liberals by a margin of 737 votes. ^[7] In 1886 the Liberals, under the British Prime Minister William Gladstone, introduced a controversial Irish Home Rule Bill which split the Liberal Party. John St Aubyn sided with the Liberal Unionists who allied themselves with Lord Salisbury's Conservative Party against the Bill. The Bill was defeated by 30 votes. ^[7]

Gladstone Debating the Irish Home Rule Bill

The following year Lord Salisbury proposed that John was raised to the Peerage as Baron St Levan, of St Michael's Mount and he resigned from the House of Commons to sit in the House of Lords.

Family Life

John married Lady Elizabeth Clementina Townshend, 4th daughter of Rear Admiral John Townshend Marquess Townshend of Raynham Norfolk, at St George's in Hanover Square on 15 July 1856 ^[8][1]

The couple had 13 children:

1. John Townsend St Aubyn (bap. 23 Oct 1857) born in Little Amwell ^[9]
2. Edward Stuart St Aubyn (b. 1858) born in Little Amwell ^[10][11]
3. Francis St Aubyn ^[12] born St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
4. Elizabeth Blanche Emma (St Aubyn) Cuffe (1861-1941) (bap. 20 Jan 1861) ^[13]
5. Evelyn Catherine St Albyn (born Hanover Square bap 22 Jun 1862)^[14]
6. Audrey Catherine (St. Aubyn) Ponsonby (bef.1864-1936) born in Chelsea ^[15]
7. Arthur James Dudley Stuart St Aubyn (1867-1897) ^[16]
8. Evelyn Etheldrea (St Aubyn) Alcock (b. 1867) ^[17]
9. Eleanor Clementina (St. Aubyn) Amherst (1869-1960) (bap 11 Feb 1869) ^[18]
10. Mabel Georgina (St Aubyn) Mallet
11. Piers Stuart St Aubyn (bap 28 May 1871) ^[19]
12. Gwendolyon Dorothy St Aubyn (b. 1873) ^[20]
13. Lionel Michael St. Aubyn (1878-1965) ^[21]

Census Records

1861 Census: staying with or visiting his in-laws at Liberty of Amwell in Little Amwell, Hertfordshire ^[12]

John Marquis Townshend Head Male 63 Balls Park Hertford, Hertfordshire

Elizabeth J Townshend Wife Female 57 Madron,

Andrey J C Townshend, Lady Daughter Female 16 ..., Middlesex

J V Stuart Vis Raynham Son Male 29 Brighton, Sussex

John St Aubyn Son In Law Male 31 Crowan, Cornwall

Elizth C St Aubyn, Lady Daughter Female 26 Brighton, Sussex

Emily C Stuart Niece Female 17 Wigton Penningham,

Caroline Burgess, Lady Visitor Female 57 Ireland

Alice Burgess Visitor Female 20 Ireland

Mary Stephenson, Lady Visitor Female 56 St Georges, Middlesex

Isabella Stephenson Visitor Female 23 St Georges, Middlesex

Annie Stephenson Visitor Female 21 St Georges, Middlesex

Theophilus J Metcalf, Sir Visitor Male 32 East Indies

Edward St Aubyn Visitor Male 24 Stoke Damerel, Devon

George Palmer Visitor Male 32 Marylebone, Middlesex

Elizth A Scott Visitor Female 23 Scotland

Henry Seymour Visitor Male 58 Southall, Middlesex

William H Seymour Visitor Male 26 Ealing, Middlesex

Jane Seymour Visitor Female 66 Marylebone, Middlesex

Gertrude J Seymour Visitor Female 28 Ealing, Middlesex

Jane Baker Visitor Servant Female 36 Marylebone, Middlesex

John T St Aubyn Grandson Male 3 Little Amwell, Hertfordshire

Edwd S St Aubyn Grandson Male 2 Little Amwell, Hertfordshire

Francis M St Aubyn Grandson Male 1 St Michaels Mount, Cornwall

1871 Census: an MP living at Chyandour, Gulval, Cornwall ^[17]

John St Aubyn Head Male 41 Crowan, Cornwall

Elizabeth C St Aubyn Wife Female 36 Brighton, Sussex

John T St Aubyn Son Male 13 Hertford, Hertfordshire

Arthur J D S St Aubyn Son Male 3 Gulval, Cornwall

Elizabeth B E St Aubyn Daughter Female 10 Gulval, Cornwall

Audrey C St Aubyn Daughter Female 6 Chelsea, London

Evelyn E St Aubyn Daughter Female 4 Hanover Square, London

Eleanor C St Aubyn Daughter Female 2 Gulval, Cornwall

Mary S Cail Visitor Female 24 Haydon Bridge, Northumberland

Susannah Wood Servant Female 64 Sturry, Kent

John Watts Servant Male 25 Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire

Emily Boxall Servant Female 32 Lodsworth, Sussex

Lucy Mills Servant Female 26 Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire

Mary Symons Servant Female 55 Crowan, Cornwall

Elizabeth A Symons Servant Female 27 Crowan, Cornwall

Mary A Lovick Servant Female 22 Riddlesworth, Norfolk

Mary A Green Servant Female 23 Putney, Surrey

Ellen Melhuish Servant Female 21 Kenton, Devonshire

Sarah E Charman Servant Female 32 Bayswater, London

1881 Census: visiting mother at Lowdnes St, St George Hanover Square ^[22]

Emma St Aubyn Head Female 75 St George Hanr Sqre, Middlesex, England

John St Aubyn Son Male 51 Crowan, Cornwall, England

Juliana St Aubyn Daughter Female 32 Stoke Damerel, Devon, England

Annie Float Servant Female 29 St George Hanr Sqre, Middlesex, England

Alice Pickford Servant Female 30 Marylebone, Middlesex, England

Louisa Wright Servant Female 24 Stanmore, Middlesex, England

Agnes Finch Servant Female 17 Brighton, Sussex, England

Emma Sell Servant Female 28 Newport, Essex, England

Sarah Hawke Servant Female 30 St Germans, Cornwall, England

George Webb Servant Male 35 Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire, England

James Ling Servant Male 28 Holt, Norfolk, England

Cambridge Alumni Record

^[2]

St Aubyn, John.

Adm. pens. at Trinity, Mar. 11, 1848. [Eldest] s. of Edward (1816) (and Emma, dau. of General Knollys).

B. [Oct. 23], 1829.

School, Eton.

Matric. Michs. 1848; B.A. 1852; M.A. 1897.

Adm. at Lincoln's Inn, Nov. 22, 1850.

Of Trevethoe, Hayle, Cornwall, and of St Michael's Mount.

M.P. for West Cornwall, 1858-85; for St Ives, 1885-7. J.P. and D.L. for Cornwall.

One of the Commissioners to inquire into mine conditions in Great Britain, 1862.

Succeeded his father as 2nd Bart., Nov. 30, 1872.

Deputy Special Warden of the Stannaries.

Mayor of Devonport, 1891.

Hon. Col., 3rd Batt., Duke of Cornwall's L.I. Commodore of the Western Yacht Squadron.

Created Baron St Levan, 1887.

Married, July 15, 1856, Lady Elizabeth Clementina, 4th dau. of John, Marquess Townshend.

Died May 14, 1908.

Father of John T. (1876) and Lionel M. (1897); brother of Edward J. (1854).

(Eton Sch. Lists; Inns of Court; Return of M.P.s; Burke, P. and B.; G.E.C.; Biblio. Cornub., II. 616.)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLND-F17G : 30 August 2017), John St Aubyn, died 14 May 1908; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Marazion Cemetery, Marazion, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Cambridge Alumni" at Venn.lib.cam.ac.uk (https://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=St+Aubyn&suro=w&fir=John&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=CON&z=all&tex=&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50 : accessed 21 Feb 2021)
3. ↑ Crowan : St Crewenna : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817ddffe93790ec8b4b22ed : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism John St. Aubyn 04 Nov 1829
4. ↑ Daniel Lysons and Samuel Lysons. "General history: Baronets," in Magna Britannia: Volume 3, Cornwall, (London: T Cadell and W Davies, 1814), lxxxix-xcv. British History Online, accessed February 20, 2021, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/magna-britannia/vol3/lxxxix-xcv.
5. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, Edward. (Age at death: 73). GRO Reference: 1872 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 234.
6. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, John. (Age at death: 78). GRO Reference: 1908 J Quarter in EASTBOURNE Volume 02B Page 52.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Death of Lord St Levan". The British Newspaper Archive online database (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk : accessed 21 Feb 2021) The RoyalCornwall Gazette, Thursday 21 May 1908, page 4, column 6.
8. ↑ "Marriage Index" (https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=K0MeBJ2c6GAXtZjFNJK%2FwA&scan=1 : accessed 20 Feb 2021) FreeBMD, database online for John ST AUBYN and Elizabeth Clementina TOWNSHEND, 1856 Sep Quarter District: StGeo Hanover Sq Vol: 1a Page 340.
9. ↑ Hertford : All Saints and St John : : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/59c771e9f493fd3e295d0103 : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism John Townsend St Aubyn 23 Oct 1857
10. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, Edward Stuart (Mother's maiden surname: TOWNSHEAD). GRO Reference: 1858 D Quarter in HERTFORD UNION Volume 03A Page 241.
11. ↑ Hertford : All Saints and St John : : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/59c771ecf493fd3e295d03d5 : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism Edward Stuart St Aubyn 30 Nov 1858
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7NZ-G6Q : 30 December 2020), John St Aubyn in household of John Marquis Townshend, Amwell by Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
13. ↑ Gulval : St Wolvel : : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817e367e93790ec8b55ac32 : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism Elizabeth Blanche Emma St Aubyn 20 Jan 1861
14. ↑ Hertford : All Saints and St John : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5a2da48ef493fd9d1bb982cf : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism Evelyn Catherine St Aubyn 22 Jun 1862
15. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, Audrey Catherine (Mother's maiden surname: TOWNSHEND). GRO Reference: 1864 J Quarter in SAINT GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 279.
16. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, Arthur James Dudley Stuart (Mother's maiden surname: TOWNSHEND). GRO Reference: 1867 D Quarter in PENZANCE Volume 05C Page 290.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VFJ6-TGH : 19 February 2021), John St Aubyn, 1871.
18. ↑ Gulval : St Wolvel : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817e36be93790ec8b55b67e : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism Eleanor Clementina St Aubyn 11 Feb 1869
19. ↑ Penzance : St Mary : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5a7ec7c9f493fd27c1dcf677 : viewed 20 Feb 2021) baptism Piers Stewart St Aubyn 28 May 1871
20. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, Gwendolyon Dorothy (Mother's maiden surname: TOWNSHEAD). GRO Reference: 1873 D Quarter in WALSINGHAM Volume 04B Page 267.
21. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 20 Feb 2021), database entry for ST AUBYN, - (Mother's maiden surname: TOWNSHEAD). GRO Reference: 1878 J Quarter in PENZANCE Volume 05C Page 285.
22. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-ZTQM : 10 December 2017), John St Aubyn in household of Emma St Aubyn, St George Hanover Square, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 2, Piece/Folio 99/71, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,335.

See Also

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p6269.htm#i62689