Dormer

Cio che Dio vuole, io voglio – What God Wills, I Will

The Dormer family was the earliest “noble” family of Wing, and resided at Ascott House. A notable aspect about the family is that they were Catholic – in challenging times the Dormers were able to successfully retain their faith with minimal persecution.

Succession

Below is an outline of the descent of the various titles and assets that the Dormers held associated specifically with Wing, useful for determining exactly which Lord Dormer, Lady Dormer, Baron Dormer, Sir Robert or Sir William is being referred to at any given time! Hyperlinks will take you to the family tree of that individual along with more detailed information (where known). Some additional individuals, not specifically connected with Wing, have been included in order to place our Wing Dormers in context.

Geffrey Dormer	m. Ursula
	of West Wycombe, Bucks?
↓
William Dormer	m. Jane Lancellyn
	of West Wycombe, Bucks
↓
Sir Robert Dormer	m. Jane Newdigate
? – 1552	purchased manor of Wenge 1515, inclosed Wing Park and built Ascott House
	granted advowson & rectory of Wing 1544
	monument in north aisle of All Saints Church
↓
Sir William Dormer	m. Mary Sidney, Dorothy Catesby
1503? (Eythrope) – 1575 (Wing)	monument in apse of All Saints Church
↓
Robert Lord Dormer	m. Elizabeth Browne
1551 – 1616 (Wing)	High Sheriff of Buckingham 1585
	made Baron Dormer of Wenge 1615
	monument in apse of All Saints Church
↓
Sir William Dormer	m. Alice Molyneux
1586 – 1616 (Wing)	never held baronetcy as predeceased his father
↓
Robert Lord Dormer	m. Anne Sophia Herbert
1610 – 1643	made Earl of Carnarvon 1628
	made Viscount Ascott 1628
	died at Battle of Newbury
↓
Charles Lord Dormer	m. Elizabeth Capell, Mary Montague
1632 – 1709	2nd Earl of Carnarvon & 2nd Viscount Ascott

As Charles Lord Dormer had no surviving sons, the titles of Earl of Carnarvon and Viscount Ascott became extinct upon his death. The barony and title of Lord Dormer did not, reverting to other branches of the family who were not based at Wing and had no connection to the village beyond the title Baron of Wing. Control of the manor of Wing and Ascott House passed down to Charles’ eldest grandson, the son of his daughter Elizabeth who had married Philip Stanhope 2nd Earl of Chesterfield.

Philip Stanhope	3rd Earl of Chesterfield
1672 – 1726
↓
Sir William Stanhope	2nd son of 3rd Earl of Chesterfield
1702 – 1772	Was given the manor of Wing by his father, but allowed Ascott House to fall into disrepair from 1720, and in 1727 sold the deer and felled the trees for timber (some of this timber went to Fenny Stratford and was used to build the church there). He died with no sons so the property reverted back to his older brother.
↓
Philip Dormer Stanhope	4th Earl of Chesterfield (formerly Lord Stanhope)
1694 – 1773	Politician and author of Letters To His Son. This illegitimate son (and only child) predeceased him, and he subsequently adopted his godson Philip Stanhope.
↓
Philip Stanhope	5th Earl of Chesterfield (adopted son of Philip Dormer Stanhope)
1755-1815	Around 1800 the foundations of Ascott House were finally cleared away and the bricks used for road repairs around Wing.
↓
George Stanhope	6th Earl of Chesterfield
1805-1866	Sold Ascott House to J B Harcourt by 1847

Charities

There are two historical charities established by Dormer family members for the benefit of Wing residents.

Dame Dorothy Pelham (formerly Dame Dorothy Dormer) established the Almshouses, also known as Dormer’s Hospital, in 1596. The building provided accommodation for eight men and women and by 1853 the inmates were receiving 4s a week to support themselves. The Grade II listed building still exists (some present-day photos are here) on the corner of Aylesbury Road and High Street, was converted from eight flats to four in the 1800s, and further renovated in 1982.

Lady Mary Carnarvon bequeathed the sum of £50 to the parish upon her death in 1709. In 1714 this was combined with other funds provided by William Hoare and invested in a field of about six acres at Burcott. The rental from this was used for clothing and blankets for the poor of the parish.

Sources

The Visitations of Buckinghamshire 1634, pp 40-43

The Complete Peerage of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom, The St. Catherine Press Ltd., 1910-1916, pp 44-45 and 412-415

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004 (1st Earl of Carnarvon & Dame Dorothy Pelham)

A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3 (1925), pp. 449-58

Lipscomb’s History & Antiquities of the County of Buckingham Vol 3 1847

Parish registers of All Saints Church, Wing

Memorial inscriptions of All Saints Church, Wing