Whichever of the houses on either side of Conway House formed the Earl’s residence, he had left it before the end of 1641, for according to a deed[[342]] of 20th December in that year, the house to the east of Conway House was then in the occupation of the Countess of Essex, while that on the west, with which we are here concerned, was occupied by the “Lord Awbyney.”
George Stuart, ninth seigneur D’Aubigny, was the fourth son of Esmé, third Duke of Lennox. He married Catherine Howard, eldest daughter of the second Earl of Suffolk.[[343]] On the outbreak of the Civil War he embraced the royal cause, and was slain at Edgehill in October, 1642.
The exact period of his residence in the house in Great Queen Street is uncertain. Assuming that the Earl of Northumberland was the previous occupant, D’Aubigny must have entered into occupation some time between May, 1640, and December, 1641. Some ground for assuming that he had at the latter date quite recently taken up his residence here may be found in the fact that in a deed dated 31st July, 1641,[[344]] relating to Rivers House, the premises mentioned as the eastern boundary are simply referred to as “a new messuage where the statue of the Queenes Majestie is placed,” without any occupant’s name being given. This detail is, on the contrary, given in the case of the western boundary of the property, and it seems likely that the omission in the former case is due to the fact that the house was then unoccupied. Too much weight, however, cannot be assigned to the argument.
The next mention of the house is in October 1645, when it was in the occupation of Colonel Popham.[[345]] From the following, dated 24th February, 1653, it would appear that either before 1645, or between then and 1653, Lord Montagu had acquired an interest in the house. “Upon hearing of Colonel Alexander Popham, a member of Parliament, concerning the house which he holds from ye Lord Mountague scituate.... It is ordered that ye said Colonel Popham doe pay ⅔ of the rent due for ye said house to ye use of ye Commonwealth which is sequestered for the recusancy of the said Lord Mountague.”[[346]] Afterwards Lord Montagu himself resided at the house, the Hearth Tax Rolls for 1665, 1666 and 1673 giving his name in respect of the premises.[[347]]
Francis Browne, third Viscount Montagu, the only son of Anthony Maria Montagu, the second Viscount, was born in 1610, and succeeded to the title in October, 1629. He died in November, 1682.[[348]] The Hearth Tax Roll for 1675 shows Lady Montagu[[349]] at the house.
The next occupant whose name is known was “Lord Dilleage,”[[350]] of whom nothing can be found.
In two much later documents[[351]] it is stated that before the division of the house into two it formed the residence of the Marquess of Normanby, and the Jury Presentment Roll for 1698 shows the Marquess in occupation of the house in that year. This was John Sheffield, son of Edmund Sheffield, second Earl of Mulgrave. He was born in 1648, and succeeded to the earldom ten years later. He saw both naval and military service during the reign of Charles II., and in 1680 commanded an expedition for the relief of Tangier. With James II. he was in high favour. At the Revolution he quietly submitted, but was for several years in opposition to the court party. In 1693–4 he showed signs of a desire to support the government, and in May, 1694, was encouraged in his attitude by being created Marquess of Normanby. Two years later, however, he resumed his policy of opposition. On the accession of Anne he was at once taken into favour and appointed Lord Privy Seal. In March, 1703, he was made Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, and later on was appointed one of the commissioners to arrange the treaty of union with Scotland. In 1710 he became Lord President of the Council. On the arrival of George I. he was removed from all his offices. He died in February, 1721, at Buckingham House, St. James’s Park.
Sheffield.
He was not only a munificent patron of literature, Dryden and Pope particularly being under obligations to him, but also himself an author. Chief among his writings were: Essay on Poetry, Essay on Satire, Account of the Revolution. Mention should also be made of his extraordinary revision of Julius Cæsar, which he broke up into two plays and rewrote, and into which he introduced love scenes.