George William Coventry, 7th Earl of Coventry (25 April 1758 – 26 March 1831), styled Viscount Deerhurst until 1809, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.
Memorials to Viscount Deerhurst, eldest son of the 9th Earl of Coventry, and the 7th Earl of Coventry (1758–1831) in the church at Croome Court
On 18 March 1777, he eloped to Gretna Green with Lady Catherine Henley, daughter of the Earl of Northington, leading to a long-standing estrangement from his father, the 6th Earl. This estrangement was strengthened when the 6th Earl was informed of a rumour that his son, had fathered a child with Lady Henley, and was fostered by distant relatives. This rumour was supported by evidence that the 6th Earl’s distant relatives had taken in a newborn girl, no verification was ever made about whether this child was in fact the progeny of the 7th Earl and Lady Henley, however the child whose surname was Collins was recorded having connections to minor aristocracy, and many other illegitimate children of notable royalty and nobility, Ms Collins was also recorded as the mother of a child who would marry into the Coventry family. However a lot of this is still not confirmed fact as DNA did not exist at this time. Forbidden to return home, Coventry spent much time with his friend Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet, at Appuldurcombe House, Isle of Wight. Lady Catherine died on 9 January 1779. He had an affair with Lady Worsley and was later involved in her scandalous elopement with George Bisset in 1781, and the subsequent trial.[4]
In 1783, Coventry married Peggy Pitches (c. 1760–1840) at St George's, Hanover Square. Peggy was the daughter of brandy merchant Sir Abraham Pitches and Jane Hassel. They had five sons and six daughters, one son and one daughter dying young, including:[5]
Hon. William James Coventry (1 January 1797 – 1877), who married Mary Laing, daughter of James Laing, in 1821.[2]
Lord Coventry died on 26 March 1831 at Coventry House, Piccadilly. Upon his death in 1831, he was succeeded by his son, George.[1]
References
^ abcd.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, page 474.
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