The Throckmortons through their paintingsFollow the family’s story through their incredible collection of portraits and art

Judith Tracey Oil on panel; English school c.1570

The Throckmortons increased their influence through marriage alliances with important local families. Judith’s mother was from the Lucy family at nearby Charlecote Park and her father was a Protestant Member of Parliament. She married Francis Throckmorton, who was Nicholas and Robert’s cousin, and lived nearby.

Sir James Wilford (c1516–1550) Oil on panel; after Hans Eworth, 16th Century

The Throckmortons also boosted their family position through marriages with nationally known families. Robert’s grandson, John, married Agnes Wilford, granddaughter of Sir James Wilford. Sir James was an English soldier who found fame as Commander during the dramatic Siege of Haddington in Edward VI’s war with France and Scotland 1548–49. The siege is shown in the top right.

Katharine Vaux (c1488–1571)Oil on panel; English school c.1576

The daughter of Lord Vaux and aunt of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Katherine married George Throckmorton and gave birth to 19 children. She remained a Catholic despite her Parr family connections, but lived to see her son Nicholas choose to be a Protestant and her family divided by religion. Her many surviving children went on to marry into prominent families and as a result five of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators were related to Katherine Vaux.

Staircase

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Sir Robert Throckmorton (d.1580)Oil on panel; English school 16th Century

Robert inherited the newly built Coughton Court begun by his grandfather, who had gained wealth and position by supporting the Tudors in the Wars of the Roses. Robert became High Sheriff of Warwick and Leicester and remained a staunch Catholic after Henry VIII split the church in England. He endured religious persecution under the Protestant Elizabeth I. His daughters, Anne and Muriel, were mothers of the Gunpowder plotters Catesby and Tresham.

Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (1515—1571)Oil on panel; English school c.1564

Nicholas was Robert’s younger brother but he chose to convert to the new church founded by King Henry VIII. He was knighted by Henry’s Protestant son Edward VI, was Chamberlain of the Exchequer and Ambassador to France and Scotland. However, when the Catholic Mary I took the throne he became involved in the Wyatt rebellion against the Queen and was arrested. He survived in exile and his daughter, Bess, went on to marry Sir Walter Raleigh.

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Lucy Throckmorton Oil on canvas; circle of Michael Dahl c.1700

Lucy Throckmorton of Haseley was the granddaughter of the clever Protestant politician Clement. After the execution of Charles I, their branch of the Throckmorton family provided Members of Parliament for Warwickshire—both under Cromwell’s rule and the ‘Cavalier’ Parliaments of Charles II. Powerful connections like these helped the Catholic Throckmortons survive persecution and meant that Sir Robert’s heirs retained the land and the money to rebuild Coughton.

Clement Throckmorton (1682–c.1716)Oil on canvas; English

John ThrockmortonOil on board; English school c.1609

Married Agnes Wilford, granddaughter of the famous soldier Sir James Wilford (seen lower down the stairs). His son was made 1st Baronet by Charles I at the start of the Civil War. Parliamentary forces garrisoned Coughton, which then suffered bombardment by Royalists before being set alight and abandoned by the garrison in 1644.

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Thomas Peter Giffard of Chillington (1735–1776)Oil on canvas; studio of Pompeo Batoni c.1768

Married Barbara Throckmorton, daughter of Sir Robert (4th Baronet) and Catherine Collingwood. This is believed to be, at least in part, the work of the renowned artist Pompeo Batoni. He painted those travelling the Grand Tour. The Giffards of Chillington were also a wealthy Catholic family.

Catherine CollingwoodOil on canvas; John Vanderbank 1737

Having survived the turbulent seventeenth century, the Coughton Throckmortons remained staunchly Catholic. They continued to socialise with and marry into other important rebellious families like the Collingwoods. Catherine’s father had been hung, drawn and quartered following his support for the failed Jacobite uprising against the new King, George I, in 1715. Despite considering becoming a nun she instead married Sir Robert Throckmorton (4th Baronet).

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Sir Francis Throckmorton 2nd Baronet (1641–1680)Description on right

Sir John Yate (1605–1659)Oil on canvas; English school 17th century

Sir John married Mary Pakington, who had inherited the extensive estates of her family with her sister. Through their marriage, John and Mary controlled large estates and grand houses including both Buckland and Harvington. Their granddaughter, also Mary, married Sir Francis Throckmorton’s son and heir, Sir Robert (3rd Baronet) and brought her family’s land and wealth into the Throckmorton family.

This injection of wealth came at a critical time; Sir Robert was still completing the repairs and improvements to Coughton started by his father, Francis. With the overthrow of James II in 1688 in favour of the Protestant William and Mary of Orange, there were anti-Catholic riots and a mob attacked the East Wing at Coughton on hearing rumours of a newly built private chapel. The East Wing at Coughton remained derelict for the next century before being pulled down.

William Herbert 2nd Marquis of Powis (d.1745)Oil on canvas; style of Sir Godfrey Kneller 18th Century

A Catholic supporter of James II and the Jacobite cause, he was imprisoned in the Tower and Newgate jail during the reign of Protestant monarchs William and Mary before exiling himself to Europe. Eventually regarded as harmless, he was reinstated to his lands and titles after 1715. His daughter, Lady Theresa Herbert, became the first wife of Sir Robert Throckmorton 4th Baronet.

Anne, Lady Anderley (d.1642)Oil on canvas; style of Cornelius Jonson 17th century

Sister of Mary Yate, née Pakington, she married into a prominent Catholic and Royalist family.

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Sir Charles Yate (c.1643—1680)Description on right

Mary YateOil on canvas; circle of Peter Borsseler c.1664

Wealthy daughter of Humphrey Pakington of Harvington Hall, Mary married Sir John Yate. Their granddaughter, also called Mary, married Sir Robert Throckmorton (3rd Baronet) and brought his family significant land and wealth. In this painting she is shown at the age of 54, wearing widow’s clothes.

Sir Charles Yate (c.1643—1680)Large painting (left): oil on canvas; attributed to Pieter Borsseler c.1664

Small painting (above); oil on canvas, English school

Son of Sir John and Mary Yate and father to the Mary who married Sir Robert (3nd Baronet), bringing with her the estates at Buckland and Harvington. Marriage alliances were important ways to improve status.

Ambrose ThrockmortonOil on canvas; English school 17th century

Son of John Throckmorton and brother of Sir Robert (1st Baronet), he is shown dressed in armour. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the regiment raised by the Throckmortons from their estate tenants to fight with Charles I unsuccessfully against Parliament in the Civil War.

Sir Anthony Chester of ChicheleyOil on canvas; style of Gerard Soest c.1670

Son of an ardent Royalist in the Civil War, his family served Catholic James II before the King was deposed by Parliament in order to install the Protestant William and Mary to the throne in 1689.

Sir Francis Throckmorton, 2nd Baronet (1641–1680)Oil on canvas; Gerard Soest 17th century

Inherited the badly damaged Coughton Court in 1650, aged 8, during the English Civil War. It cost a fortune to rebuild; £2,355 on bricks and stonework alone between 1663 and 1665. The trauma of his family’s decline in fortunes and cost of Coughton’s repair made him tight with money and as a result he fell out with his wife, who loved playing cards. They separated and after an unhappy court battle she secured an allowance of £350 and some access to her children. She outlived Francis and lived at Coughton until 1728.

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Tribune

Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (1515–1571)Oil on canvas; English school c.1564

Nicholas converted to the new church founded by King Henry VIII. He was knighted by Henry’s Protestant son Edward VI, was Chamberlain of the Exchequer and Ambassador to France and Scotland. However, when the Catholic Mary I took the throne, he became involved in the Wyatt rebellion against the Queen and was arrested. Whilst not found guilty, he was forced to live abroad, away from his family and lands, in exile. His daughter, Bess, served Elizabeth I but fell out of favour with the Queen after she married Sir Walter Raleigh, one of Elizabeth’s favourites, without royal permission. Sir Walter Raleigh ended up imprisoned and was later beheaded. Bess kept his head in a bag that she carried around with her.

Alatheia Fairfax (m. 1677)Oil on canvas; English school

Alatheia was a cousin of Mary Yate, whose marriage to Sir Robert, the 3rd Baronet, brought the estates of Buckland and Harvington to the Throckmortons. Alatheia is pictured here as a child, holding a bouquet of spring flowers. She would go on to marry William Widdrington and would see him lose all his family’s Northumberland estates as punishment after he supported the Jacobite uprising against the Protestant English monarchy in 1715. The threat of Catholic plots and rebellions was used by the English state to justify the legal persecution of all Catholics.

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Three ChildrenOil on canvas; attributed to Eden Upton Eddis (1812–1901)

This portrait has been attributed to Eden Upton Eddis, who was famed for his ability to paint delicately detailed portraits of children. The family records of who these children are, are now sadly lost.

Mrs Elizabeth Clare McLaren-Throckmorton (1935–2017) Oil on canvas; Sergei Pavlenko 1996

Affectionately known at Coughton as ‘Mrs T.’ Mrs T moved to Coughton in the early 1990s following the death of her uncle, Sir Robert, 11th Baronet. Clare was the granddaughter of Lady Lilian and was passionate about Coughton and her family’s history. A successful lawyer and one of the first female QCs, she retired early from law in 1992 to devote herself to Coughton Court. Clare and her daughter, Christina Williams, took the bare lawns and bramble-filled walled garden and created the stunning gardens you see today. Her grandson, Magnus Birch Throckmorton, now lives in the North Wing and manages the gardens with his wife, Imogen.

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Courtenay Throckmorton (1866—1916) Oil on canvas; by John Saint Helier Lander (1868–1944)

Courtenay was the nephew of Sir William, 9th Baronet, who was childless. It was expected that the Baronetcy and Coughton would pass to Courtenay through his father.

Courtenay married Lilian, from the wealthy Langford-Brooke family. They had three children together and all came to live with Sir William at Coughton. The family sold most of their remaining estates in 1908 to ensure they could protect Coughton as their family home.

Courtenay had joined the army in 1887 and had fought in various colonial wars as an officer, including the Boer War in South Africa, 1899–1902. In the First World War he was sent to Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where he was killed in 1916. This painting was created after his death for his widow, Lady Lilian, based on photographs. His son, Sir Robert, the 11th Baronet, inherited Coughton on the death of Courtenay’s father, Sir Richard, in 1927.

The Saloon

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Elizabeth Acton, Lady Throckmorton (d.1850) with Courtenay Throckmorton and Mary Elizabeth Throckmorton Oil on canvas; John Partridge c.1833

Elizabeth, wife of Sir Robert, the 8th Baronet, is pictured here with her two eldest children. A study in pastels for the group can be seen beneath the painting. Courtenay died aged only 23, whilst Mary Elizabeth, known as Minnie, would go on to work as a governess to the Empress of Austria.

Sir John Acton 6th Baronet (1735–1811) Oil on canvas; by Giovanni Griffoni (late 18th century)

Prime Minister of Naples and father of Elizabeth Throckmorton, wife of Sir Robert (8th Baronet). Sir John made his name in the Tuscan navy, before reforming the Neapolitan navy. Catholic Queen Maria Carolina of Naples appointed Sir John the Prime Minister of her Kingdom. His naval reforms and subsequent high taxation made him very unpopular and contributed to an uprising against the Queen. He went on to help reinstate the Queen of Naples, through imposing a brutal military regime on her lands that only increased his unpopularity.

Sir Ferdinand Richard Acton (1801–1837) Oil on canvas; Vincenzo Morani (1830)

Son of Sir John Acton, brother to Elizabeth Throckmorton.

Cardinal Charles Januarius Edward Acton (1803–1847) Oil on canvas; Vincenzo Morani (1809–1870)

Brother of Elizabeth Throckmorton, second son of Sir John Acton. Charles became a Catholic Priest and officiated at his sister’s marriage to Sir Robert, 8th Baronet, in 1829. In 1842 he achieved the rank of Cardinal.

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Sir Robert George Throckmorton, 8th Baronet (1800—1862) Oil on canvas; Thomas Phillips RA (1770–1845)

Sir Robert was one of the first Catholic MPs after the Roman Catholic Relief Act was passed in 1829, allowing Catholics to stand for Parliament for the first time in 300 years. As a celebration of his family’s new-found legal freedoms Sir Robert also had the Catholic Church at Coughton built at the end of the south drive. It is unlikely such a large stone church was required for Coughton village and the surrounding areas; rather, it was probably commissioned to make a statement about the end to much of the state-endorsed persecution of Catholics.

Maria Catherine Giffard (1762–1821) Oil on canvas; James Northcote, RA (1746–1831). c.1830

Wife of John Throckmorton, 5th Baronet, who filled in the moat and made many other changes to the appearance of Coughton. Daughter of Thomas Giffard, she and her sister-in-law, Catherine Stapleton, were good friends of the hugely popular poet William Cowper. They granted him the freedom of the family’s Weston Underwood estate, where he wrote many of his poems, including his mock-elegy On The Death Of Mrs Throckmortons’ Bullfinch. Maria made fair copies of his new compositions and helped nurse him through his bouts of severe and debilitating depression.

John Throckmorton, 5th Baronet (1754–1819) Oil on canvas; attributed to Thomas Phillips, RA (1770–1845)

Sir Robert had spent his later years making big changes to Coughton and the family’s other estates and his grandson carried on the works, filling in the moat that had surrounded the house and extending the front either side of the Tower.

Growing up to see the decriminalisation of Catholic worship and and an end to fines for failure to attend Protestant church services, Sir John was a more liberal Catholic. Whilst he supported the recognition of the Pope’s authority in matters of dogma (teaching and biblical law) he was part of a group that supported an English government veto on elected Catholic Bishops.

In September 1806 the Prince Regent, later to be King George IV, came for breakfast at Coughton with Sir John. The Prince Regent had previously been illegally married to Maria Fitzherbert, a relation of the Throckmortons through marriage.

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The Weaving of the Throckmorton Coat, for a Wager in 1811 Oil on canvas; 19th century

In 1811, Sir John Throckmorton, 5th Baronet, entered a bet at Newbury to prove that a coat could be made in just one day: from sunrise when the wool was on the backs of two sheep, to sunset when the brown tailored coat rested on his shoulders. This large painting shows the crowds amassing for the event, the sheep being shorn, the wool being spun, and the waiting loom.

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Sir Charles Throckmorton, 7th baronet (1757–1840) Oil on canvas; attributed to Laurence J. Cossé, RA (1784—1837)

Charles was a natural historian, keen hunter and had trained as a physician. He travelled and his diary records a number of adventures, including his being taken prisoner in France when England unexpectedly declared War on Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. Following the death of his brother he moved to Coughton and became one of its most popular Baronets, famed locally for his generous celebration parties for labourers and their families during national celebrations, such as Queen Victoria’s coronation – with an orange and medal given to every child in the village.

Sir George Throckmorton, 6th Baronet (1754–1826) Oil on canvas; style of George Romney (1734–1802)

George inherited all the family estates from his brother, Sir John, in 1819. George lived as an invalid, suffering painfully from gout, at the family’s house at Weston Underwood for the five years he was Baronet.

With no male heir, on his death the title and lands passed to his younger brother Charles. The family fortunes were already in decline and on George’s death, Weston Underwood was largely demolished and Charles took up residence back at Coughton Court.

Sir William Throckmorton, 9th Baronet (1838–1919) Oil on canvas; British school, c.1900

William inherited from his father after his elder brother died aged just 23 years old. He was a keen member of the Jockey Club, racing horses and even winning some trophies. The expense of his racing pursuits, lifestyle and the cost of the remaining estates forced him to sell off most of the other lands and houses. He even rented Coughton out for a time before moving back in with his nephew, Courtenay, and his young family.

Peter Langford-Brooke (1793–1840) Oil on canvas; James Northcote, RA (1746–1831). c.1830

Courtenary Throckmorton, nephew of Sir William, 9th Baronet, was due to inherit Coughton until he was killed in the First World War. He married Lilian Langford-Brooke, from Cheshire.

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