William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp

Robin Peter Marston

25 July 2019, 11:14

The 7th Earl Beauchamp was Godfather to my father, Alban Sidney Marston, who was born 16/11/1909 in Sydney, Australia. His Christening gift to my father was an embossed copy of "The Golden Staircase of Children's Poems" which he signed/autographed inside in ink 'Beauchamp'. My Grandfather, the Rev. Sidney Marston M.A. was private Chaplain to William Lygon, the 7th Earl Beauchamp. My Grandfather was a Church of England rector of St. James's Anglican Church in Sydney and father was born in Sydney. The 7th Earl Beauchamp was a Governor of New South Wales Australia and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Upon the return of Earl Beauchamp to England and his stately ancestral home, Madresfield Court in Gloucestershire, and the return to England of my Grandparents, my Grandfather remained as private chaplain to my father's Godfather and Grandfather became rector of St. Marys Church of England in Dymoke, Gloucestershire for twenty seven years. My Grandmother and Grandfather were frequently entertained at Madresfield Court and my Grandparents named their youngest of two daughters Lettice Mary Irene Marston after the earl's wife, Lady Lettice Lygon and their daughter Lady Mary. My Grandparents youngest daughter, my aunt Lettice M. I. Marston became a personal private secretary to Winston Churchill from 1946 until the death of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. She was engaged by Churchill to transcribe his war memoirs and dealt with his constituency political correspondence during his second premiership until his death. She lived at number 11 Downing Street, basement flat, from where she married, in 1953, my uncle, Robert Guy Shillingford M.B.E. and I was one of their page boys aged six! I well remember visiting aunt Lettice at number 11 Downing Street, with my parents, and my aunt's Fiat car would be parked there then! One Christmas time, during a visit to number 11, when the Churchills were away, my aunt took us inside number 10 Downing Street for a 'guided tour', but all I can recall us seeing Christmas Cards attached to red ribbons hanging down the walls! My aunt Lettice was inside Winston Churchill's office in 1947 when princess Elizabeth and prince Philip visited the Prime Minister to officially inform him of their forthcoming marriage! This is referred to in the volume "Never Despair" by the late Sir Martin Gilbert, Sir Winston's official biographer. My aunt did keep 'forbidden' diaries of her work for Churchill and they were auctioned after her death in 1988. Upon the marriage of aunt Lettice to my uncle, flight lieutenent Robert Guy (' Bob') Shillingford M.B.E. , the Churchills gave them an inscribed pierced silver rose bowl as their wedding gift. Lady Clementine Churchill was a wedding guest and I was once, as a baby, held in her arms at Birmingham railway station- My aunt contributed in the making of the television series of Sir Winston Churchill, "The Valient Years". I hope the above was of some interest to you. Sincerely, Robin P. Marston-