Lyttelton family

On the death of Thomas de Littleton, lord of the manor of Frankley in Worcestershire (inherited on the marriage of his great-grandfather Thomas Littleton to Emma de Frankley, daughter and heiress of Simon de Frankley[5]), the last in the male line, his sole heiress became his only daughter Elizabeth Littleton, who married Thomas Westcott/Westcote, Esquire, "the king's servant in court", who served as Escheator of Worcestershire in 1450.

[8] Sir Thomas Littleton (c. 1407–1481), became a distinguished judge and legal writer, referred to as "one of the great law luminaries of his country", and is immortalized by one work alone, his celebrated Treatise on Tenures.

[9] He was appointed a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1464,[10] and inherited the Frankley estates from his mother.

He was survived by three sons, William, Richard and Thomas, from whom originated three lines of Littleton/Lyttelton landed gentry in the West Midlands, all of which acquired baronetcies in the 17th century: Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 1st Baronet of Frankley (1593–1650), devoted much time to developing his estates in Frankley, Halesowen, Hagley and Upper Arley, and later represented Worcestershire in the House of Commons.

In 1776, three years before he succeeded in the baronetcy, he was created Baron Westcote, of Balamere in the County of Longford, in the Peerage of Ireland.

His son, the 4th Baron, was briefly Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in 1846 under Sir Robert Peel and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.

Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son, the 5th Baron, who had previously represented East Worcestershire in Parliament as a Liberal.

His nephew, Oliver Lyttelton, was made Viscount Chandos, of Aldershot in the County of Southampton, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1954 and a Knight of the Garter in 1970.

Lyttleton Family in America Nathanial Littleton the son of Sir Edward Littleton of Henley is stated in a family pedigree book once in possession of Lord Hatherton as "Nathanial emigrated to Virginia in 1635, a gentleman of the Earl of Southampton's Company in 1625.

The 4th Baron Lyttelton (1817–1876) served as chairman of the Canterbury Association and did much to promote the development of Christchurch in New Zealand.

Hagley Park, the largest urban open space in Christchurch, takes its name from Lord Lyttelton's country estate in Worcestershire.

Lord Lyttelton's great-grandson, the 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC, DL (1909–1977) served as the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand (in office: 1957–1962) and also had a successful cricketing career.

This branch of the Littleton/Lyttelton family is descended from Richard, the second son of Sir Thomas Littleton (c. 1407–1481), justice and author.

He was appointed Constable of Stafford Castle for life and was High Sheriff of Staffordshire on three occasions.

The title became extinct in 1812 on the death of the 4th Baronet, who had moved the seat of the family to Teddesley Hall and whose heir was a nephew, Edward John Walhouse.

The family vault is beneath the altar area of St.Michael and All Saints Church, Penkridge, Staffordshire.

Ancestral arms of the Lyttelton/Littleton family as used by the Viscounts Cobham : Argent, a chevron between three escallops sable [ 1 ]
Arms of the Viscounts Chandos from the Lyttelton family, incorporating a cross moline as mark of cadency .
Arms of Westcott: Argent, a bend cotised sable a bordure gules bezantée , [ 2 ] (sometimes shown with a bordure engrailed bezantee), as seen quartered by Lyttleton on the monument of George Lyttelton (1528–1600) of Frankley, in the Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove [ 3 ]
Sir Thomas Littleton (c. 1407–1481), the distinguished judge and writer, ancestor of three branches of the family. Anachronistically costumed.
Remains of Pillaton Old Hall . The original moated manor house became ruinous, but the Gatehouse and Chapel were restored in the 1880s.
Hagley Hall , rebuilt between 1754 and 1760 in Neo-Palladian style. Most owners of Hagley Hall are buried at the adjacent parish church of St John the Baptist .
Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Baron and 1st Viscount Cobham (1675–1749)
St John the Baptist Church, Hagley
Interior of St John the Baptist Church, Hagley, with the Garter banners of the 1st Viscount Chandos and the 10th Viscount Cobham
The coat of arms of the Barons Lyttelton (second creation).
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton (1709–1773)
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham (1909–1977) in 1958 with Neil Durden-Smith
Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos (1893–1972)
A 19th-century portrait of Lady Sarah Spencer , wife of the 3rd Baron Lyttelton , painted by John Jackson
Humphrey Lyttelton (1921–2008), jazz musician and broadcaster
Hagley Park in Christchurch , New Zealand, named after the Worcestershire estate of the Lyttelton family
The Lyttelton XI on 26 August 1867.
Penkridge parish church today. Much of its external appearance seems to be the result of alterations in Perpendicular style .
Arms of Sir Edward Littleton (died 1558) .
Effigy of Sir Edward Littleton (died 1629) : part of a double monument in the north nave aisle of St Michael's church, Penkridge, Staffordshire.
Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton