Draft:De'Anyers family

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The De'Anyers family of Cheshire are an ancient noble family who first settled in Cheshire during the late 11th century following their arrival with William the Conqueror from Bayeux.[1] Later lines are able to trace descent from the Viscounts Masserene, Princes de Chimay, House of Anjou, and House of Tudor.[2][3]

The main seat of the family until the early 18th century was Over Tabley Hall.[1]

The De'Anyers Family of Cheshire[edit]

Sir William De' Anyers, Judge of Common Pleas (also spelt Daniell.) c.1604 National Portrait Gallery

The De' Anyers family is one of the oldest in Cheshire and held extensive estates across North West England including Bradley, Daresbury, Tabley and Lymme Handley. from the late 13th to 18th century/

From the 14th century onwards the De' Anyers family held important Court, Municipal, Parliamentary, and Military positions in England, with many members holding Knighthoods in their own right.[4]

In the late 18th century members of the family settled in the South West and founded a shipping company with later interests in banking, brewing and railway investments and held estates in Devon and Somerset.[5]

Notable members include- Sir Peter De' Anyers MP, Sir William Daniell Judge of Common Pleas, Colonel Sir Samuel Daniell, and Sir William Duckinfield-Daniell 3rd Baronet of Dukinfield.[6][7]

The senior-most branch of the family ceased in 1726 following the death of Colonel Sir Samuel and Lady Daniell of Over Tabley without issue, as well as the ownership of the De' Anyers' Cheshire estates. Sir Samuel's uncles John and William however both produced issue, descendants of which remain today, the latter through matrilineal descent.[5]

Descendants of the family were still active in government, municipal and military affairs during 20th century and at present.

The De' Anyers Coat of arms is recorded in the 1613 Cheshire visitations as quarterly of four- argent, a pale lozengy sable (De' Anyers) and argent, a panther statant and regardent sable (De Tabley) with a crest of a unicorn's head couped or, crined argent[8]


11th Century Origins[edit]

De' Anyers of Over Tabley Coat of arms recorded in the Cheshire Visitations. (c.1613)[8] Motto: "nec timeo nec sperno" (neither fear nor despise)


The De' Anyers family can be traced back to Le Signeur Danuillers known as 'Denyas' an archer who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, the name can be found inscribed on the Roll of Battle Abbey.[4]

Following the Norman Conquest Denyas settled in Cheshire in Chester alongside Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester in the late 11th Century.

The progenitor of the ancient family of De' Anyers descended from Denyas can be traced from William De' Anyers who married Agnes de Legh in 1270, and in 1291 purchased land in Daresbury from William le Norreys.

He had two sons both founders of respective branches, Thomas De'Anyers who purchased the Bradley estate in 1301 from Peter Dutton, Lord of Warburton and William De' Anyers who inherited his father's lands and whose son Sir John De'Anyers was knight of Daresbury.[9]

Owing to the destruction of deeds during the reign of Charles I, the family can only be traced with accuracy from the year 1250 and little is known about the family's origins before the Norman Invasion.

According to the book The 'Biographical history of the family of Daniell or De Anyers of Cheshire' published in 1876, evidence of the family in France prior to the invasion can be found in Bayeux.

Based on research by The Duchess of Cleveland in her work The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages published in 1889 translating a significant portion of the Battle Abbey Roll, further evidence can be found attributing the De'Anyer's family origins in Asnieres-en-Bessin in North-Western France.[9][4]


Sir Thomas De'Anyers and The Battle of Crécy[edit]

Thomas De' Anyers of Bradley, the eldest son of William De' Anyers, served as Sherriff of Cheshire in 1350 and from his first marriage to Margaret de Tabley, was father to Sir Thomas De'Anyers (d.1354).[10]

Memorial to Sir Thomas De' Anyers. St Wilfrid's Church c.1876

Sir Thomas De' Anyers is noted as the most recognised member of the family gaining fame at the Battle of Crécy on the 26th August 1346 following his retrieval of the Black Prince's Standard and capturing of the Chamberlain of France, the Comte de Tankerville.[11][10]

For his actions the Black Prince knighted him on the spot and settled upon him an annuity of forty marks a year from the Earldom of Chester. Sir Thomas married Isabel de Bagguilly an heiress in her own right and died during the lifetime of his father, leaving only a daughter Margaret.[12]

Sir Thomas' daughter Lady Margaret Savage (née De' Anyers) was sole heiress of her mother's lands at Lyme Handley and eventually successfully also claimed her father's lands totalling 1,400 acres from Richard II in 1398. She had married Sir Piers Legh in 1388, their descendants the Barons of Newton held the estate at Lyme Park until 1946.[12][13]

Sir Thomas De' Anyers' other lands were settled on the heirs male of the De' Anyers family, with his half-brother from his father's second marriage also called Sir Thomas De' Anyers recieving the entirety of the De Anyers' Cheshire estates from his brother and father. The latter Sir Thomas De' Anyers was also described as warrior of note and served under Sir Hugh Calvely [11]

Sir Thomas De' Anyers of Crécy fame is memorialised in St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, the village of which his elder brother Sir John De' Anyers served as knight.[14][11][15]

Sir Thomas' half-brother Sir Thomas De' Anyers married an heiress, Katherine De Tabley and at the time of their marriage recieved a third of Tabley and at her father's decease inherited the remainder which were amalgamated into the De Anyers' landholdings. Their son Thomas De' Anyers of Over Tabley married Lady Elizabeth Aston, neé Boydell widow of his cousin Thomas Boydell heir to Sir John De' Anyers' lands in Grappenhall.[12][11]

15th-17th century[edit]

The family continued to be involved in services to the crown as knights, operating largely from Cheshire and through subsequent marriages were able to acquire further land in Warrington in 1413, parts of Nether Tabley in 1440 and Cherry Tree Hurst in 1493.[16]

De' Anyers coat of arms taken in the 1566 Visitation of Cheshire.[17]

An inheritance dispute occured from 1493 to 1523 between the De' Anyers of Over Tabley and Daniell's of Lymme, following the death of a childless uncle Thomas Daniell of Cherry Tree Hurst in 1493.

Thomas De' Anyers the great great great grandson of Thomas De' Anyers and Lady Elizabeth, at the time of his uncle's death claimed the land which was met with disagreement from a cousin William Daniell of Longdon who claimed that Thomas Daniell had made him heir. The dispute was settled some 30 years later in 1523 ruling in the De' Anyers' favour with William Daniell conveying all rights to the land to Thomas' grandson, Thomas De' Anyers of Over Tabley.[16]

His grandson and heir Piers De' Anyers Esquire, was secretary to Prince Henry later King Henry VIII and was succeeded by his son Thomas De' Anyers who married Margaret Wilbraham, acquiring land in Woodhey.[12]

He was eventually succeded by his grandson Sir Peter De' Anyers who inherited his father's Chesire estates aged 6 in 1560. He married Christian, the daughter of Sir Richard Grosvenor in 1620 and was a politician who sat in the House of Commons as MP for Cheshire in 1626 and member of the 'Baronet Group'. He suffered considerable debts during his lifetime and died in Great Budworth in 1652, his wife survived him by over a decade and died in 1663 at Warwick Castle.[18][19][20][7]

They had five sons- Peter, John, Henry, William and Thomas as well as several daughters. [21]

Thomas and the eldest Peter were Royalist officers killed at the Battle of Brentford in 1642 and the Siege of Gloucester in 1643 respectivley. Henry was also killed during the Battle of Brentford in 1642 however fought on the Parliamentarian side. Both John and William survived the Civil War and were supporters of Oliver Cromwell.[22][7][23]

John served as auditor general of the forces in the 1655 West Indies expedition, his letters of which survive today, and later worked as a spy for John Thurloe.[22][24]

William De' Anyers served as a Colonel in the Parliamentarian forces and was active in the invasion of Scotland and later appointed commander in Northern Scotland by the 1st Duke of Albermarle.[25][26][21]

18th Century[edit]

Sir William Dukinfield-Daniell, 3rd Baronet of Dukinfield (c.1745)


Sir Peter De' Anyers was succeded in his estates by his grandson Thomas from his eldest son Captain Peter Daniell a Royalist officer in the army of John, 2nd Earl Rivers, who was killed during the Siege of Gloucester. His grandson Sir Samuel Daniell eventually inherited Over Tabley and the De' Anyers Cheshire estates.[27]

Sir Samuel served as a Colonel in the army of William of Orange and was knighted by him for his extensive military service. Sir Samuel married first Anne Tatton, Lady Meredith widow of Sir Amos Meredith and secondly Frances Dormer a first cousin of Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon. From his second marriage Daniell had one daughter Anne, who died in infancy.[28]

Daniell's Will dated Feburary 19th 1723 leaves his Cheshire estates and Over Tabley to his great nephew Samuel Duckinfield the son of his neice Lady Dukinfield-Daniell and Sir William Dukinfield-Daniell, 3rd Baronet who took the name of Daniell and arms of De' Anyers following Daniell's death. Samuel did not survive to adulthood and the marriage produced no further children.[29][30]

The Duchess of Cleveland in her work The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages said the following:

"Thirteen generations had dwelt, in prosperous and uninterrupted (though seemingly uneventful) succession at Over-Tabley,

Penelope, Lady Dukinfield-Daniell (c.1745)

when, early in the last Century, Samuel Daniell found himself the last of his house.

His two brothers had died s. p., and he had lost his only child—a daughter—in her infancy.

At his death in 1726, his Cheshire estates were demised by will to his great-nephew Samuel Duckenfield" [9]

Following the death of her husband and son Lady Dukinfield-Daniell became the sole heiress of the Dukinfield and Daniell estates, she died in 1762 and thus ended the De Anyers' 450 years ownership of their Cheshire estates. The entirety of them were left to Lady Dukinfield-Daniell's second husband John 'Beau' Astley.[30][18]

Shortly after, Astley extensivley remodelled Over Tabley Hall, demolishing the old house and built a Strawberry Hill style Neo-Gothic manor. The estate was eventually broken up and sold in part to the Leicesters of Tabley House.[31][21]



19th-21st Century[edit]

Following the senior male line descending from Sir Peter De' Anyers dying out in the 1720s, the name was succeded by descendants of his two sons John and William, the latter through matrilineal descent.[21][11]

Winifred De' Anyers (Willis), Countess de Salis. by Bassano (1935)

Colonel. William De' Anyers was succeded in his estates by his daughter who married into the Willis family of Lancashire descendants of which remain today and married into the Skeffington family and Swiss Salis-Soglio family descended from the Princes Caraman-Chimay.[11][32][3][2]

John De' Anyers married and had a son, Thomas whose descendants moved to South West England where they established a shipping company in the late 1700s which remained active until the early 1900s after which it went into voluntary liquidation. At its height it was one of the largest in the South West and owned over 20 ships, with a banking branch extending over £50,0000 in commercial loans. In 1900 it was valued at £1m, approximatley £102m as of 2023 (based on the Bank Of England CPI inflation data). [33][34][35][36]

Remaining assets from the banking firm were by the 1920s sold and amalgamated into Barclays Bank Plc, following this the De'Anyers family had interests in rail, brewing, and banking investments and held significant landed estates in Devon and Somerset.[37][38]

Members married into several notable families including the Carew Baronets, and the Harvey family the latter of which had made a fortune in textile manufacturing and descended from Prime Minister George Grenville. [39][40][41]


Several members served with high ranking distinction during the Anglo-Boer Wars, World War 1 and World War 2 and were active members and donors in the equestrian, horticultural and hunting communities .[42][43][44][45]

Present Day[edit]

The De' Anyers family history, spanning nearly a millennium, reflects an enduring legacy of service and influence, from their origins arriving during the Norman Conquest to their notable roles in medieval battles, political offices, and extensive landholdings throughout Cheshire and the South West.

Despite the loss of their ancestral Cheshire estates, descendants of the De' Anyers family are still active in municipal, business and military affairs as well as holding public office. Their rich history is preserved in historical records, memorials, and monuments throughout Cheshire and the South West, where members of the family remain today. .[14][15][2]

Over Tabley Hall (2014)

As commented by The Duchess of Cleveland:

"Here again, therefore, we may welcome among us one of the rare old names that have never died out." [9]

The family's seat at Over Tabley Hall is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building and parts of the 17th century stable block remain. [46][47]

The house underwent renovations from 2007-2017.[48]

The east end of the south aisle of All Saints' Church, Daresbury houses the De' Anyers Chapel, formerly the Chadwick Chapel, which was renamed in commemoration of the one of Cheshire's oldest families.[49]

The east window of the chapel features characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, erected in 1935 in celebration of the centennial of Lewis Carroll's birth.[49]




References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Leycester, Sir Peter (1673). Historical antiquities, in two books the first treating in general of Great-Brettain and Ireland : the second containing particular remarks concerning Cheshire / faithfully collected out of authentick histories, old deeds, records, and evidences, by Sir Peter Leycester, Baronet ; whereunto is annexed a transcript of Doomsday-book, so far as it concerneth Cheshire, taken out of the original record.
  2. ^ a b c Burkes Peerage 2003 volume 2, page 2637
  3. ^ a b Burkes Peerage 2003 volume 2, page 2638.
  4. ^ a b c Daniell, Phillip; Daniell, Mabilia (1876). Biographical History of the Family of Daniell Or De Anyers of Cheshire, 1066-1876, Comprehending the Houses of Daresbury, De Bradley, and De Tabley, Compiled by P. and M. Daniell (2nd ed.). London: Legare Street Press (published 18 July 2023). ISBN 1021172189.
  5. ^ a b Burke, Sir Bernard (1921). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain. Burke Publishing Company.
  6. ^ Bagshaw, Samuel (1850). History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire: Comprising a General Survey of the County, with a Variety of Historical, Statistical Topographical, Commercial, and Agricultural Information. author.
  7. ^ a b c "DANIELL, Peter (1584-1652), of Over Tabley, Cheshire | History of Parliament Online". www.histparl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  8. ^ a b "Cheshire Heraldry - The Armorial Bearings of the Cheshire Visitations - 1613". cheshire-heraldry.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  9. ^ a b c d Cleveland, Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett (1889). The Battle Abbey Roll, With Some Account of the Norman Lineages (1st ed.). London: John Murray. pp. 291–292.
  10. ^ a b Cheshire, Historic Society of Lancashire and (1879). Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire for the Year ... Society.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Burke, John; Burke, Bernard (1850). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. H. Colburn.
  12. ^ a b c d Burke, John (1833). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Uninvested with Heritable Honours. Henry Colburn.
  13. ^ Bilsborough, Norman; North West Civic Trust (1983). The treasures of Cheshire. Internet Archive. Manchester : North West Civic Trust. ISBN 978-0-901347-35-0.
  14. ^ a b Barber, Edward; Ditchfield, Peter Hampson (1910). Memorials of Old Cheshire. G. Allen & sons.
  15. ^ a b "Carl's Cam: Memorial to Sir Thomas Danyers of Bradley". www.carlscam.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  16. ^ a b King, Daniel (1778). The History of Cheshire: Containing King's Vale-royal Entire. J. Poole.
  17. ^ "Cheshire Heraldry- The Armorial Bearings of the Cheshire Visitations". cheshire-heraldry.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  18. ^ a b "Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1598-1900". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  19. ^ "Cheshire | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  20. ^ Pprs. of Sir Richard Grosvenor ed. R. Cust (Lancs. and Cheshire Rec. Soc. cxxiv), p. xi; E401/2459; APC, 1628-9, p. 398; 1629-30, pp. 154-5; Harl. 2095, ff. 57-68.
  21. ^ a b c d Ormerod, Cheshire, 1.ii, 475-6.
  22. ^ a b "Surnames beginning 'D' | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  23. ^ CCC, 107; Cheshire Archives, D/4664/1.
  24. ^ "British History Online | The core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  25. ^ Dore, Brereton letter books, 1. 325, 330, 2. 52, 384, 402, 435, 488, 489, 496, 511, 520, 525;
  26. ^ Carr and Atherton, Brereton Staffs., 126, 241-2, 271, 325, 328, 330, 349, 354
  27. ^ "Surnames beginning 'D' | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  28. ^ Lee, Frederick George (1883). The History, Description and Antiquities of the Prebendal Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Thame, in the County and Diocese of Oxford. Mitchell and Hughes.
  29. ^ Hanshall, J. H. (1817). The History of the County Palatine of Chester. J. Fletcher.
  30. ^ a b Betham, William (1802). The Baronetage of England. BurrellBransby. p. 378.
  31. ^ De Figueiredo, Peter; Treuherz, Julian (1988). Cheshire country houses. Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore. ISBN 978-0-85033-655-9.
  32. ^ Notices, The Telegraph, London, UK. Hereinafter cited as The Telegraph.
  33. ^ "Inflation calculator". www.bankofengland.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  34. ^ Fars, Graham (1950). Record of ships 1800 - 1830 (PDF). Record Society Volume XV.
  35. ^ Burke, Bernard (1906). A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. Рипол Классик. ISBN 978-5-88372-227-0.
  36. ^ "British Newspaper Archives".
  37. ^ Great Western Railway Company (1835–1947). Great Western Railway Company, Stock and Share Registers and Shareholders Records.
  38. ^ Walford, Edward (1869). The County Families of the United Kingdom Or, Royal Manual of the Titled and Untitled Aristocracy of Great Britain and Ireland ... R. Hardwicke.
  39. ^ Burkes Peerage 2003 volume 1, page 683
  40. ^ "Robert Harvey,John Harvey and Charles Harvey". www.norwich-heritage.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  41. ^ London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921
  42. ^ "RAF CWGC War Dead Query". RAFCommands. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  43. ^ Willcox, Major Walter Temple (2015-10-15). The Historical Records of the Fifth (Royal Irish) Lancers from Their Foundation as Wynne's Dragoons (in 1689) to 1908. Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-732-2.
  44. ^ Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (2008-07-15). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces of WWII, Volume One. Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-898697-00-8.
  45. ^ "Baily's Hunting Directory".
  46. ^ "OVER TABLEY HALL, Tabley Superior - 1318910 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  47. ^ "FARM BUILDING APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS WEST OF OVER TABLEY HALL, Tabley Superior - 1329688 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  48. ^ "Over Tabley Hall". Drinkwater Architects Ltd. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  49. ^ a b All Saints' Church, Daresbury, Church booklet
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