Pakington family
The Pakington family is an English Worcestershire family historically associated with the Pakington baronetcy and, later, the barony of Hampton.
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Overview
The Pakington family is an English family of Worcestershire whose documented history includes lawyers, landowners, courtiers, royalists, politicians, writers, and hereditary peers. It is not a commercial brand, company, product line, or consumer-facing organization; the subject is a historical family identified in Wikipedia under the title “Pakington family.” The family’s prominence grew during the Tudor period through Sir John Pakington, a successful lawyer who died in 1551. In 1529, Henry VIII granted him the unusual privilege of wearing his hat in the royal presence, and he received or accumulated estates that included Westwood in Worcestershire. His grandnephew and heir, also named Sir John Pakington, became a prominent courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. Contemporary or later accounts associated him with the sobriquet “lusty Pakington” and emphasized his conspicuous lifestyle. The family entered the English baronetage in the early seventeenth century. John Pakington, born in 1600, was created a baronet in 1620 but died in 1624. His son, Sir John Pakington, the second baronet, lived from 1620 to 1680 and supported the royalist cause during the conflicts of the English Civil War, the Commonwealth, and the related political upheavals of the seventeenth century. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. His wife, Lady Dorothy Pakington, daughter of Lord Keeper Thomas Coventry, was noted for her learning. For a long period she was credited with writing The Whole Duty of Man, a devotional work first published in 1658, although later scholarship attributed the work to Richard Allestree. The family remained politically visible in the later seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Sir John Pakington, the fourth baronet, who lived from 1671 to 1727, was a committed High Tory and an active participant in political life. He was long identified by some commentators as the model for Sir Roger de Coverley, Joseph Addison’s fictional country gentleman in The Spectator. The historical basis for that identification is now considered insufficient, so the connection is best treated as a former literary supposition rather than an established fact. The original Pakington baronetcy ended with the death of Sir John Pakington, the eighth baronet, in January 1830. It was restored in 1846 for his maternal nephew and heir, John Somerset Pakington. Born John Somerset Russell on 20 February 1799, he adopted the Pakington name and became the most nationally prominent later member of the family. Educated at Eton College and Oriel College, Oxford, he pursued a long Conservative political career and represented Droitwich in Parliament from 1837 until 1874. His government positions included Secretary for War and the Colonies in 1852, First Lord of the Admiralty from 1858 to 1859 and again from 1866 to 1867, and Secretary of State for War from 1867 to 1868. In 1874 he was created Baron Hampton. From 1875 until his death in London on 9 April 1880, he served as Chief Civil Service Commissioner. The later family line included Herbert Perrott Murray Pakington, the third Baron Hampton, who lived from 1848 to 1906, and Mary Pakington, his daughter, an English dramatist. In 1906 Herbert Stuart, born in 1883, became the fourth Baron Hampton. The family is therefore chiefly significant as a lineage in English landed, political, and aristocratic history, with its historical identity represented in the modern peerage by the barony of Hampton.
History
The Pakington family was an English Worcestershire family whose historical importance developed through landholding, public service, political activity, and hereditary titles. The early documented figure was Sir John Pakington, who died in 1551. A successful lawyer during the Tudor period, he received royal favor from Henry VIII, including permission granted in 1529 to wear his hat in the king’s presence. He also acquired or was granted estates, among them Westwood in Worcestershire, establishing the family’s association with landed status in the county. His grandnephew and heir, also Sir John Pakington, became a prominent courtier under Elizabeth I. He was remembered for his lavish lifestyle and became known by the phrase “lusty Pakington,” a description reflecting his courtly reputation and conspicuous manner of living. The family’s social position was formalized in the seventeenth century when John Pakington, born in 1600, was created a baronet in 1620. He died in 1624, and the title passed to his son, Sir John Pakington, the second baronet, who lived from 1620 to 1680. The second baronet was involved in the political and military conflicts surrounding the English Civil War and the Commonwealth. He supported the royalist side and was captured at Worcester in 1651. His wife, Lady Dorothy Pakington, was the daughter of Thomas Coventry, Lord Keeper, and was recognized for her scholarship. She was traditionally credited with authorship of The Whole Duty of Man, a widely circulated devotional text published in 1658. Later attribution generally assigned the work to Richard Allestree, making Dorothy Pakington’s authorship a matter of historical reassessment rather than an established literary fact. The fourth baronet, Sir John Pakington, born in 1671 and deceased in 1727, became a significant political figure in his own right. He was a strong High Tory and participated prominently in public affairs. His reputation later became linked to Joseph Addison’s fictional character Sir Roger de Coverley, but the supposed identification was eventually judged to lack adequate supporting evidence. This episode illustrates the family’s presence not only in political history but also in the literary and antiquarian traditions surrounding the English country gentry. The first baronetcy became extinct in January 1830 when Sir John Pakington, the eighth baronet, died. The title was revived in 1846 for his maternal nephew and heir, John Somerset Pakington. He had originally been named John Somerset Russell and was born on 20 February 1799. Educated at Eton and Oriel College, Oxford, he adopted the Pakington name and entered Conservative politics. He represented Droitwich in the House of Commons from 1837 to 1874 and held several senior government offices. His appointments included Secretary for War and the Colonies in 1852, First Lord of the Admiralty during 1858–1859 and again during 1866–1867, and Secretary of State for War during 1867–1868. In 1874, John Somerset Pakington was raised to the peerage as Baron Hampton. His public career continued after leaving the Commons: from 1875 until his death in London on 9 April 1880, he served as Chief Civil Service Commissioner. The title of Baron Hampton became the later hereditary representation of the family after the baronetcy’s revival. The family’s subsequent history included Herbert Perrott Murray Pakington, the third Baron Hampton, who lived from 1848 to 1906. His daughter Mary Pakington was an English dramatist. In 1906, Herbert Stuart, born in 1883, became the fourth Baron Hampton. The available reference material does not establish a commercial enterprise, institutional headquarters, operating market, or contemporary brand activity for the family. Its relevance is historical and genealogical, centered on Worcestershire origins, the baronetcy, the Hampton peerage, public office, and cultural associations.
- 1906
Fourth Baron Hampton succeeds
[1]Herbert Stuart, born in 1883, became the fourth Baron Hampton after the death of Herbert Perrott Murray Pakington.
- 1875
Chief Civil Service Commissioner
[1]Baron Hampton began serving as Chief Civil Service Commissioner, a role he held until his death.
- 1874
Creation of Baron Hampton
[1]John Somerset Pakington was created Baron Hampton, providing the family with its later peerage title.
- 1846
Baronetcy revived
[1]The baronetcy was revived for John Somerset Pakington, the maternal nephew and heir of the eighth baronet.
- 1837
John Somerset Pakington enters Parliament
[1]John Somerset Pakington began representing Droitwich in Parliament, a constituency he held until 1874.
- 1830
Original baronetcy becomes extinct
[1]The original Pakington baronetcy ended with the death of Sir John Pakington, the eighth baronet.
- 1658
Publication of The Whole Duty of Man
[1]The devotional work The Whole Duty of Man was published. Lady Dorothy Pakington was long credited with authorship, although later attribution favored Richard Allestree.
- 1651
Capture at Worcester
[1]Sir John Pakington, the second baronet, was captured at Worcester while supporting the royalist cause.
- 1620
Pakington baronetcy established
[1]John Pakington was created a baronet, formally establishing the family’s hereditary baronetcy.
- 1551
Death of the early family patriarch
[1]Sir John Pakington, a successful lawyer associated with the family’s rise and with estates including Westwood, died.
Sources1 sources
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