The family motto of the Grovernors of Eaton is “Virtus non stemma” or “Virtue, not lineage”, which means it is what you do that matters, not your lineage. And as far as mottos go, this one couldn’t be more suitable for a family that has risen to the top of British society, amassed an unimaginable fortune in wealth and real estate and claims to be descended from William the Conqueror. This last fact is debatable, but what cannot be denied is that the Grovenor line has been extremely lucky in their acquisitions, be it property or their choices of wealthy heriesses for wives.
The Grosvenor history begins with a connection to William the Conqueror goes back to 1066. He and Gilbert le Gros Veneur arrived in England, accompanied by Gilbert’s uncle, Hugh Lupus D’Avranches, who was not only the Earl of Chester but also happened to be William’s nephew.
A fortune was waiting to be made in the mines of North Wales, and the Grovenor line slowly and steadily acquired more land. In 1160 Richard le Grosvenor was granted the manor of Budworth in Cheshire by the Earl of Chester. Of the forty Grosvenor descendants, there are 10 Roberts, 8 Richards, 6 Thomases, 4 Hughs, 4 Raufes, 2 Geralds and a sprinkling of Williams, Rogers and Victors. Many of them served their communities as Sherriffs, namely Sir Richard who was also a Justice of the Peace and a Member of Parliament in the early 1600s and his father Richard who served as Sherriff of Cheshire in 1602. Robert Grosvenor served as Sherriff of Chester from 1284 to 1287 and many were knighted. The first Raufe Grosvenor fought in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. In 1443, a succeeding Raufe boosted the family coffers by marrying Joan of Eton, later to be known as Eaton (yes, as in Eaton Hall.)
A few Grosvenors died childless or unmarried, but not many. In 1732 Sir Richard, the 4th Baronet, died without issue and the following year Sir Thomas, the 5th Baronet, died unmarried in Naples. In 1661, Roger, whose son was Thomas, the 3rd Baronet, died in a duel, but Thomas had better luck, especially when he married Mary Davies, heiress of Alexander Davies. One of her gifts to her new husband was a few fields of inconsequential pastureland, but this area would eventually become the famous Grosvenor Square.
Another real estate acquisition that fared well for the Grosvenor history was the purchase of the ‘Five Fields’, a clayey swamp that was overrun with thieves and cutthroats. It was also purported to contain the unmarked graves of hundreds of plague victims. This unfortunate parcel eventually rose to grandeur and became the trendy area known today as Belgravia.
There is an interesting story about the Grosvenor coat of arms, which is attributed to Gilbert le Gros Veneur and, in a roundabout way, to the Cheshire Cat as well. As mentioned, le Gros Veneur was the nephew of Hugh Lupus D‘Avranches, the Earl of Chester. Hugh was a large, formidable man and chose for his coat of arms the image of an open-mouthed wolf with fangs bared. Hugh enjoyed the resulting attention he received as folks referred to him as “Hugh the Wolf”. But the local artists’ skills were somewhat lacking, and the startling image of the wolf soon morphed into a rather smirky-looking feline. Soon the townsfolk began to call the emblem “Fat Hugh’s Cat.”
Since Fat Hugh had no children of his own, he left his two Cheshire estates to his nephew Gilbert le Gros Veneur. Gilbert not only inherited the property, but also his uncle’s tendency toward largesse and some argue that Gros Veneur translates to “Fat Hunter”, not “Chief Hunter”, as had been widely believed. Gilbert must have been more sensitive than his uncle because he changed the coat of arms to a simple gold diagonal against a blue background.
Things were fine until 1389 when Sir Robert Grosvenor was challenged about his rights to this emblem by Sir Richard Scrope, Baron of Bolton. After a lengthy court trial, Sir Robert decided to resurrect his ancestor's smiling coat of arms, "Fat Hugh’s Cat", which could be called the Original Cheshire Cat.
The Grosvenor history begins with a connection to William the Conqueror goes back to 1066. He and Gilbert le Gros Veneur arrived in England, accompanied by Gilbert’s uncle, Hugh Lupus D’Avranches, who was not only the Earl of Chester but also happened to be William’s nephew.
A fortune was waiting to be made in the mines of North Wales, and the Grovenor line slowly and steadily acquired more land. In 1160 Richard le Grosvenor was granted the manor of Budworth in Cheshire by the Earl of Chester. Of the forty Grosvenor descendants, there are 10 Roberts, 8 Richards, 6 Thomases, 4 Hughs, 4 Raufes, 2 Geralds and a sprinkling of Williams, Rogers and Victors. Many of them served their communities as Sherriffs, namely Sir Richard who was also a Justice of the Peace and a Member of Parliament in the early 1600s and his father Richard who served as Sherriff of Cheshire in 1602. Robert Grosvenor served as Sherriff of Chester from 1284 to 1287 and many were knighted. The first Raufe Grosvenor fought in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. In 1443, a succeeding Raufe boosted the family coffers by marrying Joan of Eton, later to be known as Eaton (yes, as in Eaton Hall.)
A few Grosvenors died childless or unmarried, but not many. In 1732 Sir Richard, the 4th Baronet, died without issue and the following year Sir Thomas, the 5th Baronet, died unmarried in Naples. In 1661, Roger, whose son was Thomas, the 3rd Baronet, died in a duel, but Thomas had better luck, especially when he married Mary Davies, heiress of Alexander Davies. One of her gifts to her new husband was a few fields of inconsequential pastureland, but this area would eventually become the famous Grosvenor Square.
Another real estate acquisition that fared well for the Grosvenor history was the purchase of the ‘Five Fields’, a clayey swamp that was overrun with thieves and cutthroats. It was also purported to contain the unmarked graves of hundreds of plague victims. This unfortunate parcel eventually rose to grandeur and became the trendy area known today as Belgravia.
There is an interesting story about the Grosvenor coat of arms, which is attributed to Gilbert le Gros Veneur and, in a roundabout way, to the Cheshire Cat as well. As mentioned, le Gros Veneur was the nephew of Hugh Lupus D‘Avranches, the Earl of Chester. Hugh was a large, formidable man and chose for his coat of arms the image of an open-mouthed wolf with fangs bared. Hugh enjoyed the resulting attention he received as folks referred to him as “Hugh the Wolf”. But the local artists’ skills were somewhat lacking, and the startling image of the wolf soon morphed into a rather smirky-looking feline. Soon the townsfolk began to call the emblem “Fat Hugh’s Cat.”
Since Fat Hugh had no children of his own, he left his two Cheshire estates to his nephew Gilbert le Gros Veneur. Gilbert not only inherited the property, but also his uncle’s tendency toward largesse and some argue that Gros Veneur translates to “Fat Hunter”, not “Chief Hunter”, as had been widely believed. Gilbert must have been more sensitive than his uncle because he changed the coat of arms to a simple gold diagonal against a blue background.
Things were fine until 1389 when Sir Robert Grosvenor was challenged about his rights to this emblem by Sir Richard Scrope, Baron of Bolton. After a lengthy court trial, Sir Robert decided to resurrect his ancestor's smiling coat of arms, "Fat Hugh’s Cat", which could be called the Original Cheshire Cat.
