The Gage Family
Since the 15th Century the Gages have lived at Firle, following the marriage of William Gage to Agnes Bolney whose family had previously owned the seat at Firle. (The Bolneys held the lordship of Firle briefly after acquiring it from the bankrupt lord of the manor Thomas Levett.) This holding was further expanded by their son Sir John Gage who inherited land belonging to his father-in-law, Sir Thomas St Clere. In 1479 a second John Gage was born and it was he who became the ward to the Duke of Buckingham when his father died in 1497.
Sir John became quite prominent at the court of King Henry VIII and even accompanied the king on an expedition to France. Following such campaigns and his competence in battle he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain to the King. Sir John also served as a key figure in the dissolution of the monasteries in Sussex, despite the fact that he remained a Catholic.
Sir John's son, Edward, later became a Knight of the Bath and the Sheriff of Sussex and in 1556 oversaw the execution of the 17 "Sussex Martyrs" during the Marian Persecutions of 1555-1557.
The Gage Baronet was created by John Gage (d. 1633) in 1622. The 7th Baronet, Sir William Gage (1695–1744), was notable for his interest in cricket, particularly in Sussex. It is often thought that beginnings of what is now Firle Cricket Club started with Sir William. In 1754 this Baronet title was raised by Irish-born Thomas Gage to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Gage and Viscount Gage.
Another notable Gage is General Sir Thomas Gage who was made Commander in Chief of the British forces in North America. However, following the outbreak of the American War of Independence, he was relatively successful but after disastrous losses at Battle of Bunker Hill he was replaced. His son, also called Thomas Gage (1781–1820), following what was now a family tradition was a botanist and traveller and had the Gagea genus of flower named after him.
Lord Henry Nicholas Gage is the current holder of the title and still lives in Firle.
Read more about this topic: Firle Place
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“It is as when a migrating army of mice girdles a forest of pines. The chopper fells trees from the same motive that the mouse gnaws them,—to get his living. You tell me that he has a more interesting family than the mouse. That is as it happens.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)