Capel family

Capel family
Name	Capel family
Other name	Capell
Region	East Anglia, England
Origin	Capel St. Mary, Suffolk
Founded	14th century
Founder	Sir William Capel
Final head	Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex
Dissolution	1710 (senior line)
Ethnicity	English
Estates	Cassiobury House, Hadham Hall
Titles	Earl of Essex, Baron Capell

Capel family. The Capels were a prominent English noble family, rising to significant political and social prominence from the Tudor period through the Stuart Restoration. Originating in Suffolk, the family's fortunes were cemented by Sir William Capel, a wealthy Lord Mayor of London, and later elevated through the peerage, most notably with the creation of the Earl of Essex title. Their history is deeply intertwined with the English Civil War, the Court of Charles I, and the political intrigues of Restoration England.

Origins and early history

The family name derives from Capel St. Mary in Suffolk, with early records appearing in the 14th century. Their ascent began with Sir William Capel, a successful mercer and alderman who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1503. He amassed considerable wealth and lands, establishing the family's financial foundation. His descendants consolidated this position, acquiring further estates in Hertfordshire and Essex and integrating into the landed gentry. The family's early prominence was primarily commercial and civic, centered on the City of London and the governance of East Anglia.

Notable members

Key figures include Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell, a staunch Cavalier during the English Civil War who was executed after the Siege of Colchester. His son, Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, became a significant statesman, serving as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and a member of the Cabal Ministry under Charles II. Another prominent member was Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury, who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Lord Deputy of Ireland. Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex, was a soldier and courtier, serving as Colonel of the Queen's Regiment of Horse and Gentleman of the Bedchamber to William III.

Titles and estates

The family held several peerage titles, primarily the Baron Capell of Hadham (created 1641) and the Earl of Essex (created 1661). Their principal seats included the magnificent Cassiobury House in Hertfordshire, extensively remodeled by Hugh May, and Hadham Hall in Little Hadham. Other significant properties encompassed Rayne Hall in Essex and holdings in Suffolk. The Capel Chapel at St. Mary's Church, Watford, serves as the family mausoleum, containing monuments by sculptors like Grinling Gibbons.

Political and military roles

The Capels were deeply engaged in the turbulent politics of the 17th century. Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell, was a senior Royalist commander and Privy Counsellor to Charles I. His son, the first Earl, was a leading political figure during the Restoration, involved in the Exclusion Crisis and investigations into the Popish Plot. Militarily, family members served as colonels of regiments, with Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex, seeing action in the Williamite War in Ireland at the Battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Limerick.

Cultural and social influence

The family were noted patrons of the arts and architecture. Cassiobury House was celebrated for its interiors and expansive landscaped gardens, designed by authorities like George London and visited by diarist John Evelyn. They amassed important collections of paintings and supported artists including Peter Lely. Through strategic marriages, they allied with other powerful families such as the Percys (Dukes of Northumberland), the Holles family, and the Bentinck family (Dukes of Portland).

Later history and legacy

The senior male line ended with the death of Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1710, whereupon the Earldom of Essex passed to a distant cousin from the Rookwood Hall branch. The Cassiobury estate was eventually inherited by the Earls of Essex of a new creation, the De Vere family, and was demolished in the 1920s. The family's legacy endures in place names like Capel, Surrey and Capel St. Mary, and through their dramatic role in the narratives of the Civil War and Restoration politics.

Category:English families Category:Noble families of England