in
Piccadilly Circus and the adjacent
Shaftesbury Avenue commemorate the
7th Earl of Shaftesbury, a Victorian politician and social reformer. The first Earl was succeeded by his son,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury. He represented
Melcombe Regis and
Weymouth in the
House of Commons. His son,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, succeeded as the 3rd Earl upon his death. The 3rd Earl sat as a Member of Parliament, but is chiefly remembered as a writer and philosopher. On his death, the titles passed to his son,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, who became the 4th Earl. The 4th Earl notably served as
Lord Lieutenant of Dorset and
Councillor of the
Colony of Georgia. He died in 1771, at which time, his son inherited the title of 5th Earl.
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 5th Earl of Shaftesbury, was educated at
Winchester and served as
Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset. Cropley Ashley-Cooper, younger brother of the 5th Earl, inherited the title of 6th Earl upon the death of his older brother in 1811. The 6th Earl represented
Dorchester in Parliament. He served as member of the
Privy Council and
Deputy Speaker of the
House of Lords. Upon his death, the title was passed to his son.
The 7th Earl was a prominent politician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was known as the reforming Lord Shaftesbury in the 19th century, who fought for the
abolition of slavery. His eldest son, the 8th Earl, sat as Member of Parliament for
Kingston upon Hull and
Cricklade. He was succeeded by his son, the 9th Earl, who was the
Lord Mayor of Belfast,
Lord Lieutenant of Belfast,
County Antrim and
Dorset and
Lord Steward of the Household. The 9th Earl was predeceased by his elder son
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley, in 1947; on the 9th Earl's death in 1961, the titles passed to his grandson, the 10th Earl, son of Lord Ashley. In 2004,
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, was murdered by his third wife,
Jamila M'Barek, and her brother. They were convicted of the crime in 2007, two years after the 10th Earl's body was found dismembered in the
French Alps. The 10th Earl was succeeded by his elder son
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 11th Earl of Shaftesbury. In May 2005, six months after succeeding to the earldom, the 11th Earl died of a heart attack in New York City, while visiting his younger brother
Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, who succeeded him as 12th Earl.
Other family members Other prominent members of the family include
Liberal politician
Evelyn Ashley, second son of the 7th Earl; his son, noted politician
Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, was a member of the
Conservative Party, and his daughter
Edwina married
Louis Mountbatten and was to be last
Vicereine of India. Upon that marriage the Earls of Shaftesbury began close social links to the
royal family. Lady Mountbatten was a leading member of London society. Edwina's mother was Amalia Mary Maud Cassel (1879–1911), daughter of the international magnate Sir
Ernest Cassel, a friend and private financier to the future
King Edward VII and one of the richest men in Europe. When her grandfather died in 1921, Edwina inherited his vast fortune, which included £2 million, the country seat of
Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire;
Brook House in London;
Moulton Paddocks estate in
Newmarket, Suffolk; Classiebawn Castle,
Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland; and a seaside house at Branksome Dene in
Bournemouth. They married on 18 July 1922 at St Margaret's, Westminster. The monarch's immediate family attended; the then-Prince of Wales (the future
King Edward VIII) was the best man. The relationship between the families continues, as descendants have often been royal godchildren. It was at Broadlands that Queen
Elizabeth II and her husband,
Prince Philip, spent their honeymoon night in 1947. In turn,
Prince Charles and his first wife,
Lady Diana Spencer, spent their honeymoon night there in 1981. ==St Giles House==