Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey

Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey ( – 3 April 1630), known at court as Kit Villiers, was an English courtier, Gentleman of the Bedchamber and later Master of the Robes to King James I. In 1623 he was ennobled as Earl of Anglesey and Baron Villiers of Daventry.

With little ability of his own, Villiers prospered chiefly thanks to the influence of his brother George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a favourite of James I.

Life

Villiers was the third son of Sir George Villiers (c. 1544–1606) of Brooksby, Leicestershire, by his second marriage, to Mary Beaumont (c. 1570–1632), later created Countess of Buckingham. He had two full brothers, George Villiers, successively Viscount Villiers (1616), then Earl, Marquess, and finally Duke of Buckingham, and John Villiers, first Viscount Purbeck, as well as a sister, Susan, later the countess of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh; while Sir Edward Villiers and William Villiers were his half-brothers.

Villiers was described as "unattractive and unintelligent" in his youth, but he shared in his family's good fortune flowing from the position of his brother George as king's favourite. In 1617 he was appointed Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James I, and on 7 March 1617/18 he was granted an annuity of £200.

Villiers searched for an heiress to marry, bidding unsuccessfully for the hand of the only daughter of Sir Sebastian Harvey, a rich City of London merchant, and that of Elizabeth Norris, daughter of Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire and Bridget de Vere.

This heiress was instead won by Edward Wray, another gentleman of the king's bedchamber, and Joseph Mede wrote to Sir Martin Stuteville on 13 April 1622 "Mr. Wray is turned out of [dismissed from the office of] the bedchamber for marrying the late Earl of Berkshire's daughter, whom Kit Villiers looked for." On 22 June 1622, Chamberlain wrote to Carleton: "The world talks likewise of divers [diverse] new earls to be made – as Kit Villiers, if he can be taken off his wench, Earl of Berkshire."

Villiers then married Elizabeth, the daughter and heir of Thomas Sheldon of Howley, Leicestershire. On 18 April 1623 Villiers was ennobled as Earl of Anglesey and Baron Villiers of Daventry. This had been in the air for more than a year, with the king seeking to persuade Villiers to give up a mistress, but in the event, he had failed to do so. On 19 April, Chamberlain resumed his letters to Carleton:

If he had had greater abilities, Villiers might have hoped to gain important positions under the Crown, but as he admitted to his powerful brother in 1627, his "want of preferment proceeded from his own unworthiness rather than from the duke's unwillingness". He was known to have a great fondness for alcohol, and shortly after the death of James I on 27 March 1625 he disappeared from the royal court, with the rumour going about that the new king, Charles I, refused to have him because of his drunkenness. Joseph Mede wrote to Sir Martin Stuteville on 23 April 1625:

The appointment of Villiers as Master of the Robes died with the old king, with Charles I retaining Lord Compton, who had served him in that capacity as Prince of Wales. According to one historian of the period, Villiers "summed up all that was unsavoury and corrupt with the court of James I". His widow, Elizabeth, Countess of Anglesey, married secondly Benjamin Weston, Esquire, and they continued to live there. Villiers's titles and estates passed first to his only son, Charles, who died childless on 4 February 1661. Charles had married the widow of his cousin William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison. When she died, many estates passed to Villiers daughter, Anne, widow of Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex (1590–1659).