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136
Hereditary Genius
find, namely, such as were peers or nearly related to peers. There
are twenty-two of these names. I find that fourteen have left no male
descendants, and that seven of those fourteen peers or their sons
have married heiresses—namely, Canning, Castlereagh, Lord
Grenville, George Grenville, Lord Holland, Lord Stowell, and Walpole
(the first Earl of Oxford). On the other hand, I find only three cases
of peers marrying heiresses without failure of issue,—namely,
Addington (Lord Sidmouth), the Marquis of Bute, and the Duke of
Grafton.
The seven whose male line became extinct from other causes are
Bolingbroke, Earl Chatham, Lord Liverpool, Earl St. Vincent, Earl
Nelson, William Pitt (unmarried), and the Marquess of Wellesley
(who left illegitimate issue). The remaining five required to complete
the twenty-two cases are the Duke of Bedford, Dundas (Viscount
Melville), Perceval, Romilly, and Wilberforce. None of these were
allied or descended from heiress-blood, and they have all left
descendants.
I append to this summary the history of the heiress-marriages, to
correspond with what has already been given in respect to the
Judges.
Bute, Marquess of. Married a co-heiress, but had a large family.
Canning, George. Married an heiress, and had three sons and one daughter. The
eldest died young; the second was drowned in youth; and the third, who was
the late Earl Canning, married a co-heiress, and had no issue: so the line is
extinct.
Castlereagh, Viscount. Married a co-heiress, and had neither son nor daughter; so
the line became extinct.
Grafton, Duke of. Married an heiress, and had two sons and one daughter. By a
second wife he had a larger family.
Grenville, Lord. Had three sons and four daughters. The eldest son married an
heiress, and had no male grandchildren; the second was apparently unmarried;
the third was George Grenville (Premier): he married, but was issueless; so the
line is extinct.
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