Sir Lionel Tollemache | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Baronet of Helmingham | |
 Arms of Tollemache:Argent a fret Sable | |
| Successor | Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart |
| Born | 1624 Helmingham Hall |
| Baptised | 25 April 1624 Helmingham |
| Died | 1669(1669-00-00) (aged 44–45) |
| Buried | 25 March 1669 |
| Noble family | Tollemache |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Murray |
| Issue | Lionel Thomas William Elizabeth Catherine |
| Father | Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet |
| Mother | Elizabeth Stanhope |
Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet (1624–1669) ofHelmingham Hall in Suffolk, was the head of a prominent East Anglian family. He was the son ofSir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Stanhope, daughter and heiress ofJohn Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope of Harrington.
Around 1648, Tollemache marriedElizabeth Murray, a daughter and co-heiress ofWilliam Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart, 'whipping boy' to KingCharles I.[1] Sir Lionel and Lady Dysart had eleven children, five of whom survived to adulthood:
He and his wife, who were both ferventroyalists, moved to her seat atHam House in Surrey, which in due course became a centre for the activities of theSealed Knot. Together they were in contact with Charles Stuart, laterCharles II, then in exile on the continent. Rather surprisingly, however, Elizabeth was also said to be on very good terms with theLord Protector,Oliver Cromwell, leading to claims that he was the real father of some of her children, since discounted.[3]
Tollemache appears to have been plagued with ill health throughout much of his life.Augustus Hare, inThe Story of My Life (1900) suggested that this was as a result of his being slowly poisoned by his wife, who had used up his fortune turningHam House into a grand palace and now needed new sources of income with which to pay off her creditors. There is no evidence to back up such a claim however and it must be seen that Elizabeth's reputation has suffered from its subsequent association with that of her second husband,John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, whom it was said she charmed even as her husband's health deteriorated. Tollemache travelled to France in search of cures for his debilitating sickness, but died in Paris. In 1670 Elizabeth obtained confirmation fromKing Charles that she could pass on the title of Earl of Dysart to any one of her children.[4]
| Baronetage of England | ||
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| Preceded by | Baronet (of Helmingham Hall) 1640–1669 | Succeeded by |