Lord William Manners

Lord William Manners (13 November 1697 – 23 April 1772), English nobleman and Member of Parliament, was the second son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and his first wife, Catherine Russell.

He never married, but by his mistress Corbetta Smyth, daughter of William Smyth, Apothecary of Shrewsbury, he had ten children:

He entered Parliament for Leicestershire in 1719, for which he sat until 1734. He returned as MP for Newark in 1738, and held that seat until 1754, when he was succeeded by his eldest son John.

He died on 23 April 1772 as the result of a riding accident.

His descendant David Drew-Smythe speculates that Lord William Manners and his mistress Corbetta Smyth, who had a long-term relationship, never married because of inheritance clauses. All Corbetta's children were recognized by their father.

Conditions of inheritance being linked to stipulations about specific marriage expectations or restrictions are not uncommon and have been known to "force" couples into living and bringing up their children in 'unmarried' relationships in order to avoid losing an inheritance. This is speculation, of course, but there must have been some specific reason why they chose to be unmarried.

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