9 8 THE FAMILY AND THE NATION 



" Mayoralty had become a sort of heirloom in his 

 family." He lent large sums of money to Edward IV., 

 and, by way of acknowledgment, was offered, but refused, 

 the King's natural daughter for a second wife. The 

 elder brother, Sir Thomas, was Lord Mayor of London 

 in 1456, and other direct descendants, one a "Turkey 

 Merchant," occupied various honourable posts, such as 

 ambassador to the Great Mogul, master of the Iron- 

 mongers' Company, etc., showing the intimate connec- 

 tion in those days between the trade of the country and 

 its distant foreign affairs. George Canning married in 

 1697 a woman who came of able stock, the daughter of 

 one Robert Stratford, and aunt of John, first Earl of 

 Aldborough. Their grandson was George Canning, 

 the Prime Minister in 1827 ; and his third son, 

 Governor-General and afterwards Viceroy of India, was 

 created Earl Canning. Unfortunately for the country, 

 this distinguished statesman married a co-heiress and 

 left no descendants. His cousin, Stratford, son of a 

 London merchant, was a distinguished diplomatist, and 

 was created Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe ; while yet 

 another cousin, who was a Fellow of the Royal Society 

 and of the Society of Antiquaries, was raised to the 

 Peerage in 1 8 1 8 as Baron Garvagh. 



These five families, taken by chance, are remarkably 

 good instances of the persistence of certain kinds of 

 ability. The Gages and Stewarts represent a military 

 type, continuing at a high level throughout several 

 centuries. The Noels and Moncktons have performed 

 their chief service to the country in the work of local 

 administration and parliamentary office. The Cannings 



