Sir Richard Wortley 1565 – 1603, married Elizabeth Boughton and lived at Wortley Hall until his death. They had 2 children; Eleanor and Francis. Sir Francis Wortley 1591 – 1652 succeeded his father in 1603 and was knighted in 1611 and created baronet shortly after. Sir Francis was an MP and a devoted supporter of the Royalist cause during the Civil Wars. He raised a troop of horse and fortified his house at Wortley. He supported Charles II in the Siege of Hull (1642). He was captured in 1644 at Wotton House, near Wakefield and imprisoned in the Tower of London from 1644 to 1648. His estates were sequestrated and he was fined £500 on 24 April 1647. He married twice and was succeeded by his son Francis. Sir Francis Wortley 2nd Baronet 1616 – 1665 (approx.) married Frances Flaunt and left no legitimate children. His entire inheritance was left to his illegitimate daughter Ann Newcommen Wortley.

Ann at the age of 6 went to live with her guardian Edward Montagu 1st Earl of Sandwich 1625 – 1672. The Montagus were a prolific family, their founder being Edward’s grandfather Sir Edward Montagu 1532 – 1602 Earl of Manchester, Halifax, Broughton and Sandwich.

Edward Montagu himself was a strong parliamentarian and friend of Cromwell. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London during the protectorate and later sailed as an Admiral to bring back Charles ll. He died fighting the Dutch at sea.
It was fore agreed that Edward’s favourite son Sydney 2nd Earl of Sandwich 1650 – 1727 would marry Ann Wortley and that he would take the Wortley name.

Anne and Sydney had one son Edward Wortley-Montagu 1678 -1761, a man of great wealth and a good friend of King George 3rd who later became Ambassador to the Ottoman Court. Edward married Mary Pierrpont 1689 -1762 secretly as her parents did not approve of the marriage. He lived much of his life alone in Wharncliffe Lodge. Mary one of 5 children, she was brought up by her aunts and grandparents, a student of Latin and French, was beautiful and intelligent and quite a bit younger than her husband. Mary eloped with Sydney Montagu in 1713 and they had 2 children, Edward 1713 who was prone to run away from school and was banished overseas to be educated. Edward remained a traveller and failed to live on his annuity, he died with no descendants of swallowing a fish bone in Padua. Mary 1718 – 1794, and her mother Mary kept in contact throughout their lives. Their Mother travelled widely, often alone and wrote numerous letters and also satirical lampoons which were published. She later contracted small pox and was responsible for the vaccination being introduced to England, vaccinating her own children and arranging for the royal children to be vaccinated. On his death Sydney left the majority of his wealth to his daughter Mary, the remainder to his wife and son. Mary left all her money to her daughter leaving just one guinea to Edward.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu married John Stewart 3rd Earl of Bute in 1736, despite her parents’ disapproval, largely due to the fact he had relatively no money.

John Stewart 1713 – 1792 was the first son of James Stewart 2nd Earl of Bute 1696 – 1723 and Ann Campbell, his 2nd Son being James Stewart 1719 – 1800 who died with no descendants. They were both the grandsons of John Stewart 1st Earl of Bute 1659 – 1710 and Agness Mackenzie.

On the death of their father the Estate was divided between John and James, John became 3rd Earl of Bute with little land and no money and James became Lord Privy Seal, taking the name and Estate of Mackenzie. This was by virtue of their Great Grandfather Sir George Mackenzies Will – (Agness Mackenzies father) which deeded the estate to the second and subsequent children.

John Stewart and Lady Mary Wortley lived in Scotland until 1745, they had 5 sons and 6 daughters. John was a Representative peer for Scotland and entered the House of Lords in 1738. He was a friend of Frederick Prince of Wales and later Kind George III. He was an unpopular man due to his influence with the King, imposing a cidar tax, lobbying against the repeal of the Stamp act and urging war with the American colonies. He was a botanist and bought Luton Hoo which he rebuilt to designs by Robert Adam, and a patron of the Arts.

Of their 11 children, the second born was The Hon. James, the family had moved to London by this time. James succeeded to the vast Wortley estates and fortune on the death of his mother in 1794. He adopted the name Wortley but was very much an absentee landlord, living in Grosvenor Square. The Wortley estates included the Manors of Wortley, Pilley, Hunself, Hoyland Swaine, Newhall, Carlton, Tankersley, Holbrook, Shillington, Thornton, Silkstone, Penistone and Royston. Also included were North Riding property in Wensleydale and Cotterdale, land at Creswell, Notts; and in Cornwall and Devon, Wathampton, Barnston, Exeter, St Olaves, Tintagil and Callington.

Hon James was keen to fight for and gain more land and arms. His Uncle James Stuart Mackenzie had inherited his great grandfather’s estates in Rosehaugh and also the right to bear arms. These by Will passed to the second son, but as his Uncle James died childless, Hon James took Councils opinion and fought a case against his nephew Sir Herbert Stuart to claim the inheritance. He won, there was an appeal but the House of Lords verified the decision in March 1803 so James Stuart Wortley became Mackenzie and quartered the Mackenzie arms.

In 1767 James married Margaret (1745 – 1808) daughter of Sir David Cunningham and Lady Mary Montgomery of Livingstone they had 5 children. The eldest son John died aged 22, the third son George who died in 1813 was to inherit life insurance policies from his father, so upon James death his 2 daughters Mary and Louisa shared the money which was left and James the 2nd son received the personal effects, entailed Wortley estates and a Scottish estate free entrail for his personal use. James senior had struggled to live within his means for much of his life and was never very good with his finances. To his wife Margaret, James raised a beautiful marble statue in Wortley Church on her death in 1808. James Stuart Wortley Mackenzie (1776 – 1885) the surviving son married Elizabeth Caroline Creighton Daughter of the Earl of Erne and they lived at Wortley. They had 4 children 2 of which born at Wortley. James was educated at Charterhouse, served in the army rising to full Colonel. He held the Tory seat of Bossingey and also of Yorkshire. He was created Baron of Wharncliffe in 1826, Lord Privy Seal (1834 -1845) and at the time of his death in 1845 was Lord President of the Council and lord Lt of the West Riding.
All 4 children made noble marriages.

His eldest son John Stuart (1801 – 1955) succeeded James on his death. John was born in Egham and obtained his B.A from Christ church College Oxford in 1822. He was an MP and also Secretary to the Board of Control for Indian Affairs. He married Georgina Elizabeth Ryder, daughter of 1st Earl of Harrowby in 1825, they had 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys.

The eldest son Edward became 3rd Baron in 1855 married Lady Susan Lascelles and they had one son, who died just 1 year old. He was created Earl of Wharncliffe in 1876 and took the additional name Montagu in 1880. He died without heir in 1899 and was succeeded by his nephew the 2nd Earl, Francis John Montagu Stuart Wortley (1856 – 1926) son of Francis Dudley (1829 – 1893) and Maria Montagu Stuart Wortley (1832 – 1891) and the eldest of his 5 children.
Francis John married Ellen Gallway (1863 -1922) a soldiers daughter in 1886, they had 3 sons and 3 daughters. The eldest son George for whom the Prince of Wales Edward VII stood sponsor died at 5 years old.

In 1926 their second son, Archibald Ralph became 3rd Earl, he married Lady Maud Lillian Elfrida Wentworth Fitzwilliam, eldest daughter of Earl Fitzwilliam. Of their five children only one was male, their son Alan James who became 4th Earl of Wharncliffe. Alan James married Aline Bruce in 1957 and had 2 daughters, Lady Joanna who was tragically killed at the age of 21 and Lady Rowena.

Lady Rowena married and later divorced she has 2 children, Somerset Carlton Gerald Montagu Stuart Wortley-Hunt born 1987 and Fleur Aline Isabel Montagu Stuart Wortley-Hunt born 1989. Lady Rowena took over the Estate on her mother’s death in 2001. The present 5th Earl, inherited the title only, on the death of Alan James in 1987 and lives in America.