James Cecil, 6th Earl Of Salisbury

James Cecil, 6th Earl of Salisbury, was born on 20 October 1713 and died on 19 September 1780. He was a member of the British aristocracy, holding titles as a nobleman, politician, and peer. He was the son of James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Anne Cecil, Countess of Salisbury.

He received education at Westminster School. His roles included serving as High Steward of Hertford and as a Governor of the Foundling Hospital in London.

In 1745, Cecil married Elizabeth Keet, who was born in 1721 and died in 1776. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward Keet of Canterbury, a profession described in a contemporary source as a barber and tourist guide. The couple was known to have separated within a few years of their marriage. Following their separation, James Cecil lived as a recluse for the remaining 30 years of his life at Quickswood, located in the parish of Clothall. He cohabited with a woman named Mrs. Mary Grave of Baldock, whom he had been involved with prior to his marriage.

A contemporaneous account by C. Price in 1771, preserved in the Hatfield House archives, described Cecil's living situation: "He lives upstairs … surrounded with old trunks and boxes and scattered books. Well or ill he never quits his chamber, never sees or converses with any but his old Dame, as he calls her, and his physician, who occasionally visits him. The servants are old and rusty like the dwelling."

James Cecil's descendants included one son, also named James Cecil, who succeeded as the 7th Earl of Salisbury and was created the 1st Marquess of Salisbury. He also had two daughters, neither of whom married. His son with Elizabeth Keet inherited the titles upon Cecil's death.

Following Cecil's death, his mistress Mrs. Mary Grave received over £50,000 from his will, along with jewelry, silverware, and furniture that had been removed from Hatfield. Additionally, the will allotted £43,000 to his seven children with Mrs. Grave; one of these children was James Cecil Grave, who became rector of Hatfield and Clothall.

The 7th Earl of Salisbury contested the will unsuccessfully. Around 1790, he demolished Quickswood. Mrs. Mary Grave passed away on 2 December 1789 at Baldock.

Sources for this biographical data include The Gentleman's Magazine, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (106th edition), and G. E. Cokayne's The Complete Peerage, published in 1895.