William Capel 1697-1743
From Book Owners Online
William CAPEL or CAPELL, 3rd Earl of Essex 1697-1743
Biographical Note
Son of Algernon Capel, 2nd Earl of Essex, from whom he inherited the title and family estates in 1710. He held various court and local administrative positions, including as a gentleman of the bedchamber for George II, Keeper of St James's and Hyde Park, and captain yeoman of the guard; during the 1730s he served in various diplomatic postings in Italy.
Books
Capel inherited the family library at Cassiobury, developed by his father and grandfather; we do not know how much he augmented it, but he used his own engraved armorial bookplates (Franks 5083-4).
Sources
- Gambier Howe, E. R. J. Franks bequest: catalogue of British and American book plates bequeathed to the ... British Museum. London, 1903.
- Henderson, T. F., and Philip Carter. "Capel, William, third earl of Essex (1697–1743), diplomatist and courtier." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.