Place Name
Named after the Marquesses of Exeter. Henry Cecil (March 14, 1754 – May 1, 1804) was the 1st Marquess of Exeter. He was an MP between 1774 and 1790 and succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Exeter in 1793. Though the Cecil family’s connection to this area actually stretches back to the 16thCentury, when William Cecil (September 13, 1520 – August 4, 1598), 1st Baron Burghley, also known as Lord Burghley, and the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign had Theobalds House built between 1564 and 1585. Built to be the near to and impress the Queen, as well as show off his dominant status at the Royal Court, his designs clearly worked as she visited eight times, between 1572 and 1596. Cecil was the founder of the Cecil dynasty (Marquesses of Exeter and of Salisbury) which produced many politicians including two Prime Ministers. It was under Cecil’s direction that many of the foundations of English policy were laid down including the subjugation of Ireland, the execution of the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, and the strengthening of the Royal Navy. See also Salisbury Road.
