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George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was born in 1628, son of royal favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. After his father was murdered George and his brother were brought up in the royal nursery with the King's children. They took the Royalist side during the Civil War, and George's brother was killed in action. After the war George fled England and became part of Charles II's court in exile. After the Restoration he gained a reputation for intrigue as a courtier and politician. He died in 1687.
The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house. The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.
Victor Albert George Child-Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, was born in 1845, son of the 6th Earl of Jersey, George Augustus Frederick Child-Villiers, and his wife Julia. Victor was educated at Eton and Oxford. He was the governor of New South Wales from 1890-1892, but on his return he did not hold major public office, preferring local positions in Oxfordshire and Middlesex. He was the principal proprietor of Child's Bank.