The Family Now
Burghley is still very much a lived in family home. Having been built by William Cecil 500 years ago, direct descendants have lived in the House ever since and it is currently home to Miranda Rock and her family. Miranda, as House Director, looks after the House and Collections on behalf of the Burghley House Preservation Trust, a charitable trust set up by her grandfather, the 6th Marquess of Exeter.
Following the death of the 6th Marquess the title passed to his brother and then his son, Michael. Now the 8th Marquess of Exeter, Michael lives with his family in Canada but takes an active interest in all manner of business at Burghley.
History of the Family
Burghley House was built by William Cecil as a country retreat away from his court life on land originally owned by his family. The House has been transformed throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by two great collecting Earls and remains a family home to this day, with a direct descendant of William Cecil directing the charitable trust that was set up to make sure that Burghley continues to be shared with visitors and our community.
