Earl of Gainsborough

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coat of arms of the Earls of Gainsborough

Earl of Gainsborough is a hereditary British title of nobility that has been awarded twice.

It was first created in 1682 for Edward Noel, 4th Viscount Camden in the Peerage of England . The title expired when the 6th Earl of Gainsborough died in 1798 without an heir. For the second time, the award to Charles Noel, 3rd Baron Barham in the Peerage of the United Kingdom , a descendant of the Earls' first award in the female family line, followed in 1841 .

History of the title

Viscount Camden and bestowal of the title Earl of Gainsborough in 1682

Baptist Hicks, 1st Viscount Campden

Baptist Hicks was a wealthy textile merchant from London who also represented the boroughs of Tavistock and Tewkesbury in the House of Commons . On July 1, 1620 he was given the title of baronet in the Baronetage of England , of Campden in the County of Gloucester , which could be passed on to his male descendants. On May 5, 1628 Hicks was raised in the Peerage of England to Viscount Campden , of Campden in the County of Gloucester, and Baron Hicks , of Ilmington in the County of Warwick, and thus a member of the House of Lords .

Since he had no sons himself, he was granted the Viscountcy and Barony with the special inheritance rule that these titles could also be inherited to his son-in-law Edward Noel, 1st Baron Noel , the husband of his daughter Juliana Hicks, in the absence of his own male descendants . Edward Noel inherited his title as 2nd Viscount Camden and 2nd Baron Hicks at Hicks' death in 1629, while the title of Baronet, of Campden, expired. Noel was previously a member of the House of Commons, in which he represented County Rutland . On June 29, 1611 he had been raised in the Baronetage of England to Baronet , of Brook in the County of Rutland, and also on March 23, 1617 in the Peerage of England to Baron Noel , of Ridlington in the County of Rutland and thus already a member of the House of Lords.

Edward Noel's successor as 3rd Viscount Camden was his son, who in 1640 was also a member of the House of Commons and had represented County Rutland there.

When he died in 1682, his son inherited the title of 4th Viscount Camden. He had previously represented the Counties of Rutland and Hampshire in the House of Commons and also acted as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and Lord Lieutenant of Rutland. As early as February 3, 1681 he had been raised to Baron Noel , of Titchfield in the County of Southampton, and thus a member of the House of Lords. On December 1, 1682, a month after he had inherited his father as the 4th Viscount Camden, he was also elevated to the Earl of Gainsborough . Both awards were given to him with the special addition that, in the absence of male descendants of his own, they could also be inherited by his two half-brothers from his father's fourth marriage, Baptist and John Noel, and their male descendants.

His son, the 2nd Earl of Gainsborough, also sat briefly as Knight of the Shire for Hampshire in the House of Commons. With his death in 1690 the male line of descendants of the 1st Earl expired, so that the title fell to his cousin Baptist Noel as 3rd Earl of Gainsborough due to the special inheritance regulation. He was a son of Baptist Noel, who had represented Rutland in the House of Commons in 1685 and was the elder of the two half-brothers of the 1st Earl of Gainsborough. All titles expired when the 6th Earl died childless on April 8, 1798, who was a grandson of the 3rd Earl.

Baron Barham and bestowal of the title Earl of Gainsborough in 1841

Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham

Charles Middleton was an admiral in the Royal Navy who served, among other things, as First Lord of the Admiralty . On October 23, 1781 he was raised in the Baronetage of Great Britain to Baronet , of the Navy, and on May 1, 1805 in the Peerage of the United Kingdom to Barham , of Barham Court and of Teston in the County of Kent . The Admiral had no sons, only a daughter, Diana Middleton , who was married to the House of Commons Gerard Edwardes (1759-1838). For this reason, the two titles were each given with a special addition, so that in the absence of male descendants of his own, the baronetcy could also be inherited to his son-in-law Gerard Edwardes and his male descendants, and the barony to his daughter and her male descendants.

His son-in-law Gerard Edwardes was on his mother's side a grandson of Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough , and in 1798 he took the family name "Noel" as heir of the property of his late uncle Henry Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough . According to the special inheritance regulation mentioned above, he inherited the title of 2nd Baronet of the Navy from his father-in-law in 1813, while his wife Diana inherited the title of 2nd Baroness Barham.

Their eldest son Charles Noel was a member of the House of Commons for Rutland and, when his parents died in 1823 and 1838, combined the two titles of 3rd baron and 3rd baronet. On August 16, 1841, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, the titles Earl of Gainsborough , in the County of Lincoln, Viscount Campden , of Campden in the County of Gloucester, and Baron Noel , of Ridlington in the County of Rutland, were new to him awarded. Today's title holder is his great-great-great-grandson as 6th Earl.

The Earls family home is Horn House on the Exton Park estate in Rutland.

List of title owners

Viscounts Campden (1628)

Earls of Gainsborough, first bestowal (1682)

Bookplate with an early impression of the Noel family coat of arms and the coat of arms saying “Tout bien ou rien” ('All good or nothing') in French

Barons Barham (1805)

Earls of Gainsborough, second bestowal (1841)

The heir ( Heir apparent ) is the son of the current Earl, Henry Robert Anthony Noel, Viscount Campden (* 1977). In turn, his heir is his son Edward Patrick Anthony Noel (* 2007).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Edward Cokayne : Complete Baronetage. Volume 1, William Pollard, Exeter 1900, p. 45 ( archive.org ).
  2. ^ Google Groups - Peerage News