Earl Waldegrave
Encyclopedia
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
. It was created in 1729 for James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave KG PC was a British ambassador.Waldegrave was the son of the 1st Baron Waldegrave and Henrietta FitzJames, the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill....
. The Waldegrave family descends from Sir Richard Waldegrave, Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
from 1381 to 1382. His son and namesake, Sir Richard Waldegrave
Richard Waldegrave (d. 1436)
Sir Richard Waldegrave was the son of Sir Richard Waldegrave. He had served in the Hundred Years' War and in 1402, was appointed to keep the seas , in which time he landed 10,000 men in Brittany and captured Conquet and the Île de Ré.He married Jane...
, was a soldier and fought in the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. His descendant Sir Edward Waldegrave
Edward Waldegrave
Sir Edward Waldegrave was an English courtier and recusant.-Life:Waldegrave was the son of John Waldegrave and a maternal nephew of Robert Rochester...
was a politician and courtier. A prominent Catholic, he held office under Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, who granted him the Chewton estate in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. However, Waldegrave was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
after the accession of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, where he died in 1561. His grandson Edward Waldegrave
Sir Edward Waldegrave, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Waldegrave, 1st Baronet was an English soldier and Cavalier during the English Civil War and a grandson of Sir Edward Waldegrave....
fought as a Royalist in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
despite his old age. In 1643 he was created a Baronet, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in the Baronetage of England.
His great-grandson, the fourth Baronet (the title having descended from father to son), married Henrietta FitzJames
Henrietta FitzJames
Henrietta FitzJames , the Dowager Lady Waldegrave and titular Countess of Newcastle, was an illegitimate daughter of James Stuart, Duke of York, afterward James II, King of Great Britain, by his mistress, Arabella Churchill, herself sister of the Duke of Marlborough.Henrietta was sister to the...
, illegitimate daughter of King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and his mistress Arabella Churchill
Arabella Churchill (royal mistress)
Arabella Churchill was the mistress of King James II, and the mother of four of his children...
. Mainly thanks to this marriage Waldegrave was raised to the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
as Baron Waldegrave, of Chewton in the County of Somerset. He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He served Ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and to France. In 1729 he was honoured when he was created Viscount Chewton, of Chewton in the County of Somerset, and Earl Waldegrave in the Peerage of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
. On his death the titles passed to his son, the second Earl. He was invited to form a government by the King in 1757, but was unsuccessful (and is normally not considered to have held the post of Prime Minister). Lord Waldegrave married Maria Walpole
Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Maria Walpole , the Countess Waldegrave and Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh...
, illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole, son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
. He died without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Earl. He was a General in the Army and also held political office. When he died the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He fought in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and also represented Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
His eldest son, the fifth Earl, died from drowning at the age of nine. The young Earl was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. He was a soldier and commanded the 54th Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son, the seventh Earl. He died childless at an early age and was succeeded by his uncle, the eighth Earl. He was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and also sat as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bedford
Bedford (UK Parliament constituency)
Bedford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was established in its current form in 1997, restoring a centuries old name. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election...
. His eldest son William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton, died in 1854 from wounds received at the Battle of Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. Lord Waldegrave was therefore succeeded by his grandson, the ninth Earl (the eldest son of Viscount Chewton). He was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
The Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords...
from 1896 to 1905. He was succeeded by his only son, the tenth Earl. He never married and on his death in 1933 the titles passed to his uncle, the eleventh Earl. He was the second son of the aforementioned Viscount Chewton. On his death the titles passed to his only son, the twelfth Earl. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and served as Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1957 to 1962. Lord Waldegrave also held the honorary post of Lord Warden of the Stannaries
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, has the function of calling a Stannary Parliament of tinners...
from 1965 to 1976. the titles are held by his eldest son, the thirteenth Earl, who succeeded in 1995.
Three other members of the Waldegrave family have also gained distinction. The Hon. William Waldegrave
William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock
William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock GCB was the Governor of Newfoundland and an Admiral in the Royal Navy.Waldegrave was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave and Elizabeth...
, second son of the third Earl, was a prominent naval commander and was created Baron Radstock
Baron Radstock
Baron Radstock, of Castletown in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave. He was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave . He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He was a...
in 1800 (see this title for further information on this branch of the family). The Hon. Samuel Waldegrave
Samuel Waldegrave
Samuel Waldegrave was Bishop of Carlisle from 1860 until his death.The second son of the 8th Earl Waldegrave, he was educated at Cheam School and graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1839. In 1842, he became a deacon and was then curate to St Ebbe's, Oxford and rector of Barford St Martin in...
, second son of the eighth Earl, was a clergyman and served as Bishop of Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
from 1860 to 1869. The Hon. William Waldegrave
William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill
William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC , is an English Conservative politician who served in the Cabinet from 1990 until 1997 and is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. He is now a life peer. Lord Waldegrave is also the Chairman of the Rhodes Trust and the Chairman of...
, second son of the twelfth Earl, is a Conservative politician and was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Waldegrave of North Hill in 1999.
The family seat is Chewton House, Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells, south of Bristol on the Mendip Hills and is the source of the River Chew. The parish includes the hamlet of Bathway.- History :...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. As suggested by the territorial designation of the baronetcy, the family once owned Hever Castle
Hever Castle
Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever near Edenbridge, Kent, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century...
.
Waldegrave Baronets of Hever Castle (1643)
- Sir Edward Waldegrave, 1st BaronetSir Edward Waldegrave, 1st BaronetSir Edward Waldegrave, 1st Baronet was an English soldier and Cavalier during the English Civil War and a grandson of Sir Edward Waldegrave....
(c. 1568–c. 1650) - Sir Henry Waldegrave, 2nd Baronet (1598–1658)
- Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet (d. c. 1684)
- Sir Henry Waldegrave, 4th BaronetHenry Waldegrave, 1st Baron WaldegraveHenry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave was an English peer and Jacobite supporter.The son of Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet, Waldegrave inherited his father's title in about 1684. A year earlier, on 29th November, he had married Henrietta FitzJames, an illegitimate daughter of King James II...
(1661–1689) (created Baron Waldegrave in 1686)
Barons Waldegrave (1686)
- Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron WaldegraveHenry Waldegrave, 1st Baron WaldegraveHenry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave was an English peer and Jacobite supporter.The son of Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet, Waldegrave inherited his father's title in about 1684. A year earlier, on 29th November, he had married Henrietta FitzJames, an illegitimate daughter of King James II...
(1661–1689) - James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave KG PC was a British ambassador.Waldegrave was the son of the 1st Baron Waldegrave and Henrietta FitzJames, the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill....
(1684–1742) (created Earl Waldegrave in 1729)
Earls Waldegrave (1729)
- James Waldegrave, 1st Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave KG PC was a British ambassador.Waldegrave was the son of the 1st Baron Waldegrave and Henrietta FitzJames, the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill....
(1684–1741) - James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 2nd Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave KG PC FRS was a British statesman.The eldest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave, Waldegrave was educated at Westminster and Eton and he inherited his father's titles in 1741...
(1715–1763) - John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl WaldegraveJohn Waldegrave, 3rd Earl WaldegraveJohn Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave was a British politician and soldier.Waldegrave was the youngest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave. He joined the 1st Regiment of Foot in 1735, rising to the rank of Captain in 1739...
(1718–1784) - George Waldegrave, 4th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Waldegrave, 4th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave, PC, ADC was a British statesman.The eldest son of the 3rd Earl of Waldegrave, he was educated at Eton and was commissioned into the 3rd Foot Guards in 1768. He purchased a Lieutenantcy in 1773. In 1778 he transferred to the Coldstream Guards as a...
(1751–1789) - George Waldegrave, 5th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Waldegrave, 5th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Waldegrave, 5th Earl Wadegrave was the son of the 4th Earl Waldegrave and his wife, Elizabeth Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave....
(1784–1794) - John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl WaldegraveJohn Waldegrave, 6th Earl WaldegraveLieutenant-Colonel John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl Waldegrave was a British peer and soldier.Waldegrave was the second son of the 4th Earl Waldegrave and was educated at Eton...
(1785–1835) - George Edward Waldegrave, 7th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Waldegrave, 7th Earl WaldegraveGeorge Edward Waldegrave, 7th Earl Waldegrave was a British peer.The eldest legitimate child of the 6th Earl Waldegrave, he was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford...
(1816–1846) - William Waldegrave, 8th Earl WaldegraveWilliam Waldegrave, 8th Earl WaldegraveVice-Admiral William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave, CB was a British naval commander and politician.Waldegrave was the son of the 4th Earl Waldegrave and was educated at Eton. In 1802, he became a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, rising to the ranks of Lieutenant in 1806 and Commander in 1809...
(1788–1859)- William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount ChewtonWilliam Waldegrave, Viscount ChewtonWilliam Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton was a British army officer.Waldegrave was the eldest son of Hon. William Waldegrave and was educated at Cheam School...
(1816–1854)
- William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton
- William Frederick Waldegrave, 9th Earl WaldegraveWilliam Waldegrave, 9th Earl WaldegraveWilliam Frederick Waldegrave, 9th Earl Waldegrave VD, PC , styled Viscount Chewton between 1854 and 1859, was a British Conservative politician...
(1851–1930) - William Edward Seymour Waldegrave, 10th Earl WaldegraveWilliam Waldegrave, 10th Earl WaldegraveWilliam Edward Seymour Waldegrave, 10th Earl Waldegrave was the son of William Waldegrave, 9th Earl Waldegrave and Lady Mary Dorothea Palmer. He died unmarried at age 50 and was succeeded by his uncle, Henry Waldegrave....
(1882–1933) - Henry Noel Waldegrave, 11th Earl WaldegraveHenry Waldegrave, 11th Earl WaldegraveHenry Noel Waldegrave, 11th Earl Waldegrave was a British peer and minister of religion.Waldegrave was born in 1854, the posthumous son of William Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton and his wife Frances. He was educated at Eton and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1878...
(1854–1936) - Geoffrey Noel Waldegrave, 12th Earl WaldegraveGeoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl WaldegraveGeoffrey Noel Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave KG GCVO TD , known as Viscount Chewton from 1933 to 1936, was a British peer and agriculturist....
(1905–1995) - James Sherbrooke Waldegrave, 13th Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 13th Earl WaldegraveJames "Jamie" Sherbrooke Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave is a British peer and businessman.Waldegrave is the son of the 12th Earl Waldegrave and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1986, he married Mary Furness , a daughter of Sir Robert Furness...
(b. 1940)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's eldest son Edward Robert Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton (b. 1986)
See also
- Waldegrave familyWaldegrave familyWaldegrave, the name of an English family, said to derive from Walgrave in Northamptonshire, but who long held the manor of Smallbridge in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk.Sir Richard Waldegrave served as a Knight of the Shire in 1339 in Lincolnshire...
- Maria Waldegrave, Countess WaldegraveMaria, Duchess of Gloucester and EdinburghMaria Walpole , the Countess Waldegrave and Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh...
- Baron RadstockBaron RadstockBaron Radstock, of Castletown in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave. He was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave . He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He was a...
- William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North HillWilliam Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North HillWilliam Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC , is an English Conservative politician who served in the Cabinet from 1990 until 1997 and is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. He is now a life peer. Lord Waldegrave is also the Chairman of the Rhodes Trust and the Chairman of...