Earl of Longford
Encyclopedia
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. It was first bestowed upon Francis Aungier, 3rd Baron Aungier of Longford, in 1677, with remainder to his younger brother Ambrose. He had previously represented Surrey
Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
Surrey was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832....
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...
and had already been created Viscount Longford in the Peerage of Ireland in 1675, with similar remainder. He was succeeded according to the special remainder (and normally in the barony) by his brother Ambrose, the second Earl. On his death in 1706 all the titles became extinct. The title of Baron Aungier of Longford was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1621 for Francis Aungier.
Elizabeth Cuffe, niece and heiress of the first and second Earl of Longford, married Thomas Pakenham, of Pakenham Hall
Tullynally Castle
Tullynally Castle is a castle situated some 2km from Castlepollard on the Coole village road in County Westmeath, Ireland. The famous British Army general, Sir Edward Pakenham GCB, was born and raised in the house...
, just outside Castlepollard
Castlepollard
Castlepollard is a large village in north County Westmeath, Ireland. Located in the barony of Demifore, in the civil parish of Rathgarve, it lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar.-Name:...
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, in 1739. Thomas represented Longford Borough
Longford Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Longford Borough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:-References:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
. In 1756 the Longford title was revived when he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
as Baron Longford, in the County of Longford. In 1785 the earldom was also revived when Elizabeth was created Countess of Longford in the Peerage of Ireland. Lord Longford was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He represented Longford County in the Irish Parliament. He died aged only 49 and was succeeded by his son, the third Baron. In 1794 he also succeeded his grandmother as second Earl of Longford. Lord Longford sat in the British House of Lords as one of the 28 original Irish Representative Peers
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
. In 1821 he was created Baron Silchester, of Silchester in the County of Southampton, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, which gave him and his descendants an automatic seat in the House of Lords.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Earl. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl. 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 under the Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
and Benjamin Disraeli as Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
from 1866 to 1868. His son, the fifth Earl, was Lord-Lieutenant of County Longford from 1887 to 1915. Lord Longford was killed in action at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
in 1915. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl. He was a minor play-writer and poet and also sat as a member of the Republic of Ireland Senate
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
between 1946 and 1948.
He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the seventh Earl. He was a prominent Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and social activist. In 1945, sixteen years before he succeeded his elder brother, he was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in his own right as Baron Pakenham, of Cowley in the City of Oxford. Lord Longford served in the Labour administrations of Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
and Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
, First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, Leader of the House of Lords
Leader of the House of Lords
The Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council,...
and Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
. In 1999, at the age of 94 and after the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
removed the automatic right of hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s to sit in the House of Lords, Lord Longford 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 Pakenham of Cowley, of Cowley in the County of Oxfordshire. He was therefore able to remain a member of the House of Lords until his death in 2001.
the titles are held by his eldest son, the eighth Earl. He does not use his title and did not use his courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
of Lord Silchester which he was entitled to from 1961 to 2001. Known simply as Thomas Pakenham, he is a writer and historian.
Several other members of the Pakenham family have also gained distinction. The Hon. Sir Thomas Pakenham, third son of the first Baron and the Countess of Longford, was an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
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...
. His fourth son Sir John Pakenham was also an Admiral in the Royal Navy while his fifth son Sir Richard Pakenham was a noted diplomat and served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States from 1843 to 1847. The Hon. Sir Edward Pakenham
Edward Pakenham
Sir Edward Michael Pakenham GCB , styled The Honourable from his birth until 1813, was an Irish British Army Officer and Politician. He was the brother-in law of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he served in the Peninsular War...
, second son of the second Baron, was a Major-General in the Army and was killed at the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
in 1815. The Hon. Sir Hercules Robertt Pakenham (1781–1850), third son of the second Baron, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army. His son Sir Thomas Henry Pakenham was also a Lieutenant-General. Lady Violet Pakenham
Lady Violet Powell
Lady Violet Powell , born Violet Georgiana Pakenham, third daughter of Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford and Lady Mary Julia Child Villiers , was a writer and critic...
, daughter of the sixth Earl, was a writer and critic and the wife of the author Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
. Elizabeth Pakenham (born Harman), Countess of Longford, wife of the seventh Earl, was a writer and social activist. Lady Antonia Fraser
Antonia Fraser
Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, DBE , née Pakenham, is an Anglo-Irish author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction, best known as Antonia Fraser...
and Rachel Billington, daughters of the seventh Earl, are both prominent authors.
The ancestral seat of the Pakenham family is Tullynally Castle
Tullynally Castle
Tullynally Castle is a castle situated some 2km from Castlepollard on the Coole village road in County Westmeath, Ireland. The famous British Army general, Sir Edward Pakenham GCB, was born and raised in the house...
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
. Previously known as Pakenham Hall, it was renamed by the current owner, Thomas Pakenham.
Barons Aungier of Longford (1621)
- Francis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of LongfordSir Francis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of Longford , also known as Lord Aungier, was the progenitor of the Earldom of Longford, member of the House of Lords, Privy Councillor for Ireland, and Master of the Rolls in Ireland under James I and Charles I.-Early life:Francis was born in 1558 in...
(c.1562–1632) - Gerald Aungier, 2nd Baron Aungier of Longford (d. 1655)
- Francis Aungier, 3rd Baron Aungier of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Earl of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Earl of Longford PC was an English politician, who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679. He was an administrator in Ireland....
(d.1700) (created Earl of Longford in 1677)
Earls of Longford, First Creation (1677)
- Francis Aungier, 1st Earl of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Earl of LongfordFrancis Aungier, 1st Earl of Longford PC was an English politician, who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679. He was an administrator in Ireland....
(d. 1700) - Ambrose Aungier, 2nd Earl of Longford (d. 1706)
Barons Longford (1756)
- Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron LongfordThomas Pakenham, 1st Baron LongfordThomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford was an Irish peer and politician.He was born in 1713 at Pakenham Hall, County Westmeath, Ireland...
(1713–1776) - Edward Michael Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford (1743–1792)
- Thomas Pakenham, 3rd Baron LongfordThomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of LongfordThomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford KP was an Irish peer. He became Earl of Longford in 1794 after the death of Elizabeth Pakenham, 1st Countess of Longford and was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick on 17 December 1813....
(1774–1835) (succeeded his grandmother as Earl of Longford in 1794)
Earls of Longford, Second Creation (1785)
- Elizabeth Pakenham, 1st Countess of Longford (d. 1794)
- Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of LongfordThomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of LongfordThomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford KP was an Irish peer. He became Earl of Longford in 1794 after the death of Elizabeth Pakenham, 1st Countess of Longford and was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick on 17 December 1813....
(1774–1835) - Edward Michael Pakenham, 3rd Earl of Longford (1817–1860)
- William Lygon Pakenham, 4th Earl of LongfordWilliam Pakenham, 4th Earl of LongfordWilliam Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford , known as the Hon. William Pakenham before 1860, was a British Conservative politician and nobleman....
(1819–1887)- William Pakenham, Lord Silchester (1864–1876)
- Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of LongfordThomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of LongfordThomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford KP, MVO , known as Lord Silchester until 1887, was an Irish peer and soldier....
(1864–1915) - Edward Arthur Henry Pakenham, 6th Earl of LongfordEdward Pakenham, 6th Earl of LongfordEdward Arthur Henry Pakenham, 6th Earl of Longford was an Irish peer, politician, and littérateur.-Family and education:...
(1902–1961) - Francis Aungier "Frank" Pakenham, 7th Earl of LongfordFrank Pakenham, 7th Earl of LongfordFrancis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer...
(1905–2001) - Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford (b. 1933)
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 Melchior Pakenham, Lord Silchester (b. 1970)