PEERAGE
Last updated 08/03/2024
Date Rank Order Name Born Died  Age
HOWARD DE WALDEN
1597 B 1 Lord Thomas Howard 24 Aug 1541 28 May 1626 84
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Howard de Walden 1597
Subsequently created Earl of Suffolk (qv)
8 Feb 1610 2 Theophilus Howard,2nd Earl of Suffolk 13 Aug 1584 3 Jun 1640 55
28 May 1626 He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Howard de Walden
8 Feb 1610
3 Jun 1640 3 James Howard,3rd Earl of Suffolk 23 Dec 1619 17 Jan 1689 69
to     On his death the barony fell into abeyance
17 Jan 1689
3 Aug 1784 4 John Griffin Griffin 13 Mar 1719 25 May 1797 78
to     Abeyance terminated in his favour
25 May 1797 MP for Andover 1749-1784. Created Baron
Braybrooke (qv) 1788
On his death the barony again fell into
abeyance                
17 Nov 1799 5 Frederick Augustus Hervey,4th Earl of Bristol 1 Aug 1730 8 Jul 1803 72
Became sole heir in 1799
8 Jul 1803 6 Charles Augustus Ellis 5 Jun 1799 29 Aug 1868 69
He subsequently [1845] succeeded as 2nd 
Baron Seaford (qv)
29 Aug 1868 7 Frederick George Ellis  (also 3rd Baron Seaford) 9 Aug 1830 3 Nov 1899 69
3 Nov 1899 8 Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis  (also 4th Baron Seaford) 9 May 1880 5 Nov 1946 66
5 Nov 1946 9 John Osmael Scott-Ellis  (also 5th Baron Seaford) 27 Nov 1912 9 Jul 1999 86
to     On his death the barony again fell into
9 Jul 1999   abeyance                
25 Jun 2004 10 Mary Hazel Caridwen Czernin 12 Aug 1935
Abeyance terminated in her favour
HOWARTH OF BRECKLAND
25 Jun 2001 B[L] 1 Valerie Georgina Howarth 5 Sep 1940
Created Baroness Howarth of Breckland
for life 25 Jun 2001
HOWARTH OF NEWPORT
15 Jun 2005 B[L] 1 Alan Thomas Howarth 11 Jun 1944
Created Baron Howarth of Newport for life
15 Jun 2005
MP for Stratford upon Avon 1983-1997 and
Newport East 1997-2005. PC 2000
HOWDEN
19 Oct 1819 B[I] 1 John Francis Cradock (Caradoc from 19 Dec 1831) 11 Aug 1759 26 Jul 1839 79
10 Sep 1831 B 1 Created Baron Howden [I] 19 Oct 1819
and Baron Howden [UK] 10 Sep 1831
Governor of the Cape of Good Hope 1811-
1812
26 Jul 1839 2 John Hobart Caradoc 16 Oct 1799 9 Oct 1873 73
to     MP for Dundalk 1830-1831
9 Oct 1873 Peerages extinct on his death
HOWE (Ireland)
16 May 1701 V[I] 1 Scrope Howe Nov 1648 26 Jan 1713 64
Created Baron Glenawley and Viscount
Howe 16 May 1701
MP for Nottinghamshire 1673-1681,1689-1698
and 1710-1713
26 Jan 1713 2 Emanuel Scrope Howe c 1699 29 Mar 1735
MP for Nottinghamshire 1722-1732. 
Governor of Barbados 1732-1735
29 Mar 1735 3 George Augustus Howe c 1724 6 Jul 1758
MP for Nottingham 1747-1758
6 Jul 1758 4 Richard Howe 19 Mar 1726 5 Aug 1799 73
Created Earl Howe 1788 (see below)
5 Aug 1799 5 William Howe 10 Aug 1729 12 Jul 1814 84
to     MP for Nottingham 1758-1780.  PC 1782
12 Jul 1814 Peerages extinct on his death
HOWE
20 Apr 1782 V 1 Richard Howe,4th Viscount Howe [I] 19 Mar 1726 5 Aug 1799 73
to     Created Viscount Howe 20 Apr 1782,
5 Aug 1799 Baron and Earl Howe 19 Apr 1788
19 Apr 1788 E 1 MP for Dartmouth 1757-1782. First Lord
to     of the Admiralty 1783 and 1783-1788.
5 Aug 1799 PC 1765  KG 1797
19 Apr 1788 B 1 For details of the special remainder included in the
creation of the Barony of 1788,see the note at the 
foot of this page
On his death the Viscountcy and Earldom
became extinct, the Irish Viscountcy passed
to his brother (see above) and the Barony
passed to -
5 Aug 1799 2 Sophia Charlotte Curzon 19 Feb 1762 3 Dec 1835 73
3 Dec 1835 3 Richard William Curzon-Howe 11 Dec 1796 12 May 1870 73
16 Jul 1821 E 1 Created Earl Howe 16 Jul 1821
PC 1831
12 May 1870 2 George Augustus Frederick Louis
Curzon-Howe 16 Jan 1821 4 Feb 1876 55
MP for Leicestershire South 1857-1870
4 Feb 1876 3 Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe 14 Feb 1822 25 Sep 1900 78
Lord Lieutenant Leicestershire 1888-1900
25 Sep 1900 4 Richard George Penn Curzon 28 Apr 1861 10 Jan 1929 67
MP for Buckinghamshire South 1885-1900
10 Jan 1929 5 Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon 1 May 1884 26 Jul 1964 80
MP for Battersea South 1918-1929
PC 1929
26 Jul 1964 6 Edward Richard Assheton Curzon 7 Aug 1908 29 May 1984 75
29 May 1984 7 Frederick Richard Penn Curzon 29 Jan 1951
PC 2013  [Elected hereditary peer 1999-]
HOWE OF ABERAVON
30 Jun 1992 B[L] 1 Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe 20 Dec 1926 9 Oct 2015 88
to     Created Baron Howe of Aberavon for life
9 Oct 2015 30 Jun 1992
MP for Bebington 1964-1966,Reigate 1970-
1974 and Surrey East 1974-1992. Solicitor
General 1970-1972. Minister for Trade and
Consumer Affairs 1972-1974. Chancellor
of the Exchequer 1979-1983. Foreign 
Secretary 1983-1989. Lord President of 
the Council 1989-1990. PC 1972  CH 1996
Peerage extinct on his death
HOWE OF IDLICOTE
29 Jun 2001 B[L] 1 Elspeth Rosamond Morton Howe 8 Feb 1932 22 Mar 2022 90
to Created Baroness Howe of Idlicote for life
22 Mar 2022 29 Jun 2001
Wife of Baron Howe of Aberavon (qv)
Peerage extinct on her death
HOWELL
2 Jul 1992 B[L] 1 Denis Herbert Howell 4 Sep 1923 19 Apr 1998 74
to     Created Baron Howell for life 2 Jul 1992
19 Apr 1998 MP for All Saints 1955-1959 and Small
Heath 1961-1992. Minister of State,Housing
and Local Government 1969-1970. Minister
of State,Environment 1974-1979.  PC 1976
Peerage extinct on his death
HOWELL OF GUILDFORD
6 Jun 1997 B[L] 1 David Arthur Russell Howell 18 Jan 1936
Created Baron Howell of Guildford for life
6 Jun 1997
MP for Guildford 1966-1997. Minister of
State,Northern Ireland 1972-1974. Minister
of State,Energy 1974. Minister of Energy
1979-1981. Minister of Transport 1981-1983
PC 1979
HOWELLS OF ST.DAVIDS
21 Jul 1999 B[L] 1 Rosalind Patricia-Anne Howells 10 Jan 1931
Created Baroness Howells of St.Davids
for life 21 Jul 1999
HOWICK
11 Apr 1806 V 1 Charles Grey,1st Baron Grey of Howick 23 Oct 1729 14 Nov 1807 78
Created Viscount Howick and Earl 
Grey 11 Apr 1806
See "Grey"
HOWICK OF GLENDALE
8 Feb 1960 B 1 Sir Evelyn Baring 29 Sep 1903 10 Mar 1973 69
Created Baron Howick of Glendale
8 Feb 1960
Governor of Southern Rhodesia 1942-1944
and Kenya 1952-1959. KG 1972
10 Mar 1973 2 Charles Evelyn Baring 30 Dec 1937
HOWIE OF TROON
21 Apr 1978 B[L] 1 William Howie 2 Mar 1924 26 May 2018 94
to     Created Baron Howie of Troon for life
26 May 2018 21 Apr 1978
MP for Luton 1963-1970
Peerage extinct on his death
HOWLAND OF STREATHAM
13 Jun 1695 B 1 William Russell,1st Duke of Bedford 1613 7 Sep 1700 87
Created Baron Howland of Streatham
13 Jun 1695
See "Bedford"
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15 Jan 1833   Francis Russell 13 May 1788 14 May 1861 73
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Howland of Streatham 
15 Jan 1833
He succeeded to the Dukedom of 
Bedford (qv) in 1839
HOWTH
c 1425 B[I] 1 Christopher St.Lawrence 1430
Created Baron Howth c 1425
1430 2 Christopher St.Lawrence c 1465
c 1465 3 Robert St.Lawrence c 1485
c 1485 4 Nicholas St.Lawrence 10 Jul 1526
10 Jul 1526 5 Christopher St.Lawrence 20 Apr 1542
20 Apr 1542 6 Edward St.Lawrence 1508 2 Jul 1549 41
2 Jul 1549 7 Richard St.Lawrence 1558
1558 8 Christopher St.Lawrence 24 Oct 1589
24 Oct 1589 9 Nicholas St.Lawrence 1555 14 May 1606 50
14 May 1606 10 Christopher St.Lawrence 24 Oct 1619
24 Oct 1619 11 Nicholas St.Lawrence 1597 1643 46
1643 12 William St.Lawrence 17 Jun 1671
17 Jun 1671 13 Thomas St.Lawrence 1659 30 May 1727 67
30 May 1727 14 William St.Lawrence 11 Jan 1688 4 Apr 1748 60
PC [I] 1729
4 Apr 1748 15 Thomas St.Lawrence 10 May 1730 29 Sep 1801 71
3 Sep 1767 E[I] 1 Created Viscount St.Lawrence and
Earl of Howth 3 Sep 1767
PC [I] 1768
29 Sep 1801 2 William St.Lawrence 4 Oct 1752 4 Apr 1822 69
4 Apr 1822 3 Thomas St.Lawrence 16 Aug 1803 4 Feb 1874 70
Lord Lieutenant Dublin 1851-1874. KP 1835
4 Feb 1874 4 William Ulick Tristram St.Lawrence 25 Jun 1827 9 Mar 1909 81
to     Created Baron Howth 7 Oct 1881
9 Mar 1909 MP for Galway 1868-1874  KP 1884
Peerages extinct on his death
For a number of anecdotes regarding this peerage,
see the note at the foot of this page
HOY
4 Jul 1970 B[L] 1 James Hutchison Hoy 21 Jan 1909 7 Aug 1976 67
to     Created Baron Hoy for life 4 Jul 1970
7 Aug 1976 MP for Leith 1945-1970.  PC 1969
Peerage extinct on his death
HOYLE
 
14 May 1997 B[L] 1 (Eric) Douglas Harvey Hoyle 17 Feb 1926 6 Feb 2024 93
to Created Baron Hoyle for life 14 May 1997
6 Feb 2024 MP for Nelson & Colne 1974-1979,Warrington
1981-1983 and Warrington North 1983-1997
Peerage extinct on his death
HUDSON
5 Jan 1952 V 1 Robert Spear Hudson 15 Aug 1886 2 Feb 1957 70
Created Viscount Hudson 5 Jan 1952
MP for Whitehaven 1924-1929 and
Southport 1931-1952. Minister of Shipping 
1940. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
1940-1945. PC 1938  CH 1944
2 Feb 1957 2 Robert William Hudson 28 Apr 1924 28 Aug 1963 39
to     Peerage extinct on his death
28 Aug 1963
HUGHENDEN
21 Aug 1876 E 1 Benjamin D'Israeli 21 Dec 1804 19 Apr 1881 76
to     Created Viscount Hughenden and
19 Apr 1881 Earl of Beaconsfield 21 Aug 1876
See "Beaconsfield"
HUGHES
7 Feb 1961 B[L] 1 William Hughes 22 Jan 1911 31 Dec 1999 88
to     Created Baron Hughes for life 7 Feb 1961
31 Dec 1999 Lord Lieutenant Dundee 1954-1960  PC 1970
Peerage extinct on his death
HUGHES OF STRETFORD
15 Jul 2010 B[L] 1 Beverley June Hughes 30 Mar 1950
Created Baroness Hughes of Stretford for
life 15 Jul 2010
MP for Stretford and Urmston 1997-2010
PC 2004
HUGHES OF WOODSIDE
27 Sep 1997 B[L] 1 Robert Hughes 3 Jan 1932 7 Jan 2022 90
to Created Baron Hughes of Woodside for life
7 Jan 2022 27 Sep 1997
MP for Aberdeen North 1970-1997
Peerage extinct on his death
HUME OF BERWICK
7 Jul 1604 B[S] 1 George Howme 29 Jan 1612
to     Created Hume of Berwick 7 Jul 1604 
29 Jan 1612 and Earl of Dunbar 3 Jul 1605
KG 1608
On his death the peerages became dormant
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20 May 1776 B 1 Alexander Hume-Campbell 30 Jul 1750 9 Mar 1781 30
to     Created Baron Hume of Berwick
9 Mar 1781 20 May 1776
Peerage extinct on his death
HUMPHREYS
18 Sep 2013 B[L] 1 Christine Mary Humphreys 26 May 1947
Created Baroness Humphreys for life 
18 Sep 2013
HUNGARTON
7 Feb 1951 B 1 Archibald Crawford 12 Sep 1890 14 Jun 1966 75
to     Created Baron Hungarton 7 Feb 1951
14 Jun 1966 Peerage extinct on his death
HUNGERFORD
7 Jan 1426 B 1 Walter Hungerford 22 Jun 1378 9 Aug 1449 71
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Hungerford 7 Jan 1426
MP for Wiltshire 1400-1407 and 1413.
Speaker of the House 1414.  KG 1421  Lord
High Treasurer 1425-1431
9 Aug 1449 2 Robert Hungerford c 1400 14 May 1459
14 May 1459 3 Robert Hungerford c 1420 18 May 1464
to     He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
1461
1485 4 Mary Hastings c 1466 c 1530
Attainder reversed 1485
c 1530 5 George Hastings,1st Earl of Huntingdon 1488 24 Mar 1545 56
24 Mar 1545 6 Francis Hastings,2nd Earl of Huntingdon c 1514 20 Jun 1561
20 Jun 1561 7 Henry Hastings,3rd Earl of Huntingdon c 1536 14 Dec 1595
14 Dec 1595 8 George Hastings,4th Earl of Huntingdon c 1540 31 Dec 1604
31 Dec 1604 9 Henry Hastings,5th Earl of Huntingdon 24 Apr 1586 14 Nov 1643 57
14 Nov 1643 10 Ferdinando Hastings,6th Earl of Huntingdon 18 Jan 1608 13 Feb 1656 48
13 Feb 1656 11 Theophilus Hastings,7th Earl of Huntingdon 10 Dec 1650 30 May 1701 50
30 May 1701 12 George Hastings,8th Earl of Huntingdon 22 Mar 1677 22 Feb 1705 27
22 Feb 1705 13 Theophilus Hastings,9th Earl of Huntingdon 12 Nov 1696 13 Oct 1746 49
13 Oct 1746 14 Francis Hastings,10th Earl of Huntingdon 13 Mar 1729 2 Oct 1789 60
2 Oct 1789 15 Elizabeth Rawdon 23 Mar 1731 11 Apr 1808 77
11 Apr 1808 16 Francis Rawdon-Hastings,later [1817] 1st Marquess
      of Hastings 9 Dec 1754 28 Nov 1826 71
28 Nov 1826 17 George Augustus Francis Rawdon-
  Hastings,2nd Marquess of Hastings 4 Feb 1808 13 Jan 1844 35
13 Jan 1844 18 Paulyn Reginald Serlo Rawdon-
  Hastings,3rd Marquess of Hastings 2 Jun 1832 17 Jan 1851 18
17 Jan 1851 19 Henry Weysford Charles Plantagenet
to       Rawdon-Hastings,4th Marquess of Hastings 22 Jul 1842 10 Nov 1868 26
10 Nov 1868 On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
 
6 Nov 1871 20 Edith Maud Abney-Hastings 10 Dec 1833 23 Jan 1874 40
Abeyance terminated in her favour
23 Jan 1874 21 Charles Edward Rawdon-Hastings,11th Earl of
to     Loudoun 5 Jan 1855 17 May 1920 65
17 May 1920 On his death the peerage again fell into
abeyance
23 Feb 1921 22 Elizabeth Frances Philipps 19 Jun 1884 12 Dec 1974 90
Abeyance terminated in her favour 1921
12 Dec 1974 22 Jestyn Reginald Austen Plantagenet 
Philipps,2nd Viscount St.Davids 19 Feb 1917 10 Jun 1991 74
10 Jun 1991 23 Colwyn Jestyn John Philipps,3rd Viscount
St.Davids 20 Jan 1939 26 Apr 2009 70
26 Apr 2009 24 Rhodri Colwyn Philipps,4th Viscount St.Davids 16 Sep 1966
HUNGERFORD DE HEYTESBURY
8 Jun 1526 B 1 Walter Hungerford c 1502 28 Jul 1540
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
28 Jul 1540 Hungerford de Heytesbury 8 Jun 1526
He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
HUNSDON
13 Jan 1559 B 1 Henry Carey 4 Mar 1526 23 Jul 1596 70
Created Baron Hunsdon 13 Jan 1559
MP for Buckingham 1547-1555  KG 1561
23 Jul 1596 2 George Carey c 1556 9 Sep 1603
MP for Hertfordshire 1571 and Hampshire
1584-1593  KG 1597
9 Sep 1603 3 John Carey 1563 7 Apr 1617 53
MP for Buckingham 1585-1593
7 Apr 1617 4 Henry Carey,later [1628] 1st Earl of Dover c 1580 13 Apr 1666
1640 5 John Carey,2nd Earl of Dover c 1608 26 May 1677
13 Apr 1666 He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Hunsdon 27 Nov 1640
26 May 1677 6 Robert Carey 1692
1692 7 Robert Carey 11 Sep 1702
11 Sep 1702 8 William Ferdinand Carey 14 Jan 1684 12 Jun 1765 81
to     Peerage extinct on his death
12 Jun 1765
   
HUNSDON OF HUNSDON
24 Jul 1923 B 1 Herbert Cokayne Gibbs 14 May 1854 22 May 1935 81
Created Baron Hunsdon of Hunsdon 
24 Jul 1923
22 May 1935 2 Walter Durant Gibbs 11 Aug 1888 30 May 1969 80
He succeeded to the Barony of Aldenham (qv)
in 1939 with which title this peerage then
became united and so remains
HUNSDON OF SCUTTERSKELFE
15 May 1832 B 1 Lucius Bentinck Cary,10th Viscount Falkland 5 Nov 1803 12 Mar 1884 80
to     Created Baron Hunsdon of 
12 Mar 1884 Scutterskelfe 15 May 1832
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNT
4 Jul 1966 B[L] 1 Sir (Henry Cecil) John Hunt 22 Jun 1910 8 Nov 1998 88
to     Created Baron Hunt for life 4 Jul 1966
8 Nov 1998 KG 1979
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNT OF BETHNAL GREEN
16 Oct 2019 B[L] 1 Ruth Elizabeth Hunt 12 March 1980
Created Baron Hunt of Bethnal Green for life on 16 Oct 2019
 
HUNT OF CHESTERTON
5 May 2000 B[L] 1 Julian Charles Roland Hunt 5 Sep 1941
Created Baron Hunt of Chesterton for life
5 May 2000
HUNT OF FAWLEY
25 Jun 1973 B[L] 1 John Henderson Hunt 3 Jul 1905 28 Dec 1987 82
to     Created Baron Hunt of Fawley for life
28 Dec 1987 25 Jun 1973
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNT OF KINGS HEATH
20 Oct 1997 B[L] 1 Philip Alexander Hunt 19 May 1949
Created Baron Hunt of Kings Heath for life
20 Oct 1997
Minister of State, Health,2007. Minister of State
Environment,Food and Rural Affairs 2008-2009
and Energy and Climate Change 2008-2010
PC 2009
 
HUNT OF TANWORTH
8 Feb 1980 B[L] 1 Sir John Joseph Benedict Hunt 23 Oct 1919 17 Jul 2008 88
to     Created Baron Hunt of Tanworth for life
17 Jul 2008 8 Feb 1980
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNT OF WIRRAL
20 Oct 1997 B[L] 1 David James Fletcher Hunt 21 May 1942
Created Baron Hunt of Wirral for life
20 Oct 1997
MP for Wirral 1976-1983 and Wirral West
1983-1997  PC 1990
HUNTER OF NEWINGTON
17 Jul 1978 B[L] 1 Sir Robert Brockie Hunter 14 Jul 1915 24 Mar 1994 78
to     Created Baron Hunter of Newington for life
24 Mar 1994 17 Jul 1978
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNTERCOMBE
23 Jun 1295 B 1 Walter de Huntercombe 1313
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
1313 Huntercombe 23 Jun 1295
Peerage extinct on his death
HUNTINGDON
1072 E 1 Waltheof c 1045 31 May 1075
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon 1072
31 May 1075 He was executed and the peerage reverted
to the Crown
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c 1080 E 1 Simon Senlis c 1109
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon c 1080
c 1109 On his death the peerage reverted to the
Crown
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c 1111 E 1 David of Scotland 24 May 1153
Recognized as Earl of Huntingdon
c 1111
Sixth son of Malcolm III of Scotland. 
Succeeded to the throne of Scotland 1124.
He resigned the peerage in favour of -
1136 2 Henry of Scotland 1110 12 Jun 1152 41
to     On his death the peerage reverted to the
12 Jun 1152 Crown
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1152 E 1 Simon Senlis Aug 1153
to     Recognized as Earl of Huntingdon
Aug 1153 1152
On his death the peerage reverted to the
Crown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
1157 E 1 Malcolm,King of Scotland c 1140 9 Dec 1165
Created Earl of Huntingdon 1157
9 Dec 1165 2 William,King of Scotland 1141 4 Dec 1214 73
to     He was deprived of the peerage in 1174
1174
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Jul 1174 E 1 Simon Senlis c 1138 1184
to     Recognized as Earl of Huntingdon
1184 Jul 1174
On his death the peerage reverted to the
Crown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
1184 E 1 David of Scotland 12 Jun 1219
Recognized as Earl of Huntingdon
1184
12 Jun 1219 2 John le Scot 7 Jun 1237
to     Peerage extinct on his death
7 Jun 1237
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16 Mar 1337 E 1 William Clinton,Lord Clinton c 1304 31 Aug 1354
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon 
31 Aug 1354 16 Mar 1337
Warden of the Cinque Ports 1330  
Peerage extinct on his death
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16 Jul 1377 E[L] 1 Guichard d'Angle Mar 1380
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon for life
Mar 1380 16 Jul 1377
KG 1372
Peerage extinct on his death
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2 Jun 1387 E 1 John Holand c 1355 15 Jan 1400
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon 2 Jun 1387
15 Jan 1400 Subsequently created Duke of Exeter (qv)
in 1397. He was attainted and the peerages
forfeited
1417 2 John Holand,2nd Duke of Exeter 1394 5 Aug 1447 53
Restored to the peerage 1417. Created Duke of
Exeter 6 Jan 1443 (qv)
5 Aug 1447 3 Henry Holand,3rd Duke of Exeter 1430 1473 43
to    He was attainted and the peerages
1461 forfeited
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14 Aug 1471 E 1 Thomas Grey,8th Lord Ferrers de Groby 1451 30 Aug 1501 50
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon
1475 14 Aug 1471
He resigned the peerage in 1475
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4 Jul 1479 E 1 William Herbert,2nd Earl of Pembroke 5 Mar 1461 16 Jul 1491 30
to     Created Earl of Huntingdon 4 Jul 1479
16 Jul 1491 Peerage extinct on his death
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7 Dec 1529 E 1 George Hastings,3rd Lord Hastings 1488 24 Mar 1545 56
Created Earl of Huntingdon 8 Dec 1529
24 Mar 1545 2 Francis Hastings c 1514 20 Jun 1561
KG 1549
20 Jun 1561 3 Henry Hastings c 1536 14 Dec 1595
KG 1570
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Hastings 23 Jan 1559
14 Dec 1595 4 George Hastings c 1540 31 Dec 1604
MP for Derbyshire 1562 and Leicestershire
1585-1587. Lord Lieutenant Leicester and
Rutland 1596
31 Dec 1604 5 Henry Hastings 24 Apr 1586 14 Nov 1643 57
Lord Lieutenant Leicester 1607-1642 and
Rutland 1614-1642
14 Nov 1643 6 Ferdinando Hastings 18 Jan 1608 13 Feb 1656 48
MP for Leicestershire 1625 and 1628
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Hastings 3 Nov 1640
13 Feb 1656 7 Theophilus Hastings 10 Dec 1650 30 May 1701 50
Lord Lieutenant Leicester and Derby 1687-
1689  PC 1683
30 May 1701 8 George Hastings 22 Mar 1677 22 Feb 1705 27
22 Feb 1705 9 Theophilus Hastings 12 Nov 1696 13 Oct 1746 49
For information on this peer's wife,see the note
at the foot of this page
13 Oct 1746 10 Francis Hastings 13 Mar 1729 2 Oct 1789 60
Lord Lieutenant W Riding Yorkshire 1763-65
PC 1760
2 Oct 1789 11 Theophilus Henry Hastings 7 Oct 1728 2 Apr 1804 75
2 Apr 1804 12 Hans Francis Hastings 14 Aug 1779 9 Dec 1828 49
Governor of Dominica 1822-1824
For further information on the Huntingdon peerage
claim of 1818-1819, see the note at the foot of
this page
9 Dec 1828 13 Francis Theophilus Henry Hastings 31 Jul 1808 13 Sep 1875 67
13 Sep 1875 14 Francis Power Plantagenet Hastings 4 Dec 1841 20 May 1885 43
20 May 1885 15 Warner Francis John Plantagenet Hastings 8 Jul 1868 5 Apr 1939 70
5 Apr 1939 16 Francis John Clarence Westenra
Plantagenet Hastings 30 Jan 1901 24 Aug 1990 89
24 Aug 1990 17 William Edward Robin Hood Hastings Bass 30 Jan 1948
HUNTINGFIELD
15 Nov 1351 B 1 William de Huntingfield 1329 Nov 1376 47
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Nov 1376 Huntingfield 15 Nov 1351
On his death the peerage either became
extinct or fell into abeyance
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14 Aug 1362 B 1 John de Huntingfield
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
after 1362 Huntingfield 14 Aug 1362
Nothing further is known of this peerage
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7 Jul 1796 B[I] 1 Sir Joshua Vanneck,3rd baronet 31 Dec 1745 15 Aug 1816 70
Created Baron Huntingfield 7 Jul 1796
MP for Dunwich 1790-1816
15 Aug 1816 2 Joshua Vanneck 12 Aug 1778 10 Aug 1844 65
MP for Dunwich 1816-1819
10 Aug 1844 3 Charles Andrew Vanneck 12 Jan 1818 21 Sep 1897 79
21 Sep 1897 4 Joshua Charles Vanneck 27 Aug 1842 13 Jan 1915 72
13 Jan 1915 5 William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck 3 Jan 1883 20 Nov 1969 86
MP for Eye 1923-1929  Governor of Victoria
1934-1939
20 Nov 1969 6 Gerald Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck 29 May 1915 1 May 1994 78
1 May 1994 7 Joshua Charles Vanneck 10 Aug 1954
HUNTINGTOWER
3 Aug 1643 B[S] 1 William Murray 22 May 1651
Created Lord Huntingtower and Earl 
of Dysart 3 Aug 1643
See "Dysart"
HUNTLY
c 1445 E[S] 1 Alexander Gordon,2nd Lord Gordon 15 Jul 1470
Created Earl of Huntly c 1445
15 Jul 1470 2 George Gordon Jun 1502
Lord Chancellor of Scotland 1498-1501
Jun 1502 3 Alexander Gordon c 1460 21 Jan 1524
21 Jan 1524 4 George Gordon 1513 28 Oct 1562 49
to     He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
28 Oct 1562
28 Aug 1565 5 George Gordon May 1576
Restored to the peerage 1565
May 1576 6 George Gordon c 1563 13 Jun 1636
17 Apr 1599 M[S] 1 Created Lord Gordon of Badenoch,
Earl of Enzie and Marquess of Huntly
17 Apr 1599
13 Jun 1636 2 George Gordon 22 Mar 1649
Created Viscount Aboyne 20 Apr 1632
On his death the Viscountcy of Aboyne passed,
by special remainder,to his second son,James - 
see "Aboyne"
22 Mar 1649 3 Lewis Gordon Dec 1653
Dec 1653 4 George Gordon c 1643 7 Dec 1716
3 Nov 1684 M[S] 1 Created Lord Badenoch,Lochaber,
Strathavon,Balmore,Auchindoun,
Garthie and Kincardine,Viscount of
Inverness,Earl of Huntly and Enzie,
Marquess of Huntly and Duke of
Gordon 3 Nov 1684
7 Dec 1716 5 Alexander Gordon,2nd Duke of Gordon c 1678 28 Nov 1728
2
28 Nov 1728 6 Cosmo George Gordon,3rd Duke of Gordon c 1721 5 Aug 1752
3
5 Aug 1752 7 Alexander Gordon,4th Duke of Gordon 18 Jun 1743 17 Jun 1827 83
4
17 Jun 1827 8 George Gordon,5th Duke of Gordon 2 Feb 1770 28 May 1836 66
5 On his death the Earldom and Marquessate
of 1684 became extinct whilst the Earldom
of c 1445 and the Marquessate of 1599
passed to -
28 May 1836 9 George Gordon,5th Earl of Aboyne 28 Jun 1761 17 Jun 1853 91
He had previously succeeded as 5th Earl of
Aboyne in 1795
Created Baron Meldrum 11 Aug 1815
KT 1827
17 Jun 1853 10 Charles Gordon 4 Jan 1792 18 Sep 1863 71
MP for East Grinstead 1818-1830 and
Huntingdonshire 1830-1831. Lord
Lieutenant Aberdeen 1861-1863
18 Sep 1863 11 Charles Gordon 5 Mar 1847 20 Feb 1937 89
PC 1881
20 Feb 1937 12 Douglas Charles Lindsey Gordon 3 Feb 1908 26 Jan 1987 78
26 Jan 1987 13 Granville Charles Gomer Gordon 4 Feb 1944
HURCOMB
5 Jul 1950 B 1 Sir Cyril William Hurcomb 18 Feb 1883 7 Aug 1975 92
to     Created Baron Hurcomb 5 Jul 1950
7 Aug 1975 Peerage extinct on his death
HURD
24 Aug 1964 B[L] 1 Sir Anthony Richard Hurd 2 May 1901 12 Feb 1966 64
to     Created Baron Hurd for life 24 Aug 1964
12 Feb 1966 MP for Newbury 1945-1964
Peerage extinct on his death
HURD OF WESTWELL
13 Jun 1997 B[L] 1 Douglas Richard Hurd 8 Mar 1930
Created Baron Hurd of Westwell for life
13 Jun 1997
MP for Oxon Mid 1974-1983 and Witney
1983-1997. Minister of State,Foreign and 
Commonwealth Office 1979-1983. Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland 1984-1985
Home Secretary 1985-1989. Foreign
Secretary 1989-1995. PC 1982  CH 1995
HUSSAIN
20 Jan 2011 B[L] 1 Qurban Hussain
Created Baron Hussain for life 20 Jan 2011
HUSSEIN-ECE
25 Jun 2010 B[L] 1 Meral Hussein Ece 10 Oct 1953
Created Baroness Hussein-Ece for life
25 Jun 2010
HUSSEY
23 Jun 1295 B 1 Henry Hussey 21 Dec 1265 Feb 1332 67
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Hussey 23 Jun 1295
Feb 1332 2 Henry Hussey 1302 21 Jul 1349 47
21 Jul 1349 3 Henry Hussey 1349
1349 4 Henry Hussey 1384
1384 5 Henry Hussey 1362 1409 47
1409 6 Henry Hussey 1460
1460 7 Nicholas Hussey 5 Dec 1470
to     On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
5 Dec 1470
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20 Nov 1348 B 1 Roger Hussey 1 Sep 1361
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
1 Sep 1361 Hussey 20 Nov 1348
Peerage extinct on his death
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1 Dec 1529 B 1 John Hussey c 1475 27 Aug 1537
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
27 Aug 1537 Hussey 1 Dec 1529
He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
HUSSEY OF NORTH BRADLEY
11 Sep 1996 B[L] 1 Marmaduke James Hussey 29 Aug 1923 27 Dec 2006 83
to     Created Baron Hussey of North Bradley
27 Dec 2006 for life 11 Sep 1996
Peerage extinct on his death
HUTCHINSON OF ALEXANDRIA AND KNOCKLOFTY
16 Dec 1801 B 1 John Hely-Hutchinson,later 2nd Earl of 15 May 1757 29 Jun 1832 75
to     Donoughmore
29 Jun 1832 Created Baron Hutchinson of Alexandria and
Knocklofty 16 Dec 1801
Peerage extinct on his death
HUTCHINSON OF KNOCKLOFTY
14 Jul 1821 V 1 Richard Hely-Hutchinson,1st Earl of Donoughmore 29 Jan 1756 22 Aug 1825 69
Created Viscount Hutchinson of Knocklofty
14 Jul 1821
For details of the special remainder included in the
creation of this peerage,see the note at the 
foot of this page
See "Donoughmore"
HUTCHINSON OF LULLINGTON
16 May 1978 B[L] 1 Jeremy Nicholas Hutchinson 28 Mar 1915 13 Nov 2017 102
to     Created Baron Hutchinson of Lullington
13 Nov 2017 for life 16 May 1978
Peerage extinct on his death
HUTCHISON OF MONTROSE
30 Jun 1932 B 1 Robert Hutchison 5 Sep 1873 13 Jun 1950 76
to     Created Baron Hutchison of
13 Jun 1950 Montrose 30 Jun 1932
MP for Kirkaldy 1922-1923 and Montrose
1924-1932. Paymaster General 1935-1938
PC 1937
Peerage extinct on his death
HUTTON
6 Jan 1997 B[L] 1 Sir (James) Brian Edward Hutton 29 Jun 1931 14 Jul 2020 89
to Created Baron Hutton for life 6 Jan 1997
14 Jul 2020 Lord Chief Justice [NI] 1988-1997. Lord of
Appeal in Ordinary 1997-2004   PC 1988
Peerage extinct on his death
HUTTON OF FURNESS
27 Jun 2010 B[L] 1 John Matthew Patrick Hutton 6 May 1955
Created Baron Hutton of Furness for life
27 Jun 2010
MP for Barrow and Furness 1992-2010. Chancellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster 2005. Secretary of
State for Work and Pensions 2005-2007,
Secretary of State for Business,Enterprise and
Regulatory Reform 2007-2008. Secretary of
State for Defence 2008-2009.  PC 2001
HYDE OF HINDON
3 Nov 1660 B 1 Edward Hyde 18 Feb 1609 19 Dec 1674 65
Created Baron Hyde of Hindon 3 Nov
1660,and Viscount Cornbury and Earl
of Clarendon 20 Apr 1661
See "Clarendon"
                       *************
23 Jan 1751 Henry Hyde,styled Viscount Cornbury 28 Nov 1710 28 May 1753 42
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Hyde 23 Jan 1751
MP for Oxford University 1732-1751
He was the son and heir apparent of the 4th Earl
of Clarendon, but died before he could succeed to
that title
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
3 Jun 1756 B 1 Thomas Villiers 1709 11 Dec 1786 77
Created Baron Hyde of Hindon 3 June
1756 and Earl of Clarendon 
14 Jun 1776
For details of the special remainder included in the
creation of the barony of 1756,see the note at
the foot of this page
See "Clarendon"
HYDE OF KENILWORTH
24 Apr 1681 V 1 Laurence Hyde 15 Mar 1642 2 May 1711 69
Created Baron Wotton Bassett and Viscount
Hyde of Kenilworth 24 Apr 1681
He was subsequently created Earl of Rochester
29 Nov 1682 - see that title
HYLTON
23 Jun 1295 B 1 Robert Hylton 1322
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Hylton 23 Jun 1295
1322 2 Alexander Hylton 1360
1360 3 Robert Hylton 1340 1377 37
1377 4 William Hylton 1356 25 May 1435 78
25 May 1435 5 Robert Hylton 1385 11 Aug 1447 62
11 Aug 1447 6 William Hylton 13 Oct 1457
13 Oct 1457 7 William Hylton 1451 c 1500
c 1500 8 William Hylton c 1535
c 1535 9 Thomas Hylton c 1560
c 1560 10 William Hylton c 1510 c 1565
c 1565 11 William Hylton 9 Sep 1600
9 Sep 1600 12 Henry Hylton 1586 30 Mar 1641 54
30 Mar 1641 13 Robert Hylton 25 Dec 1641
25 Dec 1641 14 John Hylton 12 Dec 1655
12 Dec 1655 15 John Hylton 1628 21 Jun 1670 41
21 Jun 1670 16 Henry Hylton 1637 16 Apr 1712 74
16 Apr 1712 17 Richard Hylton 3 Sep 1722
3 Sep 1722 18 John Hylton 27 Apr 1699 25 Sep 1746 47
to     MP for Carlisle 1727-1746
25 Sep 1746 On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
HYLTON OF HYLTON
16 Jul 1866 B 1 Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe,1st baronet 7 Dec 1800 1 Jun 1876 75
Created Baron Hylton of Hylton
16 Jul 1866
MP for Petersfield 1837-1838 and 1841-1866
PC 1859
1 Jun 1876 2 Hedworth Hylton Jolliffe 23 Jun 1829 31 Oct 1899 70
MP for Wells 1856-1868
31 Oct 1899 3 Hylton George Hylton Jolliffe 10 Nov 1862 26 May 1945 82
MP for Wells 1895-1899
26 May 1945 4 William George Hervey Jolliffe 2 Dec 1898 14 Nov 1967 68
Lord Lieutenant Somerset 1949-1967
14 Nov 1967 5 Raymond Hervey Jolliffe  [Elected hereditary 13 Jun 1932
peer 1999-]
HYLTON-FOSTER
7 Dec 1965 B[L] 1 Audrey Pellew Hylton-Foster 19 May 1908 31 Oct 2002 94
to     Created Baroness Hylton-Foster for life
31 Oct 2002 7 Dec 1965
Peerages extinct on her death
HYNDFORD
25 Jul 1701 E[S] 1 John Carmichael,2nd Lord Carmichael 28 Feb 1638 20 Sep 1710 72
Created Lord Carmichael,Viscount of
Inglisberry and Nemphlar and Earl of
Hyndford 25 Jul 1701
Secretary of State for Scotland 1696-1707
20 Sep 1710 2 James Carmichael 16 Aug 1737
16 Aug 1737 3 John Carmichael 15 Mar 1701 19 Jul 1767 66
Lord Lieutenant Lanark 1739  KT 1742  
PC 1750
19 Jul 1767 4 John Carmichael 5 May 1710 21 Dec 1787 77
21 Dec 1787 5 Thomas Carmichael c 1750 14 Feb 1811
14 Feb 1811 6 Andrew Carmichael 1758 18 Apr 1817 58
to     On his death the peerage became either
18 Apr 1817 extinct or dormant
HYNDLEY
2 Feb 1948 V 1 Sir John Scott Hindley,1st baronet 24 Oct 1883 5 Jan 1963 79
to     Created Baron Hyndley 21 Jan 1931
5 Jan 1963 and Viscount Hyndley 2 Feb 1948
Peerages extinct on his death
HYTHE
5 Jul 1911 V 1 Thomas Brassey,1st Baron Brassey 11 Feb 1836 23 Feb 1918 82
Created Viscount Hythe and Earl
Brassey 5 Jul 1911
See "Brassey"
The special remainder to the Barony of Howe created in 1788
From the "London Gazette" of 19 Jul 1788 (issue 13009, page 349):-
"The King has been pleased to grant to the Right Honourable Richard Viscount Howe, and the
Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, the Dignities of a Baron and Earl of the Kingdom of
Great Britain, by the Name, Style and Title of Baron Howe, of Langar in the County of 
Nottingham, and Earl Howe, with Remainders successively to the said Barony to his eldest
Daughter the Honourable Sophia Charlotte Curzon, Wife of Penn Asheton Curzon, Esq; and his
other Daughters the Honourable Mary Juliana Howe, and the Right Honourable Catherine Louisa
Countess of Altamont, Wife of the Right Honourable John Dennis Earl of Altamont, of the 
Kingdom of Ireland, and to the respective Heirs Male of their Bodies successively lawfully 
issuing."
Some anecdotes regarding the peerage of Howth
The title of Howth is pronounced so as to rhyme with "both."
There are various stories which explain the origin of the surname of St. Lawrence. One story 
has it that the founder of the family was Sir Amory (or Almeric) Tristram, who received a grant
from King Henry II around the year 1177 which gave him title to all such lands as he could
conquer from the native Irish. According to this story, Sir Amory married the sister of his
brother-in-arms, the Sieur de Courcy, on St. Lawrence's Day and thereafter adopted the 
surname of St. Lawrence. In another version of the story, Sir Amory sailed from Normandy
with Sir John de Courcy and fought against the Irish at the Bridge of Evora on 10 August, the
feast-day of St. Lawrence. Having achieved victory, he changed his family's surname to
commemorate the event.
Another tradition is that the gates of Howth Castle are solemnly shut, and then immediately
re-opened, at the dinner hour. This tradition dates back to 1576, when a celebrated Irish
female adventuress and pirate queen, Grace O'Malley (c 1530-c 1603) attempted to pay a
courtesy visit to Howth Castle. She was informed that the family were at dinner, and the gates
were shut against her. Enraged, she abducted Lord Howth's son and only agreed to release him
when Lord Howth promised to keep the gates open for unexpected visitors and to set an extra
place at every meal, an agreement which is still honoured to this day.
There is also a charming ghost story connected with Howth Castle. According to the tale, a
ghost or banshee haunts the Long Gallery in the castle. Legend has it that the ghost is that
of a Lady Howth who lived in the thirteenth century, who, according to tradition, had been
washed ashore from a wreck at Howth, and, having been with great difficulty restored to
consciousness at the castle, so excited the admiration of the then owner of the castle that he
married her. No one knew where she came from or what her nationality was, and she spoke
a language that no-one could understand. In time, however, she learned to communicate
with her husband and the marriage was reported to be very happy. The only condition to the
marriage was that, for one month every year, she be allowed to visit her people and that
no-one would attempt to follow her or to make any attempt to find out where she had gone.
However, whenever she was absent, a white rat would make its appearance, and soon became
a great favourite; but as soon as the lady returned, the rat would disappear. One year, when
the lady was away and the rat had re-appeared, an English visitor who was ignorant of the
fondness of the lord for the rodent, caught sight of the rat and inflicted a mortal wound upon
it with his sword. The rat made it as far as the Long Gallery before dying. Moments later, a
wild shriek rang through the castle, and Lady Howth was found dying in the Long Gallery from
a sword wound. Ever since that time, during the period each year when the lady usually went
away, the Long Gallery was been haunted by the figure of a beautiful woman, dressed in the
fashion of the thirteenth century, and followed by a white rat.
A further story relates that there was a large and ancient yew tree which grew in the courtyard
of Howth Castle. It was believed that, whenever a branch was broken from the trunk of this 
tree, the death of the current Lord Howth would shortly follow. Apparently, the tree itself died
just prior to the death of the last Earl of Howth, upon which event the peerages became
extinct.
Lady Selina Hastings [24 August 1707-17 June 1791], wife of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon
The Countess of Huntingdon was a religious leader who played a prominent role in the rise of
the Methodist Church in the 18th century. The following biography appeared in the January
1964 issue of the Australian monthly magazine "Parade":-
 
'In 1739 the Countess of Huntingdon began taking notice of a religious revival, sparked by a 
clergyman named John Wesley, which was sweeping England. Its fervour was unprecedented.
Preachers went through England calling on the people to aid them in their campaign to infuse
new life and spiritual energy into the Church of England. The crusaders invaded fields, village
greens and roadways gaining new converts by the thousand. When the countess heard one of
these fervent, eloquent men she joined their campaign. So began the lifelong work of Selina,
Countess of Huntingdon, in the religious revival which resulted in the foundation of the 
Methodist Church. 
 
'It has been said that in her time the Countess of Huntingdon was "as conspicuous a torch-
bearer for the revival as John Wesley himself." While Wesley and other preachers were
evangelists among the poor and humble, Lady Huntingdon set about the infinitely more arduous
mission of "bringing the dissolute upper classes to salvation." She poured out her fortune
building 64 chapels and setting up a school for Methodist ministers in a 500-year-old castle at
Trevecca in Wales.
'The Countess of Huntingdon was born Lady Selina Shirley, at Staunton Harold, near Ashby-de-
la-Zouch, in Leicestershire, in 1707. She was the second daughter of the second Earl Ferrers.
A pious girl, she was repelled by the frivolity and folly of the fashionable world of the day and
constantly prayed that she would marry into "a serious family." Her prayers were answered 
when at 20 she married Theophilus Hastings, ninth Earl of Huntingdon. Although no ascetic, 
Huntingdon was conspicuous for his temperance in a profligate age. The couple took up 
residence at the earl's seat, Donington Park, in Leicestershire, and the countess bore six 
children.
'Passionately interested in public affairs, Lady Huntingdon first attracted attention in 1738 after
the House of Lords had unanimously resolved that, during a certain debate, no women would be
admitted to the chamber. The countess immediately rounded up a squad of aristocratic ladies 
and on the day of the debate stormed the House of Lords. They created such a din outside the
doors that members could hardly hear themselves speak. All efforts to remove or silence them
were futile. Nevertheless, the ladies had not gained admission, so the countess ordered a
change of tactics. They subsided into sudden quiet. Half an hour passed and the Lord 
Chancellor assumed the enemy had withdrawn. He ordered the doors opened. At that the 
countess and her followers poured in.
'The following year Lady Huntingdon plunged into promoting the religious revival spearheaded by
John Wesley, at the same time making herself a target for ridicule in aristocratic circles. At the
time atheism was fashionable and sexual morality in high places perhaps worse than at any 
other time in English history. In addition people of rank were so convinced of their superiority by 
birth that the teachings of Wesley and the Methodists were regarded as offensive to natural 
law. Trying to show the Countess of Huntingdon she was making a mistake in linking herself with
Wesley and his followers, the Duchess of Buckingham wrote to her - "It is monstrous to be told 
that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly
offensive and insulting and I cannot but wonder why your Ladyship should relish sentiments so
much at variance with high rank and good breeding."
'Even the countess's husband did not favour her conversion to Methodism. He called in the 
He called in the Bishop of Gloucester [Martin Benson 1689-1752] to reason with her, for, as he
put it, her "religious enthusiasm could be socially embarrassing." But the bishop's arguments had 
no effect on the countess, who was astounding everyone by openly proclaiming herself a sinner.
Soon afterwards she appointed the Reverend John [sic - George] Whitefield [1714-1770], one 
of the finest open-air preachers of the day, as her first personal chaplain and accompanied him 
on his evangelical tours. At one meeting in Yorkshire as Whitefield thundered denunciations of 
the sinners present, two men dropped dead with terror. Writing of the incident to her husband, 
the countess said: "In deathly silence this great preacher proceeded, with the dead bodies 
lying before him, to warn the stricken gathering of the wrath to come."
 
'Wherever Whitefield and Lady Huntingdon held their meetings, it has been said, "scoffers 
stayed listening until their hair rose on their heads and they found themselves on their knees at
last, weeping and groaning." But not all the listeners were converted. Often Whitefield and the 
countess were pelted with eggs. The countess herself was reputed to have the ability to 
"frighten sinners half out of their wits." She paid a visit to a hovel occupied by a soldier's wife
who lay dying after the birth of twins. So forcefully did her Ladyship describe her awful state
and the imminent danger of her soul if she died unpardoned, wrote one biographer, "that the
poor woman burst into a flood of tears and began to beg forgiveness."
 
'But Lady Huntingdon had her own sorrows. All but two of her children died in infancy. In 1746
two of her sons died of smallpox and her husband succumbed to apoplexy after what a 
contemporary described as a "particularly unnerving dream." Widowed at 39, Lady Huntingdon
dedicated her great fortune and her energy to the conversion of the English aristocracy.
In her new house in Chelsea, Whitefield and other famous preachers such as Isaac Watts
[1674-1748], Philip Doddridge [1702-1751] and A[ugustus] M[ontague] Toplady [1740-1778]
tried to convey the spirit of the ever-growing religious revival to select and influential
audiences. Even well-known atheists such as Lord Bolingbroke, Lord Chesterfield and Horace
Walpole attended the meetings. 
 
'When the Church of England began expelling clergymen who advocated Methodism, the
Countess of Huntingdon provided them with chapels so that they could continue preaching.
She gave up her carriage and sold her jewels to buy theatres and halls which were converted
into Methodist chapels and most of her income went in living expenses for her scores of 
personal chaplains. 
'In her zeal, the countess even went to the extreme of rebuking the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr. Cornwallis, after he had given several large balls and parties at Lambeth Palace.  Jealous of
the reputation of the church to which she still belonged, she presented herself at Lambeth 
Palace and denounced the archbishop. She claimed later that she had remonstrated with the
Archbishop with the greatest delicacy, but his reply was that he had been "grossly affronted."
Dr. Cornwallis not only refused to put a ban on future entertainments but he allowed his wife
to make public statements ridiculing the "Queen of the Methodists" and her work. The Countess
retaliated by seeking a private audience with George III and Queen Charlotte at Kew. George
III listened attentively to her complaints, agreed with her disapproval of the Archbishop's
behaviour and promised some action in "reforming such indecent practices." A few days later
the Archbishop of Canterbury received a letter from the monarch sharply criticising his 
"improprieties." 
'It was inevitable that the Methodists would break from the Church of England. In the case of
the Countess of Huntingdon the situation came to a head in 1779 when she clashed with the 
Rev. William Sellon, curate of the Clerkenwell parish of St. James. In the parish was a large,
circular building called the Pantheon, originally built for theatrical purposes, but now in disuse.
The countess bought it, changed its name to the Spa Fields Chapel, and installed one of her
chaplains. The Rev. Sellon objected on the ground that no one had any right to preach in his
parish without his permission. The matter was taken to the ecclesiastical courts and Sellon
won his case. 
'It was held that not only Spa Fields Chapel, but all such establishments conducted by the
Countess of Huntingdon were subject to the laws of the Church of England while they remained
within it. The only alternative to closing her chapels was to secede from the Church of England.
So she broke away, forming with her followers a separate non-conformist sect known as the 
Countess of Huntingdon's Connection. [The sect still exists in England, and, strangely, Sierra
Leone].
 
'The countess lived on in active control of her sect until her death in 1791 at the age of 84. 
When she died the sect was in the midst of new and ambitious projects - conversion of the 
Jews, the dispatch of a mission to Tahiti, establishment of chapels in the United States and
the purchase of a female slave in the West Indies, who would be brought to England and
christened Selina. 
 
'The greatest disappointment in the countess's life was her failure to convert her first cousin 
and her father's heir, the fourth Earl Ferrers. Ferrers was tried for murder and hanged at Tyburn 
in 1760 - the last nobleman in England to suffer a felon's death. Selina visited him daily in the
Tower of London while he awaited execution and pleaded with him "to repent and be saved." 
Finally he refused to see her. Ferrers had reason for this action. He had learned that she had
persuaded the governor of the Tower not to allow him to say farewell to his mistress, who was
the mother of his four children. The earl's grief at this was conceivably greater than the 
Countess of Huntingdon's wrath at his refusal to see things her way.'
 
 
The Huntingdon Peerage Claim of 1818-1819
The following article, written by Dalrymple Belgrave, is taken from a series entitled "Romances
of High Life" published in the 'Manchester Times' in 1898:-
'The Wars of the Roses, which left many an old knightly name a mere shadow of the past, did
much for the House of Hastings. Sir William Hastings, afterwards Lord Hastings, who was Edward
IV's faithful follower, young Prince Edward of Lancaster's murderer, and Jane Shore's lover, 
became so great a man as to be the object of the treacherous jealousy of Richard III, who
trumped up a charge of witchcraft and treason against him, and hurried him from the Council
Chamber to the Tower to be executed. Though William, Lord Hastings, was attainted, Richard,
for some crafty reasons of State, at once, after his death, reversed the attainder.
'His son came of age to be taken into great favour by Henry VII. Jealous of most of the noble
families, whose pedigrees were better than his own, the Princes of the House of Tudor made an
exception of the family of Hastings. They conferred Donington Castle, Leicestershire, on it, and
in return found its members the most faithful of servants and followers.
'The third Lord Hastings was, by Henry VIII, created the Earl of Huntingdon. His son, the second
Earl, married Catherine Pole, daughter of Lord Montacute and granddaughter of Margaret, 
Countess of Salisbury, the last of the Plantagenets.
'The Hastings family were supporters of Queen Mary against the pretensions of Lady Jane Grey.
They were, however, greatly in favour with Queen Elizabeth. In the time of the Civil War they
were staunch Cavaliers. The eighth Earl served under Marlborough, but died unmarried, and was
succeeded by his [half-]brother, Theophilus, who married Lady Selina Shirley, the Methodist 
Lady Huntingdon. He had one son and three daughters. One daughter, Lady Elizabeth, married 
Lord Rawdon, afterwards created Earl of Moira. Their eldest son was created the Marquis of 
Hastings. 
'The ninth Earl had another daughter, Selina, who died after her marriage had been arranged.
The intended bridegroom was an officer in the Army, a "protégé" of Lord Huntingdon's, who
had neither rank nor fortune, but he could claim what Lord Huntingdon thought was the best
blood in England, for he was a Hastings. It was believed that, failing his lordship's family, this
young George Hastings' elder brother Edward would be the next Lord Huntingdon, though his
family branched away from the parent stem so far back as the time of the second Earl. But
the bride died on the day she was to have been married, and young Hastings went away heart
broken, so it was said, though he afterwards married.
'At Donington they ceased to remember much about their far-distant cousins, for the ninth
Earl died, and he was succeeded by his son, Francis, who had no children, and as time went on
began to take more and more interest in his nephew, the Marquis, who had chosen the name
of Hastings for his new title, and who would add dignity and honour to his mother's family,
which, so the uncle considered, he would eventually represent.
'Francis, the tenth Earl, left all his property to his nephew, the Marquis, who, however, made no 
claim to the earldom of Huntingdon. In the meantime, George Hastings had married and died, 
leaving only one surviving son, Hans Francis Hastings. George's eldest brother had also died
without children, so Hans Hastings represented the branch of the family who had been supposed
to come next to the direct line. He had been in the navy, and had seen a good deal of service,
but, in the year 1808, was content to take the rather humble post of ordnance storekeeper at
Enniskillen, in Ireland. He had married, when just of age, the daughter of a Mr. Cobbe, the 
rector of Great Marlow, and probably was anxious to settle on shore. For a good many years
Captain Hastings seems to have troubled himself very little about his family honours.
'There was a story that he had a quarrel with an Irish nobleman, who insulted him, but refused
to go out with him [for a duel?] because he was of inferior rank, and that, incensed at this
treatment, Captain Hastings took the trouble to prove to the Irish lord that he was a 
descendant of the Plantagenets, and "de jure" the Earl of Huntingdon. This story was the 
common gossip of the country-side. As a matter of fact, there was no truth in it; but, idle 
gossip though it was, it helped to bring about a change in the old House of Hastings.
'Captain Hastings had a neighbour, a Mr. Bell, one of whose sons was a sucking lawyer, with a
taste for pedigree-hunting and heraldry. Young Bell and Captain Hastings had become great 
friends, and the former, hearing the story, naturally enough asked his friend whether it was 
true. That the story was all nonsense, but, so far as it related to his pedigree, it was founded 
on fact, was Captain Hasting's answer. And then he went on to tell Mr. Bell his reasons for
believing that he was the eleventh Earl of Huntingdon. He could not have told his story to
anyone who would have taken a keener interest in it. Captain Hastings's knowledge of his
pedigree seems to have been very vague. Young Bell, however, had plenty of enterprise, and it
was agreed between them that he should work up the case for establishing the claim on the "no
cure, no pay" principle. The consequence of this was that Mr. Bell and a friend, a Mr. Jamieson,
a Dublin solicitor, started off to England to make inquiries.
'Castle Donington was, of course, their first point, and they began matters by having an 
interview with the local lawyer, a Mr. Dalby. It is not surprising that the latter gentleman was
somewhat guarded, for he did not know how the powers that were at Donington, the Marquis of
Hastings's family, would view the claim. If he knew anything he kept his knowledge to himself,
and went away from the inn where Bell and his friend were staying, leaving them none the 
wiser. Fortunately, the landlord, after the manner of his class, was a man who took an interest
in his guests' affairs. He seemed to have listened to what was going on when the lawyer was
there, and when the latter took his departure, he could not help talking to his guests about the
matter he had overheard. He knew something of the gossip of the place about George Hastings,
and he told them that at Belton, some four miles off, there resided a reduced gentleman of the 
name of Needham, a descendant on the female side of the same branch of the Hastings family
as that from which Captain Hastings sprang.
'Keen as a hound that had lost the scent and found it again, Mr. Bell started the next morning
for Belton, and he found Mr. Needham at work on his farm. From that gentleman Mr. Bell learnt
that George Hastings was the son of Henry Hastings, of Lutterworth, who was the son of a 
Richard Hastings, of, he believed, the same place. It was easy to establish this, for Mr. Bell
found Henry Hastings's tomb at Lutterworth, and Richard Hastings at Welford, a village seven
miles off, in the next county, Northamptonshire; and there he met a very old man who said he
remembered Henry Hastings, of Lutterworth, and said that he was called Lord Hastings, because
of the general report that he and his sons - in failure of issue of the reigning branch - were next
heirs to the title of Huntingdon. Richard Hastings, of Welford, was the son of Henry Hastings, of
Humberstone, who was buried at Loughborough; and there Mr. Bell found his tomb. This Henry
Hastings was a staunch Cavalier, and his loyalty had cost him most of his fortune, for, after his
time, the fortunes of his branch of the family declined. He had married the daughter of Goodhall
of Belgrave, and left five sons and three daughters. But of these sons two died unmarried, one
married, but without children, one married and only left daughters, and the other was Henry of
Welford.
'It was on his drive from Loughborough back to Donington that Mr. Bell met with an adventure 
that, in telling the story, he makes a good deal of, for he has a turn for picturesque writing. He
had tried in vain to glean information about the Hastings family from his fellow-passengers on
the coach, who either would not or could not tell him anything about them, when he passed a
donkey-cart driven by an old woman. There was a spare seat in the cart, and it came into his
head that he would like to take it. With a good deal of Irish blarney. He asked her leave. She
gave it, and at once he jumped from the coach into the cart. It turned out to be a move in the
right direction. The old woman was only too ready to talk about Mr. Bell's subject, and, what is
more, she had a great deal to tell him. She had been Lady Selina Hastings's maid, and she told
the story of Colonel Hastings's love affair, and the bride's death, and a little romance of her
own - namely, that she had always been in love with her mistress's intended husband. It makes
a pretty little incident, and Mr. Bell talks of his sudden impulse to jump from the coach into the
donkey-cart as a providential circumstance which helped to bring back the family of Hastings to
their ancient dignity; but, as a matter of fact, one does not see that he found out much from
her that he did not already know.
'With the exception of the sons of Henry Hastings, the Cavalier, there were none of the line to
be exhausted that would interfere with Captain Hastings, and it was clear that that gentleman
was the head of the line that was descended from Sir Edward Hastings. But many a Hastings
had been born from the direct line since Sir Edward's time, and they all had to be exhausted
before the latter's family could come in. Mr. Bell always appeared to be all hopefulness, and
though Mr. Jamieson, the Dublin lawyer, gave the matter up as one too hopeless to justify
expense being incurred, he seemed to be not one whit discouraged.
'The first thing he did was to seek out the advice of Sir Samuel Romilly, whom he followed to
his country seat near Dorking, and accosted him when he was walking in the garden. He
presented him with a case and a fee, and told his story, but Sir Samuel answered that he did
not take cases. The Irishman was not to be denied, and he made a speech full of his native
blarney, finishing up with: "I value your opinion more than that of any other man on earth; if
you refuse to let me have it, you will break my heart." "My accent," writes Mr. Bell, "convinced
him that I was Irish; and with one of those smiles which sometimes illuminated his intelligent
countenance he familiarly replied: "Well, Paddy, I will." Sir Samuel Romilly's opinion was, on the
whole, encouraging.
A month or two afterwards, Lord and Lady Huntingdon, as they now called themselves, and Mr.
Bell crossed over to England; and that year they ate their Christmas dinner at the Huntingdon 
Arms in Ashby-de-la-Zouche. For some weeks Mr. Bell and the family were agreeably occupied
in the task of making extracts from registers, and noticing the likeness between his lordship's
children and the family portraits at Donington. They had, however, been a little premature, for
Mr. Bell had not really learnt what was in front of him.
Early in January he paid a visit to Mr. Townsend, the Windsor herald. It is likely enough that the
latter gentleman experienced some little pleasure in showing the young gentleman from Ireland
how much at fault he was in thinking that his labours were at an end. He was able to do so very
effectively. The third Earl of Huntingdon had two sons - the elder, who carried on the
succession; the younger, Henry Hastings, who was of Woodlands, in the New Forest. Collins's 
Peerage settled Henry Hastings in a very satisfactory manner. He died, it is said, leaving two 
sons, who died without issue. Mr. Townsend, however, was able to tell a different story. He
produced a "Herald's Visitation" which showed that Henry Hastings, of Woodlands, had five sons, 
and that these five had altogether 24 sons. Here was rather an awkward family to exhaust, but 
there was no doubt that proof had to be given that all these descendants of Henry, of
Woodlands, had died without issue before the descendants  of his uncle, Sir Edward Hastings, 
need think about claiming the Earldom of Huntingdon.
'Mr. Bell was not daunted, but went back to his task. He read upwards of 180 wills of persons
of the name of Hastings. He hunted up registers, and did at last succeed in exhausting a great
part of the Woodlands branch. But there were two tiresome members of it who seemed to 
stubbornly resist his endeavours to dispose of them. A "Surrey Visitation" for 1681 showed that
a Ferdinando and a Deborah Hastings, of Kensington, had two sons, Ferdinando and Theophilus,
born in 1675 and 1677. More about them he could not find, other than the register of the 
deaths of a Ferdinando and a Theophilus Hastings of Long-alley, Shoreditch. But he could not 
show that they were the same men, nor could he prove they died without issue. Sir Samuel 
Romilly was consulted again, but all the comfort Mr. Bell obtained from the great lawyer was the 
pious sentiment that he must trust in the goodness of Providence. Going away from Sir Samuel's 
house, he happened to meet his client, who saw that something was wrong, and insisted on 
going with him to Mr. Townsend. The latter gentleman declared that they had no chance of
succeeding, and that at the best the claim would be referred to a Committee of Privilege, which
would be a long and expensive proceeding.
'As they drove home, Mr. Bell's client complained that he had been brought over to England on
a fool's errand. When he got home, however, he took down the copies of the Hastings wills he
had collected, and began to read them over. Then a happy thought came to him - to tell the 
truth, it is one that would have occurred to a good many other people in his place, though he
naturally prides himself a good deal on it. It was that some of the sisters and daughters of the 
Earls of Huntingdon might, in their wills, have remembered their collateral relations. A Lady 
Elizabeth Hastings had died during what was probably the lifetime of Theophilus and Ferdinando. 
After a sleepless night, Mr. Bell rushed to the Prerogative Office and obtained Lady Elizabeth's
will. He read it and, to his delight found that it bequeathed a bond, value £100, to Ferdinando
Hastings of Long-alley, Shoreditch, gentleman, late of Kensington.
'"By the help of this new light," says Mr. Bell, "I soon discovered the will of this Ferdinando also,
and thanked God when I found that he had an only child, a daughter named Deborah, to whom
in a codicil he leaves the aforesaid bond, 'bequeathed to him by Lady Elizabeth Hastings, his
relative.' My search was then renewed for the will of Theophilus, Ferdinando's brother. I knew
that if I succeeded in finding it, all the imps of darkness could not prevent my ultimate success.
I therefore sought the document with a corresponding degree of anxiety. When at length I 
discovered the will of a Theophilus Hastings, which was proved in 1755, my feelings were wound
up to such a pitch of interest that for some moments I scarcely attempted to read that which
lay under my eyes. Having recalled my faculties, I with difficulty read the first lines, which
began: 'I, Theophilus Hastings, of Long-alley, in the parish of Shoreditch, gentleman, being well
stricken in years,' etc. There my agitation became excessive; on the tenor of that instrument
my own earthly happiness, my hopes of honest fame, and, what I valued still more, the 
prosperity of my noble friend, might be said to depend; and those only who have laboured as I
did, and pined in tedious suspense for the treasure which was to confirm, or perhaps blast, their
prospects, can sufficiently estimate what I felt at that moment. At last I mustered courage to 
proceed; all my trepidation vanished when I found that the testator died a bachelor, bequeath-
ing all his estate, real and personal, to the four children of his niece Deborah. I flung down the 
books and nearly ran over the clerks, jostled everyone I met, and, rushing from the Commons
with an impetuosity of which, under other circumstances, I might have been ashamed, threw
myself into a coach and ordered the coachman to Lord Huntingdon's residence, in Montague-
place.
'Having found the missing link, Mr. Bell went in triumph to Sir Samuel Romilly. The great lawyer, 
he says, took him by the hand, with his eyes sparkling with pleasure, and declared his 
gratification in the warmest terms, telling him that he was an extraordinary fellow. Sir Samuel
also wrote to the Attorney-General, saying that he would save himself much trouble if he
would receive Mr. Bell as counsel when the case came before him in chambers, though he was
then neither a barrister nor a solicitor. After an attendance before the Attorney-General, Mr.
Bell found that his troubles were by no means at an end. Several other claimants came forward.
One was a Cheltenham tailor. Another, a George Hastings, of Kilard, Ireland, seemed more
dangerous, and appeared to be supported by the Marquis of Hastings, as that nobleman's 
lawyer acted for him. He claimed to be the eldest male descendant of John Hastings, grandson 
of Henry Hastings, of Woodlands. This claim gave Mr. Bell some trouble, but again he attacked 
the Woodlands branch, and succeeded in completely exhausting it, and showing that, whoever
Mr. John Hastings might be, he certainly did not descend from it. At length, after some more 
difficulties had cropped up and been overcome, there was the final hearing before the Attorney-
General, who declared he had never known a case conducted with more zeal, integrity and
ability, and commissioned Mr. Bell to draft the report, to which he afterwards added a clause
to the effect that he was of the opinion that Hans Francis Hastings, the petitioner, had proved
his claim to the earldom of Huntingdon.
'On January 7th of the following year [1819], when Mr. Bell and Lord Huntingdon were at Covent
Garden Theatre, they received the news that the Lord Chancellor had approved the report, and
that the Prince Regent had signed the warrant empowering him to issue a writ of summons to
Lord Huntingdon. "On reading the joyful news," says Mr. Bell, "I could scarce refrain from
exclaiming, in the language of the King in Hamlet, though with widely different feelings, 'Break
up the play.'"
'Thus the eleventh Earl of Huntingdon succeeded in recovering the family honours, which had
been in abeyance for about thirty years; but the family estates had gone away from him, and
were not to be recovered. "The Story of the Huntingdon Peerage,"* written by Mr. Bell, ends
with a stirring description of the visits which the Earl of Huntingdon made to Ashby and Castle
Donington to make formal entry on the estates of his ancestors. This ceremony seems to have
been witnessed with the greatest enthusiasm by crowds of the tenantry and townspeople. But
enthusiasm does not avail much against legal instruments; and since the last Earl of Huntingdon
had suffered a recovery of his estates, and settled them on his daughter, the case of the
successful claimant to the earldom had little, if anything, to rest on. The Huntingdon estates
remained in possession of the Marquis of Hastings and his family, until they came to the last
Marquis of Hastings, whose disastrous career on the Turf is a chapter of sporting history.'
* Its full title is "The Huntingdon Peerage; comprising a detailed account of the evidence and
proceedings connected with the recent restoration of the earldom….to which is prefixed a
genealogical and biographical history of the illustrious house of Hastings, including a memoir 
of the present Earl (Hans Francis Hastings) and his family," by Henry Nugent Bell, published by
Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, London 1820.
The special remainder to the Viscountcy of Hutchinson of Knocklofty
From the "London Gazette" of 14 July 1821 (issue 17724, page 1461):-
"The King has....been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, 
granting the dignity of Viscount of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to Richard
Earl of Donoughmore, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and
  title of Viscount Hutchinson, of Knocklofty, in the county of Tipperary; with remainder, in
default of such issue male, to the heirs male of the body of Christian Baroness Donoughmore,
deceased (mother of the said Richard Earl of Donoughmore), by John Hely Hutchinson, Esq.
also deceased."
 
The special remainder to the Barony of Hyde of Hindon created in 1756
From the "London Gazette" of 29 May 1756 (issue 9587, page 3):-
'The King has been pleased to grant unto the Honourable Thomas Villiers, of the Grove in the
County of Hertford, Esq; and the Heirs Male of his Body by the Lady Charlotte Hyde, his present
Wife, the Dignity of a Baron of the Kingdom of Great Britain, by the Name, Stiule and Title of
Baron Hyde, of Hindon in the County of Wilts; and, in Default of such Issue, the Dignity of
Baroness Hyde of Hindon aforesaid, to the said Lady Charlotte Hyde, and the Dignity of Baron
Hyde to her Heirs Male.'
 
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