Kershaw Hereditary Peers list 1 Jan 2025

[colinp]

I hope Brooke will be pleased with this........

Stephen Kershaw has sent me a table of hereditary peers mirroring the list of baronetcies found on the SCB website (recently updated as at 1 Jan 2025) containing key information and an analysis of titles at danger and at risk using the same A/B designations as the baronets list.  It also follows the same format as the peerage section in the the old Whitaker's Almanacks (seemingly now defunct).  

Stephen is happy for me to share the list with the group so I have attached it.  It's a PDF so hopefully everyone can open it and I have attached it correctly

Stephen has observed that there are now exactly 800 extant hereditary peers (excluding the Cavan earldom which appears to be dormant) - there was a discussion about this recently.  It is now 60 years since hereditary peers were regularly granted and the attrition in the peerage would only take you back to 1929, the last year in which there were 800 peers.

Numbers of successions/extinctions/dormancies in recent years:

2017 - 20 s  3 e

2018 - 12 s 3 e

2019 - 14 s  1 e

2020 - 18 s 1 e

2021 - 16 s 1 e

2022 - 20 s 0 e

2023 - 28 s 2 e

2024 - 18 s 1 d

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Hello colinp!

I am actually beyond pleased with this pdf file.  It is absolutely perfect, and does follow the old Whitaker's Almanack format I remember from years ago.

Thank you so very much for sharing this, and please thank Mr. Kershaw for compiling it.  If and when there are any updates, please make sure to post.

Again, thank you so much for this file, and for all that you do  to keep our group informed.

Regards.

Brooke

[Henry W]

I similarly laud this development.  A fantastic resource.  Many thanks to Stephen for his time in putting it together.

Colin - my lists don't agree with your counts for 2018 / 19. Would be useful to check for a discrepancy.

2019

DUKES

Roxburghe (29 Aug)

EARLS/suo jure COUNTESS

Normanton (13 Feb), Sutherland (9 Dec)

VISCOUNTS

Slim (12 Jan), Southwell (23 Sept), Davidson (27 Sept)

BARONS & LORDS OF PARLIAMENT

Wardington (19 Mar, EXTINCT), Westwood (28 July), Kenyon (17 Aug), Northbourne (8 Sept), Balfour of Burleigh (18 Sept), Dickinson (28 Nov), Baden-Powell (28 Dec)

A total of 12 successions & 1 extinction.  [you have 14 successions & 1 extinction].  Have I missed 2 deaths?

2018

EARLS

Lovelace (31 Jan, extinct), Plymouth (7 Mar), Eglinton & Winton (14 June), Ranfurly (8 Dec)

VISCOUNTS

Blakenham (8 Jan), Alanbrooke (10 Jan, extinct), Norwich (1 June)

BARONS

Digby (1 Apr), Cottesloe (21 May), Strathcona & Mount Royal (16 June), Carrington (9 July, see LP Carington of Upton), Melchett (29 Aug, extinct), Kensington (12 Sept), Skelmersdale (31 Oct), de Clifford (2 Nov), Tryon (22 Dec)

A total of 13 successions &  3 extinctions.  [you have 12 successions & 3 extinctions, so I think you have missed one, unless I've got one of these incorrectly recorded?]

NB - One has to be careful with the 2017 count - the death of 3rd Viscount Churchill represented both an extinction (of the Viscountcy) and a succession (of the Barony)

[colinp]

Henry, I'm afraid I didn't make it at all clear that the list was provided by Stephen and I didn't have time to make my own check before posting.  I have checked against my records and your list certainly appears to be correct.  With regard to Kensington B I think the death of Lord Kensington came to light much later so it may have been overlooked.

[colinp]

Stephen Kershaw has emailed me - evidently we have both overlooked the death of the 3rd Baron Layton in 2018 -  Geoffrey Michael Layton, 3rd Baron Layton (1947-?2019).  However Stephen had included both his death and Lord Kensington's in the 2019 figures instead of 2018 so 12 successions in 2019 and 14 in 2018. Lord Layton's death is recorded on DPB online but his successor is not yet on the Peerage Roll

[Henry W]

Thanks Colin.

I soon realised that Kensington was on the Kershaw document with a succession in 2019, rather than 2018 (the death came to light in 2019), so had accounted for that, but yes, I had missed the Layton death.

I have updated my records:  Peerage & Baronetage deaths & births and Peerage deaths by year/month

[colinp]

My post from 2021 (is it that long ago?) with a listing of peers by "A/B" designations though on a slightly different basis can be found here if anyone wants to make a comparison -  Peerage - future extinctions

I was thinking of updating it at the end of this year or next so Stephen has saved me a job

[colinp]

The list reveals a few potential abeyances, some more likely than others:

BEAUMONT (1309) held by the Duke of Norfolk – could go into abeyance between the three daughters of the Earl of Arundel and Surrey b 1987

BERNERS (1455) – marked for abeyance between the two daughters of Hon Robin Kirkham but the ha was only b 1994

BURGH (1529) – though marked for abeyance it should be noted that DPB online has not been updated to reflect the birth of a son and daughter to the Hon Benjamin Leith

DACRE (1321) – marked for abeyance between the three great-aunts of the ha Hon Arthur Beamish but he was only b 2020

DE ROS (1264) – could go into abeyance abeyance between the sisters of the ha Hon Finbar Maxwell b 1988

HASTINGS (1295) – could go into abeyance between the two sisters of the ha Hon Jacob Astley but he was only b 1991

HERBERT (1461) – marked for abeyance between the two sisters of Oscar Herbert (ha to ha) but he was only b 2004

LATYMER (1431) – could go into abeyance between the two sisters of the ha Hon Drummond Money-Coutts 

MOWBRAY and SEGRAVE (1283) – marked for abeyance between the four sisters of the present Baron though he was only b 1991 and m 2022

PERCY (GB 1723) held by the Duke of Northumberland and created in error – could go into abeyance between the two daughters of Lord Max Percy b 1990

STRANGE OF KNOCKIN (1299), HUNGERFORD (1426) and (DE MOLEYNS) held by Viscount St Davids – marked for abeyance between the two daughters of the hp to the viscountcy Hon Roland Philipps but the daughter of the present Viscount (hp to the baronies, not ha as DPB online states) was only b 2011

WILLOUGHBY DE ERESBY (1313) – certain to go into abeyance between two co-heirs (Sebastian Miller and Sir George Aird Bt) on the death of the present Baroness (b 1934)

WINDSOR (1529) held by the Earl of Plymouth – marked for abeyance between the two sisters of Hon Edward Windsor-Clive (ha to ha) but he was only b 2019

[colinp]

Stephen Kershaw has sent me a revised hereditary peers list having made some corrections and he has also taken the opportunity of noting the recent deaths of Viscount Knutsford and the Earl of Sandwich.  The revised list is attached.

I have now compared the A/B designations in the list against those proposed by me in my "Peerage - future extinctions" post in 2021 (as corrected by replies to that post) and this is a list of the changes I have been able to identify:  Peerage - future extinctions

A to A*

Brownlow B; Swinfen B; Tenby V; Teviot B

New A status (from B except Glanusk B)

Avebury B; Broadbridge B; Caldecote V; Cadman B; De L’Isle V; Devonport V; Dowding B; Glanusk B; Macdonald B; McNair B; Mount Edgcumbe E; O’Hagan B; Onslow E; Rathcavan B; Rochester B; Rossmore (A*); Wigram B

New B status

Ashbrook V (B 2006)

Auckland B (B 1991)

Baillieu B (B 2005)

Bearsted V (B 2020) 

Belmore E (B 2018)

Bledisloe V (B 2004) although the Viscount’s brother may have issue but not known whether legitimate

Bridges B (B 2008)

Carrington B (B 2022)

Chandos V (B 1991)

Chesham B (B 2007)

Clydesmuir B (B 1989)

Crofton B (B 1988) to dormancy

Crook B (B 1992)

Dunmore E (B 1989) to dormancy

Eccles V (B 1988)

Fermoy B (B 2007)

Ferrard V (B 2014) held by Masserene V

Gormanston V (B 2016) to dormancy

Gorell B (B 1993)

Gosford E (B 1988)

Gowrie E (B 1990)

Granard E (B 1989)

Greenway B (B 1991)

Hailsham V) B 1991)

Halifax E (releasing Viscountcy of Halifax) B 2010

Hankey B (B 1991)

Hanworth V (B 2022)

Harvey of Tasburgh B (B 1993)

Headfort M (releasing Earldom of Bective) B 1991

Hemphill B (B 1998)

Hesketh B (B 2021)

Holm Patrick B (B 1994)

Kenswood B (B 1992)

Lytton E (releasing Barony of Wentworth) B 1992

Margadale B (B 1993)

Mayo E (B c 2019)

Minto E (B 2023)

Monkswell B (B 1989)

Mottistone B (B 1998)

Peel E (B 2015)

Ridley V (B 1993)

Russell of Liverpool B (B 2002)

Sligo M (releasing Earldom of Altamont) B 2005

Tennyson B (B 1991)

Waterpark B (B 1997)

Waverley V (B 1996)

Wise B (B 1990)

Wrenbury B (B 1997) to dormancy

Changed status from A to B

Blakenham V; Caithness E; Keyes B; Leighton of St Mellons B; Lindsay of Birker B; Listowel E; Napier of Magdala B; Nelson of Stafford B

Improvement of position within B

Anglesey M; Birkett B; Bridport V (assumes yr son is married and his son legitimate); Egremont B (now Leconfield B also has B status); Mansfield E; Noel-Buxton B; Rothschild B; Terrington B

Removal of any status (from B except Gridley B)

Aylesford E; Gridley B; De Ramsay B (from B); Dunleath B; Fisher B; Hazlerigg B; Henniker (and Hartismere) B; Herbert of Lee B (held by Pembroke & Montgomery E); Hives B; Kimberley E; Langford B; Leigh B; Martonmere B; Melville V; Phillimore B; Waldegrave E; Wimborne V

Other points

The following peerages have become extinct or dormant – Gough V, Lawrence B, Malvern V, Simon V and Trimlestown B (or dormant)

Churchill B may lose its B status if the nephews of present Lord Churchill are legitimate

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thanks, colinp, for this update.

And please thank Stephen for his outstanding work.

Brooke

[malcolm davies]

colinp,

           If you are in touch with Stephen Kershaw, I would be interested to know about the Earldom of Arlington.The barony was called out of abeyance but not the earldom.Was there any application in respect of the earldom,or was there advice to the effect that calling out the barony no problems but calling out the earldom did and Lady Arlington did not pursue the matter because of the cost of doing so.

[marquess]

I think their lordships were reluctant to treat the earldom as it should have been treated, just like the barony. Soon it will fall under the 100 rule, personally I thought not calling out the earldom was ridiculous. 

[pyvery]

Re Earldom of Arlington

If per chance the Barony of Arlington was inheirited by Sir Frederick Cholmeley or his son and the other potential heirs to the tirle had died without issue could Sir Frederick then claim to be the Earl of Arlington ?

[S. S.]

To my knowledge, the problem stems from whether or not an earldom can be in abeyance (I think I am a bit iffy on this) and can be called out of abeyance. That question has not been dealt with adequately as far as I know.
pyvery, in your scenario as is the case with baronies in fee, the only surviving coheir would automatically succeed without the title needing to be called out of abeyance. It is just that no one has dealt with this problem as concerning earldoms, only baronies. 

S.S.

[marquess]

Cromarty comes to mind.

[S. S.]

R. P. Gadd in Peerage Law (1985) states the following on the Cromartie case: "The Crown was advised by the Attorney General that there was an abeyance, and letters patent were issued terminating the abeyance in favour of the elder daughter. This is now thought to have been meant as a restoration... Apart from the case of the Earldom of Cromartie, which in any case could be considered an exercise of the Royal prerogative and was in effect a re-grant, it is submitted that the peerage law of England does not recognise abeyance in earldoms and the principle is confined to baronies in fee" (pp 69-70).

The abeyance to the Earldom of Cromartie and other titles was terminated by letters patent dated 25 Feb 1895. 

S.S.

[colinp]

Malcolm.

Re the Earldom of Arlington - I have heard from Stephen Kershaw but I am afraid he does not have any particular knowledge about the calling out of the Arlington barony abeyance.  He believes the most likely explanation is that Baroness Arlington was advised her claim to the barony was relatively straightforward but that a claim to the Earldom would raise complex issues of peerage law that would take disproportionate amounts of time and money to resolve and she therefore decided to settle for the barony.  

Stephen also thinks it significant that the claim was being played out during  1999 just as the Bill to remove most hereditary peers from the Lords was nearing Royal Assent. Baroness  took her seat that summer (27 May 1999) and made her maiden speech on 18 October 1999 shortly before the majority of hereditary peers were ejected.  Maybe she was determined to do that and that was another reason for going for the faster and simpler option.

Her maiden speech was during a debate on road traffic (speeding) - here is the beginning of her speech -

My Lords, it is a very great privilege to make my maiden, and possibly only speech, in your Lordships' House and I am extremely grateful to my noble friend Lord Tenby for introducing this debate. It is perhaps ironic that the only reason I am able to speak today is because of the fact that my uncle, the 9th Duke of Grafton, who was also the 10th Earl of Arlington, died from injuries sustained in a crash which occurred in a high speed car race in 1936, at the age of 21. I am only too aware of the dangers of speed.....