BARONETAGE
Last updated 05/11/2018 (31 Oct 2024)
Date	Type	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
Names of baronets shown in blue have not yet been placed on the Official Roll of the Baronetage.
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the baronet was baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the baronet was buried on that date.
OAKELEY of Shrewsbury, Salop
5 Jun 1790	GB	1	Charles Oakeley	26 Feb 1751	7 Sep 1826	75
7 Sep 1826		2	Charles Oakeley	25 Sep 1778	30 Jun 1829	50
30 Jun 1829		3	Herbert Oakeley	10 Feb 1791	27 Mar 1845	54
27 Mar 1845		4	Charles William Atholl Oakeley	25 Oct 1828	2 Nov 1915	87
2 Nov 1915		5	Charles John Oakeley	6 May 1862	20 Jul 1938	76
20 Jul 1938		6	Charles Richard Andrew Oakeley	14 Aug 1900	22 Nov 1959	59
22 Nov 1959		7	Edward Atholl Oakeley For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	31 May 1900	7 Jan 1987	86
7 Jan 1987		8	John Digby Atholl Oakeley	27 Nov 1932	19 Dec 2016	84
19 Dec 2016		9	Robert John Atholl Oakeley	13 Aug 1963
OAKES of the Army
2 Nov 1813 to     9 Sep 1822	UK	1	Hildebrand Oakes He obtained a new patent in 1815 - see below Extinct on his death	19 Jan 1754	9 Sep 1822	68
OAKES of Hereford
1 Jun 1815	UK	1	Sir Hildebrand Oakes, 1st baronet	19 Jan 1754	9 Sep 1822	68
9 Sep 1822		2	Henry Oakes	11 Jul 1756	1 Nov 1827	71
1 Nov 1827		3	Henry Thomas Oakes	4 Jul 1795	30 Sep 1850	55
30 Sep 1850 to     11 Oct 1927		4	Reginald Louis Oakes Extinct on his death	29 Sep 1847	11 Oct 1927	80
OAKES of Nassau, the Bahamas
27 Jul 1939	UK	1	Harry Oakes	23 Dec 1874	8 Jul 1943	68
8 Jul 1943		2	Sydney Oakes	9 Jun 1927	8 Aug 1966	39
8 Aug 1966		3	Christopher Oakes	10 Jul 1949
OAKSHOTT of Bebington, Cheshire
10 Jul 1959	UK	1	Hendrie Dudley Oakshott, later [1964] Baron Oakshott [L]	8 Nov 1904	1 Feb 1975	70
1 Feb 1975		2	Anthony Hendrie Oakshott	10 Oct 1929	11 Dec 2002	73
11 Dec 2002		3	Michael Arthur John Oakshott	12 Apr 1932	20 Jun 2014	82
20 Jun 2014		4	Thomas Hendrie Oakshott	12 Jun 1959
O'BRIEN of Leaghmenagh, Clare
9 Nov 1686	I	1	Donough O'Brien MP [I] for Clare County 1692‑1693, 1695‑1699 and 1703‑1715	1642	17 Nov 1717	75
17 Nov 1717		2	Edward O'Brien MP [I] for Clare County 1727‑1765; MP for Peterborough 1727‑1728	7 Apr 1705	26 Nov 1765	60
26 Nov 1765		3	Lucius Henry O'Brien MP [I] for Ennis 1761‑1768, 1776‑1778 and 1790‑1795, Clare County 1768‑1776 and 1778‑1783, and Tuam 1783‑1790; PC [I] 1786	2 Sep 1731	15 Jan 1795	63
15 Jan 1795		4	Edward O'Brien MP [I] for Ennis 1795‑1800; MP for co. Clare 1802‑1826	17 Apr 1773	13 Mar 1837	63
13 Mar 1837		5	Lucius O'Brien He subsequently succeeded to the Barony of Inchiquin in 1855 with which title the baronetcy remains merged, although, as at 30/06/2014, the baronetcy does not appear on the Official Roll of the Baronetage	5 Dec 1800	22 Mar 1872	71
O'BRIEN of Borris-in-Ossory, Queen's Co. and Merrion Square, Dublin
25 Sep 1849	UK	1	Timothy O'Brien MP for Cashel 1846‑1859	1787	3 Dec 1862	75
3 Dec 1862		2	Patrick O'Brien MP for Kings County 1852‑1885	1823	25 Apr 1895	71
25 Apr 1895		3	Timothy Carew O'Brien For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	5 Nov 1861	9 Dec 1948	87
9 Dec 1948		4	Robert Rollo Gillespie O'Brien	9 Jun 1901	18 Apr 1952	50
18 Apr 1952		5	John Edmond Noel O'Brien	23 Dec 1899	28 Sep 1969	69
28 Sep 1969		6	David Edmond O'Brien	19 Feb 1902	26 Nov 1982	80
26 Nov 1982		7	Timothy John O'Brien	6 Jul 1958
O'BRIEN of Merrion Square, Dublin
28 Sep 1891	UK	1	Peter O'Brien He was subsequently created Baron O'Brien in 1900 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1914	29 Jun 1842	7 Sep 1914	72
O'BRIEN of Artona
15 Jan 1916	UK	1	Ignatius John O'Brien He was subsequently created Baron Shandon in 1918 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1930	30 Jul 1857	10 Sep 1930	73
O'CARROLL of Denton, Yorks
1712	GB	1	Daniel O'Carroll		4 Nov 1750
4 Nov 1750		2	Daniel O'Carroll	c 1717	30 Jan 1758
30 Jan 1758		3	John O'Carroll	14 Feb 1722	c 1780
c 1780		4	John Whitley O'Carroll		13 Jan 1818
13 Jan 1818		5	Jervoise O'Carroll		1831
1831 to     2 Jun 1835		6	John Whitley Christopher O'Carroll On his death the baronetcy became either extinct or dormant		2 Jun 1835
OCHTERLONY of Pitforthy, Angus
7 Mar 1816 to     15 Jul 1825	UK	1	David Ochterlony He obtained a new patent in 1823 - see below Extinct on his death	12 Feb 1758	15 Jul 1825	67
OCHTERLONY of Ochterlony, Forfar
8 Dec 1823	UK	1	Sir David Ochterlony, 1st baronet	12 Feb 1758	15 Jul 1825	67
15 Jul 1825		2	Charles Metcalfe Ochterlony	21 Dec 1817	11 Aug 1891	73
11 Aug 1891		3	David Ferguson Ochterlony	27 Oct 1848	25 Dec 1931	83
25 Dec 1931		4	Matthew Montgomerie Ochterlony	28 Feb 1880	4 Oct 1946	66
4 Oct 1946 to     2 Nov 1964		5	Charles Francis Ochterlony Extinct on his death	27 Jun 1891	2 Nov 1964	73
O'CONNELL of Lakeview, Killarney and Ballybeggan, co. Kerry
29 Oct 1869	UK	1	James O'Connell	10 Jan 1786	28 Jul 1872	86
28 Jul 1872		2	Maurice James O'Connell	31 Oct 1821	15 Jan 1896	74
15 Jan 1896		3	Daniel Ross O'Connell	18 Jan 1861	14 May 1905	44
14 May 1905		4	Morgan Ross O'Connell	20 Jul 1862	27 Apr 1919	56
27 Apr 1919		5	Maurice James Arthur O'Connell	24 Dec 1889	15 Sep 1949	59
15 Sep 1949		6	Morgan Donal Conail O'Connell	29 Jan 1923	25 Jul 1989	66
25 Jul 1989		7	Maurice James Donagh MacCarthy O'Connell	10 Jun 1958
O'CONNOR of Sligo
11 May 1622 to     21 Jul 1625	I	1	Charles O'Connor Extinct on his death		21 Jul 1625
O'DONNELL of Newport House, Mayo
22 Dec 1780	I	1	Neale O'Donnell		Jan 1811
Jan 1811		2	Neale O'Donnell		1 Mar 1827
1 Mar 1827		3	Hugh James Moore O'Donnell	1806	29 Jul 1828	22
29 Jul 1828		4	Richard Annesley O'Donnell	28 May 1808	9 Nov 1878	70
9 Nov 1878 to     22 Jan 1889		5	George Clendining O'Donnell Extinct on his death	15 Jun 1832	22 Jan 1889	56
OGILVIE of Carnoustie, Banff
24 Apr 1626	NS	1	George Ogilvie After his death the succession is unknown until about 1800
c 1800		8	William Ogilvie		8 Jun 1825
8 Jun 1825 to     20 Feb 1861		9	William Ogilvie On his death the baronetcy became dormant	1810	20 Feb 1861	50
OGILVIE of Barras, Kincardine
5 Mar 1662	NS	1	George Ogilvie		c 1680
c 1680		2	William Ogilvie		25 Jul 1707
Jul 1707		3	David Ogilvie		c 1740
c 1740		4	William Ogilvie		Nov 1791
Nov 1791		5	David Ogilvie	1729	5 Dec 1799	70
5 Dec 1799		6	George Mulgrave Ogilvie	10 Aug 1779	9 Mar 1837	57
9 Mar 1837 to     c 1840		7	William Ogilvie On his death the baronetcy became dormant	c 1785	c 1840
OGILVY of Inverquharity, Forfar
29 Sep 1626	NS	1	John Ogilvy		c 1660
c 1660		2	David Ogilvy	c 1630	c 1679
c 1679		3	John Ogilvy		c 1735
c 1735		4	John Ogilvy		Feb 1748
Feb 1748		5	John Ogilvy	c 1732	15 Mar 1802
15 Mar 1802		6	Walter Ogilvy		21 Aug 1808
21 Aug 1808		7	John Ogilvy		1819
1819		8	William Ogilvy	c 1765	1823
1823		9	John Ogilvy MP for Dundee 1857‑1874	17 Mar 1803	29 Mar 1890	87
29 Mar 1890		10	Reginald Howard Alexander Ogilvy	29 May 1832	12 Mar 1910	77
12 Mar 1910		11	Gilchrist Nevill Ogilvy	6 Sep 1892	29 Oct 1914	22
29 Oct 1914		12	Herbert Kinnaird Ogilvy	29 Jun 1865	1 Mar 1956	90
1 Mar 1956		13	David John Wilfrid Ogilvy	3 Feb 1914	16 Jun 1992	78
16 Jun 1992		14	Francis Gilbert Arthur Ogilvy	22 Apr 1969
OGILVY of Forglen, Banff
30 Jul 1627	NS	1	George Ogilvy He was subsequently created Lord Banff in 1642 with which title the baronetcy then merged until it became dormant in 1803		11 Aug 1663
24 Jun 1701	NS	1	Alexander Ogilvy		30 Mar 1727
30 Mar 1727		2	Alexander Ogilvy He subsequently succeeded as 7th Lord Banff in 1746 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1803		1 Sep 1771
OGILVY-WEDDERBURN of Baltindean, Perth
18 Aug 1803	UK	1	David Wedderburn For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this baronetcy, see the note at the foot of this page MP for Perth 1805‑1818	10 Mar 1775	7 Apr 1858	83
7 Apr 1858		2	John Wedderburn	1 May 1789	2 Jul 1862	73
2 Jul 1862		3	David Wedderburn MP for Ayrshire South 1868‑1874 and Haddington Burghs 1879‑1882	20 Dec 1835	18 Sep 1882	46
18 Sep 1882		4	William Wedderburn MP for Banffshire 1893‑1900	25 Mar 1838	25 Jan 1918	79
25 Jan 1918		5	John Andrew Ogilvy-Wedderburn	16 Sep 1866	10 Mar 1956	89
10 Mar 1956		6	John Peter Ogilvy-Wedderburn	29 Sep 1917	13 Aug 1977	59
13 Aug 1977		7	Andrew John Alexander Ogilvy-Wedderburn	4 Aug 1952
OGLANDER of Nunwell, Hants
12 Dec 1665	E	1	William Oglander MP for Yarmouth 1640 and Newport (IOW) 1660‑1670	18 Oct 1611	9 Aug 1670	58
Aug 1670		2	John Oglander	c 1642	c 1683
c 1683		3	William Oglander	c 1680	10 Aug 1734
10 Aug 1734		4	John Oglander	c 1704	11 May 1767
11 May 1767		5	William Oglander	8 Jul 1733	5 Jan 1806	72
5 Jan 1806		6	William Oglander MP for Bodmin 1807‑1812	13 Sep 1769	17 Jan 1852	82
17 Jan 1852 to     8 Apr 1874		7	Henry Oglander Extinct on his death	24 Jun 1811	8 Apr 1874	62
OGLE of Worthy, Hants
12 Mar 1816	UK	1	Chaloner Ogle		27 Aug 1816
27 Aug 1816		2	Charles Ogle MP for Portarlington 1830‑1831	24 May 1775	16 Jun 1858	83
16 Jun 1858		3	Chaloner Ogle	18 Jul 1803	3 Feb 1859	55
3 Feb 1859		4	Chaloner Roe Majendie Ogle	2 Jun 1843	29 Nov 1861	18
29 Nov 1861		5	William Ogle	5 May 1823	2 Dec 1885	62
2 Dec 1885		6	Edmund Ogle	20 Sep 1816	14 Jun 1887	70
14 Jun 1887		7	Henry Asgill Ogle	2 Sep 1850	5 Mar 1921	70
5 Mar 1921 to     17 Jun 1940		8	Edmund Ashton Ogle Extinct on his death	13 Aug 1857	17 Jun 1940	82
OHLSON of Scarborough, Yorks
24 Jan 1920	UK	1	Sir Erik Ohlson	19 Jul 1873	20 Mar 1934	60
20 Mar 1934		2	Eric James Ohlson	16 Mar 1911	5 Mar 1983	71
5 Mar 1983		3	Brian Eric Christopher Ohlson	27 Jul 1936	19 Mar 2017	80
19 Mar 2017		4	Peter Michael Ohlson	18 May 1939
OKEOVER of Gateacre, Lancs
12 Feb 1886	UK		See "Walker-Okeover"
OLDFIELD of Spalding, Lincs
6 Aug 1660	E	1	Anthony Oldfield	27 Jul 1626	4 Sep 1668	42
4 Sep 1668 to     Aug 1705		2	John Oldfield Extinct on his death	29 Oct 1659	Aug 1705	45
OLIPHANT of Newton
28 Jul 1629	NS	1	James Oliphant		1648
1648		2	James Oliphant		1659
1659 to     c 1691		3	George Oliphant Extinct on his death		c 1691
O'LOGHLEN of Drumconora, co. Clare
16 Jul 1838	UK	1	Michael O'Loghlen MP for Dungarvan 1835‑1837; Solicitor General [I] 1834; Attorney General [I] 1835	6 Oct 1789	28 Sep 1842	52
28 Sep 1842		2	Colman Michael O'Loghlen MP for co. Clare 1863‑1877	20 Sep 1819	22 Jul 1877	57
22 Jul 1877		3	Bryan O'Loghlen MP for co. Clare 1877‑1879 For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the MPs for County Clare	27 Jun 1828	31 Oct 1909	81
31 Oct 1909		4	Michael O'Loghlen Lord Lieutenant Clare 1910‑1922	16 Oct 1866	23 Mar 1934	67
23 Mar 1934		5	Charles Hugh Ross O'Loghlen	6 Jul 1881	23 Jul 1951	70
23 Jul 1951		6	Colman Michael O'Loghlen	6 Apr 1916	6 Mar 2014	97
6 Mar 2014		7	Michael O'Loghlen	21 May 1945
O'MALLEY of Rosehill, Mayo
2 Jul 1804	UK	1	Samuel O'Malley	26 Dec 1779	17 Aug 1864	84
17 Aug 1864 to     21 Jan 1892		2	William O'Malley Extinct on his death	23 Sep 1816	21 Jan 1892	75
O'NEILL of Upper Claneboys
13 Nov 1643	I	1	Brian O'Neill		late 1670
late 1670		2	Brian O'Neill		1694
1694		3	Henry O'Neill	c 1674	1 Nov 1759
1 Nov 1759		4	Brian O'Neill		c 1765
c 1765		5	Randall O'Neill		Jun 1779
Jun 1779		6	William O'Neill	c 1754	Mar 1784
Mar 1784 to     1799		7	Francis O'Neill On his death the baronetcy became dormant	c 1730	1799
O'NEILL of Killelagh, Antrim
23 Feb 1666	I	1	Henry O'Neill	1625	c 1680
c 1680		2	Neill O'Neill	c 1658	8 Jul 1690
8 Jul 1690 to     1691		3	Daniel O'Neill The baronetcy was forfeited in 1691
O'NEILL of Cleggan, Antrim
17 Jun 1929	UK	1	Robert William Hugh O'Neill He was subsequently created Baron Rathcavan in 1953 with which title the baronetcy remains merged	8 Jun 1883	28 Nov 1982	99
ONSLOW of West Clandon, Surrey
8 May 1674	E	1	Arthur Onslow MP for Bramber 1640‑1648, Surrey 1654‑1655, 1656‑1658, 1659 and 1679‑1681, and Guildford 1660‑1679 This baronetcy was created as a reversion of the baronetcy conferred in 1660 on Sir Thomas Foote	23 Apr 1622	21 Jul 1688	66
21 Jul 1688		2	Richard Onslow He was subsequently created Baron Onslow in 1716 with which title the baronetcy remains merged	23 Jun 1654	5 Dec 1717	63
ONSLOW of Althain, Lancs
30 Oct 1797	GB	1	Richard Onslow	23 Jun 1741	27 Dec 1817	76
27 Dec 1817		2	Henry Onslow	23 Apr 1784	13 Sep 1853	69
13 Sep 1853		3	Henry Onslow	5 Oct 1809	20 Nov 1870	61
20 Nov 1870		4	Matthew Richard Onslow	12 Sep 1810	3 Aug 1876	65
3 Aug 1876		5	William Wallace Rhoderic Onslow	13 Aug 1845	13 Jan 1916	70
13 Jan 1916		6	Roger Warin Beaconsfield Onslow For information on this baronet's death, see the note at the foot of this page	29 Apr 1880	13 Oct 1931	51
13 Oct 1931		7	Richard Wilmot Onslow	30 Jul 1906	14 Jul 1963	56
14 Jul 1963		8	John Roger Wilmot Onslow	21 Jul 1932	14 Oct 2009	77
14 Oct 2009		9	Richard Paul Atherton Onslow	16 Sep 1958
OPPENHEIMER of Stoke Poges, Bucks
18 Jan 1921	UK	1	Bernard Oppenheimer	13 Feb 1866	13 Jun 1921	55
13 Jun 1921		2	Michael Oppenheimer For further information on the death of this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	26 Dec 1892	26 Sep 1933	40
26 Sep 1933 to     17 Apr 2020		3	Michael Bernard Grenville Oppenheimer Extinct on his death	27 May 1924	17 Apr 2020	95
ORBY of Croyland, Lincs
9 Oct 1658	E	1	Thomas Orby		c 1691
c 1691		2	Charles Orby	c 1640	c 1716
c 1716 to     Feb 1725		3	Thomas Orby Extinct on his death	c 1658	11 Feb 1725
ORDE of Morpeth, Nortumberland
9 Aug 1790	GB		See "Campbell-Orde"
ORMSBY of Cloghans, Mayo
29 Dec 1812	UK	1	Charles Montagu Ormsby MP [I] for Duleek 1790‑1800; MP for Carlow 1801‑1806	23 Apr 1767	3 Mar 1818	50
3 Mar 1818		2	James Ormsby	27 Feb 1796	Dec 1821	25
Dec 1821 to     9 Aug 1833		3	Thomas Ormsby Extinct on his death	26 May 1797	9 Aug 1833	36
ORR-EWING of Ballikinrain, Stirling
8 Mar 1886	UK	1	Archibald Orr-Ewing MP for Dunbartonshire 1868‑1892	4 Jan 1818	27 Nov 1893	75
27 Nov 1893		2	William Orr-Ewing	14 Feb 1848	20 Aug 1903	55
20 Aug 1903		3	Archibald Ernest Orr-Ewing For information on the death of this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	22 Feb 1853	21 Apr 1919	66
21 Apr 1919		4	Norman Archibald Orr-Ewing	23 Nov 1880	26 Mar 1960	79
26 Mar 1960		5	Ronald Archibald Orr-Ewing	14 May 1912	14 Sep 2002	90
14 Sep 2002		6	Archibald Donald Orr-Ewing	20 Dec 1938
ORR-EWING of Hendon, Middlesex
27 Jun 1963	UK	1	Charles Ian Orr-Ewing, later [1971] Baron Orr-Ewing [L]	10 Feb 1912	19 Aug 1999	87
19 Aug 1999		2	Alistair Simon Orr-Ewing	10 Jun 1940	6 Aug 2024	84
6 Aug 2024		3	Archie Cameron Orr-Ewing	29 Mar 1969
ORR-LEWIS of Whitewebbs, Middlesex
12 Feb 1920	UK	1	Frederick Orr Orr-Lewis	11 Feb 1866	18 Nov 1921	55
18 Nov 1921 to     13 Nov 1980		2	John Duncan Orr-Lewis Extinct on his death	21 Feb 1898	13 Nov 1980	82
OSBALDESTON of Chadlington, Oxon
25 Jun 1664	E	1	Littleton Osbaldeston MP for Woodstock 1679‑1681 and 1685‑1689		30 Dec 1691
30 Dec 1691		2	Lacy Osbaldeston	c 1659	c 1699
c 1699		3	Richard Osbaldeston	14 Sep 1684	c 1701
c 1701		4	William Osbaldeston	c 1687	c 1739
c 1739 to     16 Apr 1749		5	Charles Osbaldeston Extinct on his death	c 1690	16 Apr 1749
OSBORN of Chicksands, Beds
11 Feb 1662	E	1	John Osborn	c 1615	5 Feb 1699
5 Feb 1699		2	John Osborn	c 1650	28 Apr 1720
28 Apr 1720		3	Danvers Osborn MP for Bedfordshire 1747‑1753	17 Nov 1715	27 Dec 1753	38
27 Dec 1753		4	George Osborn MP for Northampton 1768‑1769, Bossiney 1769‑1774, Penryn 1774‑1780 and Horsham 1780‑1784	10 May 1742	29 Jun 1818	76
29 Jun 1818		5	John Osborn MP for Bedfordshire 1794‑1807 and 1818‑1820, Cockermouth 1807‑1808, Queenborough 1812‑1818 and Wigtown 1821‑1824	3 Dec 1772	28 Aug 1848	75
28 Aug 1848		6	George Robert Osborn	29 Oct 1813	11 Jan 1892	78
11 Jan 1892		7	Algernon Kerr Butler Osborn	8 Aug 1870	19 Jul 1948	77
19 Jul 1948		8	Danvers Lionel Rouse Osborn	31 Jan 1916	19 Jul 1983	67
19 Jul 1983		9	Richard Henry Danvers Osborn	12 Aug 1958
OSBORNE of Kiveton, Yorks
13 Jul 1620	E	1	Edward Osborne MP for East Retford 1628‑1629, York 1640 and Berwick 1640	12 Dec 1596	9 Sep 1647	50
9 Sep 1647		2	Thomas Osborne He was created Duke of Leeds in 1694 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1964	20 Feb 1632	26 Jul 1712	80
OSBORNE of Ballintaylor, co. Tipperary
15 Oct 1629	I	1	Richard Osborne		c 1667
c 1667		2	Richard Osborne		2 Mar 1685
2 Mar 1685		3	John Osborne	c 1645	4 Apr 1713
4 Apr 1713		4	Richard Osborne		c 1714
c 1714		5	Thomas Osborne		c 1715
c 1715		6	Nicholas Osborne	c 1685	13 Jan 1719
13 Jan 1719		7	John Osborne MP [I] for Lismore 1719‑1727 and Waterford County 1727‑1743	1697	11 Apr 1743	45
11 Apr 1743		8	William Osborne MP [I] for Carysfort 1761‑1768 and 1783, and Dungarvan 1768‑1783; PC [I] 1770	c 1722	Nov 1783
Nov 1783		9	Thomas Osborne MP [I] for Carysfort 1776‑1797	1757	3 Jun 1821	63
3 Jun 1821		10	William Osborne	1817	23 May 1824	6
23 May 1824		11	Henry Osborne MP [I] for Carysfort 1798‑1799 and Enniskillen 1800	c 1761	27 Oct 1837
27 Oct 1837		12	Daniel Toler Osborne	10 Dec 1783	25 Mar 1853	69
25 Mar 1853		13	William Osborne	16 Oct 1805	7 Jul 1875	69
7 Jul 1875		14	Charles Stanley Osborne	30 Jun 1825	16 Jul 1879	54
16 Jul 1879		15	Francis Osborne	1 Nov 1856	23 Oct 1948	91
23 Oct 1948		16	George Francis Osborne	27 Jul 1894	21 Jul 1960
21 Jul 1960		17	Peter George Osborne	29 Jun 1943
OSBORNE-GIBBES of Springhead, Barbados
30 May 1774	GB	1	Philip Gibbes	7 Mar 1731	Jun 1815	84
Jun 1815		2	Samuel Osborne-Gibbes	27 Aug 1803	13 Nov 1874	71
13 Nov 1874		3	Edward Osborne-Gibbes	Nov 1850	29 Sep 1931	80
29 Sep 1931 to     8 Feb 1940		4	Philip Arthur Osborne-Gibbes Extinct on his death	17 May 1884	8 Feb 1940	55
OSLER of Norham Gardens, Oxford
11 Jul 1911 to     29 Dec 1919	UK	1	William Osler Extinct on his death For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	12 Jul 1849	29 Dec 1919	70
OTWAY of Brighton, Sussex
30 Sep 1831	UK	1	Robert Waller Otway	26 Apr 1770	13 May 1846	76
13 May 1846		2	George Graham Otway	15 Jul 1816	22 Aug 1881	65
22 Aug 1881 to     8 Jun 1912		3	Arthur John Otway MP for Stafford 1852‑1857, Chatham 1865‑1874 and Rochester 1878‑1885; PC 1885 Extinct on his death	8 Aug 1822	8 Jun 1912	89
OUGHTON of Tetchbrook, Warwicks
27 Aug 1718 to     4 Sep 1736	GB	1	Adolphus Oughton MP for Coventry 1715‑1736 Extinct on his death	c 1684	4 Sep 1736
OUSELEY of Claremont, Herts
3 Oct 1808	UK	1	Gore Ouseley	24 Jun 1770	18 Nov 1844	74
18 Nov 1844 to     6 Apr 1889		2	Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley Extinct on his death	12 Aug 1825	6 Apr 1889	63
OUTRAM of Bengal, India
10 Nov 1858	UK	1	James Outram For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	29 Jan 1803	11 Mar 1863	60
11 Mar 1863		2	Francis Boyd Outram	23 Sep 1836	25 Sep 1912	76
25 Sep 1912		3	James Outram	13 Oct 1864	12 Mar 1925	60
12 Mar 1925		4	Francis Davidson Outram	4 Aug 1867	30 Jun 1945	77
30 Jun 1945		5	Alan James Outram	15 May 1937
OWEN of Orielton, Pembroke
11 Aug 1641	E	1	Hugh Owen MP for Pembroke 1626, 1628‑1629, 1640‑1648 and 1660‑1661, and Haverfordwest 1640	4 May 1604	c Oct 1670
c Oct 1670		2	Hugh Owen MP for Pembroke 1676‑1679 and Pembrokeshire 1679‑1681 and 1689‑1695	c 1645	13 Jan 1699
13 Jan 1699		3	Arthur Owen MP for Pembrokeshire 1695‑1705 and 1715‑1727, and Pembroke 1708‑1712; Lord Lieutenant Pembrokeshire 1715‑1753	c 1674	6 Jun 1753
6 Jun 1753		4	William Owen MP for Pembroke 1722‑1747 and 1761‑1774, and Pembrokeshire 1747‑1761; Lord Lieutenant Pembrokeshire	c 1697	7 May 1781
7 May 1781		5	Hugh Owen MP for Pembrokeshire 1770‑1786; Lord Lieutenant Pembrokeshire		16 Jan 1786
16 Jan 1786		6	Hugh Owen MP for Pembroke 1809	12 Sep 1782	8 Aug 1809	26
8 Aug 1809		7	Arthur Owen	c 1740	4 Jan 1817
4 Jan 1817 to     25 Feb 1851		8	William Owen-Barlow Extinct on his death	11 Apr 1775	25 Feb 1851	75
OWEN of Orielton, Pembroke
12 Jan 1813	UK	1	John Lord Owen MP for Pembroke 1809‑1812 and 1841‑1861, and Pembrokeshire 1812‑1841; Lord Lieutenant Pembrokeshire 1823‑1861	1776	6 Feb 1861	84
6 Feb 1861		2	Hugh Owen Owen MP for Pembroke 1826‑1838 and 1861‑1868	25 Dec 1803	5 Sep 1891	87
5 Sep 1891		3	Hugh Charles Owen	1826	4 Apr 1909	82
4 Apr 1909		4	John Arthur Owen	5 Feb 1892	20 Sep 1973	81
20 Sep 1973 to     22 Feb 2002		5	Hugh Bernard Pilkington Owen Extinct on his death	28 Mar 1915	22 Feb 2002	86
OWEN of Weir Bank, Berks
2 Feb 1920	UK		See "Cunliffe-Owen"
OXENDEN of Dene, Kent
8 May 1678	E	1	Henry Oxenden MP for Winchilsea 1645‑1648, Kent 1654‑1655 and 1656‑1658, and Sandwich 1660‑1661	28 Apr 1614	Aug 1686	72
Aug 1686		2	James Oxenden MP for Sandwich 1679‑1685, 1689‑1690 and 1701‑1702 and Kent 1698‑1700	4 Apr 1641	29 Sep 1708	67
29 Sep 1708		3	Henry Oxenden	c 1645	Feb 1709
Feb 1709		4	Henry Oxenden MP for Sandwich 1713‑1720	10 Jul 1690	21 Apr 1720	29
21 Apr 1720		5	George Oxenden MP for Sandwich 1720‑1754	26 Oct 1694	20 Jan 1775	80
20 Jan 1775		6	Henry Oxenden	5 Sep 1721	15 Jun 1803	81
15 Jun 1803		7	Henry Oxenden	14 May 1756	22 Sep 1838	82
22 Sep 1838		8	Henry Chudleigh Oxenden	24 Jun 1795	14 Aug 1889	94
14 Aug 1889		9	Henry Montagu Oxenden	20 Jun 1826	Sep 1895	69
Sep 1895 to     12 Jul 1924		10	Percy Dixwell Nowell Dixwell‑Oxenden Extinct on his death	6 Jun 1833	12 Jul 1924	91

	Sir Edward Atholl Oakeley, 7th baronet
	Sir Atholl was educated at Clifton and Sandhurst, and commissioned in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Early in life he developed a fascination for wrestling, his interest being awakened when he was beaten up by a ruffian in a bar. Although only 5ft 9in tall, he built up his body by drinking eleven pints of milk a day for three years. This diet had been recommended to him by the former world heavyweight wrestling champion, George Hackenschmidt. It was later discovered that there had been a misprint - the correct amount was one pint a day.
	Oakeley preferred to wrestle men who were larger than himself. On one occasion his opponent was a 7ft 6in Turkish wrestler; Oakeley forced him to concede using a hold which several other wrestlers were required to untangle. He was the heavyweight champion of Great Britain from 1930 to 1935, of Europe in 1932 and he returned undefeated from an American tour in 1933.
	After he broke his shoulder in 1935, Oakeley turned to wrestling management. Among his stable of wrestlers was Gargantua, a 50-stone German with a 90-inch chest, for whom special travelling arrangements had to be made with British Rail.
	For further reading, see Oakeley's autobiography, Blue Blood on the Mat, published by Stanley Paul, London in 1971.
	Sir Timothy Carew O'Brien, 3rd baronet
	Sir Timothy spent much of 1908 and 1909 in court, being the defendant in a slander case against him by Alexis Charles Burke Roche, son of Lord Fermoy. In July 1891, Roche had allegedly sold a horse to Sir Timothy, but the horse proved to be a "broken-winded nag", and when Sir Timothy attempted to return the horse, Roche refused to accept it or to refund the purchase price.
	On 17 March 1908, it was alleged that Sir Timothy, while attending a hunt meeting at Duballow, rode up to Roche and, in the hearing of a number of other people, used the following words - "You are a liar, a thief and a swindler. You live by swindling and, to my knowledge, you have lived by swindling for 20 years." Not surprisingly, Roche sued Sir Timothy for slander, while Timothy defended the matter on the grounds of justification.
	The trial commenced in the Cork Assizes in May 1908 and continued until July, when the jury was discharged after one of the jurors advised the judge that Sir Timothy had been in direct communication with him regarding the case, the implication being that such contact was an attempt to influence the juror. Sir Timothy was found guilty of contempt of court and fined £300. He was also ordered to pay all of the costs of the aborted trial.
	The first trial was, however, not without one moment of hilarity. One of the witnesses, a Colonel Williamson, stated in evidence that he was present when Sir Timothy spoke to Roche. Williamson stated that he rode up to Sir Timothy's horse and "caught hold of his bridle and gave him a chuck in the mouth, and chucked him back." Sir Timothy's counsel asked whether he meant the horse or Sir Timothy, to which the witness replied "The horse. Sir Timothy had no bridle on that day."
	The re-trial commenced in June 1909 and, after nine days of sitting, the jury found in favour of Roche, awarding him however, derisory damages of only £5. Once again, however, Sir Timothy was forced to pay costs, an amount which left him practically broke.
	Sir Timothy was a fine cricketer who played for England in five test matches between 1884 and 1896.
	The special remainder to the baronetcy of Wedderburn (later Ogilvy-Wedderburn) created in 1803
	From the London Gazette of 16 August 1803 (issue 15612, page 1041):-
	The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto David Wedderburn, of Baltindean, in the County of Perth, Esq; and to the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, with Remainder to the Heirs Male of the Body of Sir Alexander Wdderburn, of Blackness, deceased.
	Sir Roger Warin Beaconsfield Onslow, 6th baronet
	Sir Roger was found dead in October 1931 with a gunshot wound in his head at his home at Hengar, St. Tudy, Cornwall. The subsequent inquest was reported in The Scotsman on 15 October 1931:-
	A verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was returned by the Bodmin coroner at the inquest yesterday on Sir Roger Onslow, Baronet, who was found shot on Tuesday morning in his bedroom at his residence at Hengar, St. Tudy, Cornwall.
	Mr. Richard Onslow, of Hawkstor, Bilsland, told the Coroner that his father had recently worried over financial matters and over the political situation.
	Gerald Henry Hodge, the butler who discovered the tragedy, said Sir Roger always kept a 22‑bore rifle in his room to shoot rabbits from his bedroom window.
	A doctor said he had attended Sir Roger for many years for neurasthenia and neuritis, which was accompanied by intense pain.
	Sir Michael Oppenheimer, 2nd baronet
	Sir Michael was killed in an air-crash at Baragwanath Airport, near Johannesburg, South Africa, on 26 September 1933. His death was reported in The Times the following day:-
	Major C. K. Cochran-Patrick, D.S.O., M.C., a distinguished War-time pilot, and Sir Michael Oppenheimer, Bt., were killed this morning when their aeroplane crashed at Baragwanath aerodrome.
	The two men were leaving for Rhodesia in Major Cochran-Patrick's aeroplane, a six-seater twin-engined De Havilland Dragon, which took off behind an aeroplane bound for Lourenço Marques. Circling around the aerodrome, Major Cochran-Patrick at 250ft. attempted a sharp vertical turn in order to wave goodbye to friends. His machine lost speed, and as it fell the pilot tried to swing around, and crashed with the engines running at full speed. As the aeroplane struck the ground it burst into flames. Among those who saw the accident was Major Cochran-Patrick's wife.
	Mr. Stanley People, ground engineer for De Havillands, was in the Lourenço Marques aeroplane, and he landed a hundred yards from the wreck. Realizing he was first on the scene, Mr. People, protected by goggles and a flying helmet, dashed into the flames and pulled Major Cochran‑Patrick's body clear. Protecting his head with a woman's jumper, he rushed back for the body of Sir Michael Oppenheimer. Major Cochran‑Patrick was killed outright in the crash, but Sir Michael Oppenheimer tried to crawl out of the machine in a dying condition.
	Major Cochran-Patrick had a distinguished War record in the Royal Flying Corps and was described by Lord Trenchard as one of the finest flyers on the Western front. He had lately been engaged in air survey work.
	Sir Archibald Ernest Orr-Ewing, 3rd baronet [UK 1886]
	Sir Archibald committed suicide whilst on a visit to his nephew. The inquest was reported in The Times on 24 April 1919:-
	An inquest on the body of Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing, who was found shot in a plantation near Noseley Hall, Leicestershire, where he was visiting his nephew, Sir Arthur Hazlerigg [later 1st Baron Hazlerigg], was held yesterday.
	The evidence has to the effect that Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing had been ordered a rest, and that he went to Noseley Hall a week ago from his London residence. While at Noseley he had been depressed, but there was nothing to suggest that he contemplated suicide. On Monday, after breakfasting with Sir Arthur Hazlerigg, he went for a walk, and did not return. Next morning he was found dead in a plantation on the estate. There was a large wound in his head, and a heavy revolver, fully loaded, with one cartridge discharged was lying near his right hand.
	Brigadier-General Norman Orr-Ewing, his eldest son, said his father had served at home during the war in connection with the National Reserves and Coast Defences. Later he undertook work in Vickers's munition factory at Erith and other places. He worked hard, carrying shells and coal and doing other odd jobs. The work was exceptionally hard and affected his health, the result being that the doctor ordered him a complete change. He was greatly attached to his younger son, who was killed during the war.
	The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst temporarily insane owing to depression following a nervous breakdown due to overwork.
	Sir William Osler, 1st baronet
	Osler (pronounced Oh-sler) has been described as the "Father of Modern Medicine". The following biography appeared in the April 1958 issue of the Australian monthly magazine Parade:-
	"He loved his fellow-men and they loved him" wrote one of Sir William Osler's admirers shortly after "The Great Physician's" death in 1919. Unconsciously perhaps, the author of that tribute pointed to the subtle quality in Osler's life that made him one of the most revered disciples of Hippocrates, in this or any other age. True, Osler did contribute materially to advance mankind's knowledge of several deadly maladies; and he was a masterly upholder of the noblest tenets of his craft. But they were not the sole reasons why he left his memory etched so deeply in the minds of his contemporaries.
	The secret of Sir William Osler's fame was his warm and human personality; he knew how to get on with people, and his very presence was a heartening tonic. Only those in the last throes of a struggle for life with Death itself could fail to sense a warmth, of vitality, and heightened well-being as he stood quietly by their bedside or wandered through his wards marking his course with skilled advice, kindly words if encouragement, and a rippling wake of merriment. And among his subordinates and assistants, Osler inspired a devotion akin to fanaticism. Although he was free and easy with them his geniality itself commanded respect without any apparent effort on his part.
	Osler was a physician whose whole life work was devoted to clinical work. Not for him the clientele of wealthy private patients, the quickly-made fortune and the leisure of society life. He never took up private practice. He was interested in curing for curing's sake, and spent a great part of his time at the bedside of non-paying patients in public hospitals. One medical officer who was associated with him for several years wrote that Osler had "the greatest contempt for the doctor who made financial gain the first object of his work"; and if Osler did not say as much in words he said it by the code he followed in his professional life.
	In lieu of princely fees he extracted respect and admiration amounting in hundreds of cases to veneration from his many thousands of patients - concerning his relations with whom many anecdotes are told. One, typical of many, concerns a young man afflicted with tuberculosis and worried to distraction over the future of his wife and children. The patient in question wrote this account of the consultation he had had with Dr. Osler:-
	"He talked to me a few moments very ardently about a book he had been reading; then he stopped abruptly, stood up and, putting his hands in his pockets, looked at me intently and said 'You could, of course, dear boy, have an easier time if you went to the mountains, but you get as much good here if you actually live out of doors, and your heart will be easier about your wife and kiddies. It will mean a great deal of self-discipline. Try it for a month and then come back and we will see if we are playing a winning game without too high stakes.' There was not a week during that trial month that some little gift or note of encouragement from him failed to reach me." That was written 30 years after the incident - so long endured the kindly thoughts of Osler engendered by his own kindliness.
	This great physician, whose art was founded in a deep understanding of human nature, was almost lost to the world at an early age when, as a baby, he was nearly drowned on a pail of milk on the Canadian farm where he was born. The story goes that on the day one of his sisters was born, his distraught father, in order to keep him out of the way, tied him to a tree next to [a] young calf. A pail of milk was nearby, and young William was fiercely contesting it with the calf when he fell head first into it. Only the prompt action of his father, who emerged from the house to see what the calf was bellowing about, saved the future medico from an untimely end.
	Osler was the eighth child and youngest son of Featherstone Lake Osler, a British naval officer who had given up the sea to spread the Gospel in the hinterland of Canada. At the little settlement of Tecumseh on July 12, 1849, the future Sir William was born. In 1857, when William was eight, Canon Featherstone Osler left Tecumseh, where he had lived on the edge of the wilderness for nearly 20 years, to settle at Dundas, a little town with a grammar school, to which young William was sent to be taught "the three R's". [Tecumseh is today a small town to the east of Windsor, Ontario.] Its master patiently endured the boy's exuberant high spirits for some years, but one evening William arrive[d] home to tell his mother he had been expelled.
	The boarding-school at the little town of Barrie was the next step up the scholastic ladder. There he made himself extremely unpopular with the teaching-staff by forming a gang of enterprising youths who were known far and wide as "Barrie's Bad Boys". Later on he was sent to Weston, described by one of his biographers as a "provincial Eton", where countless canings by an apparently humourless headmaster failed to curb his natural high spirits.
	While at Weston Osler achieved the doubtful distinction of being arrested and put in gaol for "assault and battery". There was no love lost between him and the dour school matron, a jaundiced female who considered all boys to be spawned of the devil. One day she upset a bucket of slops over one of the students on the staircase, and Osler and his pals determined upon revenge. That evening after the matron had retired to her sitting-room, Osler and nine companions prepared a mixture of molasses, pepper and mustard and put it on a stove in a room beneath her sitting-room. When the mixture boiled, foul-smelling fumes poured up through the ceiling into the matron's lounge. Half-suffocated and "all of a dither", the woman stuffed the hole through which the evil fumes were pouring with bits of cloth. The boys underneath promptly pushed them out with sticks. The matron began to scream wildly for help, and before the boys could get away the headmaster was upon them. He whisked them off to his room and gave them all a good hiding. But the story did not end there. The outraged matron complained to the police with such vehemence that they issued a warrant against the ten culprits and arrested them. They spent the next three days in gaol, and when they appeared before the magistrate in Toronto, William's older brother, Featherstone Osler, a rising young barrister, undertook their defence. They were finally all let off with a fine of one dollar and a reprimand from the Bench.
	While at Weston, Osler made the acquaintance of two men who were to have a profound influence on his life. They were his class teacher, "Father" Johnston, a Protestant clergyman who was warden of the college, and Dr. James Lovell, a medical practitioner from nearby Toronto. The two men were both ardent naturalists and young Osler came to accompany them on their explorations through the woodlands of Weston in search of unusual biological specimens [and] buried prehistoric remains.
	Under the influence of these two men his mind turned towards medicine, and after studying in a desultory fashion for an arts degree, he began his medical studies at Toronto in 1868. Dr. Lovell was Osler's early instructor, and teacher and pupil became one in their passionate interest in research. Dr. Lovell's granddaughter wrote that "Osler literally lived in our house. He adored grandfather, and the latter loved him like a son. Mother says her life was a perfect burden to her with parcels arriving which might contain a rattlesnake, a few frogs, toads, or dormice. She found quite a large snake meandering through the study one afternoon, and when she protested violently the two told her she should not have been there!"
	Osler was a tireless research worker, probing and experimenting all the time, and the main recollection of his fellow-workers is "that he was always dissecting". He spent every spare hour in the dissecting-room, cutting up and examining cadavers.
	In 1870, shortly after Dr. Lovell's departure to the West Indies, Osler left Toronto to study at McGill University, Montreal, the leading medical school in Canada. He remained there two years, getting practical experience in medicine, working at various times as clerk, dresser, and nurse at Montreal Hospital, then "an old coccus [a form of bacteria] and rat ridden building". In 1872 he left for Europe to spend the next two years studying at foreign universities and in widening his experience in all spheres of medicine and surgery. During his two years in Europe he studied in Britain, France, Germany and Austria.
	Shortly after his return to Canada he was appointed lecturer at McGill University. He also worked for a small salary in the smallpox ward of the Montreal General Hospital, and when a special hospital was built in 1876 for smallpox cases, Dr. Osler, now enjoying a growing fame as a research worker, was immediately appointed pathologist. It was now that he laid the foundation of his career as a great clinician. His clear vision, his quick grasp of a situation, his simple and unaffected manner, his obvious sincerity, and his professional honesty won him considerable fame in medical circles not only in Canada but also in the United States, and in 1884 he was offered. and accepted the Professorship of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
	He was also given an appointment at the local hospital, and soon became one of the most popular, as well as one of the professionally most respected doctors in the city. His patience with the really ailing was inexhaustible, but he had very little patience with people suffering from imaginary diseases who wasted his time. One woman who visited him he immediately summed up as a fraud. "I just can't sleep," she complained. "I keep twitching and jerking my feet and my hands fly out of the covers and all the fingers go like spiders and my toes curl up." "I hope your husband sleeps in another bed," said Osler, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I shall not discuss that with you. My husband loves me," the woman indignantly replied. "Poor devil," the doctor sighed, just loud enough for the angry woman to hear.
	In 1889 Dr. Osler left Philadelphia to take up an appointment at the then recently founded Johns Hopkins University and its adjoining hospital in Baltimore. His term there was marked by two events of outstanding importance in his life. One was the publication of his "Practice of Medicine", the most important book on medical practice that had been written up to that time; and the other was his marriage to the widow of one of his professional colleagues, Mrs. Grace Linze Gross. Before her marriage she had been a Miss Revere, and she was a great grand‑daughter of Paul&nsp;Revere, hero of the American Revolution. In 1893 their first son was born, but to his parents' great sorrow the little fellow lived only a week. The next child - also a boy - was born some two years later, and in honour of his patriot ancestor he was christened Revere - although his father, who was British to the core, took him promptly to the British Consulate to have him registered as a British subject.
	In spite of his honoured and exalted position in the medical world Dr. Osler retained throughout his life the spirit of rollicking jollity which had marked his boyhood and youth. Even his wife was not spared from his passion for "pulling legs" and cracking jokes. One day he burst excitedly into the house and announced to his wife that a mutual friend of theirs was expecting a child. "That's terrible. Why, she's over 50," replied Mrs. Osler worriedly; and in a flurry of bonnets and coats she rushed to Mrs. X's house to find her friend "all joy and unconfined". The story was a complete fabrication, one of the whimsical Osler jokes. On another occasion he invited a well-known physician to lunch. Throughout the whole meal this physician and Mrs. Osler shouted to one another at the top of their voices. Dr. Osler had told his wife that the visiting medico was as deaf as a post and could not hear a word unless she shouted loudly, and to the physician he had said that his wife was very deaf and could not hear unless she was shouted at.
	But these humorous interludes were only occasional diversions from the seriousness with which he pursued his medical activities. He published several volumes on chorea, on cancer, on angina pectoris, and made notes on a great variety of pathological conditions that he had observed in his clinical work. He travelled extensively in Europe and North America, lecturing and studying, and became as famous on one side of the Atlantic as he was on the other. He gave himself and everything that was his to his work. When in 1904 the Hospital at Baltimore lost about $400,000 through a fire, he wrote to the President of the Hospital Board offering to place his salary for 10 years at the disposal of the trustees. His offer was not made use of, as the American millionaire oil baron and philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller, came to the rescue with a cheque.
	That same year Osler received a letter from the authorities at Oxford University offering him the position of Regius Professor of Medicine. The pressure of work in Baltimore was breaking down his health, for his consultations at the hospital were greater than any private practice, and he gladly accepted the offer. A few months later he took up his residence in the dignified old English University town, in the country which was to be his home until his death. He visited America and Canada frequently, but although he received many offers from universities of appointments there, he chose to remain at Oxford. In 1911 he was created a baronet, and thereafter he sometimes jokingly signed himself in his letters to friends as "Sir Billy".
	In 1913 he paid a visit to America to lecture at various universities and hospitals. This was to be his last, for the following year the Great War broke out. Though aging now, he gave his services without stint throughout the great conflict. He saw the most terrible examples of man's inhumanity to man, but there was no room in his own heart for hatred, and when, after the Germans first used gas in Flanders, and the British public angrily demanded reprisals, he wrote the following characteristic letter to the Press:-
	"The cry for reprisals illustrates the exquisitely hellish state of mind into which war plunges sensible men. I refuse to believe that as a nation, howsoever bitter the provocation, we shall stain our hands in the blood of the innocents. In this matter let us be free from blood-guiltiness, and let not the undying reproach of humanity rest on us as on the Germans."
	The death of his only child, Revere, in action in 1917 crushed him completely. In 1919 he fell ill with pneumonia, at his age a particularly dangerous ailment. He knew it was the end, but with scientific detachment he recorded and charted every progression of the disease, as though he were his own patient. On December 29 he died peacefully in his bed, leaving behind him the record of a life selflessly devoted to humanity.
	Sir James Outram, 1st baronet
	The following biography of Sir James Outram appeared in the January 1956 edition of the monthly Australian magazine Parade:-
	In the early 1820s a reign of terror enveloped the central lands of India to the south of the Aravalli Hills of Rajputana. Night was turned into day by the glare of burning villages, and the roads were littered with corpses. Over an area of several thousand square miles the country was being rapidly depopulated by a hit-and-run campaign of robbery and murder conducted by a numerically small but particularly vicious tribe of hill people known as the Bhils, or Bowmen. Small, but powerful and active with astonishing powers of endurance, the Bhils were masters of all the crafts of guerrilla warfare, hunting having been their main means of subsistence for centuries. Knowing every contour of the wild country they raided like the palms of their hands, they came down from their hills by night, armed with axes and bows, and with the stealthiness of panthers, struck where least expected against their enemies the Marathas, vanishing back into the hills before dawn, leaving a trail of carnage and destruction behind.
	For years the British administration in Bombay had sought in vain to halt their depredations. In 1825, admitting at last the futility of trying to check the Bhils by force, it was decided to try different methods - to enlist their martial spirit in the service of the Raj. It was a difficult project, for no Britisher had as yet penetrated the innermost fastness of their mountain jungles. Accordingly, no one envied a young, 22-years-old adjutant, James Outram, when he was chosen to lead a small force into the heart of the Bhil country, to enjoin an end to their raids of plunder, rape and slaughter, and to recruit, if he could, a regiment of them into the service of the Crown.
	Outram, a native of Derbyshire, had come out to India five years before as a cadet and had been posted to service in Poona. His main claim to distinction up to this time was that he had contracted practically every ailment to which Britishers in India were prone. But in spite of his frequent bouts of sickness, he had shown enterprise and energy that had gained his elevation to adjutant's rank before he was 18; and though he was to have to continue the fight against ill-health for the rest of his life, his assignment against the Bhils was to be the beginning of a remarkable military career that was to gain him the title of "The Bayard of India". "A fox is a fool, and a lion a coward by the side of Sir James Outram," it was later said of him midway through his career when a series of outstanding feats of courage and military craft had gained him a knighthood.
	Before tackling the Bhils Outram, characteristically, made a thorough study of their history. He found that although the tribesmen had been branded as outlaws, they had once been a comparatively peaceful nation. Persecution by the Marathas and the arrogant attitude of certain government officials, he decided, had stung them into their present hostility. Outram's first attempt to establish peaceful contact with the Bhil tribal chiefs failed completely. The savages withdrew to their jungle hideouts at his approach, and the only answer his messengers received were volleys of arrows.
	Meanwhile, their raidings continued. Finally, he decided there was no hope of getting them to talk peace until they had been given a taste of their own medicine, so he resolved to turn the tables by making a raiding foray into Bhil country. He had only 30 men at his command, to match against that many hundreds; but at the head of this ridiculous force he led a night assault on the mountain men's strongholds. He knew he had no chance of penetrating their outposts by stealth, so he ordered his men, as they wound their way through the dense jungle, to create as much din as they could, by firing off their muskets, banging drums and blowing bugles.
	The ruse succeeded as Outram had planned. Convinced that an entire British corps was upon them, the Bhils abandoned their caves and fled into the hills in total disorder. Casualties among Outram's troops numbered less than a dozen. In a series of sorties that dealt the hill robbers a salutary lesson, Outram then renewed his overtures of peace. Slowly and hesitatingly, a few of the tribal chiefs came down from the hills to meet their "conqueror". They found a handsome, unassuming young Englishman, who treated them with a charm and courtesy they had never before experienced. The chiefs were even more impressed when they discovered that Outram was well informed of, and sympathised with, their numerous grievances, and asked to be allowed to live among them as a guest to learn more of their problems. On receiving some vague assurances, he dismissed his entire force; and when the chiefs returned to the hills, Outram went with them - alone.
	Courage was the one quality the Bhils admired above all others, even in their enemies, and the way Outram came to live among them marked him in their eyes as a man of singular courage. For almost a year young Outram lived among them, on the same food, under the same primitive conditions, studying their ways and wants, their mode of life, religious beliefs, and customs. Next to courage, skill in hunting was the quality in a man they admired most, and he drove his none too robust constitution to breaking point in hiking over miles of rugged terrain until he was as skilled in hunting and bush craft as the best of them - a fact that they acknowledged by dubbing him the "Tiger­killer".
	By his qualities as a man and his scrupulous regard for their customs and appreciation of their rievances, Outram won the complete confidence of the Bhil chieftains. His triumph cost him the permanent ruin of his health through jungle fevers and skin diseases, but he won them over to keeping the peace, and began to recruit among them one of the few native forces destined to remain loyal to the British Raj in the later mutiny in India. He set out to build up his Bhil force by drilling and equipping about 150 prisoners he had captured in his campaign of bluff in the jungle and bringing them into the Bhil country. The smart bearing and attractive appearance of the uniformed tribesmen impressed the young tribal warriors, and many flocked to join the new unit.
	By early 1827 Outram had raised and trained a complete light infantry corps of Bhils. The unit received its baptism of fire the same year on a punitive campaign against some of its fellow tribesmen who had returned to the old ways of robbery and plunder. The corps fought with such courage and faultless discipline that it attracted the attention of the Bombay Government, and from then on, Outram and his Bhil troops were used against any of the hill people breaking the peace. Though he could never get his tongue around the native dialects, Outram gained a personal influence over the wild hill people that his colleagues in Bombay described as "marvellous". This was but the beginning, however, of a career that went from triumph to triumph.
	Into the remainder of his life Outram crammed enough glory and danger to satisfy half a dozen soldiers of fortune. He fought in the first and second Afghan wars, and was engaged in innumerable exploits around India's north-west frontier. His part in the capture of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, alone was a military epic crammed with courageous adventure. Outram did a good deal of his reconnaissance work alone, disguised as an Afghan "pir" or friar. On one of these lone patrols he met an escorted group of ladies from the Afghan Khan's harem who were fleeing from the advancing British troops. "Seeing my religious get-up," he relates, "the ladies began to unburden their troubles on me. At least I think they did, for though I listened sympathetically and nodded my head at intervals I could not understand a single word of what they were saying."
	Outram found time in the intervals between his almost ceaseless campaigning to write a number of newspaper articles demanding better conditions and more considerate treatment for the Indian native soldiers, or sepoys. These articles brought him into conflict with the army command. The "brass hats" in Bombay looked upon any sort of reform measures in the army as "mollycoddling" and opposed Outram at every turn. As a consequence his promotion was retarded, and he was still only a major in 1839 when he was attached to the command of Sir Charles Napier in Sind.
	Nevertheless, when he had anything to say, he said it, without fear or favour, even to the point of criticising Sir Charles' policy that led to war in Sind. Yet, during the fighting he heroically and brilliantly defended the residency at Hyderabad with a small force against attack by some 8,000 Baluchis; and afterwards it was Sir Charles who dubbed him the Bayard of India. Subsequently, Outram's outspoken exposure of corruption in Government administration in Baroda again brought him into disfavour with the Bombay authorities, and strings were pulled to secure his dismissal. But his military prowess had to be admitted even by his enemies, and he went on to become resident at Lucknow, and to annex the province of Oudh to the British crown.
	At 54 he added to his triumphs in India by leading a victorious expedition against Persia. It was a lightning war, and within six months he was back in India in answer to the call, "We want all our best men here." What he long feared and warned against had happened. The sepoys had revolted at last against continual bad treatment; the great Indian Mutiny was on. His first task [was] to relieve General Havelock, penned in at Cawnpore by an overwhelming force of mutineers.
	At the head of two divisions of Bengalis, Outram battered his way through the besiegers and relieved Havelock in the nick of time. In admiration of the brilliant deeds of General Havelock, he placed himself under his command, and as leader of a force of cavalry performed miracles of valour in the subsequent advance to the relief of Lucknow. During the campaign his men united in recommending that he be awarded the Victoria Cross; but he refused it on the ground that those who recommended it were under his command. The mutiny subdued, however, the Home Government bestowed on him the special thanks of both houses of Parliament, the dignity of a baronetcy, and a pension of £1000 a year.
	Two years later, in 1860, his shattered health finally broke altogether, and he was forced to relinquish his command and return home. Before he died three years later public testimonials had erected statues to his honour in London and Calcutta, and he had the satisfaction of seeing repaired most of the evils and injustices under which native troops in the Indian Army had long suffered, and against which he had ceaselessly campaigned.

	Copyright © 2003-2018 Leigh Rayment
	Copyright © 2020-2025 Helen Belcher OBE