PEERAGES
Last updated 26/08/2018 (9 Mar 2024)
Date Rank Order Name Born Died Age
MABANE
15 Jun 1962
to    
16 Nov 1969		 B 1 Sir William Mabane
Created Baron Mabane 15 Jun 1962
MP for Huddersfield 1931‑1945; PC 1944
Peerage extinct on his death		 12 Jan 1895 16 Nov 1969 74
McALPINE OF MOFFAT
21 Feb 1980
to    
7 Jan 1990		 B[L] Robert Edwin McAlpine
Created Baron McAlpine of Moffat for life 21 Feb 1980
Peerage extinct on his death		 23 Apr 1907 7 Jan 1990 82
McALPINE OF WEST GREEN
2 Feb 1984
to    
17 Jan 2014		 B[L] Robert Alistair McAlpine
Created Baron McAlpine of West Green for life 2 Feb 1984
Peerage extinct on his death		 14 May 1942 17 Jan 2014 71
MACANDREW
8 Dec 1959 B 1 Sir Charles Glen MacAndrew
Created Baron MacAndrew 8 Dec 1959
MP for Kilmarnock 1924‑1929, Partick 1931‑1935 and Bute & North Ayrshire 1935‑1959; PC 1952		 13 Jan 1888 11 Jan 1979 90
11 Jan 1979 2 Colin Nevil Glen MacAndrew 1 Aug 1919 9 Jul 1989 69
9 Jul 1989 3 Christopher Anthony Colin MacAndrew 16 Feb 1945 3 Mar 2023 78
3 Mar 2023 4 Oliver Charles Julian MacAndrew 3 Sep 1983
MACARTNEY
19 Jul 1776
19 Jul 1792
1 Mar 1794
8 Jun 1796
to    
31 Mar 1806		 B[I]
V[I]
E[I]
B		 1
1
1
1		 George Macartney
Created Baron Macartney 19 Jul 1776, Viscount Macartney 19 Jul 1792, Earl Macartney 1 Mar 1794 and Baron Macartney [GB] 8 Jun 1796
MP [I] for Armagh Borough 1768‑1776; MP for Cockermouth 1768-1769, Ayr Burghs 1774-1776 and Bere Alston 1780‑1781; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1768‑1772; Governor of the Caribbean Islands 1776‑1784, Madras 1784‑1785 and Cape of Good Hope 1796‑1798; PC [I] 1769; PC 1792
Peerages extinct on his death		 3 May 1737 31 Mar 1806 68
MACAULAY
16 Sep 1857
to    
28 Dec 1859		 B 1 Thomas Babington Macaulay
Created Baron Macaulay 16 Sep 1857
MP for Calne 1830‑1832, Leeds 1832‑1834 and Edinburgh 1839‑1847 and 1852‑1856; Secretary at War 1839‑1841; Paymaster General 1846‑1848; PC 1839
Peerage extinct on his death		 25 Oct 1800 28 Dec 1859 59
MACAULAY OF BRAGAR
9 Jan 1989
to    
12 Jun 2014		 B[L] Donald Macaulay
Created Baron Macaulay of Bragar for life 9 Jan 1989
Peerage extinct on his death		 14 Nov 1933 12 Jun 2014 80
McAVOY
22 Jun 2010
to    
8 Mar 2024		 B[L] Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy
Created Baron McAvoy for life 22 Jun 2010
MP for Rutherglen 1987‑2005 and Rutherglen & Hamilton West 2005‑2010; PC 2003
Peerage extinct on his death		 14 Dec 1943 8 Mar 2024 80
McCARTHY
19 Jan 1976
to    
18 Nov 2012		 B[L] William Edward John McCarthy
Created Baron McCarthy for life 19 Jan 1976
Peerage extinct on his death		 30 Jul 1925 18 Nov 2012 87
MACCLESFIELD
23 Jul 1679 E 1 Charles Gerard
Created Baron Gerard of Brandon 8 Nov 1645, and Viscount Brandon and Earl of Macclesfield 23 Jul 1679
Lord Lieutenant Gloucestershire and Herefordshire 1689‑1694; PC 1689		 c 1618 7 Jan 1694
7 Jan 1694 2 Charles Gerard
MP for Lancashire 1679‑1685 and 1689‑1694; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1689‑1701 and Anglesey 1696‑1701
For information on this peer's sometime wife, see the note at the foot of this page		 c 1659 5 Nov 1701
5 Nov 1701
to    
26 Dec 1702		 3 Fitton Gerard
MP for Yarmouth (IOW) 1689‑1690, Clitheroe 1693‑1695, Lancaster 1697‑1698 and Lancashire 1698‑1701
Peerage extinct on his death		 15 Oct 1663 26 Dec 1702 39
15 Nov 1721 E 1 Thomas Parker, 1st Baron Parker of Macclesfield
Created Viscount Parker of Ewelm and Earl of Macclesfield 15 Nov 1721
MP for Derby 1705‑1710; Lord Chief Justice 1710‑1718; Lord Chancellor 1718‑1725; Lord Lieutenant Warwick 1719; PC 1710		 23 Jul 1667 28 Apr 1732 64
28 Apr 1732 2 George Parker
MP for Wallingford 1722‑1727; President of the Royal Society 1752‑1764		 c 1697 17 Mar 1764
17 Mar 1764 3 Thomas Parker
MP for Newcastle under Lyme 1747‑1754, Oxfordshire 1754‑1761 and Rochester 1761‑1764		 12 Dec 1723 9 Feb 1795 71
9 Feb 1795 4 George Parker
MP for Woodstock 1777‑1784 and Minehead 1790‑1795; President of the Board of Agriculture 1816‑1818; Lord Lieutenant Oxford 1817‑1842; PC 1791		 24 Feb 1755 20 Mar 1842 87
20 Mar 1842 5 Thomas Parker 9 Jun 1763 31 Mar 1850 86
31 Mar 1850 6 Thomas Augustus Wolstenholme Parker
MP for Oxfordshire 1837‑1841		 17 Mar 1811 24 Jul 1896 85
24 Jul 1896 7 George Loveden William Henry Parker
Lord Lieutenant Oxfordshire 1954‑1963		 24 May 1888 20 Sep 1975 87
20 Sep 1975 8 George Roger Alexander Thomas Parker 6 May 1914 7 Dec 1992 78
7 Dec 1992 9 Richard Timothy George Mansfield Parker
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page		 31 May 1943
McCLUSKEY
29 Sep 1976
to    
20 Jul 2017		 B[L] John Herbert McCluskey
Created Baron McCluskey for life 29 Sep 1976
Solicitor General for Scotland 1974‑1979
Peerage extinct on his death		 12 Jun 1929 20 Jul 2017 88
McCOLL OF DULWICH
25 Jul 1989 B[L] Ian McColl
Created Baron McColl of Dulwich for life 25 Jul 1989		 6 Jan 1933
McCONNELL
10 Feb 1995
to    
25 Oct 2000		 B[L] Robert William Brian McConnell
Created Baron McConnell for life 10 Feb 1995
PC [NI] 1964
Peerage extinct on his death		 25 Nov 1922 25 Oct 2000 77
McCONNELL OF GLENSCORRODALE
28 Jun 2010 B[L] Jack Wilson McConnell
Created Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale for life 28 Jun 2010
First Minister of Scotland 2001‑2007; PC 2001		 30 Jun 1960
McCORQUODALE OF NEWTON
2 Sep 1955
to    
25 Sep 1971		 B 1 Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale
Created Baron McCorquodale of Newton 2 Sep 1955
MP for Sowerby 1931‑1945 and Epsom 1947‑1955; PC 1945
Peerage extinct on his death		 29 Mar 1901 25 Sep 1971 70
McCREA OF MAGHERAFELT AND COOKSTOWN
19 Jun 2018 B[L] Robert Thomas William McCrea
Created Baron McCrea of Magherafelt & Cookstown for life 19 Jun 2018
MP for Mid Ulster 1983‑1997 and Antrim South 2000‑2001 and 2005‑2015		 6 Aug 1948
MACDERMOTT
23 Apr 1947
to    
13 Jul 1979		 B[L] John Clarke Macdermott
Created Baron Macdermott for life 23 Apr 1947
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1947; Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 1951‑1971; PC [NI] 1940; PC 1947
Peerage extinct on his death		 12 Apr 1896 13 Jul 1979 83
McDONAGH
24 Jun 2004
to    
24 Jun 2023		 B[L] Margaret Josephine McDonagh
Created Baroness McDonagh for life 24 Jun 2004
Peerage extinct on her death		 26 Jun 1961 24 Jun 2023 61
MACDONALD
25 Jul 1776 B[I] 1 Sir Alexander Macdonald, 9th baronet
Created Baron Macdonald 25 Jul 1776		 c 1745 12 Sep 1795
12 Sep 1795 2 Alexander Wentworth Macdonald
MP for Saltash 1798‑1806		 9 Dec 1773 19 Jun 1824 50
19 Jun 1824 3 Godfrey Bosville-Macdonald
For further information on the descent of the baronetcy on his death, see the note at the foot of this page		 14 Oct 1775 13 Oct 1832 56
13 Oct 1832 4 Godfrey William Wentworth Bosville‑Macdonald 16 Mar 1809 25 Jul 1863 54
25 Jul 1863 5 Somerled James Brudenell Bosville‑Macdonald 2 Oct 1849 25 Dec 1874 25
25 Dec 1874 6 Ronald Archibald Bosville‑Macdonald 9 Jun 1853 20 Jan 1947 93
20 Jan 1947 7 Alexander Godfrey Macdonald
Lord Lieutenant Inverness 1952‑1970		 27 Jun 1909 28 Nov 1970 61
28 Nov 1970 8 Godfrey James Macdonald 28 Nov 1947
MACDONALD OF EARNSCLIFFE
14 Aug 1891
to    
5 Sep 1920		 B 1 Susan Agnes Earnscliffe Macdonald
Created Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe 14 Aug 1891
Widow of Sir John Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada
Peerage extinct on her death		 1836 5 Sep 1920 84
MACDONALD OF GWAENYSGOR
13 Apr 1949 B 1 Sir Gordon Macdonald
Created Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor 13 Apr 1949
MP for Ince 1929‑1942; Governor of Newfoundland 1942‑1949; Paymaster General 1949‑1951; PC 1951		 27 May 1888 20 Jan 1966 77
20 Jan 1966
to    
27 Jan 2002		 2 Gordon Ramsay Macdonald
Peerage extinct on his death		 16 Oct 1915 27 Jan 2002 86
MACDONALD OF RIVER GLAVEN
12 Jul 2010 B[L] Sir Kenneth Donald John Macdonald
Created Baron Macdonald of River Glaven for life 12 Jul 2010		 4 Jan 1953
MCDONALD OF SALFORD
27 Jan 2021 B[L] Sir Simon Gerard McDonald
Created Baron McDonald of Salford for life 27 Jan 2021		 9 Mar 1961
MACDONALD OF TRADESTON
2 Oct 1998 B[L] Angus John ["Gus"] Macdonald
Created Baron Macdonald of Tradeston for life 2 Oct 1998
Minister of Transport 1999‑2001; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2001‑2003; PC 1999		 20 Aug 1940
MacDONNELL
2 Jul 1908
to    
9 Jun 1925		 B 1 Sir Antony Patrick MacDonnell
Created Baron MacDonnell 2 Jul 1908
PC 1902; PC [I] 1903
Peerage extinct on his death		 7 Mar 1844 9 Jun 1925 81
MACDONNELL AND ARRASS
20 Dec 1660
to    
6 Dec 1680		 B[S] 1 Aeneas Macdonnell
Created Lord Macdonnell & Arrass 20 Dec 1660
Peerage extinct on his death		 6 Dec 1680
MACDUFF
26 Apr 1759 V[I] 1 William Duff, 1st Baron Braco of Kilbryde
Created Viscount Macduff and Earl of Fife 26 Apr 1759
See "Fife"		 c 1696 30 Sep 1763
29 Jul 1889
24 Apr 1900
to    
29 Jan 1912		 M
E		 1
1		 Alexander William George Duff, 6th Earl of Fife
Created Marquess of Macduff and Duke of Fife 29 Jul 1889 and Earl of Macduff and Duke of Fife 24 Apr 1900
On his death the Marquessate became extinct but the Earldom continues merged in the Dukedom of Fife		 10 Nov 1849 29 Jan 1912 62
McENTEE
26 Jun 1951
to    
11 Feb 1953		 B 1 Valentine la Touche McEntee
Created Baron McEntee 26 Jun 1951
MP for Walthamstow West 1922‑1924 and 1929‑1950
Peerage extinct on his death		 16 Jan 1871 11 Feb 1953 82
McFADZEAN
24 Jun 1966
to    
14 Jan 1996		 B[L] William Hunter McFadzean
Created Baron McFadzean for life 24 Jun 1966
KT 1976
Peerage extinct on his death		 17 Dec 1903 14 Jan 1996 92
McFADZEAN OF KELVINSIDE
1 Sep 1980
to    
23 May 1992		 B[L] Francis Scott McFadzean
Created Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside for life 1 Sep 1980
Peerage extinct on his death		 26 Nov 1915 23 May 1992 76
McFALL OF ALCLUITH
17 Jun 2010 B[L] John Francis McFall
Created Baron McFall of Alcluith for life 17 Jun 2010
MP for Dumbarton 1987‑2005 and Dunbartonshire West 2005‑2010; Lord Speaker 2021-; PC 2004		 4 Oct 1944
MACFARLANE OF BEARSDEN
29 Jul 1991
to    
5 Nov 2021		 B[L] Sir Norman Somerville Macfarlane
Created Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden for life 29 Jul 1991
KT 1996
Peerage extinct on his death		 5 Mar 1926 5 Nov 2021 95
McFARLANE OF LLANDAFF
30 Jul 1979
to    
13 May 2012		 B[L] Jean Kennedy McFarlane
Created Baroness McFarlane of Llandaff for life 30 Jul 1979
Peerage extinct on her death		 1 Apr 1926 13 May 2012 86
MACGILL OF COUSLAND
19 Apr 1651 B[S] 1 James Makgill
Created Lord Macgill of Cousland and Viscount of Oxfuird 19 Apr 1651
See "Oxfuird"		 5 May 1663
McGOWAN
24 Feb 1937 B 1 Sir Harry Duncan McGowan
Created Baron McGowan 24 Feb 1937		 3 Jun 1874 13 Jul 1961 87
13 Jul 1961 2 Harry Wilson McGowan 18 May 1906 5 Jul 1966 60
5 Jul 1966 3 Harry Duncan Cory McGowan 20 Jul 1938 6 May 2003 64
6 May 2003 4 Harry John Charles McGowan 23 Jun 1971
McGREGOR OF DURRIS
9 Feb 1978
to    
10 Nov 1997		 B[L] Oliver Ross McGregor
Created Baron McGregor of Durris for life 9 Feb 1978
Peerage extinct on his death		 25 Aug 1921 10 Nov 1997 76
MACGREGOR OF PULHAM MARKET
5 Jul 2001 B[L] John Roddick Russell MacGregor
Created Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market for life 5 Jul 2001
MP for Norfolk South 1974‑2001; Minister of State, Agriculture 1983‑1985; Chief Secretary to Treasury 1985‑1987; Minister of Agriculture 1987‑1989; Secretary of State for Education & Science 1989‑1990; Lord President of the Council 1990‑1992; Secretary of State for Transport 1992‑1994; PC 1985		 14 Feb 1937
McGREGOR-SMITH
16 Oct 2015 B[L] Ruby McGregor-Smith
Created Baroness McGregor-Smith for life 16 Oct 2015		 22 Feb 1963
MACHANSYRE AND POLMONT
31 Mar 1639 B[S] 1 William Hamilton
Created Lord Machansyre & Polmont and Earl of Lanark 31 Mar 1639
See "Hamilton"		 14 Dec 1616 2 Sep 1651 34
McINNES OF KILWINNING
1 Sep 2016 B[L] Mark McInnes
Created Baron McInnes of Kilwinning for life 1 Sep 2016		 4 Nov 1976
McINTOSH OF HARINGEY
17 Jan 1983
to    
27 Aug 2010		 B[L] Andrew Robert McIntosh
Created Baron McIntosh of Haringey for life 17 Jan 1983
PC 2001
Peerage extinct on his death		 30 Apr 1933 27 Aug 2010 77
McINTOSH OF HUDNALL
3 Aug 1999 B[L] Genista Mary ["Jenny"] McIntosh
Created Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall for life 3 Aug 1999		 23 Sep 1946
McINTOSH OF PICKERING
6 Oct 2015 B[L] Anne Caroline Ballingall McIntosh
Created Baroness McIntosh of Pickering for life 6 Oct 2015
MP for Vale of York 1997‑2010 and Thirsk & Malton 2010‑2015; MEP for Essex North East 1989‑1994 and Essex North & Suffolk South 1994‑1999		 20 Sep 1954
MACKAY OF ARDBRECKNISH
26 Jun 1991
to    
21 Feb 2001		 B[L] John Jackson Mackay
Created Baron Mackay of Ardbrecknish for life 26 Jun 1991
MP for Argyll 1979‑1983 and Argyll & Bute 1983‑1987; Minister of State for Social Security 1994-1997; PC 1996
Peerage extinct on his death		 15 Nov 1938 21 Feb 2001 62
MACKAY OF CLASHFERN
6 Jul 1979 B[L] James Peter Hymers Mackay
Created Baron Mackay of Clashfern for life 6 Jul 1979
Lord Advocate 1979‑1984; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1985‑1987; Lord Chancellor 1987‑1997; PC 1979; KT 1997		 2 Jul 1927
MACKAY OF DRUMADOON
13 Dec 1995
to    
21 Aug 2018		 B[L] Donald Sage Mackay
Created Baron Mackay of Drumadoon for life 13 Dec 1995
Solicitor General for Scotland 1995; Lord Advocate 1995‑1997; PC 1996
Peerage extinct on his death		 30 Jan 1946 21 Aug 2018 72
MACKENZIE OF CULKEIN
4 Aug 1999 B[L] Hector Uisdean Mackenzie
Created Baron Mackenzie of Culkein for life 4 Aug 1999		 25 Feb 1940
MACKENZIE OF FRAMWELLGATE
17 Jul 1998 B[L] Brian Mackenzie
Created Baron Mackenzie of Framwellgate for life 17 Jul 1998		 21 Mar 1943
MACKENZIE OF KINTAIL
19 Nov 1609 B[S] 1 Kenneth Mackenzie
Created Lord Mackenzie of Kintail 19 Nov 1609		 Mar 1611
Mar 1611 2 Colin Mackenzie
He was created Earl of Seaforth in 1623 with which title this peerage then merged		 15 Mar 1633
McKENZIE OF LUTON
18 Jun 2004
to    
2 Dec 2021		 B[L] William David McKenzie
Created Baron McKenzie of Luton for life 18 Jun 2004
Peerage extinct on his death		 24 Jul 1946 2 Dec 2021 75
MACKENZIE-STUART
18 Oct 1988
to    
1 Apr 2000		 B[L] Alexander John Mackenzie Stuart
Created Baron Mackenzie-Stuart for life 18 Oct 1988
President of the European Court of Justice 1984‑1988
Peerage extinct on his death		 18 Nov 1924 1 Apr 2000 75
MACKIE OF BENSHIE
10 May 1974
to    
17 Feb 2015		 B[L] George Yull Mackie
Created Baron Mackie of Benshie for life 10 May 1974
MP for Caithness & Sutherland 1964‑1966
Peerage extinct on his death		 10 Jul 1919 17 Feb 2015 95
MACKINTOSH OF HALIFAX
6 Feb 1948
10 Jul 1957		 B
V		 1
1		 Sir Harold Vincent Mackintosh, 1st baronet
Created Baron Mackintosh 6 Feb 1948 and Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax 10 Jul 1957		 8 Jun 1891 27 Dec 1964 73
27 Dec 1964 2 John Mackintosh 7 Oct 1921 2 Nov 1980 59
2 Nov 1980 3 John Clive Mackintosh 9 Sep 1958
MACLAURIN OF KNEBWORTH
18 Oct 1996 B[L] Ian Charter MacLaurin
Created Baron MacLaurin of Knebworth for life 18 Oct 1996		 30 Mar 1937
MACLAY
21 Nov 1922 B 1 Sir James Paton Maclay, 1st baronet
Created Baron Maclay 21 Nov 1922
Minister of Shipping 1916‑1921; PC 1916		 6 Sep 1857 24 Apr 1951 93
24 Apr 1951 2 Sir Joseph Paton Maclay
MP for Paisley 1931‑1945		 31 May 1899 7 Nov 1969 70
7 Nov 1969 3 Joseph Paton Maclay 11 Apr 1942
MACLEAN
9 Feb 1971
to    
8 Feb 1990		 B[L] Sir Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean
Created Baron Maclean for life 9 Feb 1971
Lord Lieutenant Argyll 1954‑1974 and Argyll & Bute 1974‑1990; KT 1969; PC 1971
Peerage extinct on his death		 5 May 1916 8 Feb 1990 73
McLEAVY
11 Sep 1967
to    
1 Oct 1976		 B[L] Frank McLeavy
Created Baron McLeavy for life 11 Sep 1967
MP for Bradford East 1945‑1966
Peerage extinct on his death		 1 Jan 1899 1 Oct 1976 77
MACLEHOSE OF BEOCH
21 May 1982
to    
27 May 2000		 B[L] Sir (Crawford) Murray Maclehose
Created Baron Maclehose of Beoch for life 21 May 1982
Governor of Hong Kong 1971‑1982; KT 1983
Peerage extinct on his death		 16 Oct 1917 27 May 2000 82
MACLENNAN OF ROGART
19 Jul 2001
to    
17 Jan 2020		 B[L] Robert Adam Ross Maclennan
Created Baron Maclennan of Rogart for life 19 Jul 2001
MP for Caithness & Sutherland 1966‑1997 and Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross 1997‑2001; PC 1999
Peerage extinct on his death		 26 Jun 1936 17 Jan 2020 83
MACLEOD
21 Oct 1861 B 1 Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower
Created Baroness Macleod, Baroness Castlehaven, Viscountess Tarbat and Countess of Cromartie 21 Oct 1861
See "Cromartie"		 21 Apr 1829 25 Nov 1888 59
MACLEOD OF BORVE
4 Jun 1971
to    
17 Nov 1999		 B[L] Evelyn Hester Macleod
Created Baroness Macleod of Borve for life 4 Jun 1971
Peerage extinct on her death		 19 Feb 1915 17 Nov 1999 84
MACLEOD AND CASTLEHAVEN
15 Apr 1685
1 Jan 1703		 B[S]
B[S]		 1
1		 Sir George Mackenzie
Created Lord Macleod & Castlehaven and Viscount of Tarbat 15 Apr 1685, and Lord Macleod & Castlehaven, Viscount of Tarbat and Earl of Cromartie 1 Jan 1703
See "Cromartie"		 1630 17 Aug 1714 84
MacLEOD OF FUINARY
6 Feb 1967
to    
27 Jun 1991		 B 1 Sir George Fielden MacLeod, 4th baronet
Created Baron MacLeod of Fuinary for life 6 Feb 1967
Peerage extinct on his death		 17 Jun 1895 27 Jun 1991 96
McLOUGHLIN
8 Sep 2020 B[L] Patrick Allen McLoughlin
Created Baron McLoughlin for life 8 Sep 2020
MP for West Derbyshire 1986‑2010 and Derbyshire Dales 2010‑2019; Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip) 2010‑2012; Secretary of State for Transport 2012‑2016; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2016‑2018; PC 2005; CH 2019		 30 Nov 1957
MACMILLAN
3 Feb 1930
to    
5 Sep 1952		 B[L] Hugh Pattinson Macmillan
Created Baron Macmillan for life 3 Feb 1930
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1930‑1939 and 1941‑1947; PC 1924
Peerage extinct on his death		 20 Feb 1873 5 Sep 1952 79
MACMILLAN OF OVENDEN
24 Feb 1984 V 1 Maurice Harold Macmillan
Created Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden and Earl of Stockton 24 Feb 1984
See "Stockton"		 10 Feb 1894 29 Dec 1986 92
MACNAGHTEN
25 Jan 1887
to    
17 Feb 1913		 B[L] Edward Macnaghten
Created Baron Macnaghten for life 25 Jan 1887
MP for Antrim 1880‑1885 and Antrim North 1885‑1887; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1887‑1913; PC 1887
Peerage extinct on his death		 3 Feb 1830 17 Feb 1913 83
McNAIR
4 Aug 1955 B 1 Sir Arnold Duncan McNair
Created Baron McNair 4 Aug 1955		 4 Mar 1885 22 May 1975 90
22 May 1975 2 Clement John McNair 11 Jan 1915 7 Aug 1989 74
7 Aug 1989 3 Duncan James McNair 26 Jun 1947
McNALLY
20 Dec 1995 B[L] Thomas McNally
Created Baron McNally for life 20 Dec 1995
MP for Stockport South 1979‑1983		 20 Feb 1943
McNICOL OF WEST KILBRIDE
21 Jun 2018 B[L] Iain Mackenzie McNicol
Created Baron McNicol of West Kilbride for life 21 Jun 2018		 17 Aug 1969
MACPHERSON OF DRUMOCHTER
25 Jan 1951 B 1 Thomas Macpherson
Created Baron Macpherson of Drumochter 25 Jan 1951
MP for Romford 1945‑1950		 9 Jul 1888 11 Jun 1965 76
11 Jun 1965 2 James Gordon Macpherson 22 Jan 1924 7 Sep 2008 84
7 Sep 2008 3 James Anthony Macpherson 27 Feb 1979
MACPHERSON OF EARL'S COURT
4 Oct 2016 B[L] Nicholas Ian Macpherson
Created Baron Macpherson of Earl's Court for life 4 Oct 2016		 14 Jul 1959
MADDOCK
30 Oct 1997
to    
26 Jun 2020		 B[L] Diana Margaret Maddock
Created Baroness Maddock for life 30 Oct 1997
MP for Christchurch 1993‑1997
Peerage extinct on her death		 19 May 1945 26 Jun 2020 75
MADELEY
3 Jul 1911
to    
20 Jun 1945		 E 1 Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe‑Milnes
Created Earl of Madeley and Marquess of Crewe 3 Jul 1911
See "Crewe"		 12 Jan 1858 20 Jun 1945 87
MADERTY
31 Jan 1609 B[S] 1 James Drummond
Created Lord Maderty 31 Jan 1609		 Sep 1623
Sep 1623 2 John Drummond c 1650
c 1650 3 David Drummond 20 Jan 1692
20 Jan 1692 4 William Drummond, 2nd Viscount Strathallan
He had been created Viscount of Strathallan in 1686 with which title this peerage then merged		 8 Aug 1670 7 Jul 1702 31
MAELOR
13 Jun 1966
to    
18 Nov 1984		 B[L] Thomas William Jones
Created Baron Maelor for life 13 Jun 1966
MP for Merioneth 1951‑1966
Peerage extinct on his death		 10 Feb 1898 18 Nov 1984 86
MAENAN
23 Jun 1948
to    
22 Sep 1951		 B 1 Sir William Francis Kyffin‑Taylor
Created Baron Maenan 23 Jun 1948
Peerage extinct on his death		 9 Jul 1854 22 Sep 1951 97
MAGAN OF CASTLETOWN
25 Jan 2011 B[L] George Morgan Magan
Created Baron Magan of Castletown for life 25 Jan 2011		 14 Nov 1945
MAGENNIS
18 Jul 1623 V[I] 1 Arthur Magennis
Created Viscount Magennis 18 Jul 1623		 7 May 1629
7 May 1629 2 Hugh Magennis 1599 Apr 1639 39
Apr 1639 3 Arthur Magennis 1 May 1683
1 May 1683 4 Hugh Magennis 5 Dec 1684
5 Dec 1684
to    
1691		 5 Bryan Magennis
He was attainted and the peerage forfeited		 1693
MAGHERAMORNE
5 Jul 1887 B 1 Sir James Macnaghten MacGarel‑Hogg, 2nd baronet
Created Baron Magheramorne 5 Jul 1887
MP for Bath 1865‑1868, Truro 1871‑1885 and Hornsey 1885‑1887		 3 May 1823 27 Jun 1890 67
27 Jun 1890 2 James Douglas MacGarel‑Hogg 16 Jan 1861 10 Mar 1903 42
10 Mar 1903 3 Dudley Stuart MacGarel‑Hogg 3 Dec 1863 14 Mar 1946 82
14 Mar 1946
to    
21 Apr 1957		 4 Ronald Tracey MacGarel‑Hogg
Peerage extinct on his death		 28 Jul 1865 21 Apr 1957 91
MAGINNIS OF DRUMGLASS
20 Jul 2001 B[L] Kenneth Wiggins Maginnis
Created Baron Maginnis of Drumglass for life 20 Jul 2001
MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1983‑2001		 21 Jan 1938
MAGUIRE OF ENNISKILLEN
3 Mar 1628 B[I] 1 Bryan Maguire
Created Lord Maguire, Baron of Enniskillen 3 Mar 1628		 c 1589 15 Dec 1633
15 Dec 1633
to    
10 Feb 1645		 2 Connor Maguire
He was attainted and executed and the peerage forfeited
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page		 c 1616 10 Feb 1645
MAIDSTONE
8 Jul 1623 V 1 Elizabeth Finch
Created Viscountess Maidstone 8 Jul 1623 and Countess of Winchilsea 11 Jul 1628
See "Winchilsea"		 9 Jul 1556 23 Mar 1634 77
MAIR
29 Oct 2015 B[L] Robert James Mair
Created Baron Mair for life 29 Oct 2015		 20 Apr 1950
MAIS
26 Aug 1967
to    
28 Nov 1993		 B[L] Alan Raymond Mais
Created Baron Mais for life 26 Aug 1967
Peerage extinct on his death		 7 Jul 1911 28 Nov 1993 82
MAITLAND
18 May 1590 B[S] 1 John Maitland
Created Lord Maitland 18 May 1590
Secretary of State of Scotland 1584‑1591; Lord Chancellor of Scotland 1586		 1545 3 Oct 1595 50
3 Oct 1595
14 Mar 1624		  
V[S]		 2
1		 John Maitland
Created Viscount of Lauderdale 2 Apr 1616 and Lord Thirlestane and Boltoun, Viscount Maitland and Earl of Lauderdale 14 Mar 1624
See "Lauderdale"		 18 Jan 1645
MALCOLM
9 Jun 1896
to    
6 Mar 1902		 B 1 John Wingfield Malcolm
Created Baron Malcolm 9 Jun 1896
MP for Boston 1860‑1874 and 1874‑1878, and Argyllshire 1886‑1892
Peerage extinct on his death		 16 May 1833 6 Mar 1902 68
MALDEN
20 Apr 1661 V 1 Arthur Capell, 2nd Baron Capell of Hadham
Created Viscount Malden and Earl of Essex 20 Apr 1661
See "Essex"		 28 Jan 1632 13 Jul 1683 51
MALLALIEU
19 Jun 1991 B[L] Ann Mallalieu
Created Baroness Mallalieu for life 19 Jun 1991		 27 Nov 1945
MALLOCH-BROWN
9 Jul 2007 B[L] Sir (George) Mark Malloch‑Brown
Created Baron Malloch-Brown for life 9 Jul 2007
PC 2007		 16 Sep 1953
MALMESBURY
15 Feb 1715 M 1 Thomas Wharton
Created Viscount Winchendon and Earl of Wharton 23 Dec 1706, Baron of Trim, Earl of Rathfarnham and Marquess of Catherlough 7 Jan 1715, and Marquess of Wharton and Marquess of Malmesbury 15 Feb 1715
See "Wharton"		 Aug 1648 12 Apr 1715 66
19 Sep 1788
29 Dec 1800		 B
E		 1
1		 James Harris
Created Baron Malmesbury 19 Sep 1788 and Viscount Fitzharris and Earl of Malmesbury 29 Dec 1800
MP for Christchurch 1770‑1774 and 1784‑1788; Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1807‑1820; PC 1784		 9 Apr 1746 21 Nov 1820 74
21 Nov 1820 2 James Edward Harris
MP for Helston 1802‑1804, Horsham 1804‑1806, Heytesbury 1807‑1812 and Wilton 1816‑1820		 19 Aug 1778 10 Sep 1841 63
10 Sep 1841 3 James Howard Harris
MP for Wilton 1841; Foreign Secretary 1852 and 1858‑1859; Lord Privy Seal 1866‑1868 and 1874‑1876; PC 1852		 25 Mar 1807 17 May 1889 82
17 May 1889 4 Edward James Harris 12 Apr 1842 19 May 1899 57
19 May 1899 5 James Edward Harris 18 Dec 1872 12 Jun 1950 77
12 Jun 1950 6 William James Harris
Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1973‑1982		 18 Nov 1907 11 Nov 2000 92
11 Nov 2000 7 James Carleton Harris 19 Jun 1946
MALPAS
29 Dec 1706 V 1 Hugh Cholmondeley, 2nd Viscount Cholmondeley
Created Viscount Malpas and Earl of Cholmondeley 29 Dec 1706
See "Cholmondeley"		 1662 18 Jan 1725 62
MALTON
28 May 1728
19 Nov 1733		 B
E		 1
1		 Thomas Watson-Wentworth
Created Baron Malton 28 May 1728, Baron Wath, Baron Harrowden, Viscount Higham and Earl of Malton 19 Nov 1733 and Marquess of Rockingham 19 Apr 1746
See "Rockingham" - titles extinct 1782		 13 Nov 1693 14 Dec 1750 57
17 Sep 1750
to    
2 Jul 1782		 E[I] 1 Charles Watson-Wentworth, later [Dec 1750] 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Created Baron Malton [I] and Earl Malton [I] 17 Sep 1750
Peerages extinct on his death		 13 May 1730 2 Jul 1782 52
MALTRAVERS
25 Jan 1330
to    
16 Feb 1364		 B 1 John Maltravers
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Maltravers 25 Jan 1330
On his death the peerage fell into abeyance		 c 1290 16 Feb 1364
1482 Thomas Fitz-Alan
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Lord Maltravers in 1482
He succeeded as Earl of Arundel in 1488		 25 Oct 1524
5 Feb 1533 Henry Fitz-Alan
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Lord Maltravers 5 Feb 1533
He succeeded as Earl of Arundel in 1544		 c 1513 24 Feb 1580
16 Aug 1841 Henry Charles Howard
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Maltravers 16 Aug 1841
He succeeded as Duke of Norfolk in 1842		 12 Aug 1791 18 Feb 1856 64
MALVERN
18 Mar 1955 V 1 Sir Godfrey Martin Huggins
Created Viscount Malvern 18 Mar 1955
Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia 1933‑1953 and Rhodesia & Nyasaland 1953‑1956; CH 1944; PC 1947		 6 Jul 1883 8 May 1971 87
8 May 1971 2 John Godfrey Huggins 26 Oct 1922 28 Aug 1978 55
28 Aug 1978 3 Ashley Kevin Godfrey Huggins 26 Oct 1949
MAMHEAD OF EXETER
5 Dec 1931
to    
2 Nov 1945		 B 1 Sir Robert Hunt Staplyton Dudley Lydston Newman, 4th baronet
Created Baron Mamhead of Exeter 5 Dec 1931
MP for Exeter 1918‑1931
Peerage extinct on his death		 27 Oct 1871 2 Nov 1945 74
 

Anne, Countess of Macclesfield, sometime wife of Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield
One of the major scandals of the first half of the eighteenth century was the parentage of the writer and poet Richard Savage. He maintained that he was the illegitimate son of the 4th Earl Rivers and Anne, Countess of Macclesfield, who spent much of her later life denying this relationship. The following article appeared in the Australian monthly magazine Parade in its issue for February 1963:-
Never had the fashionable world of Bath had such a juicy theme for scandal as in the autumn of 1728. In pumproom and ballroom, wits were delightedly quoting a newly-published poem, The Bastard, the work of a debt­haunted young Fleet Street hack named Richard Savage. Savage's target was a celebrated figure in Bath society - Mrs. Anne Brett, formerly Countess of Macclesfield, the woman whom Savage claimed was his mother. Not only did Mrs. Brett deny that the poet was her illegitimate son, she persecuted him with what Dr. Johnson called "implacable and restless cruelty" from his childhood until the day he died of starvation and fever in a debtors' gaol.
Publication of the poem drove Anne Brett from Bath. It deepened the malignant fury that made her campaign against Richard Savage an extraordinary episode of the 18th century. Contemporaries had no doubt that Savage was indeed her son - the fruit of her illicit liaison with [Richard Savage, 4th] Earl Rivers while she was the wife of the Earl of Macclesfield. In Richard's childhood, Anne tried to bury him in obscure poverty by apprenticing him to a cobbler. In his youth, she schemed to have him shipped off to the American colonies. Later she tried to have him hanged for murder. She failed in all attempts. It was Savage's own frantic dissipation, to which her persecution drove him, that finally killed him.
Anne was born in 1668, daughter of Sir Richard Mason. She was only 15 when she wed Charles Gerard, Earl of Macclesfield, a notorious hot-head and political intriguer. A month after the marriage, Macclesfield was a prisoner in the Tower for plotting against the Duke of York, brother of Charles II. When the Duke succeeded his brother as James II in 1685, Macclesfield, who was involved in the Rye House Plot to murder the King, was sentenced to death, but escaped with two years in the Tower. Anne later claimed she saved her husband's life by yielding her honour to King James. Macclesfield did not believe her, but he strongly suspected she was free with her favours elsewhere.
The exile of James and arrival of William and Mary on the English throne restored Macclesfield to prosperity, which he celebrated by determined efforts to get rid of his wanton wife. By 1690 Anne had been turned out of Macclesfield's London mansion and told never to return. She was still only 22, in the full flush of her beauty, and did not lack "protectors" for long. When she became the mistress of the sickly young Earl Rivers is uncertain. But he fathered two illegitimate children by her - a daughter born in 1695 and a son in January 1697.
The boy, born in the dingy alley of Fox Court, off Holborn, was entered in the local parish register as "John Smith", sent to a wet nurse in Hampstead and later handed over to Anne Portlock, a baker's wife, of Covent Garden. Rivers acknowledged himself as the boy's father, paid for his upkeep, and even insisted on the child being known by his own surname of Savage. Anne, however, felt none of the ties of parenthood. She tried to keep the news of her children's birth from her husband, but gossip soon reached Macclesfield, and, by the end of 1697, he had launched proceedings for divorce in the House of Lords.
For three months London society smacked its lips over the scandal, and debates on the earl's charges enlivened the Lords, until a special Act of Parliament declared Macclesfield and Anne divorced. Under its terms Macclesfield had to return his wife's dowry of £20,000. Her fortune and handsome person soon attracted the roving eye of an aristocratic young town idler, Henry Brett [1675‑1724, MP for Bishop's Castle Dec 1701‑1708]. Brett, who had contrived to pile up spectacular gambling debts in his brief career, enlisted Anne's sympathy when his creditors thrashed him in the street beneath her window. In 1700 they were married. Her money bought Brett a colonelcy in the army, a partnership in Drury Lane Theatre, and launched him on a career as a man of fashion and associate of the literary celebrities of the London coffee houses.
Echoes of the Macclesfield divorce scandal still lingered, however, and Anne set out with ruthless determination to silence them. Her daughter by Earl Rivers had soon died. Anne's next step was to remove the boy from his father's protection, and Rivers himself died in 1712 fully convinced that his son was also dead. By denying young Richard's existence, Anne cheated the boy out of £6,000 that Rivers had planned to leave him, but even this did not exhaust Anne's schemes to bury her disgrace in complete oblivion.
For a few years Richard was shielded by Anne's mother, Lady Mason, who was outraged by her daughter's conduct and paid for his education at a grammar school in St. Alban's, outside London. Lady Mason's death removed the last obstacle to Anne's plans. Richard was promptly taken from school and apprenticed to a London shoemaker, in the hope that poverty and obscurity would swallow him up. In later years Richard Savage swore that his mother even tried to have him shipped to the American colonies as an indentured servant, but was foiled by Rivers' kinsmen, who knew her guilty secret. Meanwhile, with Savage growing up unconscious of his parentage and stitching leather in a Charing Cross garret, Mrs. Anne Brett and her gallant husband basked in the sunshine of wit and fashion.
In 1718 the blow fell. Richard Savage, now aged 20, emerged from his slum den loudly proclaiming himself the son of Earl Rivers and calling on Anne Brett to acknowledge him as her son. Savage's claim was based on letters written by Anne's mother, Lady Mason, which he had found among papers left by his former nurse. His assertions set off a storm of controversy in London. Savage had already begun his writing career as a poet, and his first play - "Love in a Veil" - was produced at Drury Lane in the same year as he proclaimed his noble parentage. Cobbling was abandoned as a menial task unfit for the son of an earl. Savage determined to live by literature, at least until his mother made more suitable provision for him.
Thus began the fantastic barrage of claim and counter-claim, of blackmail threats, perjury and vituperative literary warfare that was to intrigue London's mansions and taverns for the next 25 years. From the beginning Anne Brett furiously denied that Savage was her son. She refused to see him, and ordered her servants to thrash him when he loitered outside her door. Once, when he broke into her house to demand an interview, Anne screamed that he had come to murder her and her lackeys flung him into the street.
Most of Savage's literary friends rallied to his aid. He was befriended by Sir Richard Steele and the celebrated comedian Robert Wilkes. He was rescued from starvation by a pension of £50 from an actress. Savage earned little money by his writings, and his dissipation kept him in desperate poverty all his life despite the sympathy of many powerful aristocrats who believed his claims. When his poems were published in 1726, subscribers included the Duke of Rutland, the Duchess of Cleveland, the Countess of Warwick, and a dozen more notables who regarded Anne Brett as "an unnatural monster". Into his preface to the poems, Savage poured all his pent-up rage and frustration against his mother. The attack, which goaded Anne to madness, almost had a fatal sequel a year later.
In November 1727 Savage stabbed and killed a man in a tavern brawl. He was tried and sentenced to death, but because he had drawn his sword on great provocation, his friends were certain of a reprieve. With remorseless deliberation, Anne tried to foil every plea for mercy. For weeks Savage lay in Newgate under the shadow of the gallows, until the Countess of Hertford induced the king to sign a pardon. [For further details of this killing, see below.]
Savage was freed in February 1728, and renewed his pamphlet campaign with such vitriolic scorn that Anne - having failed to hang, transport or cudgel him into silence - decided to try bribery. She persuaded her kinsman, Lord Tyrconnel, to take Savage into his house and pay him an annual pension of £100. For a few months the poet lived in comfort - then his humiliation exploded again in the ferocious satire of "The Bastard". The poem was "subscribed with all Due Reverence to Mrs. Brett, once Countess of Macclesfield, by Richard Savage, son of the late Earl Rivers". Savage ironically hailed his mother as "… unenslaved by Nature's narrow laws, Warm championess of Freedom's sacred cause!" Five editions of the poem sold out in a few weeks. Street urchins chanted its lines. Mrs. Brett, having fled to Bath to escape it, was driven out again by the wits who delighted in quoting it in her presence.
Ousted from the shelter of Tyrconnel's house, Savage escaped thrashings by Anne's retainers only by shifting desperately from one slum to another. His later career was a miserable record of poverty, debts and semi­starvation despite the friendship of such celebrities as Pope and Dr. Johnson and a meagre pension paid him by Queen Caroline.
His mother's vindictive wrath pursued him to the end. The pension lapsed when Caroline died in 1738, and Anne used her influence with Prime Minister Walpole to ensure that it was not renewed. For five more years Anne Brett endured the onslaughts of Savage and his supporters Dr. Johnson blasted her "implacable cruelty". Pamphleteers branded her a "monster" and "Messalina". But Anne never changed her declaration that Richard Savage was an imposter, and Savage's own reckless folly in his closing years began to alienate many of his sympathisers. Finally, his friends raised a fund to send him out of London to escape his host of creditors. In August 1743, in a Bristol debtors' gaol, ended Savage's tormented life - and Anne Brett's long ordeal was over. She survived him by 10 years, dying at the age of 85 on October 11, 1753.
*******************
Savage's [edited] entry in The Newgate Calendar reads as follows:-
In the month of December, 1727, this gentleman [Savage], together with James Gregory and William Merchant, was indicted at the Old Bailey, for the murder of James Sinclair; - Savage by giving him a mortal wound with a drawn sword in the lower part of the belly; and Gregory and Merchant by aiding and abetting in the commission of the said murder.
It appeared in evidence that these three gentlemen had accidentally come, at a late hour, much disguised in liquor, to Robinson's coffee-house at Charing Cross, and went into a room where Mr. Sinclair and other company were drinking. Merchant, entering first, kicked down the table; and and Savage and Gregory drawing their swords, they were earnestly desired to put them up, but refused to do so.
A scuffle ensued, in which Mr. Sinclair received a mortal wound, and was heard to say "I am a dead man": soon after which the candles were extinguished.
Another witness deposed that, as he and some other company were on the point of leaving the house, the prisoners came in, when Merchant kicked down the table, and Gregory, going up to the deceased, said, "Damn ye, you rascal, deliver your sword"; on which weapons were drawn and the deceased wounded, as above mentioned: that the deceased had his sword drawn when the word was given by Savage; but that he held it with the point down towards the ground; but neither this deponent nor the former observed that Merchant had any sword.
The perpetrators of this rash action having left the house, some soldiers were sent for, by whom they were taken into custody, and lodged in the round-house; and in the morning were carried before a magistrate, who committed them to the Gate-house; but Mr. Sinclair dying on the following day, they were sent to Newgate.
The deceased had been attended by a clergyman, who declared that he said he was stabbed before he had time to draw his sword; and his testimony was confirmed by that of other witnesses.
When the evidence was summed up, the Court observed to the jury, that, "As the deceased and his companions were in possession of the room, if the prisoners were the aggressors, by coming into that room, kicking down the table, and immediately thereupon drawing their swords, without provocation etc it was murder, not only in him who gave the wound, but in those who aided and abetted him."
After a trial of eight hours, the jury found Savage and Gregory guilty of murder, and Merchant guilty of manslaughter: in consequence of which the latter was burnt in the hand and discharged.
On the 11th of December, 1727, Richard Savage and James Gregory were brought to the bar, with other capital convicts, to receive sentence of death …
It will scarcely be believed that, at this critical juncture, the inhuman countess exerted all her influence to prejudice the queen against her unhappy child, and to render unavailing every intercession that might be made to procure for him the royal mercy: at length, however, the Countess of Hertford having laid an account of the extraordinary story and sufferings of poor Savage before her majesty, a pardon was obtained for him and his companion, and they were accordingly set at liberty on the 5th of March, 1728.
*******************
Was Savage an imposter? There are a number of holes in Savage's story - for example he incorrectly states the name of his god-mother, whom he claimed had cared for him as a boy. There is also no evidence that Anne was the cruel and vindictive woman he claimed her to be, while there is evidence that she did in fact provide for her illegitimate children. If Anne knew that Savage was indeed an imposter, she probably would have acted in the manner described. A lengthy investigation into the case can be found in the 6 November 1858 number of Notes and Queries.
Richard Timothy George Mansfield Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield
From the Independent of 25 July 2003:
By the standards of previous Earls of Macclesfield, who have survived accusations of bribery, stealing from dead soldiers, and killing a pageboy in a drunken rage, the current incumbent's worries appear but a mere trifle.
In the latest tumultuous chapter of the family's history, the 9th Earl was left with a legal bill running into hundreds of thousands of pounds yesterday and the prospect of being kicked out of a castle that has been in the family for almost 300 years.
After a series of bitter family disputes, the Earl finally lost his High Court struggle to be allowed to remain at Shirburn Castle in Oxfordshire for the rest of his life. Lord Macclesfield, his wife Sandra, and his game dealership, Fentville Ltd, which is run from the estate, may be ordered to leave the dilapidated castle in two years by the company that owns it. The company had sought their immediate eviction.
The peer succeeded to the title after the death of his father, the 8th Earl, in 1992, several years after the disputes started that have split the family. Last year, the Beechwood Estates Company, set up in 1922 by the 7th Earl as a tax avoidance measure, served him with a notice to quit the castle, which had been in the family's hands since 1716.
The company's shares are largely owned by members of the current Earl's family including his uncle Jocelyn and his brother David.
But the Earl - Richard Timothy George Mansfield Parker - claimed he was entitled to a 50-year lease on the castle, which would expire on his death.
However Mr Justice Lewison, at the High Court, said yesterday he had come to his decision with "regret", and that the dispute could have been resolved by the family.
Lord Macclesfield said he was "disappointed" by the outcome. "It is tragic that this situation has been brought about by members of my family. I have made many proposals to try to settle with them over the years, but nothing could be agreed and therefore proceedings were inevitable."
Lord Macclesfield lives an unconventional lifestyle by the standards of his predecessors and other members of the landed gentry. He drives a battered Rover car and some parts of the castle have no electricity.
Godfrey Bosville-Macdonald, 3rd Baron Macdonald and 11th baronet, and the subsequent descent of the barony and baronetcy
The circumstances of this peer's marriage provide an interesting example of peerage law in relation to the differences in the law of legitimacy between Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom.
In 1625, Donald Macdonald was created a baronet of Nova Scotia. The baronetcy descended through the succeeding generations of the Macdonald family until 1766, when Alexander Macdonald succeeded as the ninth baronet. This baronet was created Baron Macdonald on 25 July 1776, in the peerage of Ireland.
The peerage, together with the baronetcy, then passed on the death of the 1st Baron in 1795 to his eldest son, Alexander Wentworth Macdonald, who died unmarried on 19 June 1824. On his death, the peerage and baronetcy passed to next oldest brother, Godfrey. This peer had previously inherited his uncle's estate, upon which he changed his name by royal licence to Bosville in 1814. When he succeeded to the peerage in 1824, he again changed his name to Bosville‑Macdonald.
In 1799, Godfrey went through a form of marriage in Scotland with Louisa Maria La Coast, who was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Gloucester by Lady Almeria Carpenter, daughter of the 1st Earl of Tyrconnel of the 1761 creation. Godfrey and Louisa were again married, this time in a lawful ceremony on 29 December 1803 at Norwich. However, between the time of the 1799 'marriage' and the undoubtedly legal marriage of 1803, three children had been born.
The fact that Godfrey and Louisa had been legally married in 1803 had the effect, under present Scottish law, of legitimating the three children born between the two marriages. However, under English law, and more importantly, Irish law, given that the peerage was an Irish title, the marriage of 1803 had no effect upon the children's status, and they were considered to be illegitimate. As a result, the eldest son, Alexander, could legally succeed to the Scottish baronetcy but not to the Irish peerage. Consequently, the barony of Macdonald was inherited by the eldest son who had been born after the marriage of 1803.
The reader will note that I have emphasised the word "present" in the preceding paragraph. At the time of the Godfrey's death in 1832, the view appears to have been taken that the eldest son of the 1799 'marriage' could not inherit either the peerage or the baronetcy. Certainly, it is the case that reference to the standard peerage works between 1832 and 1910, including Burke, Dod, the Complete Peerage (original edition) and the Complete Baronetage all show the baronetcy remaining attached to the barony of Macdonald.
The eldest son of the 1799 'marriage' was Alexander William Robert Bosville‑Macdonald. He considered himself to be illegitimate and therefore did not assume the baronetcy. On his death in 1847, he was 'succeeded' by his son, Godfrey - he also did not assume the title. He died in 1865, and it was his son, Alexander, who in September 1909, petitioned to have his grandfather declared legitimate by reason of his parents' subsequent legal marriage in 1803. This petition was heard in the Scottish Court of Session between December 1909 and June 1910, and on 4 June 1910 the Court of Session declared the legitimacy of his grandfather, followed by a decree from Lord Lyon on 30 June 1910, which was published in the Edinburgh Gazette on 1 July 1910. As a result, it was held that Alexander had succeeded to the baronetcy in 1832, thus necessitating a re-writing of the peerage reference works.
Connor Maguire, 2nd Baron Maguire of Enniskillen
Maguire was executed in February 1645 for his part in the rebellion in Ireland in October 1641. The following is taken from A critical review of the state trials [London 1735]:-
Connor Lord Maguire, a Peer of Ireland, was arraigned at the King's Bench Bar in England, as a Commoner, for High Treason committed in Ireland.
The Indictment charges the Prisoner with Compassing and Imagining the Death of the King, Conspiring to raise a Rebellion, and inviting over foreign Forces to invade the Realm of Ireland, and particularly, with a Design of seizing the Castle of Dublin, and other Forts and Magazines in that Kingdom. It Charges him also, with Levying open War against his Majesty; surprising the Castles of Charlemont, Cragan etc and murdering the Lord Calfield [i.e. Toby Caulfeild, 3rd Baron Charlemont - see the note under that peerage] and other Protestants in Ireland.
The Prisoner pleaded his Peerage; shewing, by the statute of Magna Charta, every one ought to be tried by his Peers, and that by the 10 Hen. VII, the Statutes of England were made part of the Laws of Ireland.
The Council for the Parliament, demurring to this Plea, Mr. Justice Bacon over ruled it; declaring that a Baron of Ireland was triable by a Jury of Commoners in England; and of this Opinion it seems were both Houses of that Parliament: Whereupon, the Prisoner pleaded Not Guilty, and desired time to bring his Witnesses from Ireland; but this was denied him: Then the Jury were called over, and he challenged Twenty-three peremptorily, which were all that appeared but one: Whereupon a Tales was granted [A Tales is a writ for summoning substitute jurors when the original jury has become deficient in number], and he was brought to the Bar again the next Day by the Lieutenant of the Tower, when he challenged as many of the Tales as, with those challenged before, amounted to Thirty-five; and at length, a Jury being sworn, the Council for the Parliament produced their Evidence.
And First, they brought Witnesses that deposed, the Prisoner was a Papist, and was very inquisitive about the Condition of the Magazines of Arms and Ammunition in Dublin.
Then the Deposition of John Woodcock the Sheriff of Dublin was read, who deposed, that he apprehended the Lord Maguire and several of his Accomplices at Dublin, on the Twenty second of October 1641, (being the Day before the Insurrection of the Papists in Ireland). That it was then late at Night, and the Prisoners had Arms about them, and several Petards for breaking open Doors; and that he carried them before the Lords Justices.
The Prisoner's Examination also was read, who confessed before the Lords Justices, that he was engaged in a Conspiracy to raise an Insurrection, in order to restore the Catholick Religion in that Kingdom, and recover their Lands from the Protestants. He acknowledged also, that they intended to have surprised the Castle of Dublin; that he came to Dublin for that purpose, and that he should have attempted the Castle the next Morning, (the 23d of October, 1641) if they had not been apprehended: But he knew of no Letters or Messages from England, to countenance the Attempt.
Other Witnesses deposed, that there was to have been a General Insurrection in Ireland, the 23d October; that it was intended to seize all the Castles and strong Places in the Kingdom, and to Massacre the Protestants.
It was also proved, that the Irish broke out into an actual Rebellion, on the said 23d October, and surprised the Castle of Charlemont, where they [subsequently] murdered the Lord Calfield; that they also seized several other Fortresses, and murdered the Protestant Inhabitants: And Sir Charles Coote deposed, that upwards of an Hundred Thousand Protestants were massacred in the Province of Ulster only, (which were a great many more than the whole Province contained). He deposed also, that the Irish Papists set up a New Form of Government, by a supreme Council, constituted Judges and Magistrates, and coined Money.
A Bull of Pope Urban VIII also was read in Evidence, whereby he grants a plenary Indulgence and absolute remission of all Sins to such Irish Catholicks as should make War upon the Heretick Protestants, and endeavour to extirpate them. Dated at Rome, the 25th of May 1643, in the 20th Year of his Pontificate.
To this Charge and Evidence the Lord Maguire answered, that he knew of no such Examinations as had been produced against him, but insinuated they were forged, and observed that it was impossible the Testimony of Coote and others, as to the Number of Protestants sworn to be murdered, could be true, because there were not so many Protestants in that Kingdom: And, if there had been several murders and Outrages committed by others, that did not affect him. He knew nothing of the Plot but by Hearsay, but the Jury giving little credit to the Prisoner's Asseverations found him Guilty: And it being demanded, What he had to say, why judgment should not be pronounced, he insisted again on his Peerage; he objected also, that the Judges had no legal Commissions, as they acted only by the Power of the Parliament, without any Authority from the King; to which one of the Judges answered, that he was made a Judge by the Old Seal, and continued by the Parliament: Then Sentence was passed upon the Prisoner as a Traitor. He afterwards petitioned the Commons, that he might have the favour of being beheaded, but his Petition was rejected, and he was hanged drawn and quartered, on the 20th [10th] of Feb, according to his Sentence.
[The author then adds his own comments, as follows] It is generally held, that a Peer of Ireland may be tryed by a Jury of Commoners in England, for a Fact committed in England: But I do not see how an Irish Peer could be legally tryed here, for a Fact committed in Ireland; because, at this rate he loses his Privilege of Peerage; and there is this further Objection to it, that every Treason must be laid and proved, to be committed in some County of England, and here all the Proof was, of Facts committed in Ireland only: They also read the Deposition of the Sheriff of Dublin against him, though the Sheriff was in England just before the Trial, and ought to have given his Evidence Personally in Court: The Prisoner very justly objected, that the Judges who tryed him had no lawful Commission from the King for trying him: For, though one of them had formerly a Commission from his Majesty, they did not sit by the King's Authority at this time; but derived their Power from a body of Men in actual Rebellion against the Crown, and consequently the Bench were no less Traytors than the Prisoner at the Bar: But it is no new thing to see Criminals sit in Judgment on their Brethren in iniquity, there is not much Doubt to be made of the Lord Maguire's Guilt; but yet the putting him to Death by those Usurpers, who could have no Legal Authority to try or condemn him, was Murder in them. It is observable also, that the Commons made use of Coote, and other Tools to aggravate matters and testifie that there were Ten times more Protestants murdered in Ireland than there really were; and this with an Intention to render the King odious to his Subjects, whom they charged with countenancing the Irish Rebellion, though nothing could be more unjust: And here we find them tampering with Maguire, to acknowledge a Correspondence between the Irish Rebels, and the English Royalists; but he had the Grace to acquit the King's Party of having any Share in that Insurrection, though he might possibly have saved his Life, if he would have humoured the Parliament in this particular. He was long detained in Prison, in order to extort something out of him to the prejudice of the Royal party; and one while had so much liberty allowed him in the Tower, that he made his Escape from thence: He was afterwards indeed retaken; and, when they found he would not answer their purpose, they put him to Death by Forms of Law.
 

 
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