BARONETAGE
Last updated 20/11/2018
Names of baronets shown in blue 
have not yet proved succession and, as a
result, their name has not yet been placed on
the Official Roll of the Baronetage.
Date Type Order Name Born Died  Age
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
SETON of Abercorn,Linlithgow
3 Jun 1663 NS 1 Walter Seton                                        20 Feb 1692
20 Feb 1692 2 Walter Seton                                   3 Jan 1708
3 Jan 1708 3 Henry Seton                                     1751
1751 4 Henry Seton                               29 Jun 1788
29 Jun 1788 5 Alexander Seton                                 4 May 1772 4 Feb 1810 37
4 Feb 1810 6 Henry John Seton                     4 Apr 1796 21 Jul 1868 72
For information on the death of this baronet,
see the note at the foot of this page
21 Jul 1868 7 Charles Hay Seton                  14 Nov 1797 11 Jun 1869 71
11 Jun 1869 8 Bruce Maxwell Seton                  31 Jan 1836 12 Mar 1915 79
12 Mar 1915 9 Bruce Gordon Seton             13 Oct 1868 3 Jul 1932 63
3 Jul 1932 10 Alexander Hay Seton            14 Aug 1904 7 Feb 1963 58
For further information on this baronet,see
the note at the foot of this page
7 Feb 1963 11 Bruce Lovat Seton              29 May 1909 28 Sep 1969 60
28 Sep 1969 12 Christopher Bruce Seton    3 Oct 1909 17 Jan 1988 78
17 Jan 1988 13 Iain Bruce Seton                         27 Aug 1942
SETON of Garleton,Haddington
9 Dec 1664 NS 1 John Seton                               29 Sep 1639 Feb 1686 46
Feb 1686 2 George Seton                                  c 1720
to     On his death the heir was under attainder
c 1720 and the baronetcy was thus forfeited
SETON of Windygowl
24 Jan 1671 NS 1 Robert Seton                          10 Nov 1641 Nov 1671 30
to     Extinct on his death
Nov 1671
SETON of Pitmedden,Aberdeen
15 Jan 1683 NS 1 Alexander Seton                               29 May 1719
29 May 1719 2 William Seton                                 6 Mar 1673 1744 71
MP for Scotland 1707-1708
1744 3 Alexander Seton                        19 Jan 1703 21 Jul 1750 47
21 Jul 1750 4 William Seton                                11 Oct 1774
11 Oct 1774 5 Archibald Seton                                     26 May 1775
26 May 1775 6 William Seton                                    16 Feb 1818
16 Feb 1818 7 William Coote Seton                    19 Dec 1808 30 Dec 1880 72
30 Dec 1880 8 James Lumsden Seton             1 Sep 1835 26 Sep 1884 49
For information on the death of this baronet,
see the note at the foot of this page
26 Sep 1884 9 William Samuel Seton                  22 May 1837 5 Mar 1914 76
5 Mar 1914 10 John Hastings Seton                20 Sep 1888 21 Jun 1956 67
21 Jun 1956 11 Robert James Seton                   20 Apr 1926 29 Oct 1993 67
29 Oct 1993 12 James Christall Seton              21 Jan 1913 4 Apr 1998 85
4 Apr 1998 13 Charles Wallace Seton          25 Aug 1948
SETON-STEUART of Allanton,Lanark
22 May 1815 UK 1 Henry Steuart                                20 Oct 1759 1836 76
For details of the special remainder included 
in the creation of this baronetcy,see the note
at the foot of this page
1836 2 Reginald Macdonald               15 Apr 1838  
15 Apr 1838 3 Henry James Seton-Steuart 5 Nov 1812 6 Dec 1884 72
6 Dec 1884 4 Alan Henry Seton-Steuart            23 Apr 1856 3 Apr 1913 56
3 Apr 1913 5 Douglas Archibald Seton-Steuart 20 Aug 1857 19 Feb 1930 72
to     Extinct on his death
19 Feb 1930
SEYLIARD of Delaware,Kent
18 Jun 1661 E 1 John Sylyard c 1613 19 Dec 1667
Dec 1667 2 Thomas Seylyiard c 1648 4 May 1692
May 1692 3 Thomas Seylyiard c 1673 11 Jan 1701
Jan 1701 4 John Seyliard 25 Jul 1700 23 Sep 1701 1
to     Extinct on his death
Sep 1701
SEYMOUR of Berry Pomeroy,Devon
29 Jun 1611 E 1 Edward Seymour                      c 1563 11 Apr 1613
MP for Devon 1590,1601 and 1604-1611
11 Apr 1613 2 Edward Seymour                                c 1580 5 Oct 1659
MP for Penrhyn 1601 and Newport 1604-
1611, Lyme Regis 1614, Devon 1621-1622,
Callington 1624-1625 and Totnes 1625
5 Oct 1659 3 Edward Seymour                                  10 Sep 1610 7 Dec 1688 78
MP for Devon 1640, 1640-1644 and 1660
and Totnes 1661-1687               
7 Dec 1688 4 Edward Seymour                         1633 17 Feb 1708 74
MP for Hindon 1661-1679, Devon 1679,
Totnes 1679-1681 and 1695-1698, Exeter
1685-1695 and 1698-1708. PC 1679
Treasurer of the Navy 1673-1681
17 Feb 1708 5 Edward Seymour                             18 Dec 1663 29 Dec 1740 77
MP for West Looe 1690-1695, Totnes 1708-
1710 and Great Bedwyn 1710-1715
29 Dec 1740 6 Edward Seymour                                  17 Jan 1695 15 Dec 1757 62
He subsequently succeeded to the Dukedom
of Somerset (qv) in 1750 with which title
the baronetcy remains merged          
  SEYMOUR of Langley,Bucks
4 Jul 1681 E 1 Henry Seymour                             20 Oct 1674 Apr 1714 39
to     MP for East Looe 1699-1713
Apr 1714 Extinct on his death
SEYMOUR of High Mount,Limerick
31 May 1809 UK See "Culme-Seymour"
SEYMOUR of the Army
28 Oct 1869 UK 1 Francis Seymour                           2 Aug 1813 10 Jul 1890 76
10 Jul 1890 2 Albert Victor Francis Seymour 1 Dec 1887 2 May 1949 61
to     Extinct on his death
2 May 1949
SHAEN of Kilmore,Roscommon
7 Feb 1663 I 1 James Shaen                            by 1629 13 Dec 1695
13 Dec 1695 2 Arthur Shaen                              after 1650 24 Jun 1725
to     Extinct on his death
24 Jun 1725
SHAKERLEY of Somerford Hall,Cheshire
30 Jul 1838 UK 1 Charles Peter Shakerley           27 Dec 1792 14 Sep 1857 64
14 Sep 1857 2 Charles Watkin Shakerley           27 Mar 1833 20 Oct 1898 65
20 Oct 1898 3 Walter Geoffrey Shakerley         26 Nov 1859 11 Jan 1943 83
11 Jan 1943 4 George Herbert Shakerley          27 Sep 1863 7 Aug 1945 81
7 Aug 1945 5 Cyril Holland Shakerley          28 Feb 1897 21 Aug 1970 73
21 Aug 1970 6 Geoffrey Adam Shakerley      9 Dec 1932 3 Dec 2012 79
3 Dec 2012 7 Nicholas Simon Adam Shakerley 20 Dec 1963
SHAKESPEARE of Lakenham,Norfolk
11 Jul 1942 UK 1 Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare 23 Sep 1893 8 Sep 1980 86
MP for Norwich 1929-1945.  PC 1945
8 Sep 1980 2 William Geoffrey Shakespeare 12 Oct 1927 12 Mar 1996 68
12 Mar 1996 3 Thomas William Shakespeare 11 May 1966
SHARP of Scotscraig,Fife
21 Apr 1683 NS   See "Bethune"    
            
SHARP of Heckmondwike,Yorks
28 Jun 1920 UK 1 Milton Sheridan Sharp             30 Jan 1856 22 May 1924 68
22 May 1924 2 Milton Sharp                                  22 Apr 1880 17 Dec 1941 61
17 Dec 1941 3 Milton Reginald Sharp               21 Nov 1909 4 May 1996 86
4 May 1996 4 Sheridan Christopher Robin Sharp 25 Apr 1936 4 Dec 2014 78
4 Dec 2014 5 Fabian Alexander Sebastian Sharp 5 Nov 1973
SHARP of Warden Court,Maidstone,Kent
23 Jun 1922 UK 1 Edward Sharp                                   13 May 1854 23 Aug 1931 77
23 Aug 1931 2 Herbert Edward Sharp                 25 Apr 1879 16 Jun 1936 57
16 Jun 1936 3 Edward Herbert Sharp                3 Dec 1927 4 Nov 1985 57
4 Nov 1985 4 Adrian Sharp                                          17 Sep 1951
SHAW of Eltham,Kent
15 Apr 1665 E See "Best-Shaw"
SHAW of Greenock,Renfrew
28 Jun 1687 NS 1 John Shaw                                       16 Apr 1693
16 Apr 1693 2 John Shaw                                     16 Apr 1702
16 Apr 1702 3 John Shaw                                    c 1679 5 Apr 1752
to     MP for Renfrewshire 1708-1710 and 1727-
5 Apr 1752 1734, and Clackmannanshire 1722-1727
Extinct on his death
SHAW of Kilmarnock,Ayr
21 Sep 1809 UK 1 James Shaw                            26 Aug 1764 22 Oct 1843 79
to     MP for London 1806-1818 
22 Oct 1843 He obtained a new patent in 1813 -
see below
Extinct on his death
SHAW of Kilmarnock,Ayr
14 Jan 1813 UK 1 James Shaw                                      26 Aug 1764 22 Oct 1843 79
This creation contained a special remainder,quoted
in the London Gazette (issue 16676,page 2420) as
follows:- "His Royal Highness,the Prince Regent, 
has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf 
of His Majesty,to grant the dignity of a Baronet of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
unto Sir James Shaw,of Kilmarnock in the County
of Ayr,and Polmadie, in the Stewartry of
Kirkcudbright, and to the heirs male of his body
lawfully begotten,with remainder to John Shaw,
of Whitehall-place,in the City of Westminster,and
of Kilmarnock,in the County of Ayr, Esq.,nephew
of the said Sir James Shaw,and to the heirs male
of his body lawfully begotten."
22 Oct 1843 2 John Shaw                                    c 1788 19 Nov 1868
to     Extinct on his death
19 Nov 1868
SHAW of Bushy Park,co.Dublin
17 Aug 1821 UK 1 Robert Shaw                                29 Jan 1774 10 Mar 1849 75
MP for Dublin 1804-1826        
10 Mar 1849 2 Robert Shaw                                        28 Sep 1796 19 Feb 1869 72
19 Feb 1869 3 Frederick Shaw                                   11 Dec 1799 30 Jun 1876 76
MP for Dublin 1830-1831 and 1831-1832 
and Dublin University 1832-1848. PC [I]
1835                                
30 Jun 1876 4 Robert Shaw                                       3 Aug 1821 16 May 1895 73
16 May 1895 5 Frederick William Shaw             15 Mar 1858 15 Jul 1927 69
15 Jul 1927 6 Robert de Vere Shaw                     24 Feb 1890 26 Mar 1969 79
26 Mar 1969 7 Robert Shaw                                      31 Jan 1925 18 Dec 2002 77
18 Dec 2002 8 Charles de Vere Shaw       1 Mar 1957
SHAW of Wolverhampton,Warwicks
30 Nov 1908 UK 1 Theodore Frederick Charles Edward Shaw 11 Sep 1859 17 Apr 1942 82
to     MP for Stafford 1892-1911
17 Apr 1942 Extinct on his death
SHAW-STEWART of Blackhall and
Greenock,Renfrew
27 Mar 1667 NS 1 Archibald Stewart                                                 c 1635 c 1722
c 1722 2 Archibald Stewart                                                 Apr 1724
Apr 1724 3 Michael Stewart                         c 1712 20 Oct 1796
20 Oct 1796 4 John Shaw-Stewart                   c 1740 7 Aug 1812
MP for Renfrewshire 1780-1783 and 1786-1796
7 Aug 1812 5 Michael Shaw-Stewart              10 Feb 1766 25 Aug 1825 59
Lord Lieutenant Renfrew 1822-1825
25 Aug 1825 6 Michael Shaw-Stewart              4 Oct 1788 19 Dec 1836 48
MP for Lanarkshire 1827-1830 and 
Renfrewshire 1830-1837            
19 Dec 1836 7 Michael Robert Shaw-Stewart 26 Nov 1826 10 Dec 1903 77
MP for Renfrewshire 1855-1865. Lord
Lieutenant Renfrew 1869-1903
10 Dec 1903 8 Michael Hugh Shaw-Stewart 11 Jul 1854 29 Jun 1942 87
MP for Renfrewshire East 1886-1906. Lord
Lieutenant Renfrew 1922-1942
29 Jun 1942 9 Walter Guy Shaw-Stewart 10 Aug 1892 26 Apr 1976 83
Lord Lieutenant Renfrew 1950-1967
26 Apr 1976 10 Euan Guy Shaw-Stewart 11 Oct 1928 30 Jan 1980 51
30 Jan 1980 11 Houston Mark Shaw-Stewart 24 Apr 1931 21 Feb 2004 72
21 Feb 2004 12 Ludovic Houston Shaw-Stewart 12 Nov 1986
SHEAFFE of Boston,Massachusetts
16 Jan 1813 UK 1 Roger Hale Sheaffe             15 Jul 1763 17 Jul 1851 88
to     Extinct on his death
17 Jul 1851
SHEE of Dunmore,Galway
22 Jan 1794 I 1 George Shee                                    Jan 1754 3 Feb 1825 71
3 Feb 1825 2 George Shee                                     14 Jun 1785 25 Jan 1870 84
to     Extinct on his death
25 Jan 1870
SHEFFIELD of Normanby,Lincs
1 Mar 1755 GB 1 Charles Sheffield                                   c 1706 5 Sep 1774
5 Sep 1774 2 John Sheffield                                c 1743 4 Feb 1815
4 Feb 1815 3 Robert Sheffield                               c 1758 26 Feb 1815
26 Feb 1815 4 Robert Sheffield                         25 Feb 1786 7 Nov 1862 76
7 Nov 1862 5 Robert Sheffield                           8 Dec 1823 23 Oct 1886 62
23 Oct 1886 6 Berkeley Digby George Sheffield 19 Jan 1876 26 Nov 1946 70
MP for Brigg 1907-1910 and 1922-1929
26 Nov 1946 7 Robert Arthur Sheffield              18 Oct 1905 2 Jun 1977 71
2 Jun 1977 8 Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield 9 May 1946
SHELLEY of Michelgrove,Sussex
22 May 1611 E 1 John Shelley                                c 1644
c 1644 2 Charles Shelley                         1681
1681 3 John Shelley                           after 1662 25 Apr 1703
25 Apr 1703 4 John Shelley                                    6 Mar 1692 6 Sep 1771 79
MP for Arundel 1727-1741 and Lewes 
1743-1747                                       
6 Sep 1771 5 John Shelley                                     c 1730 11 Sep 1783
MP for East Retford 1751-1758 and 
Newark 1768-1774.  PC 1766
11 Sep 1783 6 John Shelley                                      3 Mar 1772 28 Mar 1852 80
MP for Helston 1806 and Lewes 1816-1831
28 Mar 1852 7 John Villiers Shelley                18 Mar 1808 28 Jan 1867 58
MP for Gatton 1830-1831,Grimsby 1831-1832
and Westminster 1852-1865
28 Jan 1867 8 Frederic Shelley                       5 May 1809 19 Mar 1869 59
19 Mar 1869 9 John Shelley                                 31 Aug 1848 29 Mar 1931 82
29 Mar 1931 10 John Frederick Shelley           14 Oct 1884 8 Mar 1976 91
8 Mar 1976 11 John Richard Shelley              18 Jan 1943
SHELLEY of Castle Goring,Sussex
3 Mar 1806 UK 1 Bysshe Shelley                               12 Jun 1731 6 Jan 1815 83
6 Jan 1815 2 Timothy Shelley                                 Sep 1753 24 Apr 1844 90
24 Apr 1844 3 Percy Florence Shelley               12 Nov 1819 5 Dec 1889 70
5 Dec 1889 4 Edward Shelley                              10 Dec 1827 17 Sep 1890 62
17 Sep 1890 5 Charles Shelley                              14 May 1838 20 Jul 1902 64
20 Jul 1902 6 John Courtown Edward Shelley (Shelley-Rolls
from 1917)                                    5 Aug 1871 18 Feb 1951 79
18 Feb 1951 7 Percy Bysshe Shelley                      24 Jun 1872 24 Sep 1953 81
24 Sep 1953 8 Sidney Patrick Shelley               18 Jan 1880 25 Jul 1965 85
25 Jul 1965 9 William Philip Sidney                    23 May 1909 5 Apr 1991 81
He had previously been created Viscount
de L'Isle (qv) in 1956 with which title the
baronetcy remains merged               
SHELLEY-SIDNEY of Penshurst Place,Kent
12 Dec 1818 UK 1 John Shelley-Sidney 18 Dec 1771 14 Mar 1849 77
14 Mar 1849 2 Philip Charles Sidney 11 Mar 1800 4 Mar 1851 50
He had previously been created Baron
de L'Isle and Dudley (qv) in 1835 with 
which title the baronetcy remains merged
SHEPPARD of Thornton Hall,Bucks
29 Sep 1809 UK 1 Thomas Sheppard 21 Nov 1821
21 Nov 1821 2 Thomas Sheppard-Cotton                3 Mar 1785 5 Apr 1848 63
to     Extinct on his death
5 Apr 1848
SHEPPERSON of Upwood,Hunts
20 Jun 1945 UK 1 Sir Ernest Whittome Shepperson 4 Oct 1874 22 Aug 1949 74
to     MP for Leominster 1922-1945
22 Aug 1949 Extinct on his death
SHERARD of Lopthorp,Lincs
25 May 1674 E 1 John Sherard                              c 1662 1 Jan 1725
1 Jan 1725 2 Richard Sherard                           c 1666 14 Jun 1730
14 Jun 1730 3 Brownlow Sherard                      7 Feb 1668 30 Jan 1736 67
30 Jan 1736 4 Brownlow Sherard                c 1702 25 Nov 1748
to     Extinct on his death
25 Nov 1748
SHERBURNE of Stonyhurst,Lancs
4 Feb 1686 E 1 Nicholas Sherburne                14 Dec 1717
to     Extinct on his death
14 Dec 1717
SHERSTON-BAKER of Dunstable House,Surrey
14 May 1796 GB 1 Robert Baker 20 Apr 1754 4 Feb 1826 71
4 Feb 1826 2 Henry Loraine Baker 3 Jan 1787 2 Nov 1859 72
2 Nov 1859 3 Henry Williams Baker 27 May 1821 12 Feb 1877 55
12 Feb 1877 4 George Edward Dundas Sherston Baker 19 May 1846 15 Mar 1923 76
15 Mar 1923 5 Dodington George Richard Sherston-Baker 22 Jul 1877 18 Nov 1944 67
18 Nov 1944 6 Humphrey Dodington Benedict Sherston-
Baker 13 Oct 1907 15 Feb 1990 82
15 Feb 1990 7 Robert George Humphrey Sherston-Baker 3 Apr 1951
SHIERS of Slyfield,Surrey
16 Oct 1684 E 1 George Shiers                            c 1660 18 Jul 1685
to     Extinct on his death
16 Jul 1685
SHIFFNER of Coombe Place,Sussex
16 Dec 1818 UK 1 George Shiffner                         17 Nov 1762 Feb 1842 79
Feb 1842 2 Henry Shiffner                             4 Nov 1788 18 Mar 1859 70
18 Mar 1859 3 George Shiffner                         17 May 1791 14 Dec 1863 72
14 Dec 1863 4 George Croxton Shiffner           21 Aug 1819 23 Jan 1906 86
23 Jan 1906 5 John Shiffner                                8 Aug 1857 5 Apr 1914 56
For information on the death of this baronet,
see the note at the foot of this page
5 Apr 1914 6 John Bridger Shiffner            5 Aug 1899 24 Sep 1918 19
24 Sep 1918 7 Henry Burrowes Shiffner          29 Jul 1902 22 Nov 1941 39
22 Nov 1941 8 Henry David Shiffner                   2 Feb 1930 22 Aug 2018 88
For information on this baronet, see the note
at the foot of this page                      
22 Aug 2018 9 Michael George Edward Shiffner 5 Mar 1963
  SHIRLEY of Staunton Harold,Leics
22 May 1611 E 1 George Shirley 23 Apr 1559 27 Apr 1622 63
27 Apr 1622 2 Henry Shirley c 1588 8 Feb 1633
8 Feb 1633 3 Charles Shirley 9 Sep 1623 7 Jun 1646 22
7 Jun 1646 4 Robert Shirley 1629 6 Nov 1656 27
6 Nov 1656 5 Seymour Shirley 23 Jan 1647 16 Jul 1667 20
Jan 1668 6 Robert Shirley Jan 1668 11 Mar 1669 1
Mar 1669 7 Robert Shirley 20 Oct 1650 25 Dec 1717 67
He was subsequently created Earl Ferrers
(qv) in 1711 with which title the
baronetcy remains merged
  SHIRLEY of Preston,Sussex
6 Mar 1666 E 1 Anthony Shirley 5 Jul 1624 22 Jun 1683 58
MP for Arundel 1654-1655, Sussex 1656-
1658 and Steyning 1659
Jun 1683 2 Richard Shirley c 1655 30 Mar 1692
Mar 1692 3 Richard Shirley c 1680 1705
to     Extinct on his death
1705
SHIRLEY of Oat Hall,Sussex
27 Jun 1786 GB 1 Thomas Shirley 30 Dec 1727 18 Feb 1800 72
Governor of the Bahamas 1767, Dominica
1774 and the Leeward Islands 1781
18 Feb 1800 2 William Warden Shirley 4 Aug 1772 26 Feb 1815 42
to     Extinct on his death
26 Feb 1815
SHORE of Heathcote,Derby
27 Oct 1792 GB 1 John Shore 5 Oct 1751 14 Feb 1834 82
He was subsequently created Baron
Teignmouth (qv) in 1798 with which title
the baronetcy then merged until its
extinction in 1981
SHUCKBURGH of Shuckburgh,Warwicks
25 Jun 1660 E 1 John Shuckburgh 1635 1661 26
1661 2 Charles Shuckburgh Nov 1659 2 Sep 1705 45
MP for Warwickshire 1698-1705
2 Sep 1705 3 John Shuckburgh 18 Aug 1683 19 Jun 1724 40
19 Jun 1724 4 Stewkley Shuckburgh 9 Mar 1711 10 Mar 1759 48
10 Mar 1759 5 Charles Shuckburgh 17 Mar 1722 10 Aug 1773 51
10 Aug 1773 6 George Augustus William Shuckburgh 
(Shuckburgh-Evelyn from Jul 1793) 23 Aug 1751 11 Aug 1804 52
MP for Warwickshire 1780-1804
11 Aug 1804 7 Stewkley Shuckburgh c 1760 21 Jul 1809
21 Jul 1809 8 Francis Shuckburgh 12 Mar 1789 29 Oct 1876 87
29 Oct 1876 9 George Thomas Francis Shuckburgh 23 Jul 1829 12 Jan 1884 54
12 Jan 1884 10 Stewkley Frederick Draycott Shuckburgh 20 Jun 1880 17 Nov 1917 37
17 Nov 1917 11 Gerald Francis Stewkley Shuckburgh 28 Feb 1882 3 Aug 1939 57
3 Aug 1939 12 Charles Gerald Stewkley Shuckburgh 28 Feb 1911 4 May 1988 77
4 May 1988 13 Rupert Charles Gerald Shuckburgh 12 Feb 1949 24 Jan 2012 62
24 Jan 2012 14 James Rupert Charles Shuckburgh 4 Jan 1978
SHUTTLEWORTH of Gawthorpe Hall,Lancs
22 Dec 1849 UK See "Kay-Shuttleworth"
SIBBALD of Rankelour,Fife
24 Jul 1630 NS 1 James Sibbald 21 May 1650
21 May 1650 2 David Sibbald c 1680
to     On his death the baronetcy became dormant
c 1680
SIDNEY of Penshurst,Kent
12 Dec 1818 UK See "Shelley-Sidney"
SILVESTER of Yardley
20 May 1815 UK 1 John Silvester Sep 1745 30 Mar 1822 76
to     He was granted a fresh patent in 1822 - see
30 Mar 1822 below
Extinct on his death
SILVESTER of Yardley
11 Feb 1822 UK 1 John Silvester Sep 1745 30 Mar 1822 76
30 Mar 1822 2 Philip Carteret Silvester Aug 1828
to     Extinct on his death
Aug 1828
SIMEON of Chilworth,Oxon
18 Oct 1677 E 1 James Simeon 15 Jan 1709
15 Jan 1709 2 Edward Simeon c 1682 22 Dec 1768
to     Extinct on his death
22 Dec 1768
SIMEON of Grazeley,Berks
22 May 1815 UK 1 John Simeon 4 Feb 1824
4 Feb 1824 2 Richard Godin Simeon 21 May 1784 4 Jan 1854 69
MP for Isle of Wight 1832-1837
4 Jan 1854 3 John Simeon 5 Feb 1815 21 May 1870 55
MP for Isle of Wight 1847-1851
21 May 1870 4 John Stephen Barrington Simeon 31 Aug 1850 26 Apr 1909 58
MP for Southampton 1895-1906
26 Apr 1909 5 Edmund Charles Simeon 11 Dec 1855 18 Jun 1915 59
18 Jun 1915 6 John Walter Barrington Simeon Jan 1886 24 Jun 1957 71
24 Jun 1957 7 John Edmund Barrington Simeon 1 Mar 1911 6 Dec 1999 88
6 Dec 1999 8 Richard Edmund Barrington Simeon 2 Mar 1943 11 Oct 2013 70
11 Oct 2013 9 Stephen George Barrington Simeon 29 Oct 1970
SIMPSON of Strathavon,Linlithgow
3 Feb 1866 UK 1 James Young Simpson 7 Jun 1811 5 May 1870 58
5 May 1870 2 Walter Grindlay Simpson 1 Sep 1843 29 May 1898 54
29 May 1898 3 James Walter Mackay Simpson 6 Sep 1882 16 Mar 1924 41
to     Extinct on his death
16 Mar 1924
SIMPSON of Bradley Hall,Durham
1 Feb 1935 UK 1 Frank Robert Simpson 12 Apr 1864 29 Apr 1949 85
29 Apr 1949 2 Basil Robert James Simpson 13 Feb 1898 19 Aug 1968 70
19 Aug 1968 3 John Cyril Finucane Simpson 10 Feb 1899 21 Dec 1981 82
to     Extinct on his death
21 Dec 1981
SINCLAIR of Dunbeath,Caithness
3 Jan 1631 NS 1 John Sinclair c 1652
to     Extinct on his death
c 1652
SINCLAIR of Canisbay,Caithness
2 Jun 1631 NS 1 James Sinclair 1662
1662 2 William Sinclair c 1677
c 1677 3 James Sinclair c 1710
c 1710 4 James Sinclair c 1730
c 1730 5 James Sinclair 4 Oct 1760
4 Oct 1760 6 John Sinclair Apr 1774
Apr 1774 7 James Sinclair 31 Oct 1766 16 Jul 1823 56
He subsequently succeeded to the Earldom
of Caithness (qv) in 1789 with which title
the baronetcy remains merged
SINCLAIR of Longformacus,Berwick
10 Dec 1664 NS 1 Robert Sinclair 1678
1678 2 John Sinclair after 1696
after 1696 3 Robert Sinclair 28 Sep 1727
28 Sep 1727 4 John Sinclair 5 Dec 1764
5 Dec 1764 5 Harry Sinclair 25 Jun 1768
25 Jun 1768 6 John Sinclair 7 Jan 1798
7 Jan 1798 7 John Sinclair c 1843
to     On his death the baronetcy became either
c 1843 extinct or dormant
SINCLAIR of Kinnaird,Fife
c 1675 NS 1 James Sinclair c 1702
c 1702 2 George Sinclair 1726
1726 3 John Sinclair 25 Dec 1767
25 Dec 1767 4 John Sinclair 1763
Nothing further is known of him or his
successors (if any)
SINCLAIR of Dunbeath,Caithness
12 Oct 1704 NS 1 James Sinclair 28 Sep 1742
28 Sep 1742 2 William Sinclair 2 Aug 1767
2 Aug 1767 3 Alexander Sinclair 1786
1786 4 Benjamin Sinclair 26 Oct 1796
26 Oct 1796 5 John Sinclair 1 Oct 1842
1 Oct 1842 6 John Sinclair 16 Sep 1794 21 Apr 1873 78
21 Apr 1873 7 John Rose George Sinclair 10 Aug 1864 3 Nov 1926 62
3 Nov 1926 8 Ronald Norman John Charles Udny Sinclair 30 Jun 1899 19 Oct 1952 53
19 Oct 1952 9 John Rollo Norman Blair Sinclair 4 Nov 1928 10 Mar 1990 62
10 Mar 1990 10 Patrick Robert Richard Sinclair 21 May 1936 5 Mar 2011 74
5 Mar 2011 11 William Robert Francis Sinclair 27 Mar 1979
SINCLAIR of Ulbster,Caithness
14 Feb 1786 GB 1 John Sinclair 10 May 1754 21 Dec 1835 81
For information on the special remainder
included in this creation, see the note at 
the foot of this page               
MP for Caithness 1780-1784,1790-1796,
1802-1806 and 1807-1811, Lostwithiel
1784-1790 and Petersfield 1797-1802
21 Dec 1835 2 George Sinclair 23 Aug 1790 9 Oct 1868 78
MP for Caithness 1811-1812,1818-1820
and 1831-1841
9 Oct 1868 3 John George Tollemache Sinclair 8 Nov 1824 29 Sep 1912 87
MP for Caithness 1869-1885
For further information on this baronet,see
the note at the foot of this page
29 Sep 1912 4 Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair 22 Oct 1890 15 Jun 1970 79
He was subsequently created Viscount
Thurso (qv) in 1952 with which title the
baronetcy then merged
SINCLAIR-LOCKHART
of Stevenston,Haddington
18 Jun 1636 NS 1 John Sinclair 1649
1649 2 John Sinclair 26 Jul 1642 1652 9
1652 3 Robert Sinclair 15 Oct 1643 Jul 1713 69
Jul 1713 4 John Sinclair 1726
1726 5 Robert Sinclair 25 Oct 1754
25 Oct 1754 6 John Sinclair 13 Feb 1789
13 Feb 1789 7 Robert Sinclair 4 Aug 1795
4 Aug 1795 8 John Gordon Sinclair 31 Jul 1790 12 Nov 1863 73
12 Nov 1863 9 Robert Charles Sinclair 25 Aug 1820 5 May 1899 78
5 May 1899 10 Graeme Alexander Sinclair-Lockhart 23 Jan 1820 20 Mar 1904 84
20 Mar 1904 11 Robert Duncan Sinclair-Lockhart 12 Nov 1856 8 Nov 1919 62
8 Nov 1919 12 Graeme Duncan Power Sinclair-Lockhart 29 Jan 1897 15 Feb 1959 62
15 Feb 1959 13 John Beresford Sinclair-Lockhart 4 Nov 1904 11 Mar 1970 65
11 Mar 1970 14 Muir Edward Sinclair-Lockhart 23 Jul 1906 10 Feb 1985 78
10 Feb 1985 15 Simon John Edward Francis Sinclair-Lockhart 22 Jul 1941
 
SITWELL of Renishaw,Derby
3 Oct 1808 UK 1 Sitwell Sitwell 14 Jul 1811
MP for West Looe 1796-1802
14 Jul 1811 2 George Sitwell 20 Apr 1797 12 Mar 1853 55
12 Mar 1853 3 Sitwell Reresby Sitwell 6 Oct 1820 12 Apr 1862 41
12 Apr 1862 4 George Reresby Sitwell 27 Jan 1860 8 Jul 1948 88
MP for Scarborough 1885-1886 and 1892-95
8 Jul 1948 5 (Francis) Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell 6 Dec 1892 4 May 1969 76
CH 1958
4 May 1969 6 Sacheverell Sitwell 15 Nov 1897 1 Oct 1988 90
CH 1984
1 Oct 1988 7 Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell 15 Apr 1927 31 Mar 2009 81
31 Mar 2009 8 George Reresby Sacheverell Sitwell 22 Apr 1967
SKEFFINGTON of Fisherwick,Staffs
8 May 1627 E 1 William Skeffington 16 Sep 1635
Sep 1635 2 John Skeffington c 1590 19 Nov 1651
MP for Newcastle under Lyme 1626
19 Nov 1651 3 William Skeffington 7 Apr 1652
Apr 1652 4 John Skeffington 21 Jun 1695
He subsequently succeeded to the 
Viscountcy of Massereene (qv) in 1665 with
which title the baronetcy then merged until
its extinction in 1816
SKEFFINGTON of Skeffington,Leics
27 Jun 1786 GB 1 William Charles Farrell-Skeffington 24 Jun 1742 26 Jan 1815 72
26 Jan 1815 2 Lumley St.George Skeffington 23 Mar 1771 10 Nov 1850 79
to     Extinct on his death
10 Nov 1850
SKENE of Curriehill
22 Feb 1628 NS 1 James Skene 10 Oct 1633
10 Oct 1633 2 John Skene c 1680
to     On his death the baronetcy became either
c 1680 extinct or dormant
SKINNER of Pont Street,Chelsea
9 Feb 1912 UK 1 Thomas Skinner 23 Nov 1840 11 May 1926 85
11 May 1926 2 Thomas Hewitt Skinner 12 Jun 1875 4 Oct 1968 93
4 Oct 1968 3 Thomas Gordon Skinner 29 Dec 1899 22 Nov 1972 72
22 Nov 1972 4 Thomas Keith Hewitt Skinner 6 Dec 1927
SKIPWITH of Prestwould,Leics
20 Dec 1622 E 1 Henry Skipwith c 1658
c 1658 2 Henry Skipwith c 1616 c 1663
c 1663 3 Grey Skipwith c 1680
c 1680 4 William Skipwith c 1670 c 1730
c 1730 5 Grey Skipwith c 1700 c 1750
c 1750 6 William Skipwith 1703 26 Feb 1764 60
26 Feb 1764 7 Peyton Skipwith 9 Oct 1805
9 Oct 1805 8 Grey Skipwith 17 Sep 1771 13 May 1852 80
MP for Warwickshire 1831-1832 and
Warwickshire South 1832-1835
13 May 1852 9 Thomas George Skipwith 9 Feb 1803 30 Nov 1863 60
30 Nov 1863 10 Peyton Estoteville Skipwith 12 Feb 1857 12 May 1891 34
12 May 1891 11 Gray Humberston d'Estoteville Skipwith 1 Dec 1884 3 Feb 1950 65
3 Feb 1950 12 Patrick Alexander d'Estoteville Skipwith 1 Sep 1938 6 Oct 2016 78
6 Oct 2016 13 Alexander Sebastian Grey d'Estoteville Skipwith 9 Apr 1969
  SKIPWITH of Newbold Hall,Warwicks
25 Oct 1670 E 1 Fulwar Skipwith 18 Nov 1677
18 Nov 1677 2 Fulwar Skipwith 24 Jun 1676 14 May 1728 51
MP for Coventry 1713-1715
14 May 1728 3 Francis Skipwith c 1705 6 Dec 1778
6 Dec 1778 4 Thomas George Skipwith c 1735 28 Jan 1790
to     MP for Warwickshire 1769-1780 and
28 Jan 1790 Steyning 1780-1784
Extinct on his death
 
  SKIPWITH of Metheringham,Lincs
27 Jul 1678 E 1 Thomas Skipwith c 1620 2 Jun 1694
MP for Grantham 1659 and 1660
2 Jun 1694 2 Thomas Skipwith c 1652 15 Jun 1710
MP for Malmesbury 1696-1698
15 Jun 1710 3 George Brydges Skipwith 7 Nov 1686 4 Jun 1756 69
to     Extinct on his death
4 Jun 1756
SLADE of Maunsell House,Somerset
30 Sep 1831 UK 1 John Slade 1762 13 Aug 1859 97
13 Aug 1859 2 Frederick William Slade 21 Jan 1801 8 Aug 1863 62
8 Aug 1863 3 Alfred Frederic Adolphus Slade 28 May 1834 19 Jul 1890 56
For information about the Slade baronetcy case
of 1867,see the note at the foot of this page
19 Jul 1890 4 Cuthbert Slade 10 Apr 1863 9 Feb 1908 44
9 Feb 1908 5 Alfred Fothringham Slade 17 Jan 1898 28 Oct 1960 62
28 Oct 1960 6 Michael Nial Slade 30 Jul 1900 15 Apr 1962 61
15 Apr 1962 7 Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade 22 May 1946
For further information regarding this baronet
see the note at the foot of this page
SLANNING of Maristow,Devon
19 Jan 1663 E 1 Nicholas Slanning Jun 1643 c Apr 1691
MP for Plympton Erle 1667-1679 and
Penrhyn 1679-1689
c Apr 1691 2 Andrew Slanning c 1674 21 Nov 1700
to     Extinct on his death
21 Nov 1700 For information on the death of this baronet,
see the note at the foot of this page
SLEIGHT of Weelsby Hall,Lincs
29 Jun 1920 UK 1 George Frederick Sleight 26 Mar 1853 19 Mar 1921 67
19 Mar 1921 2 Ernest Sleight 14 Oct 1873 16 Jul 1946 72
16 Jul 1946 3 John Frederick Sleight 13 Apr 1909 12 Feb 1990 80
12 Feb 1990 4 Richard Sleight 27 May 1946
SLINGSBY of Scriven,Yorks
23 Oct 1628 E 1 Anthony Slingsby 1630
to     Extinct on his death
1630
SLINGSBY of Scriven,Yorks
2 Mar 1638 NS 1 Henry Slingsby 14 Jan 1602 8 Jun 1658 56
MP for Knaresborough 1625, 1640 and 
1640-1642
For further information on the death of this
baronet,see the note at the foot of this page
8 Jun 1658 2 Thomas Slingsby 15 Jun 1636 1 Mar 1688 51
MP for Yorkshire 1670-1679, Knaresborough
1679-1685 and Scarborough 1685-1687
Mar 1688 3 Henry Slingsby c 1660 15 Sep 1691
MP for Knaresborough 1685-1689
Sep 1691 4 Thomas Slingsby c 1668 15 Nov 1726
Nov 1726 5 Henry Slingsby c 1693 18 Jan 1763
MP for Knaresborough 1714-1715 and
1722-1763
18 Jan 1763 6 Thomas Slingsby c 1695 18 Jan 1765
18 Jan 1765 7 Savile Slingsby c 1698 Nov 1780
Nov 1780 8 Thomas Turner Slingsby c 1741 14 Apr 1806
14 Apr 1806 9 Thomas Slingsby 10 Jan 1775 26 Feb 1835 60
26 Feb 1835 10 Charles Slingsby 22 Aug 1824 4 Feb 1869 44
to     On his death the baronetcy became dormant
4 Feb 1869 For further information on the death of this
baronet,see the note at the foot of this page
SLINGSBY of Bifrons,Kent
19 Oct 1657 E 1 Arthur Slingsby c 1623 12 Feb 1666
Feb 1666 2 Charles Slingsby after 1677
to     On his death the baronetcy is presumed to
after 1677 have become either extinct or dormant
SLINGSBY of Newcells,Herts
16 Mar 1661 E 1 Robert Slingsby c 1611 26 Oct 1661
to     Extinct on his death
26 Oct 1661
SLOANE of Chelsea,Middlesex
3 Apr 1716 GB 1 Hans Sloane 10 Apr 1660 11 Jan 1753 92
to     Extinct on his death
11 Jan 1753
SMIJTH of Hill Hall,Essex
28 Nov 1661 E See "Bowyer-Smyth"
SMILEY of Drumalis,Larne,co. Antrim
and Gallowhill,Paisley,Renfrewshire
13 Oct 1903 UK 1 Hugh Houston Smiley 5 Jan 1841 1 Mar 1909 68
1 Mar 1909 2 John Smiley 28 Oct 1876 13 Apr 1930 53
13 Apr 1930 3 Hugh Houston Smiley 14 Nov 1905 1 Nov 1990 84
1 Nov 1990 4 John Philip Smiley 24 Feb 1934
Sir Henry John Seton, 6th baronet  [NS 1663]
Sir Henry died in 1868 after being run down by a hansom cab. The following report appeared
in the "Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald" on 28 July 1868:-
 
'On Wednesday evening [22 July 1868] Mr. St.Clare Bedford, Coroner for Westminster, held
an inquest at St.James's Vestry-hall, Piccadilly, on the body of Sir Henry John Seaton [sic],
aged 71, who was run over in St.James's-street on the previous Saturday. Mr. R. B. Mackay,
an East India merchant, said that on Saturday evening, a little before seven o'clock, he was
in a hansom cab driving up St.James's-street, Piccadilly. When opposite the end of King-
street he observed deceased endeavouring to cross the street, and shouted to him. He looked
at the cab, and seemed to think that he could get across in time, but became confused, and
stepped back, and then forward right in front of the horse. The shaft of the cab struck him on
the right shoulder, throwing him down in the roadway. The wheel went on him and over his
side, but just as it was going over his head the driver pulled up so vigorously as to avert it.
Witness jumped out of the cab, and rendered what assistance he could to deceased, whom 
he found quite insensible, and he was carried in a chair to his rooms in King-street. The driver
of the cab was quite sober, and could not have avoided the occurrence. The deceased stepped
into the roadway when the cab was so close to him that it was impossible to pull up in time
to prevent the accident.
 
'Mr. William Friker said he witnessed the whole occurrence, and that the cab was not going 
faster than six miles an hour.
'Mr. W. Miller, surgeon, said that he was called to deceased immediately after the accident.
He was insensible, but he recovered for a minute and said, "Let me go to the Club." He again
became insensible, and never uttered any more words. Two of his ribs were fractured, and he
had received a blow on the forehead which had produced concussion of the brain. Everything
possible was done for his relief, but he remained insensible throughout Sunday and Monday,
and on Tuesday morning he died. 
'Samuel Standen, the driver of the cab, said he did see deceased until he was close to the
horse's head.
'The Coroner having summed up the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental
death."
 
Sir Alexander Hay Seton, 10th baronet  [NS 1663]
The following report appeared in 'The Irish Times' of 29 March 1937:-
'Sir Alexander Seton, of Edinburgh, believes he and his family are "haunted" by a sacred bone,
supposed to carry with it the curse of a Pharaoh.
'So serious and persistent have been a series of accidents suffered by his family since the bone
has been in their possession that Lady Seton is to make a special trip to Egypt shortly to 
replace the bone in the tomb from which it was acquired last year.
'Speaking from Edinburgh yesterday, Sir Alexander told the Press Association that since the 
bone was brought to his home, Prestonfield House, Duddingston, by Lady Seton, their life had
been made miserable by accidents that could not be coincidences.
'He and Lady Seton visited Egypt last year. As a curio Lady Seton brought back a glass case,
containing a piece of bone believed to be part of the skeleton of a Pharaoh of one of the lesser
dynasties, and the curio was given a place of honour in the lounge.
'From the moment it was placed there an unprecedented series of happenings occurred in the
household. Sudden illnesses attacked the family and staff, two fires broke out, and visitors still
complain of a mysterious robed figure which wanders through the house at night. Glassware put
away in cabinets was found smashed to atoms in other parts of the room in the morning, and
on Saturday, when no-one was near the lounge, the glass case fell only two feet from the 
table and yet was pounded to splinters while the bone was undamaged.
'Maids will not stay in the house more than one night, and each complained of meeting the 
spectral robed figure.
"This is the last straw," said Sir Alexander yesterday. "My friends have laughed at the whole 
affair - until they stayed here a night - and though I have tried to have an open mind this is far
more than coincidence. It is perfectly astounding how we have been dogged by this shadow of
ill-luck ever since that wretched bone was brought into the house."
'Sir Alexander, a soldier, business man and diplomat, has received about 80 offers for the bone, 
but he is determined that no one else shall suffer the experiences of Lady Seton and himself. 
"That bone is going to be replaced in the tomb we took it from as quickly as possible," he said,
"and Lady Seton is making the trip herself to ensure that it gets there. This ghastly business
has got to stop, and we are taking no chances."
'Sir Alexander once gave the bone to a surgeon, and that very night the surgeon's maid broke
a leg running away in terror, as she said, from a robed figure. He brought it back next day.'
Sir James Lumsden Seton, 8th baronet  [NS 1683]
Sir James committed suicide in September 1884. The following report on the subsequent inquest
appeared in the 'Leeds Mercury' on 1 October 1884:-
'An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at Kensington on the body of Sir James Lumsden 
Seton, Bart., who had committed suicide by cutting his throat. Lady Elizabeth Seton, wife of 
the deceased, said Sir James, who was 49 years of age,  had lately been in depressed spirits. 
He went to his bath-room on Sunday morning about eight o'clock, and an hour later, the door
being forced, he was found dead. Other evidence showed that the deceased had an extensive
gash in his throat. Lieut.-Colonel William Samuel Seton, of Penally, near Denbigh, stated that
some years ago the deceased had a fall from his horse, and in consequence had suffered
mentally at varying intervals. A verdict of "Suicide whilst in a state of unsound mind" was
returned.'
The special remainder to the baronetcy of Seton-Steuart created in 1815
From the "London Gazette" of 27 December 1814 (issue 16969, page 2535):-
'His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on behalf of His 
Majesty, to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
to Henry Steuart, of Allanton, in the County of Lanark, Esq; with remainder to his son in law,
Ranald or Reginald Macdonald, of Stalfa, and his heirs male.'
Sir John Shiffner, 5th baronet
Sir John accidentally shot himself while cleaning his rifle. The following report of the subsequent
inquest is taken from 'The Times' of 7 April 1914:-
'The death of Sir John Shiffner on Sunday formed the subject of an inquiry at Bevern Bridge
House, Chailey, near Lewes, Sir John's residence, yesterday afternoon. The inquiry was held
by Dr. Dow, Deputy-Coroner for East Sussex, and Mr. W.W. Grantham, son of the late Mr.
Justice Grantham, was foreman of the jury.
'Lord Calthorpe gave evidence of identification, stating that Sir John Shiffner was a retired
captain of the Royal Artillery and was 56 years of age. Lady Shiffner and Miss Betty Shiffner
had been staying with the witness, and the latter was returning to Chailey on the evening
of the occurrence and Lady Shiffner was to follow at the end of the week.
'Mr. Douglas Crocket, living at Barcombe, said he was invited to lunch by Sir John Shiffner
on Sunday and arrived about 10 minutes past 1. A servant let him in and went to the study.
She came running back saying, "Do come here. Whatever has happened?" He went into the
study and found Sir John dead with a bullet wound in his face. He locked the room up and
hailing the first motor-car which passed the house, drove into Lewes for medical assistance.
'Police-constable Lyon, of Chailey, said he found Sir John sitting in an arm chair in his study.
He had the barrel of a rifle between his legs, and another rifle was lying on the floor. There
was a cleaning rag in the right hand and other articles for cleaning rifles were on the floor.
In the barrel between the legs was a spent bullet case. It appeared that this had become
fixed in the barrel and that an attempt had been made to dislodge it with a screw driver, and
then by means of the extractor. This caused the cartridge to explode.
'Dr. Andrews, of Lewes, said Sir John Shiffner was evidently smoking a pipe at the time, for
there was one on the floor at his side. All the evidence, added the witness, suggested that
Sir John was cleaning the rifle and was not aware that the cartridge was a live one.
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."
Sir Henry David Shiffner, 8th baronet  [UK 1818]
Sir Henry, a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's Union Movement, was prosecuted but eventually
acquitted on charges that he, along with others, had set fire to the offices of the Anti-
Apartheid movement, a natural enemy of Mosley's followers.
The story of Sir Henry's court appearances was told in a number of separate instalments in the
London "Daily Telegraph," commencing on 29 March 1961:-
'Witnesses at Clerkenwell yesterday said that after they saw men go into a house in Gower 
Street, Euston, where the headquarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement are located, they saw
flames coming from the basement.
'Sir Henry David Shiffner, 35 [sic], the eighth baronet of Old School House, Offham, Lewes: 
Peter Dawson, 35, sales representative, Quaker Street, Spitalfields, and Francis John Elliott, 16,
electrical apprentice, Freshwater Road, Tooting, were charged on remand with maliciously 
setting fire to the house. In addition, there was a further charge yesterday of conspiring
together, and with others, to break into the house with intent to commit a felony. The Anti-
Apartheid movement occupies the basement of the house.
'The basement was set on fire on March 4 and furniture and papers damaged. Mr. Ian Holden,
of Scotland Yard's forensic laboratory, said the damage was "typical of that resulting from a
highly inflammable liquid being poured on articles and ignited."
'He produced a black oblong tin which he said had contained paraffin. He added: "Something
more than paraffin would be needed to start a fire like this."
'Mr. Theodore Theobalds, a Jamaican solicitor whose address was withheld, said he had let "four
or five young men" into the house. They had said they had come to collect posters and he 
showed them the steps to the basement. At the time he and his wife had a flat in the house.
'Two of the men were downstairs for about half a minute and then left by the front door. A few
seconds later three other men came up and went out. A van had moved off shortly before that.
'He added: "After they had gone I notice smoke coming from the basement." When he went 
down he saw: "A mass of flames and a lot of smoke." He could not recognise any of the men.
'Det. Supt. William Brereton said he had had a telephone call from Shiffner on March 20, whom
he later told he was believed to have been involved in a case of arson. Shiffner had replied: "I
would not like to be involved in such a stupid escapade as setting fire to a place."
'Shiffner, when asked if he were in Gower Street, had said: "This is very difficult. I have been
wondering where my duty lies. You see, I did find myself in Gower Street that afternoon, but 
not by choice. When I realised someone had set fire to the place it was my duty to inform the
police."
Supt. Brereton said that Shiffner added: "But I really only know the hierarchy of the movement,
so it would not have been much use. I did not know the others, apart from Dawson, and he did
not go into the house."
'When told he would be charged with arson he said: "That's rather hard after telling you the 
truth." When charged, he said: "I set fire to nothing."
'The three were further remanded until April 6. Elliott's bail of £40 and Shiffner's of £200 were
continued, and Dawson, previously remanded in custody, was allowed bail on his own bail of 
£500 and two sureties of £250.'
The "Daily Telegraph" of 7 April 1961:-
'A trip by van through London to the Bloomsbury headquarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement,
where fire later broke out, was described in extracts from a statement read at Clerkenwell
yesterday. The statement was made by Sir Henry David Shiffner. In it he said he thought he was
being driven in the van to the Dorchester, where the South African Prime Minister, Dr. Verwoerd,
was staying.
'Shiffner, 31, the eighth baronet, a company director, of Old School House, Offham, Lewes,
appeared on remand with three other men on charges of arson and conspiring to break into a
house in Gower Street, Bloomsbury, on March 4, with intent to commit a felony. The basement
of the building is occupied by the Anti-Apartheid movement.
'In the statement, read in court by his counsel, Mr. William Howard, Shiffner said that when he
found he had not been taken to the Dorchester, he said: "Where the hell are we?" Someone
said: "This is the opposition headquarters. Let's go in and see what their plans are, pretending
we are provincial demonstrators arriving late."
"I still maintained that we were in the wrong place and acting against strict instructions that 
we confine our activities to the Dorchester," the statement said. Shiffner said he remained in
the van. There was a shout of "Fire," and everyone jumped into the van. It was driven off at
"great speed."
'All four pleaded not guilty and reserved their defence. They were committed for trial at the Old
Bailey and all allowed bail.'
The "Daily Telegraph" of 10 May 1961:-
'Sir Henry Shiffner, 31, the eighth baronet and a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's Union move-
ment, was acquitted at the Old Bailey yesterday of maliciously setting fire to the London head-
quarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement.
'Outside the court Sir Henry said: "Whether or not I remain a member of the Union movement
depends on talks I must have with the leader. I have planned a meeting with him very soon."
'Sir Henry, a former Cambridge University jazz band player, was discharged on the second day
of his trial after a successful submission by his counsel, Mr. Victor Durand QC that there was
no case for him to answer.
'The crown had alleged that Sir Henry and three other members of the Union movement had
arranged to take part in a demonstration on March 4 to welcome Dr. Verwoerd, the South
African Premier, to London.
'Later that afternoon, according to the prosecution, the four men went in a van to the head-
quarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement in Gower Street, Bloomsbury, and set light to its
basement offices.
'In a statement to the police Sir Henry had said that he thought the van was going to the
Dorchester Hotel. At Gower Street, he just sat in the van and only later realised something
more serious had happened. 
'After Mr. Durand's successful submission Sir Henry was discharged by Mr. Justice Widgery.
'Sir Henry, of Old School House, Offham, near Arundel, Sussex, who inherited £70,000 from his
father, a soldier, who was killed at Tobruk, said afterwards: "I first went to Africa 18 months
ago and came back with certain views. I felt the withdrawal of British rule in Africa was wrong.
Sir Oswald Mosley's Union movement seemed to me the only one which was prepared to stand
up for the white man in Africa. I joined it six months ago and paid the normal subscription. I am
disillusioned by the movement's methods, although I agree with some of their policies, especially
about the control of coloured immigrants. Sir Oswald is a personal and social friend of mine and
that is another reason why I joined his movement. I think I'm the only British baronet in it."
The special remainder to the baronetcy of Sinclair created in 1786
From the "London Gazette" of 31 January 1786 (issue 12722, page 45):-
'The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the Kingdom of Great Britain to
John Sinclair, of Ulbster in the County of Caithness, Esq; and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully
begotten; with Remainders severally to the first and every other Son and Sons successively of
Hannah Sinclair, his eldest Daughter, and of Janet Sinclair, another of his Daughters, and their
respective Heirs Male.'
Sir John George Tollemache Sinclair, 3rd baronet [GB 1786]
After the death of Sir John Sinclair, the following article appeared in the 'Washington Post' on
5 October 1912:-
'Sir Archibald Sinclair, 22 years of age, a lieutenant in the Second life guards, and who is half 
American, has just succeeded to the title and the immense estates of his nonagenarian
grandfather, the late Sir John Tollemache Sinclair. [Sir Archibald later became the 1st Viscount
Thurso]. 
'The landed property is very great, extending over an area of 100 square miles in Scotland,
comprising some of the finest shooting in the northern kingdom, and the wonderfully 
picturesque castle of Thurso, which looks over the stormy tides of the Pentland Firth, and
is so close to the sea that one can literally fish from the spray-flecked windows.
'Just east of the castle, which is exceedingly spacious, is Harold's Tower, containing the tomb
of Earl Harold, who was the possessor at one time of half or Orkney, of Shetland, and of
Caithness, and who fell in battle against his namesake, Earl Harold the Wicked, in 1190.
'Sir Archibald's mother was Mabel, the beautiful daughter of Mahlon Sands, of New York, and
through her he is connected by ties of kinsmanship with a number of New York families, 
including the Rutherfurds and the Vanderbilts. Sir Archibald will be known henceforth north of
the Tweed as the Laird of Ulbster, and has now become chieftain of one of the branches of 
that great clan of Sinclair of which the seventeenth Earl of Caithness is the head.
'His grandfather, the late Sir John, was a very eccentric character. He rarely, if ever, dined at 
a restaurant in vogue, never used to go to a theater or to the opera or even to a music hall,
rarely dined out, and was never seen at a ball or party. In spite of his great wealth, he had
neither carriages, horse, nor automobiles; walked by preference, and when riding was 
imperative, made use of the democratic omnibus.
'He would live on herrings and hominy, cooked in his lodgings just off St. James street by
himself over a spirit lamp, and then on the following day would fuss over the merits or demerits
of the world-famed chef of the Travelers, the most exclusive club in London, of which this
wonderful old laird, with his odd-looking wig and his beard, his erect and spare, tall figure, and
his extraordinary flow of conversation was one of the oldest members.
'In spite of his numerous castles, country seats, and houses in England, Scotland, and on the
Continent, he lived entirely, during the last 30 years of his life, in his lodgings off St. James
street, the walls of which were hung with the not particularly attractive Sinclair tartan. Its
hues, however, were more or less concealed by the most heterogeneous collection of pictures,
some of them priceless gems, others the most worthless daubs. In one word, his rooms, like
his castles and country seats, were filled with a mixture of art treasures and art rubbish.
'Sir John may be said to have commenced his public career rather early, since he was page of
honor to Queen Adelaide in the reign of William IV, receiving, on his resignation of that post,
at the age of 17, the customary commission in the Scots Guards. He married away back in the
early fifties one of the beautiful Anglo-French Standishes of Duxbury Park, and this naturally
brought him into close contact with the court of the Tuileries, and with the great world in Paris
during the palmy days of the empire.
'Indeed, Sir John was at one time a familiar a figure in Paris as in London, and it is no 
exaggeration to assert that he met and was personally acquainted more or less intimately with
nearly every notable personage of the Victorian era, from Nicholas I of Russia and the great
Duke of Wellington to the present czar and Emperor William, and comprising Prince Bismarck,
with whom he stayed at Friedrichsruhe: Count Cavour, Mazzini, Garibaldi, Empress Eugenie,
both prior and subsequent to her marriage: Marshal Prim, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, Thiers 
etc.
'His "Reminiscences" which he printed for private circulation, and of which he sent me a copy 
some years ago, contain many things that are trivial, almost to the point of childishness, and
here and there something of real importance. But such as they are, they all help to increase
the understanding of the personages with whom they deal.
'To record Sir John's eccentricities would fill a volume. Some years ago he endeavored to
relieve the monotony of the poorhouses all over England and Scotland by presenting them
with gramophones, the records consisting, however, not of popular tunes, but of speeches
which he delivered and of recitations which he had given, either of his own works or of his
favorite authors.
'Among the latter, first and foremost, was Byron, among the most extraordinary memorials
that have ever been designed to perpetuate the name of this or any other bard is that which
Sir John conceived and put into execution. Instead of taking the form of a statue, it assumed
the altogether utilitarian shape of an office building, occupying the site of the old offices of
the London comic weekly Punch, on the south side of Fleet street, near St. Bride's Church.
'Every stone of the hall pavement of this great office building, which will bring in a large
income to his grandson and heir, the now baronet, young Sir Archibald, in the way of rental,
is inscribed, "Byron, the Pilgrim of Eternity," and the dates of his birth and death. Each tile is
adorned with the words "Crede Byron," while on every block of marble lining the walls are
verses from his poems, particularly stanzas from "Childe Harold" and "Don Juan."
'And as if Byron's verses were not sufficient, other inscriptions on the walls record the opinions
expressed concerning him by such men as Schiller, Goethe, Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Tennyson,
Chateaubriand, Sir Walter Scott and Matthew Arnold. Yet another inscription on the wall states
that the British Museum library catalogue devotes 28 pages to Byron and only 10 to Tennyson.
On still another, Sir John Sinclair records the fact that one edition for the blind has been
published of Byron's works, and none of Tennyson's. Over the entrance is a beautiful medallion
portrait of Byron in white marble, with Shelley's splendid epitaph, "The Pilgrim of Eternity," and I
need scarcely say that the office building bears the name of Byron House.
'One would be apt to imagine that the overwhelming quantity of Byronic quotations, adorning
as they do every vacant place, every stone and tile, and all the walls, floors and ceilings,
would be apt to get on the nerves of the occupants. But apparently this is not the case. The
building is full of tenants.'
Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th baronet
The following is extracted from "The Emperor of the United States of America and Other
Magnificent British Eccentrics" by Catherine Caufield (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1981)
Although Sir George Sitwell lived in the 19th and 20th centuries, his heart and mind were in the
fourteenth. He was lord of the manor of Eckington in Derbyshire for eighty-one years, a position
that suited him to perfection, or would have if the world hadn't changed so much in the last
500 years. A sign in his house ran: 'I must ask anyone entering the house never to contradict
me in any way, as it interferes with the functioning of the gastric juices and prevents my 
sleeping at night.'
His interests, though obscure, were wide-ranging. Seven sitting-rooms at Renishaw Hall were
co-opted to serve as his studies. All were littered with books and notes, each subject filed in 
its own specially constructed box. Some of the more intriguing titles for possible future 
monographs were:
     The Black Death at Rotherham
     The Use of the Bed
     Osbert's Debts
     Acorns as an Article of Medieval Diet
     Sachie's Mistakes
     Pig Keeping in the Thirteenth Century
     The History of the Fork
     Domestic Manners in Sheffield in the Year 1250
     My Advice on Poetry
     Lepers' Squints [my personal favourite]
     Wool-Gathering in Medieval Times and Since
     The Errors of Modern Parents
     The Eckington Dump
     The Origin of the Word Gentleman
     The History of the Cold
     My Inventions
Any article on the last subject would have to include the Sitwell Egg. With a yolk of smoked 
meat, a white of compressed rice and a shell of synthetic lime, this was intended to be a
convenient and nourishing meal for travellers. Sir George decided to put the marketing of his 
egg into the experienced hands of Mr Gordon Selfridge, founder of the famous Oxford Street 
shop. Wearing a silk hat and frock coat, he appeared in Selfridge's office one morning without
an appointment, and announced, 'I'm Sir George Sitwell and I've brought my egg with me.' He 
told no one what Selfridge said, but soon after this encounter the egg project was quietly 
shelved. There were other inventions, however, including a musical toothbrush that played 
'Annie Laurie' and a small revolver for killing wasps.
Sir George's strength of personality was matched by that of his three talented children, or 
nearly so, for although they all managed successful careers of their own in the end, his 
disapproval of virtually everything they did was a major factor in their development. When 
Osbert announced that he was thinking of writing a novel, he was told, 'Oh I shouldn't do that
if I were you! My cousin, Stephen Arthington, had a friend who utterly ruined his health writing
a novel!' Of Edith's literary aspirations, his comment was: 'Edith made a great mistake by not
going in for lawn tennis.' He was also an enthusiastic advocate of gymnastics: ' Nothing a 
young man likes so much as a girl who's good at the parallel bars.' This is at least as useful a
piece of advice as another of his favourite maxims: 'Nothing makes a man so popular as singing
after dinner.' Sitwell's attitude towards his children is summarised in his comment to Osbert: 'It
is dangerous for you to lose touch with me for a single day. You never know when you may 
need the benefit of my experience and advice.'
Losing touch for as many days as possible became a major preoccupation for Osbert and
Sacheverell who invented a mythical yacht, the Rover, and had headed notepaper printed on
which they wrote to their father regretting that as the itinerary was as yet unsettled they
could not give him an address where they might be contacted. All this time they were in London
or Italy, but in spite of Sir George's not infrequent excursions to both places, they were in little
danger of being discovered since he rarely recognised his children outside the home.
Of course the temptation, one might almost say the need, to tease such a father was great.
Sir George was particularly vulnerable with regard to modern developments, say since 1650. He
knew nothing of modern slang. Shocked by the bad behaviour of an acquaintance who offered
him a piece of jewellery and failed to deliver it, Sir George complained to Osbert about modern
manners. 'Such a pity to promise people things and then forget about them. It is most
inconsiderate - really inexcusable.' The cause of this lament was the parting remark: 'I'll give
you a ring, Sir George, on Thursday.'
At one period Osbert used the word 'blotto' frequently and deliberately until his father finally
rose to the bait and asked what it meant. He seemed interested to learn that it was slang for
very tired. Shortly afterwards he took the opportunity of demonstrating how au fait he was
with modern ways by suggesting to two guests that they should take a rest after lunch as
they both seemed quite blotto.  The children once got him to book a month's holiday at a
lunatic asylum by representing it as a charming retreat, affectionately nicknamed 'the bin' by a
core of loyal residents would could hardly bear to tear themselves away.
Sir George's ignorance of, or refusal to acknowledge, the facts of modern life was extraordinary.
He proposed, in the 1930s, an artist's ball, to which he suggested inviting Degas, Renoir, Rodin
and Sergeant. [Degas had died in 1917, Renoir in 1919, Rodin in 1917 and Sargent, whom I
presume is meant by 'Sergeant', in 1925.] For a while farming was his passion and he gave his 
long-suffering agent many valuable hints on how it was done in the fourteenth century. During 
this time he tried to pay, whenever possible, in kind: offering pigs and potatoes to Eton for
Sacheverell's school fees. Osbert managed to get his allowance paid in currency, but his father
arrived at the proper amount by studying the allowance granted the eldest son of the Lord of
the Eckington Manor at the time of the Black Death. Lady Ida, Sir George's wife, got involved
with an unscrupulous money-lender and, when her husband refused on principle to bail her out,
became the centre of a painful and notorious lawsuit. This dreadful experience confirmed Sir
George in his misanthropic views - as he said to Osbert, 'such a mistake to have friends.' - and
drove him even further into the life of a recluse.
Sir George was acutely conscious of his many acts of generosity. What some misguided people
saw as meddling, was, he knew only too well, self-sacrifice: the dedication of his time and
thought to advance the good of others. This could be wearying and occasionally he gave vent
to an exhausted plea for understanding. To a Salvation Army lass soliciting funds for Self-Denial
Week, he sighed, 'For some people, self-denial week is every week.'
He gave Osbert the benefit of his experience when in 1914 he wrote from Scarborough to his
son, who was then an officer in the trenches: 'though you will not, of course, have to
encounter anywhere abroad the same weight of gunfire that your mother and I had to face 
here, yet my experience may be useful to you. Directly you hear the first shell, retire, as I did, 
to the Undercroft, and remain there quietly until all firing had ceased. Even then a bombardment
…..is a strain upon the nervous system - but the best remedy for that, as always, is to keep 
warm and have plenty of plain, nourishing food at frequent but regular intervals. And, of course, 
plenty of rest, I find a nap in the afternoon most helpful…….and I advise you to try it whenever 
possible.'
Among his characteristic acts were banning electricity from Renishaw during his lifetime; limiting
guests to two candles apiece; and insisting that the family drink cold boiled water rather than
wine during travels in Italy.
On his journeys alone through Italy Sir George stayed at very primitive inns, quite often sharing
a dormitory with eight or ten other men in what was little more than a doss house. But he had 
with him his valet, Henry Moat, known as 'the Great Man', whose responsibility it was to rig the
mosquito net each night and lay out the formal evening dress in which Sir George insisted on
appearing for dinner at these tumbledown inns. The mosquito net was basic equipment - at 
home and abroad - for someone with Sir George's dread of disease and germs. He travelled with
an extensive supply of medicines, all mislabelled to discourage - or at least to punish - anybody
wanting to sample. His inflatable air cushion, another ever-present companion, was doughnut-
shaped so that Sir George could slip it over his arm when not in using it.
Decorating his two houses, Renishaw in Derbyshire and Montegufoni in Italy, and redesigning
their gardens were Sir George's greatest pleasures. He spent enormous sums of money and a
great deal of his own and other people's time on an endless succession of alterations and
improvements. As Henry Moat said, 'He never entered any place, but he commencing pulling
down and building up.'
Sir George thought nothing of lowering lawns by several feet, making hills, relocating vast trees,
creating or draining lakes. He had schemes for constructing or importing fountains, aqueducts,
cascades, and statues of all descriptions. Four thousand men were set to work on an artificial
lake at Renishaw. A plan was mooted to stencil Chinese blue-willow patterns on his white cows,
but the cows' objections put an end to the project. Wooden survey towers loomed out of the
lake to provide a vantage point for plotting further changes to the landscape. Nothing was ever
completed, but that didn't prevent new projects being planned. And each new scheme struck
terror into someone's heart; visiting his son Sacheverell's home in Weston in Northamptonshire
in 1924, Sir George casually remarked as he looked out across the grounds. 'I don't propose to
do much here; just a sheet of water and a line of statues.'
                                             **********************
Sir George's wife, Lady Ida, was the daughter of the 1st Earl of Londesborough. She had little,
if any, notion of the value of money and didn't have the first idea of any matter connected
with business. This led to appear in court on several occasions over money matters, as referred
to above. She appeared in court in January 1899, October 1913 and November 1914, each 
appearance being related to her financial affairs. The most serious case was, however, in March
1915, when she was convicted on charges of conspiracy to cheat and defraud and sentenced
to three months' imprisonment.
The Slade baronetcy case of 1867
Like so many nineteenth century claims to titles, this case revolved around the legality of an
earlier marriage ceremony, and the consequent legitimacy of the children born of that marriage.
In 1867, General Marcus Slade challenged the legality of his brother's marriage, and claimed 
that the baronetcy and estates were rightfully his, rather than his nephew's. The following
summary of the case appeared in the 'Newcastle Courant' on 17 May 1867:-
'Celebrated as are the superior law courts for cases of romantic interest, it is seldom that a 
trial occurs involving more remarkable incidents than are to be found in that  which has just
been brought to a termination in the Court of Exchequer. It is called the Slade baronetcy case,
by which the disposal of considerable estates in Somersetshire is challenged, the legitimacy of
a family which has unquestionably been brought up on the estates, on the supposition of the 
right of inheritance, is impugned, and the question of the validity of the marriage of her who
has passed for many years, and still passes, under the name of Lady Slade, is raised.
'To trace the affair from its source, we must begin with the entail of the estates in 1832 by
General Sir John Slade. To him succeeded, in turn, his sons Henry and Charles, but they both
died without issue, and the estates then devolved upon the third son, Frederick, so well known
in legal circles under the name Sir Frederick William Slade. It appears that Sir Frederick, then 
Mr. Slade, probably without any expectation of succeeding to the family inheritance, whilst
travelling on the continent about forty years since made the acquaintance of a Miss Mostyn,
who lived with her mother. She was of good family, accomplished, and beautiful, apparently
wealthy, and in social position by no means inferior to her admirer. From the evidence it would
seem that Miss Mostyn's appearance had created quite a furore in Northern Italy, and Italians
are still living who can speak with fervour of her beauty in 1825. This is not the only romantic
recollection attached to the lady's life, but it may be passed over for the present. About 1833
she was married to Mr. Slade in England. This is beyond all question, though it is affirmed that 
the marriage was not made public till 1848, when her husband succeeded to the baronetcy
and estates in Somersetshire [This is certainly not correct - he did not succeed to the title
until 1859]. Since that period, however, Sir Frederick and Lady Slade lived in the enjoyment
of social rank and distinction, their children were called by the family name, and no cloud -
at least no cloud apparent to the public - obscured their happiness till the death of Sir 
Frederick in 1863.
'Then a singular difficulty arose, which has yet to be solved by the judges of the Exchequer
Court. They have heard the evidence, and it is for them to decide what is legal or otherwise.
In the meanwhile, the history may be given without prejudicing what is to follow. Miss Mostyn's
beauty, while some gentlemen, who cannot be called chickens, still remember, did not alone
move the impressionable Italians. One Baron Von Korber, a lieutenant in the Austrian service,
was struck by it. He sought her hand, and won it. This was in 1825. But there was a difficulty
in the way. The baron was a Protestant, the lady belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. 
Now the lovers were in Lombardy, where, as elsewhere, mixed marriages were forbidden except
by express permission of the Pope, and it is certain that in this case the permission of the Pope
was not obtained. Von Korber applied to the priest of the parish in Milan in which Miss Mostyn
resided, but he declined to tie the conjugal knot. He knew the law, and he obeyed it. But his
refusal, it seems, daunted neither Von Korber nor Miss Mostyn, for they, or he, at least, applied
to a military chaplain of superior rank, and the thing was done.
'But the marriage was a most unhappy one. In six months the young couple separated never to
meet again. A divorce a mensa et thoro [i.e. "from table and bed" - it refers to a type of 
divorce in which a couple is legally separated, but the marriage is still considered to be valid. 
The legitimacy of any children in the marriage remains intact, but the partners may not 
re-marry. This type of divorce allows partners to live apart without fear of being taken to court 
for desertion] was granted to them, and Von Korber's conscience permitted him to accept an 
annuity from his divorced wife in lieu of her affection and household management. 
'The question which the Court of Exchequer must decide is the legality or illegality of this
marriage. It is apparent that there was an incompatibility of temper, but that is not the matter
at issue, because it is not sufficient to establish the validity of the divorce or the invalidity of
the marriage. Both sides agree that, according to the Austrian law, the only person competent
to celebrate a marriage is the man who had the cure of souls over one of the bridal persons, 
and the military chaplain could have no ecclesiastical authority over Miss Mostyn. Had he any
over Von Korber? On one side it is contended that he had none whatever. Von Korber was a
Protestant, and the regimental chaplain, who belonged to another sect, could not have had any
ecclesiastical authority over him. But then, it is said, a soldier in the Austrian service differs 
from a civilian in this respect. It is insisted that an Austrian soldier is under special legislation,
which "cures" him spiritually whether he is willing or not, so that Von Korber in this sense was
performing a strictly legal act when he, a Protestant soldier, went to a Roman Catholic priest
to be married. 
'The business of the Court of Exchequer is to clear up and decide these subtle points; but 
though the solution of them will decide this important case, something still remains to be told of
the interesting history. The plaintiff [General Marcus Slade], who claims the estates and the 
baronetcy, is a younger [twin] brother of the late Sir Frederick. He is a general in the army, 
and he holds the position of Governor of Guernsey Castle. He declares that he challenged the 
marriage of his brother as illegal as soon as he heard of it in 1848, and the correspondence is 
extant to prove his assertion. In 1860, his nephew, the eldest son of Sir Frederick Slade, wrote
to him on the subject, and the general in reply urged him to settle the case by law. He 
acknowledged him as the son of his brother, but not as his legitimate son, for Von Korber did 
not die till 1854, and then he added that, whatever the legal decision might be, his nephew 
might reckon upon him as a friend at all times. His letter was frank and manly in tone, nor was 
that of his nephew at all deficient in these qualities. For the estates, he said, he did not care, 
but for his legitimacy he did, and if his uncle would help him to procure a legal decision, he
would have the case cleared up as soon as possible.
'In this painful romance there is, therefore, no family bitterness or animosity. It is one of the
curiosities of the law of entail, one of the pleasures the landed gentry indulge in by the rule of
primogeniture. It is absurd to suppose that Sir Frederick and Lady Slade did not believe they
were married in 1833. It is contrary to evidence to imagine that they did not bring up their
family since 1848 according to the rules of legitimacy prevailing in their circle, and yet, though
Sir Frederick Slade could, and no doubt did, dispose of his personalty by will, he must leave to
a law court to resolve whether those nearest to him in blood and love could succeed to the
property he enjoyed in his lifetime, or whether it must go to others over whom he had no legal
control or direction.'
When the Court of Exchequer gave its judgment in June 1867, the four judges were locked at
2-all. The Chief Baron, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, and one of the other three Puisne Barons, Sir Samuel
Martin found in favour of Sir Alfred Slade. The remaining two Barons, Sir George Bramwell (later
Baron Bramwell) and Sir Gillery Pigott, found in favour of General Slade. In the event of a split
decision, it was the custom at that time for the junior Baron (in this case, Sir Gillery Pigott) to
withdraw his opinion, and the case to be then transferred to the House of Lords for judgment.
Before this could occur, however, the case was settled out of court, as reported in the
'Aberdeen Journal' of 31 July 1867:-
'The Slade baronetcy case has been compromised. General Slade, according to the terms of
arrangement brought about by the action of mutual friends, abandons all claim to the title and
the estates, receiving from his nephew, the present inheritor, £28,000, and the amount of
costs for which he had become liable in connection with the recent litigation.'
Sir Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade, 7th baronet
Sir Benjamin is a magnificent eccentric whose exploits have appeared in the newspapers in
recent years. His major goal in life appears to be the discovery of a male heir to inherit his
13th century estate, variously valued at between £7 million to £20 million.
In February 2007, it was reported that Sir Benjamin "is a firm believer  in his aristocratic 
bloodline, claiming that he can trace his ancestry back to Alfred the Great. For this reason,
he hopes to use DNA testing to find his closest genetic relative in the U.S. 'I'm hoping it won't
be some cowpoke or someone who lives on a trailer park surrounded by rattlesnakes. I would
have a screaming fit if I found out it was some chap like that. I want someone with a bit of
money and a couple of yachts.' "
Sir Benjamin later changed tack and began seeking a woman to give him an heir. "I need a male
heir. I'm the last of the line. Father would be appalled. It's a terrible disgrace. When you die
without an heir they cut your crest in half on your coffin with a sword and some other lot go
and grab it. Awful. It's like losing your rugger colours."
When describing the ideal woman, Sir Benjamin said, "They wouldn't want to be gypsies. They
wouldn't want to be Guardian readers either. Africa's out. So is anywhere that's got green in
its flag, begins with an 'I' or where they don’t wear overcoats in the winter. Iceland, Ireland,
Israel, Iraq, Iran - all out. I won't go to holidays in these places. I don't want anything to do
with them. Oh, and the breeders couldn't be too eccentric because I'm eccentric, so you'd
get someone coming out who's utterly raving."
Sir Benjamin said he has nine months supply of "little wrigglers" frozen and ready for the right 
woman to carry his child. The French, drug users, communists, and homosexuals have also
been ruled out.
In keeping with Sir Benjamin's sense of civic duty, he offered the services of his dog as a
best man for gay weddings at his country seat. According to his master, the dog, a labrador-
Doberman cross named Jasper, is ideally suited for this task. "Jasper is absolutely perfect for
the role. For one thing, he is gay himself. He may also appeal to the more cosmopolitan among
potential same-sex suitors as he is anti-hunting, a pacifist and probably supports New Labour."
In October 2007, Sir Benjamin made a claim on his insurers for £4,000 after he alleged that a 
randy peacock had 'sexually attacked' one of his employee's cars. He subsequently banned 
peacock blue Lexus cars from the estate's car park. According to Sir Benjamin, the incident
proved that the peacock was gay, since peahens are brown and only males are blue. He said
that the peacock had damaged the car because it looked like "another peacock boy. He
attacked the panels so hard that the car needs a total respray. The insurers are not very
happy about it. They've had claims for all sorts of things like lions biting people, but never have
they heard of a peacock sexually attacking a car."
For an hilarious interview with Sir Benjamin, cut and paste the following link into your browser:-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-benjamin-slade-i-am-going-to-be-a-mega-megastar-815130.html
 
A more recent article on Sir Benjamin's efforts appeared in the "Daily Mail" on 21 April 2017, 
written by Jane Fryer:-
'Sir Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade is a rheumy-eyed Casanova who has a most disconcerting
habit of pointing his crotch and talking about 'business down there'.
'He describes his ideal woman as 'a big strong healthy warrior, the bigger the better - if I see
a tall woman coming into a room, I just fall over backwards. My tongue hangs out. It gets
exciting."
'Last week he caused a furore when he denounced one of his recent (extremely attractive)
companions, Bridget Convet, 50, as 'too old to have children' and reminded all young, fertile
ladies that he is once again 'interviewing hard' for the position of Lady Slade.
"I have had a few proposals," he said. "But sometimes the women are past their sell-by date
and have been over the guns a few times."
'Sir Ben, as he likes to be addressed, is 70 years old himself.
'Subsequently he announced that he wanted to 'road-test' young women, adding: "It would 
be nice if they were a breeder, of an age where they can have a couple of sons."
'On paper - away from the leery, pink-cheeked flesh - Sir Ben's pedigree is impeccable. His
ancestors fought in the Crimean War; he had links to Horatio Nelson; General Sir John Slade,
who bought the family seat, Maunsel House, in 1772, danced with Marie Antoinette; and
his aunt Madeleine Slade, as he indelicately puts it, "s*****d [Mahatma] Gandhi."
'He is worth about £20 million and owns two Somerset stately homes, 13th-century Maunsel
House and 19th-century Woodlands Castle, from which he runs a thriving wedding business.
He also has thousands of acres, a handful of farms, a grouse shoot in Scotland, a collection
of moth-eaten stuffed animal heads, hundreds of guns and wardrobes of red trousers. 
'Which presumably is why he is so desperate for an heir (plus a spare) to inherit it all when 
he dies. "Daughters don't count," he says. "Wonderful things to have around, of course, but
they don't count."
'Over the years he has been relentless in his quest, rattling through a wife, Pauline Myburgh;
several long-term lovers including Fiona Aitken, now wife of the Earl of Carnarvon and 
chatelaine of Highclere Castle, where Downton [Abbey] was filmed. ("absolutely impossible
woman; social astronaut, drove me mad!"); actress Kirsten Hughes and, by his own account,
more members of European 'jet-trash' society than most gentry have had roast grouse dinners.
'But he can't seem to get it right. "I'm the worst judge of women in England. I've had five mad
women on the trot; it's been very difficult."
'In 2007 he made a public appeal for an heir of sorts, offering his entire estate to whichever
stranger most closely matched his DNA, so long as they weren't Guardian readers, drug-users or
communists. That didn't work because the winner, Isaac Slade, who fronts U.S. rock group The
Fray, was too busy with his band to deal with sweeping driveways and the worry of dry rot.
'Then in 2012, after Kirsten, then 49, had, according to him, "run off with the handyman," Sir
Ben wasted no time in advertising to replace not only the handyman but Kirsten, too, offering
a £50,000 salary plus car, house, food and holidays.
Crucially, the successful candidate would have a shotgun certificate, be able to run two
castles and must be able to breed two sons (it didn't matter if she had bred before). And when
that didn't bear fruit, he had his sperm frozen ("it's very good stuff") and carried on chatting up
'any bit of crumpet that moves' - so long as she didn't come from a country with green in its
flag, beginning with an "I", or anywhere they don't wear overcoats in the winter.
'But still there was no heir apparent riding a trike through the great hall. 
'So is he really an appalling man, playing for laughs or publicity, or has desperation made him so
ungallant?
'Whatever the truth, his recent comments have not gone down well. Bridget, unsurprisingly,
was hopping mad, not least because they haven't been an item since 2014 and she is actually
happily engaged to a chap called Alister. Online, thousands have denounced Sir Ben as a sexist
dinosaur.
"I'm not sexist," he says. "Men want to carve a joint and pour the drinks, women want to make
sure the table looks nice. It's a partnership!"
'But a fair few, perhaps tempted by his surprisingly good skin as much as his fortune, got in 
touch this week. "I've been inundated with offers!" he chirps happily, oblivious to the feminist
blood boiling around him. "I'm going to have a party and get them all down. The more the
merrier!"
'Hugely encouraged, he has even added new criteria to his list of required attributes. Driving
and shooting licences are now non-negotiable. The former is to drive him to long boozy lunches,
while the latter is more pressing since police found an unlicensed shotgun in his bedroom - he
liked to shoot foxes in his pyjamas - and he nearly landed in prison. Scorpios are also a no-no. 
And now he is slowing down a bit, so is anyone much under 30 or over 40.
'A 'terribly exotic Spanish creature' he dated 18 months ago was duly informed of this necessity.
She said: "Darling, you're too old for me." And I said:"No darling, you'll be 40 next year - you're
too old for me!"
'Sir Ben, who made his fortune in shipping but then put most of his money into his estate, is
now asset-rich but cash-poor, so life with him will not be all butlers, polished silverware and
devilled kidneys. He re-uses teabags and lives on vegetable juice, Ryvita, watery porridge and
the occasional gull's egg as a treat.
'To save £15,000 tax a year, he has moved out of Maunsel House into a half-built farmhouse
where he scrimps on the heating, shares a bedroom with his Jack Russell, Bully, and labrador,
Gerald, names after the late Duke of Westminster, and has an inspirational message from
Donald Trump by his bed (he and Trump's first wife, Ivana, were good pals).
'He rises at six, works all hours on his wedding business and wears holey jumpers. "Most women
don't understand," he says. "It's a nightmare running this place. The heating bill's £50,000 a
year. They don't tend to stay."
'He is also constantly tired tanks to a sleep disorder, and has suffered a brief problem with his
prostate - or 'bicycle pump' as he calls it - which he keeps 'fired up' with oysters. Other than
that he claims to be in excellent health and even hangs upside down in a harness every 
morning to reduce stress. "Stress is not good - and it's not good for down there, either," he
says, stabbing at his crotch yet again. "That's why I need a good woman to help with it all.
A good woman could be worth £100k to me, minimum, and she could pop out some heirs while
she's at it."
'But, given his health problem, is he up to the job? "Mao Tse Tung was bonking away when he
was 80! So was Moses. I'm slowing down a bit - I just don't get enough practice in," he says
sadly. Then he tells me he isn't a fan of Viagra, preferring a similar drug called Cialis: "It's really
good - lasts all weekend." There is also a concoction that his French nephew obtains from the
Far East, which he puts in his tea and which makes him go 'like greased lightning.'
'I wonder if all this is bluster and fantasy. So we move back to his childhood, which went from
happy to unutterably miserable when he was ten and his elder brother died (in a car crash),
followed by his mother the next year, then his uncle, then his father the year after that. Young
Ben was shipped off to a distant relative for his troubled teens, then packed off to Australia on
a one-way ticket, where he worked in the mines and on sheep stations and slept rough. Despite
having to overcome the odds, his grief and terrible dyslexia he pulled through, made a fortune
in shipping and bought back the family seat from his aunt.
'Given the parallels, I ask about Prince Harry's mental health charity. But he just harrumphs.
"They're all nuts, really. And his mother was totally screwed up. Everyone knows there are 
three families you should never marry into and the Spencers is one!"
'It is easy to see why he wants children - "if I drop dead today, this place will be on the market
in a month" - and he is convinced he'd make a good father. "People tell me 'you're too old. You'll
die.' So what? I was bloody orphaned. Anyway, a nice young attractive widow with two castles
and a title is going to get snapped up pretty quickly."
'What is surprising is that he never did manage to father a child, despite all that frantic rutting.
He blames what he calls "Fallopian complications" and claims "too many cats" were responsible
for his marriage failure. But what about adoption? He looks horrified. "People don't give anything
away that's any good, do they?" And a baby from overseas, he says, was completely out of
the question. "If you're living in the countryside and into hunting and shooting, an Aboriginal or
an African probably wouldn't go down too well round here. They might not let someone like me
adopt anyway." This is probably the wisest thing he has said so far.
'On the flip side, though, having Sir Ben as your dad might be a relentlessly politically incorrect
experience and you'd never dare bring anyone home for tea, but it would never be dull. He is 
the sort of man who throws wild parties, has 5,000 people in his address book and is someone 
to whom mad things inevitably happen.
'Who else would have a peacock called Ron Davies (after the Labour MP whose career was
destroyed by a 'moment of madness' involving a homosexual encounter on Clapham Common) 
which caused £4,000 damage to a peacock-blue car in a bout of misplaced ardour? Sir Ben also
cited a tomcat as co-respondent in his divorce. Then there was the time he went to court to
fight for custody of a rescue dog called Jasper that had been rehomed to a brewery heiress.
He was bequeathed to Slade, along with a trust fund that rose in value to £100,000 when his
owner died.
'Extraordinarily, Sir Ben's exes seem genuinely fond of him. "For some reason they all want to
come back - even Kirsten, who behaved disgracefully. Because I might not be the best looker
but there's always something happening and I make them laugh." And then, just as he is 
finally starting to sound more like a naughty uncle than a sexist oaf, he blows it by describing
the shape of his favourite breasts. "I do like them pointing upwards. I once had an American
girlfriend who had them pointing upwards. Just wonderful. And big, ideally, but I certainly don't
want some tired old flap they can throw over the shoulder!"
'Oh stop it, Sir Ben! You are clearly far brighter that you let on and work like a Trojan, but it's
as if you have a constant need to offend - especially when, against all odds, someone might
actually be warming to you.'
Sir Andrew Slanning, 2nd and last baronet
Sir Andrew was murdered in November 1700. The following account of his murder is taken from
"Celebrated Trials and Remarkable Cases of Criminal Jurisprudence from the earliest records to
the year 1825" by George Borrow [1803-1881] (6 vols, Knight and Lacey, London, 1825).
"One evening John Cowland, with some other bon vivants, followed Sir Andrew Slanning, bart.
who had made a temporary acquaintance with an orange-woman while in the pit at the Drury
Lane play-house, and retired with her as soon as the play was ended. They had gone but a 
few yards before Mr. Cowland put his arm round the woman's neck; on which Sir Andrew
desired he would desist, as she was his wife.
"Cowland, knowing Sir Andrew was married to a woman of honour, gave him the lie, and swords
were drawn on both sides; but some gentlemen coming up at this juncture, no immediate ill
consequence happened. They all now agreed to adjourn to the Rose tavern; and Capt. Wagget
having there used his utmost endeavours to reconcile the offended parties, it appeared that his
mediation was attended with success; but, as they were going upstairs to drink a glass of wine,
Mr. Cowland drew his sword, and stabbed Sir Andrew in the belly, who finding himself wounded,
cried out "murder." One of Lord Warwick's servants, and two other persons who were within 
the house, ran up immediately, and disarmed Cowland of his sword, which was bloody to the 
depth of five inches, and took him into custody. Cowland was instantly conducted before a
justice of the peace, who committed him; and on Dec. the 5th, 1700, he was tried at the Old
Bailey on three indictments - the first at the common law, the second on the statute of 
stabbing, and the third on the coroner's inquest for the murder. Every fact was fully proved 
on the trial; and among other things, it was deposed, that the deceased possessed an estate
of £20,000 a year, and that his family became extinct by his death; and that he had been a
gentleman of great good-nature, and by no means disposed to animosity. On Cowland's being
found guilty, sentence of death was passed on him; and though great interest was made to
obtain a pardon, he was executed at Tyburn the 20th Dec. 1700."
Sir Henry Slingsby, 1st baronet
Sir Henry was executed in June 1658 due to his loyalty to the Royalist cause during the English
Civil War. Following a planned Royalist insurrection in 1655, Slingsby was arrested and impris-
oned at Hull, and later at York, where he remained until 1658, but following a further royal plot
against the Commonwealth in that year, he was brought before the High Court and charged
with treason. He was initially sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, but the sentence
was later commuted to beheading, the sentence being carried out on Tower Hill on 8 June 1658.
The following account of his execution is taken from "The characters of the several noblemen
and gentlemen that have died in the defence of their respective princes...." by Thomas Salmon
[London 1724]:-
'About Eleven of the Clock, Sir Henry Slingsby was brought from the Tower to the Scaffold on
Tower-Hill; whither being come, he fell upon his Knees, and for a short Space pray'd privately.
Then standing up, he did in a short Speech, and with a very low Voice, address himself to Mr.
Sheriff Robinson, telling him, that what he had to say he would speak to him; which was to this
purpose:
"That he had receiv'd a Sentence to die, upon account of his endeavouring to betray the 
Garrison of Hull: But said, All that he did in that Business he was drawn into by others.
"That the Officers of that Garrison did believe he had some greater Design in hand, and there-
fore they would needs pump him to the bottom: But what he spoke to them in private was 
brought into Evidence against him. He likewise said, That he did no more than any Person would 
have done that was so brought on.
"That he had made many Applications (by his Friends) for a Reprieve, but found his Highness 
was inexorable. 
"He did confess, that he did deliver a Commission (as it was charged against him:) But said, 
that it was an old Commission, and what he meant was well known to himself; but what 
Constructions others had made of it might appear by his present Condition."
'He discover'd little Sense of Sorrow, or Fear of Death; but said, He was ready to submit, or
Words to like purpose.
'Then he addressed himself to private Prayer again; and kneeling down to the Block, he pray'd
privately for a short space: Then he laid his Head upon the Block, and at the Sign given, the
Executioner sever'd his Head from his Body at one Blow: And his Friends put his Body into a
Coffin, and remov'd it into a close Coach prepared near the Place.'
Sir Charles Slingsby, 10th baronet
Sir Charles, along with five others, was drowned in 1869 when the boat upon which he was 
crossing a river capsized. The following edited account of the accident appeared in the Dublin
'Freeman's Journal' on 8 February 1869:-
'[After describing at length the names of the persons who had met for a fox-hunt]…..no fox
was found until the hounds reached Monckton Whin; but a good run of about an hour's duration
was had towards Copgrove and Newby Hall, and near the latter the fox and the pack crossed
the river Ure. Several of the gentlemen who were in pursuit attempted to cross the river at a
ford some distance up the stream, but Sir Charles Slingsby and a majority of those who were
close up made for the ferry, which is almost directly opposite Newby-hall, and signalled for the
boat to be sent across. Swollen by the late rains, and to a great extent diverted from its
natural channel, the river, at this point some fifty or sixty yards broad, swept along with a
strong deep current. 
'With little or no hesitation the master of the hounds [Sir Charles] sprang into the boat, to be
piloted across by the Newby-hall gardener and his son, and this example was so largely
followed that in a very short time some twelve or fourteen gentlemen with their horses, 
crowded into a vessel intended to accommodate only half that number….[a number of others]
who were either unable to find room in the boat or had their doubts as to its safety, remained
on the banks awaiting its return. No warning voice cautioned them when they started on what
proved to some of them a fatal journey; indeed, their apparent luck in having gained the start
of the others was looked on many envious eyes. Any such feeling was, however, of short
duration.
'Seizing the chain by which the flat-bottomed boat is propelled, Captain Vyner and his brother
pushed it off from the river side, and sent the vessel right into the stream. Before one-third of
the distance had been traversed, Sir Charles Slingsby's horse became restive, and kicked the
animal belonging to Sir George Wombwell. The latter - a high-mettled chestnut - returned the 
kick, and something very like a panic arose among the horses. The boat was swayed first to 
one side and then to the other, and finally it was fairly turned bottom upwards.
'The scene which then ensued was of a very painful character. For a moment the slimy bottom
of the boat, rocked to and fro by the struggling of the men and horses, was all that could be
seen by the spectators on the bank; then here and there in different parts of the stream heads
began to appear only to sink again amid agonised cries, and hands and arms were flung up in
despair.  Horses were seen to battle with the current, striking out regardless of the injuries 
they inflicted on their masters, who were also swept by the current out of the reach of those 
anxious to afford relief.  In some cases, however, the prompt measures taken by the 
spectators were effectual. Those who could swim cast off their coats and plunged to save their 
friends, while others, not so happily gifted, took less vigorous, though not less useful, steps. 
Lines formed of whips tied together, and thrown within reach of the drowning men, and several
beams of wood which fortunately lay scattered about, were quickly launched on the stream. 
'Captain Vyner was one of the first to get his head out of water, and to save himself from the
current by clinging to the upturned vessel. After a vigorous struggle he reached the top of the
boat and was able to assist first Sir George Wombwell and afterwards one of the York officers
to the same position. Mr. White got on shore by means of the chain stretched across the ferry,
while others were rescued by means adopted for their safety from the banks. In a very few
minutes, however, it was found that six men and 11 horses had been drowned. Two horses 
were rescued. 
'Sir Charles Slingsby was seen by the spectators on the bank to strike out for the opposite
shore, but when nearing it he threw up his hands, and the last seen of him was his body 
floating down the river with his head and legs under water…….The body of Sir Charles Slingsby
was discovered 300 yards below the scene of the accident.'
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