PEERAGES
Last updated 16/10/2018 (20 Aug 2024)
Date	Rank	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
HILLSBOROUGH
21 Aug 1717	V[I]	1	Trevor Hill Created Baron Hill of Kilwarlin and Viscount Hillsborough 21 Aug 1717 MP [I] for Hillsborough 1713‑1715 and Down County 1715‑1717; MP for Aylesbury 1715‑1722; Lord Lieutenant Down 1729; PC [I] 1717	1693	5 May 1742	48
5 May 1742 3 Oct 1751 28 Aug 1772	E[I] E	2 1 1	Wills Hill Created Viscount Kilwarlin and Earl of Hillsborough [I] 3 Oct 1751, Baron Harwich 17 Nov 1756 and Viscount Fairford and Earl of Hillsborough [GB] 28 Aug 1772 For details of the special remainder included in the creations of 1751, see the note at the foot of this page He was subsequently created Marquess of Downshire with which title these peerages then merged	30 May 1718	7 Oct 1793	75
HILTON OF EGGARDON
14 Jun 1991	B[L]		Jennifer Hilton Created Baroness Hilton of Eggardon for life 14 Jun 1991	12 Jan 1936
HILTON OF UPTON
11 May 1965 to     3 May 1977	B[L]		Albert Victor Hilton Created Baron Hilton of Upton for life 11 May 1965 MP for Norfolk South West 1959‑1964 Peerage extinct on his death	14 Feb 1908	3 May 1977	69
HINCHINGBROOKE
12 Jul 1660	V	1	Edward Montagu Created Baron Montagu of St. Neots, Viscount Hinchingbrooke and Earl of Sandwich 12 Jul 1660 See "Sandwich"	27 Jul 1625	28 May 1672	46
HINDLIP
16 Feb 1886	B	1	Sir Henry Allsopp, 1st baronet Created Baron Hindlip 16 Feb 1886 MP for Worcestershire East 1874‑1880	19 Feb 1811	2 Apr 1887	76
2 Apr 1887		2	Samuel Charles Allsopp MP for Staffordshire East 1873‑1880 and Taunton 1882‑1887	24 Mar 1842	12 Jul 1897	55
12 Jul 1897		3	Charles Allsopp	22 Sep 1877	2 Dec 1931	54
2 Dec 1931		4	Charles Samuel Victor Allsopp	5 Nov 1906	30 Mar 1966	59
30 Mar 1966		5	Henry Richard Allsopp	1 Jul 1912	19 Dec 1993	81
19 Dec 1993		6	Charles Henry Allsopp	5 Aug 1940	5 Jun 2024	83
5 Jun 2024		7	Henry William Allsopp	8 Jun 1973
HINTON OF BANKSIDE
28 Jan 1965 to     22 Jun 1983	B[L]		Christopher Hinton Created Baron Hinton of Bankside for life 28 Jan 1965 OM 1976 Peerage extinct on his death	12 May 1901	22 Jun 1983	82
HINTON OF HINTON St. GEORGE
24 Dec 1706	V	1	John Poulett Created Viscount Hinton of Hinton St. George and Earl Poulett 24 Dec 1706 See "Poulett"	c 1663	25 May 1743
HINTZE
3 Nov 2022	B[L]		Sir Michael Hintze Created Baron Hintze for life 3 Nov 2022	27 Jul 1953
HIRSHFIELD
30 Aug 1967 to     6 Dec 1993	B[L]		Desmond Barel Hirschfield Created Baron Hirshfield for life 30 Aug 1967 Peerage extinct on his death	17 May 1913	6 Dec 1993	80
HIRST
28 Jun 1934 to     22 Jan 1943	B	1	Sir Hugo Hirst, 1st baronet Created Baron Hirst 28 Jun 1934 Peerage extinct on his death	26 Nov 1863	22 Jan 1943	79
HIVES
7 Jul 1950	B	1	Ernest Walter Hives Created Baron Hives 7 Jul 1950 CH 1943	21 Apr 1886	24 Apr 1965	79
24 Apr 1965		2	John Warwick Hives	26 Nov 1913	8 Oct 1997	83
8 Oct 1997		3	Matthew Peter Hives	25 May 1971
HOBART
28 May 1728	B	1	John Hobart, 5th baronet Created Baron Hobart 28 May 1728 and Earl of Buckinghamshire 5 Sep 1746 See "Buckinghamshire"	11 Oct 1693	22 Sep 1756	61
30 Nov 1798			Robert Hobart He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Hobart 30 Nov 1798 He succeeded as Earl of Buckinghamshire in 1804	6 May 1760	4 Feb 1816	55
HOBHOUSE
2 Jul 1885 to     6 Dec 1904	B	1	Sir Arthur Hobhouse Created Baron Hobhouse 2 Jul 1885 PC 1881 Peerage extinct on his death	10 Nov 1819	6 Dec 1904	85
HOBHOUSE OF WOODBOROUGH
1 Oct 1998 to     15 Mar 2004	B[L]		Sir John Stewart Hobhouse Created Baron Hobhouse of Woodborough for life 1 Oct 1998 Lord Justice of Appeal 1993‑1998; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1998‑2004; PC 1993	31 Jan 1932	15 Mar 2004	72
HOBSON
20 Jan 1964 to     17 Feb 1966	B[L]		Charles Rider Hobson Created Baron Hobson for life 20 Jan 1964 MP for Wembley North 1945‑1950 and Keighley 1950‑1959 Peerage extinct on his death	18 Feb 1903	17 Feb 1966	62
HODGE OF BARKING
14 Aug 2024	B[L]		Dame Margaret Eve Hodge Created Baroness Hodge of Barking for life 14 Aug 2024 MP for Barking 1994‑2024; PC 2005	8 Sep 1944
HODGSON OF ABINGER
16 Sep 2013	B[L]		Fiona Ferelith Hodgson Created Baroness Hodgson of Abinger for life 16 Sep 2013	7 Nov 1954
HODGSON OF ASTLEY ABBOTTS
7 Jun 2000	B[L]		Robin Granville Hodgson Created Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts for life 7 Jun 2000 MP for Walsall North 1976‑1979	25 Apr 1942
HODSON
1 Oct 1960 to     11 Mar 1984	B[L]		Sir Francis Lord Charlton Hodson Created Baron Hodson for life 1 Oct 1960 Lord Justice of Appeal 1951‑1960; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1960‑1971; PC 1951 Peerage extinct on his death	17 Sep 1895	11 Mar 1984	88
HOEY
14 Sep 2020	B[L]		Catharine Letitia Hoey Created Baroness Hoey for life 14 Sep 2020 MP for Vauxhall 1989‑2019; Minister for Sport 1999‑2001	21 June 1946
HOFFMANN
21 Feb 1995	B[L]		Sir Leonard Hubert Hoffmann Created Baron Hoffmann for life 21 Feb 1995 Lord Justice of Appeal 1992‑1995; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1995‑2009; PC 1992	8 May 1934
HOGAN-HOWE
7 Nov 2017	B[L]		Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe Created Baron Hogan-Howe for life 7 Nov 2017	25 Oct 1957
HOGG
3 Feb 1995	B[L]		Sarah Elizabeth Mary Hogg Created Baroness Hogg for life 3 Feb 1995	14 May 1946
HOGG OF CUMBERNAULD
24 Sep 1997 to     8 Oct 2008	B[L]		Norman Hogg Created Baron Hogg of Cumbernauld for life 24 Sep 1997 MP for Dunbartonshire East 1979‑1983 and Cumbernauld & Kilsyth 1983‑1997 Peerage extinct on his death	12 Mar 1938	8 Oct 2008	70
HOLAND
29 Jul 1314	B	1	Robert de Holand Summoned to Parliament as Lord Holand 29 Jul 1314	1290	7 Oct 1328	38
7 Oct 1328		2	Robert de Holand	1312	16 Mar 1373	60
16 Mar 1373		3	Maud Lovel	1356	c 1420
c 1420		4	William Lovel, 7th Lord Lovel	1397	13 Jun 1454	56
13 Jun 1454		5	John Lovel, 8th Lord Lovel	1432	9 Jan 1465	32
9 Jan 1465 to     Jun 1487		6	Francis Lovel, 9th Lord Lovel, later [1483 1st Viscount Lovel He was attainted and the peerages forfeited
15 Jul 1353	B	1	Thomas de Holand Summoned to Parliament as Lord Holand 15 Jul 1353 He was subsequently created Earl of Kent in 1360		28 Dec 1360
28 Dec 1360		2	Thomas de Holand, 2nd Earl of Kent	1350	29 Apr 1397	46
29 Apr 1397		3	Thomas de Holand, 3rd Earl of Kent, later [Sep 1397] 1st Duke of Surrey	1374	6 Jan 1400	25
6 Jan 1400 to     18 Sep 1408		4	Edmund de Holand, 4th Earl of Kent On his death the barony fell into abeyance	6 Jan 1384	18 Sep 1408	24
HOLDEN
4 Jul 1908	B	1	Sir Angus Holden, 2nd baronet Created Baron Holden 4 Jul 1908 MP for Bradford East 1885‑1886 and Buckrose 1892‑1900	16 Mar 1833	25 Mar 1912	79
25 Mar 1912		2	Ernest Illingworth Holden	8 Jan 1867	30 Jan 1937	70
30 Jan 1937 to     6 Jul 1951		3	Angus William Eden Holden Peerage extinct on his death For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	1 Aug 1898	6 Jul 1951	52
HOLDENBY
1666 to     22 May 1667	B	1	Charles Stuart Designated Baron of Holdenby, Earl of Wigmore and Duke of Kendal 1666 Third son of James II Peerages extinct on his death	4 Jul 1666	22 May 1667	-
HOLDERNESS
7 Aug 1979 to     11 Aug 2002	B[L]		Richard Frederick Wood Created Baron Holderness for life 7 Aug 1979 MP for Bridlington 1950‑1979; Minister of Power 1959‑1963; Minister of Pensions & National Insurance 1963‑1964; Minister of Overseas Development 1970‑1974; PC 1959 Peerage extinct on his death	5 Oct 1920	11 Aug 2002	81
HOLDERNESSE
22 Jan 1621 to     28 Feb 1626	E	1	John Ramsay Created Lord Ramsay of Barns and Viscount of Haddington 11 Jun 1606, Lord Ramsay of Melrose 25 Aug 1615, and Baron of Kingston upon Thames and Earl of Holdernesse 22 Jan 1621 Peerages extinct on his death	c 1580	28 Feb 1626
24 Jan 1644 to     29 Nov 1682	D	1	Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine Created Earl of Holderness and Duke of Cumberland 24 Jan 1644 Peerages extinct on his death	27 Dec 1619	29 Nov 1682	62
Dec 1682	E	1	Conyers Darcy, 5th Baron Conyers Created Earl of Holdernesse Dec 1682	24 Jan 1599	14 Jun 1689	90
14 Jun 1689		2	Conyers Darcy MP for Boroughbridge 1660 and Yorkshire 1661‑1679 He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Conyers 1 Nov 1680	3 Mar 1622	13 Dec 1692	70
13 Dec 1692		3	Robert Darcy President of the Board of Trade 1718; Lord Lieutenant North Riding Yorkshire 1714‑1721; PC 1718	24 Nov 1681	20 Jan 1722	40
20 Jan 1722 to     16 May 1778		4	Robert Darcy Secretary of State 1751‑1761; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1765; Lord Lieutenant North Riding Yorkshire 1740‑1778; PC 1751 Peerage extinct on his death	17 May 1718	16 May 1778	59
HOLFORD
29 Jan 1965 to     17 Oct 1975	B[L]		Sir William Graham Holford Created Baron Holford for life 29 Jan 1965 Peerage extinct on his death	22 Mar 1907	17 Oct 1975	68
HOLLAND
24 Sep 1624	E	1	Henry Rich Created Baron Kensington 5 Mar 1623 and Earl Holland 24 Sep 1624 MP for Leicester 1614; Lord Lieutenant Berkshire and Middlesex 1642‑1643; KG 1625	19 Aug 1590	9 Mar 1649	58
9 Mar 1649		2	Robert Rich He succeeded to the Earldom of Warwick in 1673 with which title this peerage then merged (extinct 1759)	c 1620	16 Apr 1675
7 Mar 1762	B	1	Georgiana Caroline Fox Created Baroness Holland 7 Mar 1762	27 Mar 1723	24 Jul 1774	51
24 Jul 1774		2	Stephen Fox MP for Salisbury 1768‑1774	20 Feb 1745	26 Dec 1774	29
26 Dec 1774		3	Henry Richard Vassall Fox Lord Privy Seal 1806‑1807; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1830 and 1835‑1840; PC 1806	21 Nov 1773	22 Oct 1840	66
22 Oct 1840 to     18 Dec 1859		4	Henry Edward Fox MP for Horsham 1826‑1827 Peerage extinct on his death	7 Mar 1802	18 Dec 1859	57
17 Apr 1763	B	1	Henry Fox Created Baron Holland 17 Apr 1763 MP for Hindon 1735‑1741, Windsor 1741‑1761 and Dunwich 1761‑1762; Secretary at War 1746‑1755; Secretary of State 1755‑1756; Paymaster General 1757‑1765; PC 1746 On his death the peerage merged with the creation of 1762 (see above) and became extinct in 1859	28 Sep 1705	1 Jul 1774	68
HOLLENDEN
9 Feb 1912	B	1	Samuel Hope Morley Created Baron Hollenden 9 Feb 1912	3 Jul 1845	18 Feb 1929	83
18 Feb 1929		2	Geoffrey Hope Hope‑Morley	28 Jan 1885	19 Oct 1977	92
19 Oct 1977		3	Gordon Hope Hope‑Morley	8 Jan 1914	12 Apr 1999	85
12 Apr 1999		4	Ian Hampden Hope‑Morley	23 Oct 1946
HOLLES
20 Apr 1661	B	1	Denzil Holles Created Baron Holles 20 Apr 1661 MP for St. Michaels 1624 and Dorchester 1628 and 1660‑1661; PC 1679	31 Oct 1599	17 Feb 1680	80
17 Feb 1680		2	Sir Francis Holles, 1st baronet MP for Northallerton 1660‑1661 and Dorchester 1679‑1680	19 Aug 1627	1 Mar 1690	62
1 Mar 1690 to     c 1692		3	Denzil Holles Peerage extinct on his death	26 Apr 1675	c 1692
HOLLICK
20 Jun 1991	B[L]		Clive Richard Hollick Created Baron Hollick for life 20 Jun 1991	20 May 1945
HOLLINS
15 Nov 2010	B[L]		Sheila Clare Hollins Created Baroness Hollins for life 15 Nov 2010	22 Jun 1946
HOLLIS OF HEIGHAM
1 Jun 1990 to     13 Oct 2018	B[L]		Patricia Lesley Hollis Created Baroness Hollis of Heigham for life 1 Jun 1990 PC 1999 Peerage extinct on her death	24 May 1941	13 Oct 2018	77
HOLME OF CHELTENHAM
29 May 1990 to     4 May 2008	B[L]		Richard Gordon Holme Created Baron Holme of Cheltenham for life 29 May 1990 PC 2000 Peerage extinct on his death	27 May 1936	4 May 2008	71
HOLMES
11 Sep 1760	B[I]	1	Thomas Holmes Created Baron Holmes 11 Sep 1760 MP for Newtown 1727‑1729 and 1734‑1741 and Yarmouth 1747‑1764 Peerage extinct on his death	2 Nov 1699	21 Jul 1764	64
4 Mar 1798 to     18 Jan 1804	B[I]	1	Leonard Holmes Created Baron Holmes 4 Mar 1798 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1732	18 Jan 1804
HOLMES OF RICHMOND
13 Sep 2013	B[L]		Christopher Holmes Created Baron Holmes of Richmond for life 13 Sep 2013	15 Oct 1971
HOLMESDALE
19 Dec 1826	V	1	William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Baron Amherst Created Viscount Holmesdale and Earl Amherst 19 Dec 1826 See "Amherst"	14 Jan 1773	13 Mar 1857	84
HOLM PATRICK
27 Jul 1897	B	1	Ion Trant Hamilton Created Baron Holm Patrick 27 Jul 1897 MP for co. Dublin 1863‑1885; Lord Lieutenant Dublin 1892‑1898; PC [I] 1887	14 Jul 1839	10 Mar 1898	58
10 Mar 1898		2	Hans Wellesley Hamilton	8 Aug 1886	5 Sep 1942	56
5 Sep 1942		3	James Hans Hamilton	29 Nov 1928	Feb 1991	62
Feb 1991		4	Hans James David Hamilton	15 Mar 1955	21 Mar 2024	69
21 Mar 2024		5	Ion Henry James Hamilton	12 Jun 1956
HOLYROODHOUSE
20 Dec 1607	B[S]	1	John Bothwell Created Lord Holyroodhouse 20 Dec 1607		26 Nov 1609
26 Nov 1609 to     10 Nov 1638		2	John Bothwell Peerage extinct on his death		10 Nov 1638
HOME
2 Aug 1473	B[S]	1	Alexander Home Created Lord Home 2 Aug 1473		1491
1491		2	Alexander Home	c 1460	9 Sep 1506
9 Sep 1506 to     8 Oct 1516		3	Alexander Home He was convicted of treason and the peerage forfeited		8 Oct 1516
12 Aug 1522		4	George Home Restored to the peerage 1522		Apr 1549
Apr 1549 to     1573		5	Alexander Home Peerage forfeited 1573		11 Aug 1575
25 Jul 1578 4 Mar 1605	E[S]	6 1	Alexander Home Restored to peerage 1578 Created Lord Dunglass and Earl of Home 4 Mar 1605	c 1566	5 Apr 1619
5 Apr 1619		2	James Home	c 1607	Feb 1633
Feb 1633		3	James Home		Dec 1666
Dec 1666		4	Alexander Home		1674
1674		5	James Home		22 Jul 1706
22 Jul 1706		6	Charles Home		20 Aug 1706
20 Aug 1706		7	Alexander Home		1720
1720		8	William Home Governor of Gibraltar 1757‑1761		28 Apr 1761
28 Apr 1761		9	Alexander Home		8 Oct 1786
8 Oct 1786		10	Alexander Home Lord Lieutenant Berwick 1806‑1841	11 Nov 1769	20 Oct 1841	71
20 Oct 1841		11	Cospatrick Alexander Douglas‑Home Created Baron Douglas of Douglas 11 Jun 1875	27 Oct 1799	4 Jul 1881	81
4 Jul 1881		12	Charles Alexander Douglas‑Home Lord Lieutenant Berwick 1879‑1890 and Lanark 1890‑1915; KT 1899	11 Apr 1834	30 Apr 1918	84
30 Apr 1918		13	Charles Cospatrick Archibald Douglas‑Home Lord Lieutenant Berwick 1930‑1951; KT 1930	29 Dec 1873	11 Jul 1951	77
11 Jul 1951 to     23 Oct 1963		14	Alexander Frederick Douglas‑Home MP for Lanark 1931‑1945 and 1950‑1951 and Kinross & Western Perthshire 1963‑1974; Minister of State for Scotland 1951‑1955; Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations 1955‑1960; Lord President of the Council 1957 and 1959‑1960; Foreign Secretary 1960‑1963 and 1970‑1974; Prime Minister 1963‑1964; PC 1951; KT 1962 For further information on this peer's brother, see the note at the foot of this page He disclaimed the peerage for life 23 Oct 1963 Created Baron Home of the Hirsel for life 19 Dec 1974 On his death the life peerage became extinct whilst the Earldom passed to -	2 Jul 1903	9 Oct 1995	92
9 Oct 1995		15	David Alexander Cospatrick Douglas‑Home KT 2013 [Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2022]	20 Nov 1943	22 Aug 2022	78
22 Aug 2022		16	Michael David Alexander Douglas‑Home	30 Nov 1987
HOME OF THE HIRSEL
19 Dec 1974 to     9 Oct 1995	B[L]		Alexander Frederick Douglas‑Home Created Baron Home of the Hirsel for life 19 Dec 1974 See "Home" above	2 Jul 1903	9 Oct 1995	92
HOO
2 Jun 1447 to     13 Feb 1455	B	1	Thomas Hoo Created Baron of Hoo 2 Jun 1447 KG 1445 Peerage extinct on his death	by 1400	13 Feb 1455
HOOD
2 Sep 1782 1 Jun 1796	B[I] V	1 1	Sir Samuel Hood, 1st baronet Created Baron Hood 2 Sep 1782 and Viscount Hood 1 Jun 1796 MP for Westminster 1784‑1788 and 1790‑1796 and Reigate 1789‑1790 His wife, Susanna, was created Baroness Hood 1795	12 Dec 1724	27 Jan 1816	91
27 Jan 1816		2	Henry Hood Succeeded to his mother's Barony 25 May 1806	25 Aug 1753	25 Jan 1836	82
25 Jan 1836		3	Samuel Hood (Hood‑Tibbits from 12 Feb 1840)	10 Jan 1808	8 May 1846	38
8 May 1846		4	Francis Wheler Hood	4 Jul 1838	27 Apr 1907	68
27 Apr 1907		5	Grosvenor Arthur Alexander Hood	13 Nov 1868	26 Apr 1933	64
26 Apr 1933		6	Samuel Hood	15 Oct 1910	13 Oct 1981	70
13 Oct 1981		7	Alexander Lambert Hood	11 Mar 1914	2 Oct 1999	85
2 Oct 1999		8	Henry Lyttelton Alexander Hood	16 Mar 1958
1795	B	1	Susanna Hood Created Baroness Hood 1795		25 May 1806
25 May 1806		2	Henry Hood Succeeded as 2nd Viscount Hood 27 Jan 1816	25 Aug 1753	25 Jan 1836	82
HOOD OF AVALON
22 Feb 1892 to     15 Nov 1901	B	1	Sir Arthur William Acland Hood Created Baron Hood of Avalon 22 Feb 1892 Peerage extinct on his death	14 Jul 1824	15 Nov 1901	77
HOOPER
10 Jun 1985	B[L]		Gloria Dorothy Hooper Created Baroness Hooper for life 10 Jun 1985 MEP for Liverpool 1979‑1984	25 May 1939
HOOSON
26 Jul 1979 to     21 Feb 2012	B[L]		Hugh Emlyn Hooson Created Baron Hooson for life 26 Jul 1979 MP for Montgomeryshire 1962‑1979 Peerage extinct on his death	26 Mar 1925	21 Feb 2012	86
HOPE
15 Apr 1703	B[S]	1	Charles Hope Created Lord Hope, Viscount Aithrie and Earl of Hopetoun 15 Apr 1703 See "Hopetoun"	1681	26 Feb 1742	60
HOPE OF CRAIGHEAD
28 Feb 1995	B[L]		James Arthur David Hope Created Baron Hope of Craighead for life 28 Feb 1995 President of the Court of Session 1989‑1996; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1996‑2009; Justice of the Supreme Court 2009‑2013; PC 1989; KT 2009	27 Jun 1938
HOPE OF THORNES
31 Mar 2005	B[L]		David Michael Hope Created Baron Hope of Thornes for life 31 Mar 2005 Bishop of London 1991‑1995; Archbishop of York 1995‑2005; PC 1991	14 Apr 1940
HOPETOUN
15 Apr 1703	E[S]	1	Charles Hope Created Lord Hope, Viscount Aithrie and Earl of Hopetoun 15 Apr 1703 Lord Lieutenant Linlithgow 1715; KT 1738	1681	26 Feb 1742	60
26 Feb 1742		2	John Hope	7 Sep 1704	12 Feb 1781	76
12 Feb 1781 3 Feb 1809	B	3 1	James Hope-Johnstone Created Baron Hopetoun [UK] 3 Feb 1809 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page Lord Lieutenant Linlithgow 1794‑1816	23 Aug 1741	29 May 1816	74
29 May 1816		4	John Hope Created Baron Niddry 17 May 1814 MP for Linlithgowshire 1790‑1800; Lord Lieutenant Linlithgow 1816‑1823; PC [I] 1812	17 Aug 1765	27 Aug 1823	58
27 Aug 1823		5	John Hope Lord Lieutenant Linlithgow 1825‑1843	15 Nov 1803	8 Apr 1843	39
8 Apr 1843		6	John Alexander Hope Lord Lieutenant Linlithgow 1863‑1873	22 Mar 1831	2 Apr 1873	42
2 Apr 1873		7	John Adrian Louis Hope He was created Marquess of Linlithgow in 1902 with which title this peerage then merged	25 Sep 1860	29 Feb 1908	47
HOPTON
4 Sep 1643 to     Sep 1652	B	1	Ralph Hopton Created Baron Hopton 4 Sep 1643 MP for Bath 1625, Somerset 1626 and Wells 1628‑1642 Peerage extinct on his death	13 Mar 1596	Sep 1652	56
HORAM
4 Sep 2013	B[L]		John Rhodes Horam Created Baron Horam for life 4 Sep 2013 MP for Gateshead West 1970‑1983 and Orpington 1992‑2010	7 Mar 1939
HORDER
23 Jan 1933	B	1	Sir Thomas Jeeves Horder, 1st baronet Created Baron Horder 23 Jan 1933 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	7 Jan 1871	13 Aug 1955	84
13 Aug 1955 to     30 Jun 1997		2	Thomas Mervyn Horder Peerage extinct on his death	8 Dec 1910	30 Jun 1997	86
HORE-BELISHA
14 Jan 1954 to     16 Feb 1957	B	1	Leslie Hore-Belisha Created Baron Hore-Belisha 14 Jan 1954 MP for Devonport 1923‑1945; Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1932‑1934; Minister of Transport 1935‑1937; Secretary of State for War 1937‑1940; Minister of National Insurance 1945; PC 1935 Peerage extinct on his death	7 Sep 1893	16 Feb 1957	63
HORNE
8 Oct 1919 to     14 Aug 1929	B	1	Sir Henry Sinclair Horne Created Baron Horne 8 Oct 1919 Peerage extinct on his death	19 Feb 1861	14 Aug 1929	68
HORNE OF SLAMANNAN
9 Jun 1937 to     3 Sep 1940	V	1	Sir Robert Stevenson Horne Created Viscount Horne of Slammanan 9 Jun 1937 MP for Hillhead 1918‑1937; Minister of Labour 1919‑1920; President of the Board of Trade 1920‑1921; Chancellor of the Exchequer 1921‑1922; PC 1919 Peerage extinct on his death	28 Feb 1871	3 Sep 1940	69
HORNSBY-SMITH
13 May 1974 to     3 Jul 1985	B[L]		Dame Margaret Patricia Hornsby‑Smith Created Baroness Hornsby-Smith for life 13 May 1974 MP for Chislehurst 1950‑1966 and 1970‑1974; PC 1959 Peerage extinct on her death	17 Mar 1914	3 Jul 1985	71
HORSBRUGH
16 Dec 1959 to     6 Dec 1969	B[L]		Dame Florence Gertrude Horsbrugh Created Baroness Horsbrugh for life 16 Dec 1959 MP for Dundee 1931‑1945 and Moss Side 1950‑1959; Minister of Education 1951‑1954; PC 1945 Peerage extinct on her death	13 Oct 1889	6 Dec 1969	80
HOTHAM
17 Mar 1797	B[I]	1	William Hotham Created Baron Hotham 17 Mar 1797 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page	8 Apr 1736	7 May 1813	77
7 May 1813		2	Beaumont Hotham MP for Wigan 1768‑1775	5 Aug 1737	4 Mar 1814	76
4 Mar 1814		3	Beaumont Hotham MP for Leominster 1820‑1841 and Yorkshire East 1841‑1868	9 Aug 1794	12 Dec 1870	76
12 Dec 1870		4	Charles Hotham	27 May 1836	29 May 1872	36
29 May 1872		5	John Hotham	13 May 1838	13 Dec 1907	69
13 Dec 1907		6	Frederick William Hotham	19 Mar 1863	7 Oct 1923	60
7 Oct 1923		7	Henry Frederick Hotham	13 Aug 1899	18 Nov 1967	68
18 Nov 1967		8	Henry Durand Hotham	3 May 1940
HOTHFIELD
11 Oct 1881	B	1	Sir Henry James Tufton, 2nd baronet Created Baron Hothfield 11 Oct 1881 Lord Lieutenant Westmorland 1881‑1926	4 Jun 1844	29 Oct 1926	82
29 Oct 1926		2	John Sackville Richard Tufton	8 Nov 1873	21 Dec 1952	79
21 Dec 1952		3	Henry Hastings Sackville Thanet Tufton	16 Mar 1897	20 Aug 1961	64
20 Aug 1961		4	Thomas Sackville Tufton	20 Jul 1916	16 May 1986	69
16 May 1986		5	George William Anthony Tufton	28 Oct 1904	5 Feb 1991	86
5 Feb 1991		6	Anthony Charles Sackville Tufton	21 Oct 1939
HOUCHEN OF HIGH LEVEN
12 Jul 2023	B[L]		Ben Houchen Created Baron Houchen of High Leven for life 12 Jul 2023	9 Dec 1986
HOUGHTON (co Norfolk)
6 Feb 1742	B	1	Robert Walpole Created Baron Houghton, Viscount Walpole and Earl of Orford 6 Feb 1742 See "Orford"	26 Aug 1676	18 Mar 1745	68
HOUGHTON (co York)
20 Aug 1863	B	1	Richard Monckton Milnes Created Baron Houghton 20 Aug 1863 MP for Pontefract 1837‑1863 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	19 Jun 1809	10 Aug 1885	76
10 Aug 1885		2	Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes He was created Marquess of Crewe in 1911 with which title this peerage then merged	12 Jan 1858	20 Jun 1945	87
HOUGHTON OF RICHMOND
20 Nov 2017	B[L]		Sir John Nicholas Reynolds Houghton Created Baron Houghton of Richmond for life 20 Nov 2017 Chief of the Defence Staff 2013‑2016	18 Oct 1954
HOUGHTON OF SOWERBY
20 Jun 1974 to     2 May 1996	B[L]		Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Created Baron Houghton of Sowerby for life 20 Jun 1974 MP for Sowerby 1949‑1974; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1964‑1966; Minister without Portfolio 1966‑1967; PC 1964; CH 1967 Peerage extinct on his death	11 Aug 1898	2 May 1996	97
HOWARD
15 Oct 1470 to     22 Aug 1485	B	1	John Howard Summoned to Parliament as Lord Howard 15 Oct 1470 Later created Duke of Norfolk. Attainted and the peerage forfeited	c 1430	22 Aug 1485
HOWARD OF BINDON
13 Jan 1559	V	1	Lord Thomas Howard Created Viscount Howard of Bindon 13 Jan 1559	c 1520	28 Jan 1582
28 Jan 1582		2	Henry Howard		1590
1590 to     1 Mar 1611		3	Thomas Howard KG 1606 Peerage extinct on his death		1 Mar 1611
HOWARD OF CASTLE RISING
7 Mar 1669	B	1	Henry Howard Created Baron Howard of Castle Rising 7 Mar 1669 and Earl of Norwich 19 Oct 1672 See "Norfolk" - these creations became extinct in 1777	12 Jul 1628	11 Jan 1684	55
HOWARD OF CHARLTON
22 Jan 1622	B	1	Thomas Howard Created Baron Howard of Charlton and Viscount Andover 22 Jan 1622, and Earl of Berkshire 7 Feb 1626 See "Berkshire"	c 1590	16 Jul 1669
18 Nov 1640			Charles Howard He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Howard of Charlton 18 Nov 1640 He succeeded as Earl of Berkshire in 1669	c 1615	Apr 1679
HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM
11 Mar 1554	B	1	Lord Thomas Howard Created Baron Howard of Effingham 11 Mar 1554 See "Effingham"	c 1510	11 Jan 1573
HOWARD OF ESCRICK
12 Apr 1628	B	1	Edward Howard Created Baron Howard of Escrick 12 Apr 1628		24 Apr 1675
24 Apr 1675		2	Thomas Howard	24 Oct 1625	24 Aug 1678	52
24 Aug 1678		3	William Howard MP for Winchelsea 1660‑1661	c 1630	24 Apr 1694
Apr 1694 to     29 Apr 1715		4	Charles Howard Peerage extinct on his death		29 Apr 1715
HOWARD OF GLOSSOP
9 Dec 1869	B	1	Lord Edward George Fitzalan‑Howard Created Baron Howard of Glossop 9 Dec 1869 MP for Horsham 1848‑1852 and Arundel 1852‑1868; PC 1846	20 Jun 1818	1 Dec 1883	65
1 Dec 1883		2	Francis Edward Fitzalan‑Howard	9 May 1859	22 Sep 1924	65
22 Sep 1924		3	Bernard Edward Fitzalan‑Howard	10 May 1885	24 Aug 1972	87
24 Aug 1972		4	Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan‑Howard He had previously succeeded as 12th Lord Beaumont in 1971 and subsequently succeeded as 17th Duke of Norfolk in 1975 with which title this peerage then merged and still remains so	21 Jul 1915	24 Jun 2002	86
HOWARD OF HENDERSKELFE
1 Jul 1983 to     27 Nov 1984	B[L]		George Anthony Geoffrey Howard Created Baron Howard of Henderskelfe for life 1 Jul 1983 Peerage extinct on his death	22 May 1920	27 Nov 1984	64
HOWARD OF LYMPNE
13 Jul 2010	B[L]		Michael Howard Created Baron Howard of Lympne for life 13 Jul 2010 MP for Folkestone & Hythe 1983‑2010; Secretary of State for Employment 1990‑1992; Secretary of State for Environment 1992‑1993; Home Secretary 1993‑1997; PC 1990; CH 2011	7 Jul 1941
HOWARD OF MARNHULL
13 Mar 1604 to     15 Jun 1614	B	1	Henry Howard Created Baron Howard of Marnhull and Earl of Northampton 13 Mar 1604 Lord Privy Seal 1608‑1614; KG 1605 Peerages extinct on his death	25 Feb 1540	15 Jun 1614	74
HOWARD OF MORPETH
30 Apr 1661	V	1	Charles Howard Created Baron Dacre of Gillesland, Viscount Howard of Morpeth and Earl of Carlisle 30 Apr 1661 See "Carlisle"	1629	24 Feb 1685	55
HOWARD OF PENRITH
10 Jul 1930	B	1	Esmé William Howard Created Baron Howard of Penrith 10 Jul 1930 PC 1919	15 Sep 1863	1 Aug 1939	75
1 Aug 1939		2	Francis Philip Howard	5 Oct 1905	13 Nov 1999	94
13 Nov 1999		3	Philip Esme Howard	1 May 1945
HOWARD OF RISING
4 Jun 2004	B[L]		Greville Patrick Charles Howard Created Baron Howard of Rising for life 4 Jun 2004	22 Apr 1941

	The special remainder to the Viscountcy of Kilwarlin and Earldom of Hillsborough created in 1751
	From the London Gazette of 21 September 1751 (issue 9095, page 2):-
	The King has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the Kingdom of Ireland, containing a Grant of the Dignity of Viscount Kilwarling, in the County of Down, in the said Kingdom, unto the Right Honourable Wills Viscount Hillsborough; and likewise a Grant of the Dignity of an Earl of the said Kingdom, unto the said Viscount Hillsborough by the Name, Stile and Title of Earl of Hillsborough, in the said County; to have, hold and enjoy the said Dignities to him the said Viscount Hillsborough, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten; and, in Default of such Issue, to Arthur Hill, Esq; Uncle to the said Viscount Hillsborough, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten.
	Angus William Eden Holden, 3rd Baron Holden
	Lord Holden choked to death when a piece of lobster became stuck in his throat. According to a report in The Manchester Guardian of 18 July 1951, "Lord Holden, aged 52, deputy Chairman and Speaker of the House of Lords who died after collapsing at dinner on July 6, had a large piece of undigested lobster flesh in his larynx. This was stated at the Westminster inquest yesterday. The coroner recorded a verdict of death from misadventure and said that death was caused by asphyxiation due to inhalation of food while at dinner."
	William Douglas-Home, brother of Sir Alec Douglas-Home (1912-1992)
	William was the son of the 13th Earl of Home and Lady Lilian Lambton, daughter of the 4th Earl of Durham. Perhaps William's later eccentricity was inherited from his mother. On one occasion she had all her teeth taken out at one go (without the benefit of an anaesthetic) and then attended a formal lunch to which her false teeth were to be delivered. When they arrived, she popped them in, but they flew out of her mouth as she shook hands with an admiral.
	After being educated at Eton and Oxford, William trained to be an actor, sharing a London flat with two friends - Jo Grimond (later Baron Grimond) who was later to become leader of the Liberal Party, and Brian Johnston, later known to all cricket followers as a respected cricket commentator.
	When he received his call-up papers after the outbreak of World War II, he sent a telegram to the War Office. 'Prepared to be conscripted on the understanding that if my most strongly held principles should be challenged by Winston Churchill's government to a point beyond endurance I cannot be relied on.'
	In September 1944, William's scruples were severely challenged. At the time, he was a tank commander with the Royal Armoured Corps. He received an order to attack Le Havre, which still contained a large number of civilians whom the Germans had not allowed to evacuate. William drove his tank for 25 laps of a turnip field before refusing to carry out the order, for which he was court-martialled and sentenced to a year in prison. His brother, the future Prime Minister, visited him there, but when he saw that William had grown a beard, he stood with his back to him and discussed cricket with the warders.
	After the war, William became a successful playwright, but not, however, a successful owner of racehorses. He once entered a horse for the Derby - when the horse, named Goblin, got off to a poor start, William thought it had got its tail caught in the starting gate, but in fact the horse had fallen asleep.
	He was fond of practical jokes. Once he smuggled a stuffed crocodile into the grounds of the family home and then took his mother for a walk in the grounds. As they crossed a bridge over a stream, an accomplice pushed the crocodile into the water. His mother, however, was unperturbed, remarking that 'I didn't realise they came this far north'.
	The special remainder to the Barony of Hopetoun created in 1809
	From the London Gazette of 24 January 1809 (issue 16223, page 109):-
	"The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto the Right Honorable James Earl of Hopetoun, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Style, and Title of Baron Hopetoun of Hopetoun, in the County of Linlithgow, with Remainder to the Heirs Male lawfully begotten of his late Father, John Earl of Hopetoun, deceased."
	Thomas Jeeves Horder, 1st Baron Horder
	The following biography of Lord Horder appeared in the March 1969 issue of the Australian monthly magazine Parade:-
	When the all-powerful newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe lay dying in June 1922, his family decided to call in one of England's most distinguished doctors, Sir Thomas (later Lord) Horder. A short, energetic little man, famous for his treatment of Britain's great from the King down, Horder bustled into the huge bedroom where the ailing Press lord lay. His reception was the strangest in his long career, for at the sight of the new doctor Northcliffe grabbed a revolver from under his pillow. He levelled it at Horder's heart and was squinting through the sights when a quick thinking male nurse standing beside the bed knocked it out of his grasp. After that the doctor proceeded with his examination of the now meek Northcliffe as though nothing had happened.
	Horder's reputation was such that he was frequently called in for similar consultations as a last resort by desperate relatives of dying patients. On another occasion when a woman heard that he had been summoned to see her she burst into tears and wailed: "Oh, am I that bad?"
	Lord Horder dominated British medicine from the time he was first called in to treat Edward VII in 1910 until his own death 45 years later. During that period Horder, a draper's son who became the most fashionable doctor in the land, tended five British monarchs from Edward VII to Elizabeth II. A recognised wizard at diagnosis and with a breezy, friendly manner, he treated prime ministers, Indian maharajahs, captains of industry and literary lights that included H.G. Wells to Sir James Barrie.
	He was born Thomas Jeeves Horder on January 7, 1871, above his father's modest drapery shop at Shaftesbury in Dorset. After spending two years working on a farm to cure suspected tuberculosis he won scholarships to London University where he lived largely on prunes for economy. Ultimately young Thomas Horder qualified as a doctor at the renowned St. Bartholomew's Hospital in 1896 and remained on its staff for the next 40 years.
	After he fainted at his first few operations he decided he was not cut out for surgery. As a physician Dr. Horder set out to master the whole of medicine and such was his genius for systematic study that ultimately he frequently confounded specialists in their own fields. In September 1902 he married a nurse at St. Bart's and they moved into a Harley Street house where he began private practice. At first patients for the future physician to the King of England were few and he was glad of the security of his St. Bart's appointment as well as the private coaching of medical students. Even the provision of a gramophone and piles of jig-saw puzzles in the waiting room did not attract many patients to his Harley Street surgery. In his first couple of years private patients averaged one a fortnight. Five years later they had reached one a day. Economy was the watchword of the Horder household in those early years since the doctor could not afford proper laboratory equipment. Consequently his wife became used to having test tubes of microbes (requiring constant warm temperature for incubation) stored under the pillows at night.
	Horder was also on the staff of a London children's hospital and from this source came most of his early private patients. To aid him in handling them the trained a large black cat to sit on his desk. When he gave the order it would open its mouth and let him push down its tongue with a teaspoon so its throat could be inspected. Children who saw such antics had no objection to opening their mouths and proving that as patients they were "just as good as pussy". In time the cat came to enjoy the routine and for the rest of its life was always jumping up in front of Horder and opening its mouth expectantly.
	Horder's big chance came in 1910. One of his superiors at St. Bart's, the venerable Dr. Samuel Gee [1839‑1911] who had long been on the panel of royal physicians, suggested that this brilliant young doctor take his place in treating the ailing King Edward VII. On his first visit Horder and the other physicians examined the royal patient then withdrew to a corner of the bedroom to discuss what might be wrong with the King. Horder suggested that they remove for a couple of days the well-stocked cabinet of patent medicines beside the patient's bed with which he kept dosing himself - and his cigars. In this way they would be able to obtain truer specimens of blood and urine for pathological analysis which would help diagnosis.
	The older royal physicians were horrified at Horder's temerity in even thinking of banning both the0 King's home remedies and cigars. But Horder pressed his suggestion and voices became heated. Ultimately the King demanded to know what all the commotion was about. The senior royal physician explained: "It is nothing really, Your Majesty. Just a small matter where we differ from Dr. Horder." Edward VII was not satisfied. He insisted on hearing what Horder had to say. And when he did he immediately imposed his own ban on the medicines and cigars for the required period. Thus, from the specimens obtained, the glycosuria [excretion of glucose into the urine], from which he was suffering, and its origin were revealed and proper treatment begun. Although Edward VII died later that year (officially from bronchitis) Dr. Horder's reputation was made.
	Over subsequent years he became physician to George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II. For such services he was knighted in 1919, made a baronet in 1923 and ultimately in 1933 became the first Baron Horder. And naturally other patients flocked to his Harley Street rooms to be treated by the Royal Family's own doctor. By the 1920s Horder was seeing 20 patients a day. To conserve time he had the habit of reading correspondence and even writing letters in the pulled out central drawer of his desk - while patients sat in an armchair and rambled on about their symptoms. One day a certain duchess caught him at this and was delighted. She told him he was the only doctor who ever bothered to take notes of what she was saying.
	From the 1920s Horder was also generally the chosen physician at No. 10 Downing Street. It was on his advice that the ailing Andrew Bonar Law resigned the Prime Ministership in May 1923. Both Ramsay MacDonald and Neville Chamberlain when Prime Minister were Horder patients. In fact he breakfasted with MacDonald at Downing Street every Tuesday morning during the Labour leader's term of office from 1929‑35. As he received his peerage during this period it is quite evident how highly the Prime Minister valued Horder's professional attention.
	So it seems did the Welsh coal magnate Lord Rhondda, who left his doctor £10,000 in his will - and started Horder on a long battle with the income tax authorities. They contended the Rhondda bequest was in effect further payment for Horder's medical services and ultimately he had to pay income tax on it. Sir James Barrie was another Horder patient. He was a lonely old bachelor and the busy doctor frequently answered urgent calls to his residence only to find the author simply wanted his company on a walk in the park. He always accompanied Barrie with good grace but he was not so happy about the idiosyncrasy of H.G. Wells. When Wells was dying in 1946 Horder was called in but he did not remain on the case for long. The famous author wanted newspaper reporters and photographers to be present in the room during his doctor's daily visits and medical examinations. Horder was adamant this was impossible so Wells got another doctor.
	The sort of patients who could afford Lord Horder as doctor were used to getting their own way. One titled lady would brook no opposition even from her own bowels. When Horder rather diffidently asked her if they opened regularly she replied with determination: "They'd better". Another Horder patient was a lord who had recently inherited both the title and a famous cellar of port from his father. He telephoned the doctor and asked him to investigate all the latest remedies for the gout he was sure he was going to get as he overindulged in the port.
	Despite his large practice Lord Horder still found time to crusade for a variety of pet causes in the Press, on public platforms and in the House of Lords. He was known as an enthusiastic champion of birth control and cremation, was always attacking quack medicines and food substitutes and had two particular hates - the national health scheme and the weakness of English beer. The modern craze for dieting also roused his ire regularly and he liked to point out that "many Britons a century ago were bursting with good health although they knew absolutely nothing about vitamins".
	At 75 he was still quite capable of dealing with a burglar whom he found one night systematically ransacking his Harley Street rooms. Grabbing a bamboo curtain rod Horder challenged the startled intruder who stood open-mouthed as the old doctor boldly asserted the power of his medical knowledge. "I know my anatomy considerably better than you," Horder told the intruder. "I know exactly where to jab you with this so you won't be much good for anything hereafter." And the threat so frightened the burglar that he huddled in a corner while Horder dialled the police. The intruder was still there when they arrived to arrest him.
	On the morning of August 13, 1955, Lord Horder suffered a heart attack at his country home and to the doctors who were summoned he calmly gave a dissertation on his own symptoms as if he were diagnosing a patient. They administered pain-deadening drugs but could not deceive the man who was called "the greatest diagnostician of his time". He continued to give a running commentary on tell-tale signs which showed his heart was gradually failing and told them his chances of surviving until the following day were negligible. The prognosis was correct. Lord Horder died at six that evening after warning relatives to make sure his body was cremated and not buried.
	The special remainder to the Barony of Hotham
	From the London Gazette of 28 March 1797 (issue 13997, page 299):-
	Letters Patent have … been passed under the Great Seal of this Kingdom, containing a Grant of the Dignity of a Baron of His Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland unto William Hotham, Esq, Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, and to the Heirs Male of his Body, by the Name, Stile and Title of Baron Hotham, of South Dalton, with Remainder (in Default of Issue Male) to Sir Charles Hotham, Baronet, of Scorborough, the Nephew of the said William Hotham, and the Grandson and Heir Male of Sir Beaumont Hotham, Baronet, of Scorborough aforesaid, deceased, the Father of the said William Hotham, and to the Heirs Male of the Body of the said Sir Charles Hotham, Baronet; and in Default of such Issue, to the Heirs Male of the Body of the said Sir Beaumont Hotham, deceased.
	Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton
	The biography of Monckton Milnes was written in two books by James Pope‑Hennessy. The first book, Monckton Milnes, the Years of Promise 1809‑1851, was published by Constable in 1949. The second book, The Flight of Youth 1851‑1885, was published two years later.
	A review of the second book was published in the Launceston, Tasmania Examiner on 9 February 1952:-
	The life of Monckton Milnes (born 1809, Mayfair; died 1885, Vichy) is the story of a dilettante and failure. The first and better volume of Pope‑Hennessy's frank biography of this Victorian notable was entitled "The Years of Promise". The second is called "The Flight of Youth". For youth has flown, but promise has not been realised.
	What, asks the puzzled reader, did Monckton Milnes really do? As much (the answer may be) as any son of a rich manufacturing family with 7500 acres of land and a rent-roll of £11,000 a year can be expected to do. In that case why should he have impressed himself on his age to the extent that he did? There are several reasons.
	He was the rejected suitor of Florence Nightingale. He was kind to struggling genius, like Swinburne. He collected famous men, like Carlyle. He was a social entrepreneur, who gathered at his famous breakfast parties distinguished personalities who would not otherwise have met one another.
	He had some talent. One of his poems ["Shadows"] has reached the Oxford Book of English Verse. He spoke pompously in Parliament for liberal causes, hoped in vain for office. Each speech, said Disraeli, was worse than the one before. He was an intriguer and a gossip. He kept his friends, but not their confidences.
	A faint air of absurdity clings to him. The liking of his acquaintances stopped short of admiration. Carlyle found him "almost bland, smiling, semi-quizzical, affectionate, high-bred Italianised little man who has long olive-blond hair, a dimple, next to no chin". Blackwoods Magazine dismissed him as "glib, fluent, pushing, confident, unabashed". Hardly a monarch in Europe could review his troops, but Monckton Milnes would be there in his Yorkshire militia uniform.
	The chief crisis in this second half of his life is semi-comic. Time is the closing stages of the Crimean War; Milnes is happily married, accepts political failure, but is not reconciled to it. He said: "The worst part of failure is the envy of the successful. It is impossible to be just at once to them and to ourselves." Feeling that he must have some reward for his political services, Milnes sought a peerage, "the token of a half-success in life" for his father. It was not the first time he had tried to confer such a benefit. After an earlier effort, Peel had once written to him "Out of respect for your father, I advise him to retain the distinction of not being a baronet".
	This time, through Palmerston, and after immense lobbying by Milnes - a letter was sent to the elder Milnes in Yorkshire. He was an upright, level-headed Unitarian, who, without consulting his family, sent the Prime Minister a note courteously declining the peerage. Disraeli noted the son's "despair" and (wrongly) attributed the refusal to old Milne's desire to mortify his heir. Milnes sulked and stormed. His father made matters worse by deriding the notion that the peerage was offered in recognition of his son's merits.
	The wound festered for seven years when Milnes, his father being dead, accepted a barony. His friends, who had called him "Lord Tattle of Scandal", had now to call him Lord Houghton.
	There was, however, a less-known side of Milnes apart from the public work which Queen Victoria recognised with a peerage. The Dictionary of National Biography demurely glances at it. "He had many fine tastes and some coarse ones." His first biographer said that genealogical histories, rare German treatises, a wonderful collection of criminal trials were "but a few of the subjects illustrated in this unique library". It was an understatement. Milnes gathered together in Fryston, his Yorkshire seat, one of the most complete pornographic libraries in Europe.
	Before leaving for church on a Sunday morning, he would genially indicate to his guests the choicer items in an astounding collection. Milnes' chief adviser in obtaining such books was a psychopathic Englishman living in Paris named Fred Hankey, son of a general. This macabre individual (thought to have died in an asylum) had the head of "some emaciated and ecstatic young priest" and manners of exquisite sweetness. He had a taste for cruelty, but thought it wicked to kill animals for food. One of the volumes in his library was bound in human skin.
	Hankey became known to French authors, who spread the belief that sadism was the English vice. How did Hankey pass the books to Milnes through the watchful British Customs? Some were sent in the British Embassy bag addressed to a friend of Hankey's in the Foreign Office. Most were brought in by Mr.  Harris, manager of Covent Garden Opera House, who would return from business trips to Paris with quarto volumes hidden in the small of his back. Thus emerged the strange erotic collection on which young Swinburne descended with shrill cries of delight. Milnes has been blamed for corrupting the poet. But Swinburne, it is clear, was half-corrupted before he reached the shelves of Fryston.
	In the company of a busy amiable man, whose character had a curious streak, James Pope‑Hennessy conducts an interesting tour of the Victorian world, with glimpses of some of its darker corners.

	Copyright © 2003-2018 Leigh Rayment
	Copyright © 2020-2024 Helen Belcher OBE