PEERAGES | ||||||
Last updated 01/09/2018 (28 Sep 2024) | ||||||
Date | Rank | Order | Name | Born | Died | Age |
MASSEY OF DARWEN | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 Jul 1999 to 20 Apr 2024 |
B[L] | Doreen Elizabeth Massey Created Baroness Massey of Darwen for life 26 Jul 1999 Peerage extinct on her death |
5 Sep 1938 | 20 Apr 2024 | 85 | |
MASSY | ||||||
4 Aug 1776 | B[I] | 1 | Hugh Massy Created Baron Massy 4 Aug 1776 MP [I] for Limerick County 1759‑1776 |
1700 | 30 Jan 1788 | 87 |
30 Jan 1788 | 2 | Hugh Massy MP [I] for Askeaton 1776‑1783 and Limerick County 1783‑1788 |
14 Apr 1733 | 10 May 1790 | 57 | |
10 May 1790 | 3 | Hugh Massy | 24 Oct 1761 | 20 Jun 1812 | 50 | |
20 Jun 1812 | 4 | Hugh Hamon Massy | 13 Feb 1793 | 27 Sep 1836 | 43 | |
27 Sep 1836 | 5 | Hugh Hamon Ingoldsby Massy | 14 Apr 1827 | 27 Feb 1874 | 46 | |
27 Feb 1874 | 6 | John Thomas William Massy | 30 Aug 1835 | 28 Nov 1915 | 80 | |
28 Nov 1915 | 7 | Hugh Somerset John Massy | 15 Feb 1864 | 20 Oct 1926 | 62 | |
20 Oct 1926 | 8 | Hugh Hamon Charles George Massy For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page |
13 Jul 1894 | 20 Mar 1958 | 63 | |
20 Mar 1958 | 9 | Hugh Hamon John Somerset Massy | 11 Jun 1921 | 5 Aug 1995 | 74 | |
5 Aug 1995 | 10 | David Hamon Somerset Massy | 4 Mar 1947 | |||
MATHERS | ||||||
30 Jan 1952 to 26 Sep 1965 |
B | 1 | George Mathers Created Baron Mathers 30 Jan 1952 MP for Edinburgh West 1929‑1931, Linlithgowshire 1935‑1945 and West Lothian 1945‑1951; PC 1947; KT 1956 Peerage extinct on his death |
28 Feb 1886 | 26 Sep 1965 | 79 |
MATTHEWS | ||||||
22 Jul 1980 to 5 Dec 1995 |
B[L] | Victor Collin Matthews Created Baron Matthews for life 22 Jul 1980 Peerage extinct on his death |
5 Dec 1919 | 5 Dec 1995 | 76 | |
MAUDE OF HORSHAM | ||||||
26 May 2015 | B[L] | Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude Created Baron Maude of Horsham for life 26 May 2015 MP for Warwickshire North 1983‑1992 and Horsham 1997‑2015; Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1990‑1992; Paymaster General 2010‑2015; PC 1992 |
4 Jul 1953 | |||
MAUDE OF STRATFORD-UPON-AVON | ||||||
19 Sep 1983 to 9 Nov 1993 |
B[L] | Sir Angus Edmund Upton Maude Created Baron Maude of Stratford-upon-Avon for life 19 Sep 1983 MP for Ealing South 1950‑1958 and Stratford-upon-Avon 1963‑1983; Paymaster General 1979‑1981; PC 1979 Peerage extinct on his death |
8 Sep 1912 | 9 Nov 1993 | 81 | |
MAUGHAM | ||||||
7 Oct 1935 22 Sep 1939 to 23 Mar 1958 |
B[L] V |
1 |
Sir Frederick Herbert Maugham Created Baron Maugham for life 7 Oct 1935 and Viscount Maugham 22 Sep 1939 Lord Justice of Appeal 1934‑1935; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1935‑1938 and 1939‑1941; Lord Chancellor 1938‑1939; PC 1934 On his death the barony became extinct, and the viscountcy passed to:- |
20 Oct 1866 | 23 Mar 1958 | 91 |
23 Mar 1958 to 13 Mar 1981 |
2 | Robert Cecil Romer Maugham Peerage extinct on his death |
17 May 1916 | 13 Mar 1981 | 64 | |
MAULE | ||||||
3 Aug 1646 | B[S] | 1 | Patrick Maule Created Lord Maule, Brechin and Navar and Earl of Panmure 3 Aug 1646 See "Panmure" |
29 May 1585 | 22 Dec 1661 | 76 |
6 Apr 1743 to 4 Jan 1782 |
V[I] | 1 | William Maule Created Baron and Viscount Maule and Earl of Panmure 6 Apr 1743 Peerages extinct on his death |
1700 | 4 Jan 1782 | 81 |
MAULEY | ||||||
23 Jun 1295 | B | 1 | Piers de Mauley Summoned to Parliament as Lord Mauley 23 Jun 1295 |
22 Jul 1249 | 6 Sep 1308 | 59 |
6 Sep 1308 | 2 | Piers de Mauley | 10 Mar 1281 | c 1348 | ||
c 1348 | 3 | Piers de Mauley | c 1300 | 18 Jan 1355 | ||
18 Jan 1355 | 4 | Piers de Mauley | c 1330 | 19 Mar 1383 | ||
19 Mar 1383 to 6 Sep 1415 |
5 | Piers de Mauley On his death the peerage fell into abeyance |
c 1378 | 6 Sep 1415 | ||
MAUNY | ||||||
See "MANNY" | ||||||
MAWHINNEY | ||||||
24 Jun 2005 to 9 Nov 2019 |
B[L] | Sir Brian Stanley Mawhinney Created Baron Mawhinney for life 24 Jun 2005 MP for Peterborough 1979‑1997 and Cambridgeshire North West 1997‑2005; Minister of State for Northern Ireland 1990‑1992; Minister of State for Health 1992‑1994; Secretary of State for Transport 1994‑1995. Minister without Portfolio 1995‑1997; PC 1994 Peerage extinct on his death |
26 Jul 1940 | 9 Nov 2019 | 79 | |
MAWSON | ||||||
29 Mar 2007 | B[L] | Andrew Mawson Created Baron Mawson for life 29 Mar 2007 |
8 Nov 1954 | |||
MAXTON | ||||||
17 Jun 2004 | B[L] | John Alston Maxton Created Baron Maxton for life 17 Jun 2004 MP for Cathcart 1979‑2001 |
5 May 1936 | |||
MAXWELL | ||||||
c 1443 | B[S] | 1 | Herbert Maxwell Created Lord Maxwell c 1443 |
c 1454 | ||
c 1454 | 2 | Robert Maxwell | c 1485 | |||
c 1485 | 3 | John Maxwell | 9 Sep 1513 | |||
9 Sep 1513 | 4 | Robert Maxwell | c 1493 | 9 Jul 1546 | ||
9 Jul 1546 | 5 | Robert Maxwell | 14 Sep 1552 | |||
14 Sep 1552 | 6 | Robert Maxwell | c 1554 | |||
c 1554 | 7 | John Maxwell Created Earl of Morton 5 Jun 1581 The attainder of the 4th Earl of Morton was reversed in 1586 when the Earldom reverted to its original line |
1552 | 7 Dec 1593 | 41 | |
7 Dec 1593 | 8 | John Maxwell | 21 May 1613 | |||
21 May 1613 | 9 | Robert Maxwell Created Lord Maxwell, Eskdale and Carleill and Earl of Nithsdale 20 Aug 1620 See "Nithsdale" |
after 1586 | May 1646 | ||
MAY | ||||||
28 Jun 1935 | B | 1 | Sir George Ernest May, 1st baronet Created Baron May 28 Jun 1935 |
20 Jun 1871 | 10 Apr 1946 | 74 |
10 Apr 1946 | 2 | John Lawrence May | 15 Aug 1904 | 9 Mar 1950 | 45 | |
9 Mar 1950 | 3 | Michael St. John May | 26 Sep 1931 | 22 Sep 2006 | 74 | |
22 Sep 2006 | 4 | Jasper Bertram St. John May | 24 Oct 1965 | |||
MAY OF MAIDENHEAD | ||||||
21 Aug 2024 | B[L] | Theresa Mary May Created Baroness May of Maidenhead for life 21 Aug 2024 MP for Maidenhead 1997‑2024; Home Secretary 2010‑2016; Prime Minister 2016‑2019; PC 2003 |
1 Oct 1956 | |||
MAY OF OXFORD | ||||||
18 Jul 2001 to 28 Apr 2020 |
B[L] | Sir Robert McCredie May Created Baron May of Oxford for life 18 Jul 2001 OM 2002 Peerage extinct on his death |
8 Jan 1936 | 28 Apr 2020 | 84 | |
MAYBRAY-KING | ||||||
2 Mar 1971 to 3 Sep 1986 |
B[L] | Horace Maybray King Created Baron Maybray-King for life 2 Mar 1971 MP for Test 1950‑1955 and Itchen 1955‑1970; Speaker of the House of Commons 1965‑1971; PC 1965 Peerage extinct on his death |
25 May 1901 | 3 Sep 1986 | 85 | |
MAYHEW | ||||||
6 Jul 1981 to 7 Jan 1997 |
B[L] | Christopher Paget Mayhew Created Baron Mayhew for life 6 Jul 1981 MP for Norfolk South 1945‑1950 and Woolwich East 1951‑1974; Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy 1964‑1966 Peerage extinct on his death |
12 Jun 1915 | 7 Jan 1997 | 81 | |
MAYHEW OF TWYSDEN | ||||||
12 Jun 1997 to 25 Jun 2016 |
B[L] | Sir Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew Created Baron Mayhew of Twysden for life 12 Jun 1997 MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells 1974‑1983 and Tunbridge Wells 1983‑1997; Minister of State, Home Office 1981‑1983; Solicitor General 1983‑1987; Attorney General 1987‑1992; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1992‑1997; PC 1986 Peerage extinct on his death |
11 Sep 1929 | 25 Jun 2016 | 86 | |
MAYNARD | ||||||
30 May 1620 14 Mar 1628 |
B[I] B |
1 1 |
Sir William Maynard, 1st baronet Created Baron Maynard [I] 30 May 1620 and Baron Maynard [E] 14 Mar 1628 MP for Penrhyn 1609‑1611 and Chippenham 1614; Lord Lieutenant Cambridge 1620 and Essex 1635 |
by 1589 | 17 Dec 1640 | |
17 Dec 1640 | 2 | William Maynard Lord Lieutenant Cambridge 1640‑1642 |
1623 | 3 Feb 1699 | 75 | |
3 Feb 1699 | 3 | Banastre Maynard MP for Essex 1663‑1678 |
1642 | 4 Mar 1718 | 75 | |
4 Mar 1718 | 4 | Henry Maynard | c 1673 | 7 Dec 1742 | ||
7 Dec 1742 | 5 | Grey Maynard | 18 Dec 1679 | 27 Apr 1745 | 65 | |
27 Apr 1745 28 Oct 1766 to 30 Jun 1775 |
V |
6 1 |
Charles Maynard Created Baron Maynard and Viscount Maynard 28 Oct 1766 These creations contained a special remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to his third cousin Sir William Maynard, 4th baronet Lord Lieutenant Suffolk 1763‑1769 On his death the Baronies of 1620 and 1628 became extinct, whilst the Barony and Viscountcy of 1766 passed to - |
c 1690 | 30 Jun 1775 | |
30 Jun 1775 | 2 | Sir Charles Maynard, 5th baronet | 9 Aug 1751 | 10 Mar 1824 | 72 | |
10 Mar 1824 to 19 May 1865 |
3 | Henry Maynard Lord Lieutenant Essex 1825‑1865 Peerage extinct on his death |
13 Mar 1788 | 19 May 1865 | 77 | |
MAYO | ||||||
21 Jun 1627 | V[I] | 1 | Theobald Bourke Created Viscount Mayo 21 Jun 1627 |
18 Jun 1629 | ||
18 Jun 1629 | 2 | Miles Bourke | 1649 | |||
1649 | 3 | Sir Theobald Bourke, 1st baronet | 12 Jan 1653 | |||
12 Jan 1653 | 4 | Theobald Bourke | 5 Jun 1676 | |||
5 Jun 1676 | 5 | Miles Bourke | Mar 1681 | |||
Mar 1681 | 6 | Theobald Bourke | 6 Jan 1681 | 25 Jun 1741 | 60 | |
25 Jun 1741 | 7 | Theobald Bourke | 7 Jan 1742 | |||
7 Jan 1742 to 12 Jan 1767 |
8 | John Bourke On his death the peerage became either extinct or dormant |
12 Jan 1767 | |||
13 Jan 1781 24 Jun 1785 |
V[I] E[I] |
1 1 |
John Bourke Created Baron Naas 1 Aug 1776, Viscount Mayo 13 Jan 1781 and Earl of the County of Mayo 24 Jun 1785 MP [I] for Naas 1727‑1760 and 1768‑1777, and Old Leighlin 1761‑1768 |
c 1705 | 3 Dec 1790 | |
3 Dec 1790 | 2 | John Bourke MP [I] for Naas 1763‑1790 |
1729 | 20 Apr 1792 | 62 | |
20 Apr 1792 | 3 | Joseph Deane Bourke Archbishop of Tuam 1782‑1794 |
c 1740 | 20 Aug 1794 | ||
20 Aug 1794 | 4 | John Bourke MP [I] for Naas 1790‑1794; PC [I] 1810 |
18 Jun 1766 | 23 May 1849 | 82 | |
23 May 1849 | 5 | Robert Bourke | 12 Jan 1797 | 12 Aug 1867 | 70 | |
12 Aug 1867 | 6 | Richard Southwell Bourke MP for Kildare 1847‑1852, Coleraine 1852‑1857 and Cockermouth 1857‑1867; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1858‑1859 and 1866‑1868; Viceroy of India 1868‑1872; KP 1868; PC 1852; PC [I] 1852 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page |
21 Feb 1822 | 8 Feb 1872 | 49 | |
8 Feb 1872 | 7 | Dermot Robert Wyndham Bourke PC [I] 1900; KP 1904 |
2 Jul 1851 | 31 Dec 1927 | 76 | |
31 Dec 1927 | 8 | Walter Longley Bourke | 28 Nov 1859 | 6 May 1939 | 79 | |
6 May 1939 | 9 | Ulick Henry Bourke | 13 Mar 1890 | 17 Dec 1962 | 72 | |
17 Dec 1962 | 10 | Terence Patrick Bourke | 26 Aug 1929 | 22 Sep 2006 | 77 | |
22 Sep 2006 | 11 | Charles Diarmuidh John Bourke | 11 Jun 1953 | |||
MEACHER | ||||||
16 Jun 2006 | B[L] | Molly Christine Meacher Created Baroness Meacher for life 16 Jun 2006 |
15 May 1940 | |||
MEATH | ||||||
16 Apr 1627 | E[I] | 1 | William Brabazon, 2nd Baron Brabazon Created Earl of Meath 16 Apr 1627 |
c 1580 | 19 Dec 1651 | |
19 Dec 1651 | 2 | Edward Brabazon PC [I] 1660 |
c 1610 | 25 Mar 1675 | ||
25 Mar 1675 | 3 | William Brabazon He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Brabazon 30 Oct 1665 PC [I] 1674 |
c 1635 | 1 Mar 1685 | ||
1 Mar 1685 | 4 | Edward Brabazon Lord Lieutenant Dublin and Kildare; PC [I] 1690 |
c 1638 | 22 Feb 1708 | ||
22 Feb 1708 | 5 | Chambre Brabazon MP [I] for Dublin County 1692‑1693; Lord Lieutenant Dublin 1709; PC [I] 1710 |
c 1645 | 1 Apr 1715 | ||
1 Apr 1715 | 6 | Chaworth Brabazon He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Brabazon 9 Mar 1715 MP [I] for Dublin County 1713‑1715; Lord Lieutenant Dublin and Wicklow; PC [I] 1716 |
1686 | 14 May 1763 | 76 | |
14 May 1763 | 7 | Edward Brabazon MP [I] for Dublin County 1715‑1760 |
24 Nov 1691 | 24 Nov 1772 | 81 | |
24 Nov 1772 | 8 | Anthony Brabazon MP [I] for Wicklow County 1745‑1760 and Dublin County 1761‑1772 |
17 Feb 1721 | 4 Jan 1790 | 68 | |
4 Jan 1790 | 9 | William Brabazon MP [I] for Dublin County 1789‑1790 |
6 Jul 1769 | 26 May 1797 | 27 | |
26 May 1797 | 10 | John Chambre Brabazon Created Baron Chaworth of Eaton Hall 10 Sep 1831 Lord Lieutenant Dublin 1831‑1851; KP 1821; PC [I] 1831 |
9 Apr 1772 | 15 Mar 1851 | 78 | |
15 Mar 1851 | 11 | William Brabazon MP for co. Dublin 1830‑1832 and 1837‑1841; Lord Lieutenant Wicklow 1869‑1887; PC [I] 1879 |
25 Oct 1803 | 26 May 1887 | 83 | |
26 May 1887 | 12 | Reginald Brabazon Lord Lieutenant Dublin 1898‑1922; PC [I] 1887; KP 1905 |
31 Jul 1841 | 11 Oct 1929 | 88 | |
11 Oct 1929 | 13 | Reginald le Normand Brabazon | 24 Nov 1869 | 10 Mar 1949 | 79 | |
10 Mar 1949 | 14 | Anthony Windham Norman Brabazon | 3 Nov 1910 | 19 Dec 1998 | 88 | |
19 Dec 1998 | 15 | John Anthony Brabazon | 11 May 1941 | |||
MEDINA | ||||||
17 Jul 1917 | M | 1 | Louis Alexander Mountbatten Created Viscount Alderney, Earl of Medina and Marquess of Milford Haven 17 Jul 1917 See "Milford Haven" |
14 May 1854 | 11 Sep 1921 | 67 |
MEDWAY | ||||||
22 Aug 1892 | B | 1 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Viscount Cranbrook Created Baron Medway and Earl of Cranbrook 22 Aug 1892 See "Cranbrook" |
1 Oct 1814 | 30 Oct 1906 | 92 |
MEINILL | ||||||
23 Jun 1295 | B | 1 | Nicholas Meinill Summoned to Parliament as Lord Meinill 23 Jun 1295 |
1299 | ||
1299 to 26 Apr 1322 |
2 | Nicholas Meinill On his death the peerage became dormant |
1276 | 26 Apr 1322 | 45 | |
22 Jan 1336 | B | 1 | William de Meinill Summoned to Parliament as Lord Meinill 22 Jan 1336 |
1342 | ||
1342 | 2 | Elizabeth Darcy | 1368 | |||
1368 | 3 | Philip Darcy He had previously succeeded to the Barony of Darcy de Knayth in 1362 with which title this peerage then merged until both peerages fell into abeyance in 1418 For information on an unsuccessful attempt to revive this peerage in 1903, see the note under the peerage of Fauconberg |
1341 | 24 Apr 1399 | 56 | |
MELBOURNE | ||||||
8 Jun 1770 16 Dec 1781 11 Aug 1815 |
B[I] V[I] B |
1 1 1 |
Sir Peniston Lamb, 2nd baronet Created Baron Melbourne 8 Jun 1770, Viscount Melbourne 16 Dec 1781 and Baron Melbourne [UK] 11 Aug 1815 MP for Ludgershall 1768‑1784, Malmesbury 1784‑1790 and Newport (IOW) 1790‑1793 |
29 Jan 1745 | 22 Jul 1828 | 83 |
22 Jul 1828 | 2 | William Lamb MP for Leominster 1806, Haddington Burghs 1806‑1807, Portarlington 1807‑1816, Peterborough 1816‑1819, Hertfordshire 1819‑1826, Newport (IOW) 1827 and Bletchingley 1827‑1828; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1827‑1828; Home Secretary 1830‑1834; Prime Minister 1834 and 1835‑1841; PC 1827; PC [I] 1827 |
15 Mar 1779 | 24 Nov 1848 | 69 | |
24 Nov 1848 to 29 Jan 1853 |
3 | Frederick James Lamb Created Baron Beauvale 20 Apr 1839 PC 1822 Peerages extinct on his death |
17 Apr 1782 | 29 Jan 1853 | 80 | |
MELCHETT | ||||||
15 Jun 1928 | B | 1 | Sir Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st baronet Created Baron Melchett 15 Jun 1928 MP for Chester 1906‑1910, Swansea 1910‑1918, Swansea West 1918‑1923 and Carmarthen 1924‑1928; First Commissioner of Works 1916‑1921; Minister of Health 1921‑1922; PC 1913 |
23 Oct 1868 | 27 Dec 1930 | 62 |
27 Dec 1930 | 2 | Henry Ludwig Mond MP for Isle of Ely 1923‑1924 and Toxteth East 1929‑1930 |
10 May 1898 | 22 Jan 1949 | 50 | |
22 Jan 1949 | 3 | Julian Edward Alfred Mond | 9 Jan 1925 | 15 Jun 1973 | 48 | |
15 Jun 1973 to 29 Aug 2018 |
4 | Peter Robert Henry Mond Peerage extinct on his death |
24 Feb 1948 | 29 Aug 2018 | 70 | |
MELCOMBE | ||||||
6 Apr 1761 to 28 Jul 1762 |
B | 1 | George Bubb Dodington Created Baron Melcombe 6 Apr 1761 MP for Winchelsea 1715‑1722, Bridgwater 1722‑1754 and Weymouth & Melcombe Regis 1754‑1761; Treasurer of the Navy 1746‑1749, 1755‑1756 and 1757; Lord Lieutenant Somerset 1720‑1744; PC 1745 Peerage extinct on his death |
c 1691 | 28 Jul 1762 | |
MELDRUM | ||||||
11 Aug 1815 | B | 1 | George Gordon, later [1836] 9th Marquess of Huntly Created Baron Meldrum 11 Aug 1815 This peerage remains merged in the Marquessate of Huntly |
28 Jun 1761 | 17 Jun 1853 | 91 |
MELFORT | ||||||
14 Apr 1685 12 Aug 1686 to 2 Jul 1695 |
V[S] E[S] |
1 1 |
John Drummond Created Lord Drummond of Gilstoun and Viscount of Melfort 14 Apr 1685, and Lord Drummond of Riccartoun, Viscount of Forth and Earl of Melfort 12 Aug 1686 Secretary of State for Scotland 1684; PC 1685; KT 1687 He was attainted and the peerages forfeited |
c 1650 | 25 Jan 1715 | |
[25 Jan 1715] | [2] | John Drummond | 26 May 1682 | 29 Jan 1754 | 71 | |
[29 Jan 1754] | [3] | James Drummond | 13 May 1708 | 25 Dec 1766 | 58 | |
[25 Dec 1766] | [4] | James Lewis Drummond | Sep 1800 | |||
[Sep 1800] | [5] | Charles Edward Drummond | 1 Jan 1752 | 9 Apr 1840 | 88 | |
[9 Apr 1840] 28 Jun 1853 to 28 Feb 1902 |
6 | George Drummond Attainder reversed 28 Jun 1853 On his death the peerage became dormant |
6 May 1807 | 28 Feb 1902 | 94 | |
MELGUM | ||||||
20 Oct 1627 to 9 Oct 1630 |
V[S] | 1 | Lord John Gordon Created Viscount of Melgum 20 Oct 1627 Peerage extinct on his death |
9 Oct 1630 | ||
MELGUND | ||||||
24 Feb 1813 | V | 1 | Gilbert Elliot Murray‑Kynynmound Created Baron Minto 20 Oct 1797 and Viscount Melgund and and Earl of Minto 24 Feb 1813 See "Minto" |
23 Apr 1751 | 21 Jun 1814 | 63 |
MELLISH | ||||||
12 Jul 1985 to 9 May 1998 |
B[L] | Robert Joseph Mellish Created Baron Mellish for life 12 Jul 1985 MP for Rotherhithe 1946‑1950 and Bermondsey 1950‑1983; Minister of Public Building & Works 1967‑1969; Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1969‑1970 and 1974‑1976; PC 1967 Peerage extinct on his death |
3 Mar 1913 | 9 May 1998 | 84 | |
MELROS | ||||||
24 Jul 1827 to |
B | 1 | Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington Created Baron Melros 24 Jul 1827 Peerage extinct on his death |
21 Jun 1780 | 1 Dec 1858 | 78 |
MELVILLE | ||||||
30 Apr 1616 | B[S] | 1 | Robert Melville Created Lord Melville 30 Apr 1616 |
1547 | Dec 1621 | 74 |
Dec 1621 | 2 | Robert Melville | 19 Mar 1635 | |||
19 Mar 1635 | 3 | John Melville | 22 May 1643 | |||
22 May 1643 8 Apr 1690 |
E[S] |
4 1 |
George Melville Created Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie, Viscount of Kirkcaldy and Earl of Melville 8 Apr 1690 Secretary of State for Scotland 1690‑1691; Lord Privy Seal of Scotland 1691‑1696 |
1636 | 20 May 1707 | 70 |
20 May 1707 | 2 | David Leslie He had previously succeeded as 5th Earl of Leven in 1681 with which title this peerage then became united and so remains |
5 May 1660 | 6 Jun 1728 | 68 | |
24 Dec 1802 | V | 1 | Henry Dundas Created Baron Dunira and Viscount Melville 24 Dec 1802 MP for Midlothian 1774‑1790, Newtown 1782 and Edinburgh 1790‑1802; Solicitor General for Scotland 1766‑1775; Lord Advocate 1775‑1783; Home Secretary 1791‑1794; President of the Board of Control 1793‑1801; Secretary for War & Colonies 1794‑1801; First Lord of the Admiralty 1804‑1805; PC 1782 |
28 Apr 1742 | 28 May 1811 | 69 |
28 May 1811 | 2 | Robert Saunders-Dundas MP for Hastings 1794‑1796, Rye 1796‑1801 and Midlothian 1801‑1811; President of the Board of Control 1807‑1808 and 1809‑1812; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1809; First Lord of the Admiralty 1812‑1827 and 1828‑1830; PC 1807; PC [I] 1809; KT 1821 |
14 Mar 1771 | 10 Jun 1851 | 80 | |
10 Jun 1851 | 3 | Henry Dundas MP for Rochester 1826‑1830 and Winchelsea 1830‑1831 |
25 Feb 1801 | 1 Feb 1876 | 74 | |
1 Feb 1876 | 4 | Robert Dundas | 14 Sep 1803 | 18 Feb 1886 | 82 | |
18 Feb 1886 | 5 | Robert Dundas | 8 Mar 1835 | 3 Nov 1904 | 69 | |
3 Nov 1904 | 6 | Charles Saunders Dundas | 27 Jun 1843 | 21 Sep 1926 | 83 | |
21 Sep 1926 | 7 | Henry Charles Clement Dundas | 25 Jun 1873 | 30 Jan 1935 | 61 | |
30 Jan 1935 | 8 | Henry Charles Patric Brouncker Dundas | 5 Mar 1909 | 26 Mar 1971 | 62 | |
26 Mar 1971 | 9 | Robert David Ross Dundas | 28 May 1937 | 21 Jul 2011 | 74 | |
21 Jul 2011 | 10 | Robert Henry Kirkpatrick Dundas | 23 Apr 1984 | |||
MENDELSOHN | ||||||
5 Sep 2013 | B[L] | Jonathan Neil Mendelsohn Created Baron Mendelsohn for life 5 Sep 2013 |
30 Dec 1966 | |||
MENDIP | ||||||
13 Aug 1794 | B | 1 | Welbore Ellis Created Baron Mendip 13 Aug 1794 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page MP for Cricklade 1741‑1747, Weymouth & Melcombe Regis 1747‑1754 and 1774‑1790, Aylesbury 1761‑1768 and Petersfield 1768‑1774 and 1791‑1794; Secretary at War 1762‑1765; Treasurer of the Navy 1777‑1782; Secretary of State 1782; PC 1760 |
15 Dec 1713 | 2 Feb 1802 | 88 |
2 Feb 1802 | 2 | Henry Welbore Ellis He had previously succeeded as 2nd Viscount Clifden in 1788 |
22 Jan 1761 | 13 Jul 1836 | 75 | |
13 Jul 1836 | 3 | Henry Agar-Ellis, 3rd Viscount Clifden He had previously succeeded to the Barony of Dover in 1833 |
25 Feb 1825 | 20 Feb 1866 | 40 | |
20 Feb 1866 | 4 | Henry George Agar‑Ellis, 4th Viscount Clifden | 3 Sep 1863 | 28 Mar 1895 | 31 | |
28 Mar 1895 | 5 | Leopold George Frederick Agar‑Ellis, 5th Viscount Clifden MP for co. Kilkenny 1857‑1874 |
13 May 1829 | 10 Sep 1899 | 70 | |
10 Sep 1899 | 6 | Thomas Charles Agar‑Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden MP for Cornwall East 1880‑1882; Lord Lieutenant Cambridge 1906‑1915 |
1 Jan 1844 | 19 Jul 1930 | 86 | |
19 Jul 1930 | 7 | Francis Gerald Agar‑Robartes, 7th Viscount Clifden | 14 Apr 1883 | 15 Jul 1966 | 83 | |
15 Jul 1966 | 8 | Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes, 8th Viscount Clifden | 9 Jun 1887 | 22 Dec 1974 | 87 | |
22 Dec 1974 | 9 | Shaun James Christian Welbore Ellis Agar He had previously succeeded to the Earldom of Normanton in 1967 |
21 Aug 1945 | 13 Feb 2019 | 73 | |
28 Jan 1967 | 10 | James Shaun Christian Welbore Ellis Agar, also 7th Earl of Normanton | 7 Sep 1982 | |||
MENDOZA | ||||||
16 Sep 2020 | B[L] | Neil Francis Jeremy Mendoza Created Baron Mendoza for life 16 Sep 2020 |
2 Nov 1959 | |||
MENTEITH | ||||||
c 1164 | E[S] | 1 | Gilchrist Witness to a Charter as Earl of Menteith c 1164 |
c 1190 | ||
c 1190 | 2 | Murdoch | c 1210 | |||
c 1210 | 3 | Maurice He resigned the peerage in favour of - |
after 1213 | |||
1213 | 4 | Maurice | c 1230 | |||
c 1230 | 5 | Isabella She married Walter Comyn who assumed the peerage in her right. She died between 1262 and 1272 |
||||
1258 | 6 | Walter Stewart | c 1295 | |||
c 1295 | 7 | Alexander Stewart | c 1300 | |||
c 1300 | 8 | Alan Stewart | c 1308 | |||
c 1308 | 9 | Murdoch Stewart | 19 Jul 1333 | |||
19 Jul 1333 | 10 | Mary She married Sir John Graham who assumed the peerage in her right. He died Feb 1367 |
c 1360 | |||
c 1360 | 11 | Margaret, Duchess of Albany | c 1390 | |||
c 1390 to 24 May 1425 |
12 | Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany He was executed and the peerages forfeited |
24 May 1425 | |||
6 Sep 1427 | E[S] | 1 | Malise Graham Created Earl of Menteith 6 Sep 1427 |
c 1410 | c 1490 | |
c 1490 | 2 | Alexander Graham | c 1535 | |||
c 1535 | 3 | William Graham | c 1544 | |||
c 1544 | 4 | John Graham | 1564 | |||
1564 | 5 | William Graham | c 1580 | |||
c 1580 | 6 | John Graham | Dec 1598 | |||
Dec 1598 | 7 | William Graham Created Earl of Airth 21 Jan 1632 |
1589 | c 1662 | ||
c 1662 to 12 Sep 1694 |
8 | William Graham On his death the peerage became either extinct or dormant |
12 Sep 1694 | |||
MENTMORE | ||||||
3 Jul 1911 | V | 1 | Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Created Baron Epsom, Viscount Mentmore and Earl of Midlothian 3 Jul 1911 The peerages remain united with the Earldom of Rosebery |
7 May 1847 | 21 May 1929 | 82 |
MENUHIN | ||||||
19 Jul 1993 to 12 Mar 1999 |
B[L] | Sir Yehudi Menuhin Created Baron Menuhin for life 19 Jul 1993 OM 1987 Peerage extinct on his death |
22 Apr 1916 | 12 Mar 1999 | 82 | |
MEREDYTH | ||||||
3 May 1866 | B | 1 | Sir William Meredyth Somerville Created Baron Athlumney [I] 14 Dec 1863 and Baron Meredyth [UK] 3 May 1866 See "Athlumney" |
1802 | 7 Dec 1873 | 71 |
MEREWORTH | ||||||
19 Jan 1926 | B | 1 | Geoffrey Henry Browne, 3rd Baron Oranmore & Browne Created Baron Mereworth 19 Jan 1926 See "Oranmore & Browne" with which title this peerage remains united |
6 Jan 1861 | 30 Jun 1927 | 66 |
MERIONETH | ||||||
20 Nov 1947 | E | 1 | Philip Mountbatten Created Baron Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh 20 Nov 1947 See "Edinburgh" |
10 Jun 1921 | 9 Apr 2021 | 99 |
MERLYN-REES | ||||||
1 Jul 1992 to 5 Jan 2006 |
B[L] | Merlyn Merlyn-Rees Created Baron Merlyn‑Rees for life 1 Jul 1992 MP for Leeds South 1963‑1983 and Morley & Leeds South 1983‑1992; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1974‑1976; Home Secretary 1976‑1979; PC 1974 Peerage extinct on his death |
18 Dec 1920 | 5 Jan 2006 | 85 | |
MERRIMAN | ||||||
27 Jan 1941 to 18 Jan 1962 |
B | 1 | Sir Frank Boyd Merriman Created Baron Merriman 27 Jan 1941 MP for Rusholme 1924‑1933; Solicitor General 1928‑1929 and 1932‑1933; President of the Probate Divorce and Admiralty Court 1933‑1962; PC 1933 Peerage extinct on his death |
28 Apr 1880 | 18 Jan 1962 | 81 |
MERRIVALE | ||||||
19 Jan 1925 | B | 1 | Sir Henry Edward Duke Created Baron Merrivale 19 Jan 1925 MP for Plymouth 1900‑1906 and Exeter 1910 and 1911‑1918; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1916‑1918; Lord Justice of Appeal 1918‑1919; PC 1915; PC [I] 1916 |
5 Nov 1855 | 20 May 1939 | 83 |
20 May 1939 | 2 | Edward Duke | 22 May 1883 | 8 Jun 1951 | 68 | |
8 Jun 1951 | 3 | Jack Henry Edmond Duke | 27 Jan 1917 | 1 Nov 2007 | 90 | |
1 Nov 2007 | 4 | Derek John Philip Duke | 16 Mar 1948 | |||
MERRON | ||||||
8 Feb 2021 | B[L] | Gillian Joanna Merron Created Baroness Merron 8 Feb 2021 MP for Lincoln 1997‑2010; Minister of State for Public Health 2009‑2010 |
12 Apr 1959 | |||
MERSEY | ||||||
16 Mar 1910 22 Jan 1916 |
B V |
1 1 |
Sir John Charles Bigham Created Baron Mersey 16 Mar 1910 and Viscount Mersey 22 Jan 1916 MP for Liverpool Exchange 1895‑1897; PC 1909 For an amusing story regarding this peer's dogs, see the note at the foot of this page |
3 Aug 1840 | 3 Sep 1929 | 89 |
3 Sep 1929 | 2 | Charles Clive Bigham PC 1946 |
18 Aug 1872 | 20 Nov 1956 | 84 | |
20 Nov 1956 | 3 | Edward Clive Bigham | 5 Jun 1906 | 2 Aug 1979 | 73 | |
2 Aug 1979 | 4 | Richard Maurice Clive Bigham He subsequently [1995] succeeded as 13th Lord Nairne |
8 Jul 1934 | 5 Aug 2006 | 72 | |
5 Aug 2006 | 5 | Edward John Hallam Bigham | 23 May 1966 | |||
MERTHYR | ||||||
24 Jun 1911 | B | 1 | Sir William Thomas Lewis, 1st baronet Created Baron Merthyr 24 Jun 1911 For information on an incident which occurred in Feb 1910, see the note at the foot of this page |
5 Aug 1837 | 27 Aug 1914 | 77 |
27 Aug 1914 | 2 | Herbert Clark Lewis | 3 Jul 1866 | 20 Mar 1932 | 65 | |
20 Mar 1932 | 3 | William Brereton Couchman Lewis PC 1964 |
7 Jan 1901 | 5 Apr 1977 | 76 | |
5 Apr 1977 to 26 Apr 1977 |
4 | Trevor Oswin Lewis He disclaimed the peerage for life 26 Apr 1977 |
29 Nov 1935 | 5 Aug 2015 | 79 | |
5 Aug 2015 | 5 | David Trevor Lewis | 21 Feb 1977 | |||
MERTON | ||||||
20 Nov 1805 | V | 1 | William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson Created Viscount Merton and Earl Nelson 20 Nov 1805 See "Nelson" |
20 Apr 1757 | 28 Feb 1835 | 77 |
MESTON | ||||||
29 Nov 1919 | B | 1 | Sir James Scorgie Meston Created Baron Meston 29 Nov 1919 |
12 Jun 1865 | 7 Oct 1943 | 78 |
7 Oct 1943 | 2 | Dougall Meston | 17 Dec 1894 | 2 Jan 1984 | 89 | |
2 Jan 1984 | 3 | James Meston [Elected hereditary peer 2023‑] |
10 Feb 1950 | |||
METCALFE | ||||||
25 Jan 1845 to 5 Sep 1846 |
B | 1 | Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 3rd baronet Created Baron Metcalfe 25 Jan 1845 Governor of Jamaica 1839; Governor General of Canada 1843‑1845; PC 1839 Peerage extinct on his death |
30 Jan 1785 | 5 Sep 1846 | 61 |
METHLICK | ||||||
30 Nov 1682 | B[S] | 1 | George Gordon, 3rd baronet Created Lord Haddo, Methlick, Tarves and Kellie, Viscount of Formartine and Earl of Aberdeen 30 Nov 1682 See "Aberdeen" |
3 Oct 1637 | 20 Apr 1720 | 82 |
METHUEN | ||||||
13 Jul 1838 | B | 1 | Paul Methuen Created Baron Methuen 13 Jul 1838 MP for Wiltshire 1812‑1819 and Wiltshire North 1832‑1837 |
21 Jun 1779 | 14 Sep 1849 | 70 |
14 Sep 1849 | 2 | Frederick Henry Paul Methuen | 23 Feb 1818 | 26 Sep 1891 | 73 | |
26 Sep 1891 | 3 | Paul Sanford Methuen Field Marshal 1911; Governor of Malta 1915‑1919 |
1 Sep 1845 | 30 Oct 1932 | 87 | |
30 Oct 1932 | 4 | Paul Ayshford Methuen | 29 Sep 1886 | 7 Jan 1974 | 87 | |
7 Jan 1974 | 5 | Anthony Paul Methuen | 26 Jun 1891 | 21 Jun 1975 | 83 | |
21 Jun 1975 | 6 | Anthony John Methuen | 26 Oct 1925 | 24 Aug 1994 | 68 | |
24 Aug 1994 | 7 | Robert Alexander Holt Methuen [Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2014] |
22 Jul 1931 | 9 Jul 2014 | 82 | |
9 Jul 2014 | 8 | James Paul Archibald Methuen‑Campbell | 25 Oct 1952 | |||
METHVEN | ||||||
17 Jul 1528 | B[S] | 1 | Henry Stewart Created Lord Methven 17 Jul 1528 |
c 1497 | c 1555 | |
c 1555 | 2 | Henry Methven | 3 Mar 1572 | |||
3 Mar 1572 to c 1580 |
3 | Henry Methven Peerage extinct on his death |
c 1580 | |||
MEXBOROUGH | ||||||
11 Feb 1766 | E[I] | 1 | John Savile Created Baron Pollington 8 Nov 1753 and Viscount Pollington and Earl of Mexborough 11 Feb 1766 MP for Hedon 1747‑1754 and New Shoreham 1761‑1768 |
Dec 1719 | 17 Feb 1778 | 58 |
17 Feb 1778 | 2 | John Savile MP for Lincoln 1808‑1812 |
8 Apr 1761 | 3 Feb 1830 | 68 | |
3 Feb 1830 | 3 | John Savile MP for Pontefract 1807‑1812, 1812‑1826 and 1831‑1832 |
3 Jul 1783 | 25 Dec 1860 | 77 | |
25 Dec 1860 | 4 | John Charles George Savile MP for Gatton 1831‑1832 and Pontefract 1835‑1837 and 1841‑1847 He was the last surviving member of the unreformed House of Commons |
4 Jun 1810 | 17 Aug 1899 | 89 | |
17 Aug 1899 | 5 | John Horace Savile For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page |
17 Jun 1843 | 8 Jun 1916 | 72 | |
8 Jun 1916 | 6 | John Henry Savile | 27 Sep 1868 | 16 Sep 1945 | 76 | |
16 Sep 1945 | 7 | John Raphael Wentworth Savile | 11 Oct 1906 | 15 May 1980 | 73 | |
15 May 1980 | 8 | John Christopher George Savile | 16 May 1931 | |||
MEYER | ||||||
19 Jun 2018 | B[L] | Catherine Irene Jacqueline Meyer Created Baroness Meyer for life 19 Jun 2018 |
26 Jan 1953 | |||
MICHELHAM | ||||||
28 Dec 1905 | B | 1 | Sir Herbert Stern, 1st baronet Created Baron Michelham 28 Dec 1905 |
28 Sep 1851 | 7 Jan 1919 | 67 |
7 Jan 1919 to 19 Mar 1984 |
2 | Herman Alfred Stern Peerage extinct on his death |
5 Sep 1900 | 19 Mar 1984 | 83 | |
MICHIE OF GALLANACH | ||||||
14 Jul 2001 to 6 May 2008 |
B[L] | Janet Ray Michie Created Baroness Michie of Gallanach for life 14 Jul 2001 MP for Argyll & Bute 1987‑2001 Peerage extinct on her death |
4 Feb 1934 | 6 May 2008 | 74 | |
MICKLETHWAITE | ||||||
14 Aug 1724 6 Jun 1727 to 16 Jan 1734 |
B[I] V[I] |
1 1 |
Joseph Micklethwaite Created Baron Micklethwaite 14 Aug 1724 and Viscount Micklethwaite 6 Jun 1727 MP for Arundel 1718‑1727 and Hull 1727‑1734 Peerages extinct on his death |
c 1680 | 16 Jan 1734 | |
MIDDLESEX | ||||||
16 Sep 1622 | E | 1 | Lionel Cranfield, 1st Baron Cranfield Created Earl of Middlesex 16 Sep 1622 MP for Hythe 1614 and Arundel 1621‑1622; Lord High Treasurer 1621‑1624 |
13 Mar 1575 | 6 Aug 1645 | 70 |
6 Aug 1645 | 2 | James Cranfield | 27 Dec 1621 | 13 Sep 1651 | 29 | |
13 Sep 1651 to 26 Oct 1674 |
3 | Lionel Cranfield Peerages extinct on his death |
c 1625 | 26 Oct 1674 | ||
4 Apr 1675 | B | 1 | Charles Sackville Created Baron Cranfield and Earl of Middlesex 4 Apr 1675 He succeeded to the Earldom of Dorset in 1677 with which title this peerage then merged - extinct 1843 |
24 Jan 1638 | 29 Jan 1706 | 68 |
MIDDLETON | ||||||
1 Jan 1712 | B | 1 | Sir Thomas Willoughby, 2nd baronet Created Baron Middleton 1 Jan 1712 MP for Nottinghamshire 1698‑1702 and 1705‑1710 and Newark 1710‑1712 |
9 Apr 1672 | 2 Apr 1729 | 56 |
2 Apr 1729 | 2 | Francis Willoughby MP for Nottinghamshire 1713‑1722 and Tamworth 1722‑1727 |
4 Oct 1692 | 31 Jul 1758 | 65 | |
31 Jul 1758 | 3 | Francis Willoughby | 25 Jan 1726 | 16 Dec 1774 | 48 | |
16 Dec 1774 | 4 | Thomas Willoughby MP for Nottinghamshire 1762‑1774 |
19 Dec 1728 | 19 Jan 1781 | 52 | |
19 Jan 1781 | 5 | Henry Willoughby | 19 Dec 1726 | 14 Jun 1800 | 73 | |
14 Jun 1800 | 6 | Henry Willoughby | 24 Apr 1761 | 19 Jun 1835 | 74 | |
19 Jun 1835 | 7 | Digby Willoughby | 29 Nov 1769 | 5 Nov 1856 | 86 | |
5 Nov 1856 | 8 | Digby Willoughby | 28 Aug 1817 | 20 Dec 1877 | 60 | |
20 Dec 1877 | 9 | Digby Wentworth Bayard Willoughby | 24 Aug 1844 | 28 May 1922 | 77 | |
28 May 1922 | 10 | Godfrey Ernest Percival Willoughby | 18 Jun 1847 | 11 Nov 1924 | 77 | |
11 Nov 1924 | 11 | Michael Guy Percival Willoughby Lord Lieutenant East Riding Yorkshire 1936‑1968; KG 1957 |
21 Oct 1887 | 16 Nov 1970 | 83 | |
16 Nov 1970 | 12 | Digby Michael Godfrey John Willoughby | 1 May 1921 | 27 May 2011 | 90 | |
27 May 2011 | 13 | Michael Charles James Willoughby | 14 Jul 1948 | |||
MIDDLETON (Scotland) | ||||||
1 Oct 1660 | E[S] | 1 | John Middleton Created Lord Clermont & Fettercairn and Earl of Middleton 1 Oct 1660 |
c 1617 | 1673 | |
1673 to 2 Jul 1695 |
2 | Charles Middleton MP for Winchelsea 1685; Secretary of State for Scotland 1682; PC 1684 The peerage was forfeited in 1695 |
c 1650 | 8 Aug 1719 | ||
Hugh Hamon Charles George Massy, 8th Baron Massy | ||
Massy was the victim of a home invasion in 1922 during which the intruder was accidentally killed, as reported in the Manchester Guardian of 24 Jul 1922:- | ||
An inquest was held in Dublin on Saturday on Anthony Walsh, who was shot dead by the Hon. Hamon Massy, son of Lord Massy, at Killakee House, county Dublin. | ||
The Hon. Mrs. Massy said the house was four miles from the Dublin tram terminus, and was in a lonely place. On Thursday night she and her husband retired, and while undressing she heard footsteps on the gravel walk close to the hall door, and her husband opened the window, shouting, "Hello, who is there?" A man was heard to reply, "Is that you, Mr. Massy?" and said he wanted to see him. Her husband went down with a hand-lamp, and she heard the door open. Some time after her husband returned for the keys of the safe, telling her the man was demanding money. In the safe there was a very considerable sum of money in notes. | ||
After her husband got the keys she heard him tell the man to get out, and on going downstairs she found her husband trying to get the man out. She asked the man to go, and her husband was pushing him away from the direction of the safe. The man was violent, and shouted that he would not go, He had his hand in his pocket, and she thought he had firearms. | ||
He then rushed at her husband, who got a revolver from a drawer and warned the man to get out, but he made for her husband. One shot went off over the man's head, and when he caught her husband's legs and they struggled another shot went off, and the man fell. The doctor and the priest were at once sent for, and the witness and others prayed over the man while he was dying. | ||
Neither the witness nor her husband knew the man. They had been raided two or three times recently. Their car was taken and the telephone wires cut the day before the occurrence. | ||
Lieutenant Kinsella, of the C.I.D., stated that he found on the man a 5 pound note and an expert's skeleton key. | ||
The jury returned a verdict that death was due to a bullet wound accidentally inflicted by Mr. Massy. | ||
Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo | ||
Mayo was appointed Viceroy of India in 1868. Before succeeding to the Irish Earldom in 1867, he had, under the courtesy title of Lord Naas, been Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1858‑1859 and 1866‑1868. He was a big, good-looking, genial character, a tireless administrator and a celebrated sportsman. | ||
As soon as he arrived at Government House in Calcutta, he flung himself with typical energy into every aspect of the government of India. During his viceroyalty, he travelled 20,000 miles throughout India, from the jungles of Burma to the wildest sections of the turbulent North-West Frontier. He horrified his staff by insisting on personally investigating districts torn by bloody religious riots and anti-British disturbances. He set up committees to reorganise the archaic and cumbersome Indian financial system and to promote railway building, irrigation schemes and other works. | ||
One of Mayo's favourite projects was the reform of the penal system, which was still haunted by memories of the Indian Mutiny only 15 years earlier. After the mutiny, thousands of captives were exiled to South Andaman Island in the Bay of Bengal, forming the nucleus of India's most feared penal colony. The centre of the settlement was the squalid township of Hopetown, built mostly on a malarial swamp reclaimed from the jungle-fringed foreshore of Port Blair. Here, guarded by a native regiment, were the barracks of the more docile convicts who worked at timber-cutting, road-making and draining the swamps. Out in the bay was Viper Island, a mile long and half a mile wide, which housed the most dangerous prisoners as well as the condemned cells and gallows. On the nearby island of Ross were a sawmill, hospital, church, storehouses and the small fort which was the headquarters of the commandant, General Donald Stewart [later Field Marshal Sir Donald Stewart, Bt]. | ||
Ever since its foundation, the colony had been a cesspool of brutality and depravity in which sickness sometimes swept away a third of the wretched prisoners each year. Corrupt officials openly traded liquor for the convicts' meagre earnings. Murders, riots and drunkenness added to the high mortality rate caused by endemic malaria. | ||
In 1871, a particularly nasty series of killings in the settlement convinced Lord Mayo that his most urgent task was a sweeping reform of the whole administration of the Andamans. His officials agreed, but they reacted with violent opposition when the Viceroy announced that he would visit Hopetown and investigate conditions on the spot. His secretary, Major Burne, and his two ADCs, Captains Lockwood and Gregory, begged him not to take his life in his hands among criminals who included a large number of anti-British fanatics. But Mayo swept aside every objection, and at daybreak on 8 February 1872, the cruiser Glasgow, carrying the vice-regal party, dropped anchor off Hopetown. General Stewart boarded the warship at once and asked Mayo not to go ashore until his security arrangements had been completed and the most dangerous prisoners safely locked up. Once more, Mayo ignored official fears, though he did agree to delay his visit to Viper Island until the afternoon, when the guard could be reinforced by native troops from Hopetown. | ||
The tours of Ross and Viper Islands passed off without incident and the party then landed at Hopetown. After inspecting the facilities there, Mayo, to the horror of his accompanying party, suggested that they climb Mt. Harriet. It was pointed out that the only route was a narrow track winding through jungle and that it would be impossible to guarantee Mayo's safety from any unseen assassin lurking in the jungle. Mayo again brushed aside these objections and the party set off. | ||
Mayo's arrival at Hopetown had been observed by convict number 15,557 - Shere Ali - a native of a village at the foot of the Khyber Pass, where his tribal people had been fighting the British for 50 years. Shere Ali had, however, served in the Punjabi Mounted Police until ancestral tradition had reasserted itself and he killed a fellow tribesman in a blood feud. He was condemned to hang, but because of his good service record, the sentence had been commuted to exile. Good behaviour soon won him a transfer from Viper Island to Hopetown, where he became the settlement's barber and enjoyed almost complete freedom. But Shere Ali had never forgotten the disgrace of being stripped of the Queen's uniform, an insult that could only be wiped out in blood, and now he had his chance. | ||
For an hour, with a razor-sharp knife concealed beneath his robe, Shere Ali stalked Mayo's party through the jungle, but could not get close enough to strike. He had almost given up hope and night was now falling. As the party returned to the jetty at Hopetown, Shere Ali concealed himself in a pile of boulders at the landward end of the jetty, and, as Mayo passed, he flung himself at Mayo and stabbed him twice in the back. Mayo collapsed into the shallow water, and within seconds had been lifted into the launch and taken to the Glasgow, but he was dead before ship's surgeon could assist him. | ||
In the meantime, Shere Ali, beaten unconscious by rifle butts, was also dragged aboard the launch and lashed by his wrists and ankles to a grating on the deck. Within 24 hours, he had been taken back to Hopetown and sentenced to death by General Stewart in his capacity as the colony's Chief Justice. The sentence was confirmed by the High Court of Bengal and Shere Ali was hanged on the gallows on Viper Island three weeks later. | ||
Out of the violence came some good, however. The assassination stunned the British administration into hastening reforms of the penal system, and over the next 10 years, Hopetown was transformed into a model settlement. | ||
The special remainder to the Barony of Mendip | ||
From the London Gazette of 9 August 1794 (issue 13692, page 818):- | ||
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain … and the Heirs Male of [his] Body lawfully begotten, to The Right Honorable Welbore Ellis, by the Name, Style and Title of Baron Mendip, of Mendip, in the County of Somerset, with Remainders severally and successively to the Right Honorable Henry Welbore Agar, Viscount Clifden of the Kingdom of Ireland, the Honorable and Reverend John Ellis Agar, Second Son, and the Honorable Charles Bagnal Agar, Third Son, of the Right Honorable James late Viscount Clifden, of the Kingdom of Ireland, deceased; Welbore Ellis Agar, Esquire, one of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Customs; and the Most Reverend Father in God Doctor Charles Agar, Archbishop of Cashel in the Kingdom of Ireland; and the respective Heirs Male of their Bodies lawfully begotten. | ||
John Charles Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey | ||
The following amusing sketch is taken from the Chicago Daily Tribune of 13 February 1901. Although the report is mainly concerned with Clive Bigham, who would succeed his father to become the 2nd Viscount Mersey, the report mentions the 1st Viscount's love of bulldogs, as follows:- | ||
… Sir John Bigham, who is as noted for his acumen as a Judge as for his pedigree bulldogs, which rejoice in the names of Fee and Brief. Fee is in the habit of accompanying Sir John to the Courts of a morning when in town. Sometimes the dog remains all day with its master, while on other occasions it returns home, all the way to Palace Gate in South Kensington, on its own account. It must not, however, for one moment be thought that the dog walks. It drives, and generally hires a hansom for the purpose. That is to say, it jumps into any smart hansom that it happens to see empty, and, ensconcing itself on the cushions, absolutely refuses to budge, growling ominously and showing its teeth if any attempt is made to dislodge it. The driver, unless he happens to know Fee, usually appeals to the nearest policeman, who, however, is apt to pause, owing to the formidable appearance of the dog. Finally, however, Fee turns its head in such a way that the name and address of its master, engraved on the collar, can be deciphered in safety. On the advice of the policeman the dog is usually driven by the cabman in state to the address mentioned on the collar. On arrival the dog alights from the cab, waits beside the coachman until the latter has rung the bell and collected his fare, and then vanishes into the house with an air of the utmost dignity and importance. | ||
Sir William Thomas Lewis, 1st baronet, later 1st Baron Merthyr | ||
Sir William, as he then was, was the victim of desecration in February 1910, when someone broke into his mausoleum and opened his late wife's coffin. The details of this desecration were published in The Tasmanian News of 13 April 1910, reprinted from Lloyd's News of 20 February 1910. I have edited the report so as to eliminate some extraneous material. | ||
Merthyr Cemetery, in the mountain village of Cefn, was the scene of a startling outrage on Saturday [19 February 1910], the mausoleum of Sir William Thomas Lewis being forced, and the coffin containing the body of Lady Lewis broken open. | ||
Some mystery surrounds the affair, but it is surmised that the ghouls who broke in had designs on certain diamond rings which encircled the deceased lady's fingers, but as the body apparently had not been disturbed it is supposed the intruders became unnerved and fled. Sir William Lewis has offered a reward of £20 for information leading to the arrest of the desecrator. | ||
The Lewis vault is a solid structure built into a rising piece of ground; at present it contains only the body of Lady Lewis, his wife, who died at Hean Castle, Pembrokeshire, the residence of Mr. Hubert C. Lewis, and was interred on October 6, 1902. The door is of solid oak, 1½ inches thick, and is protected by a massive outer gate of decorative gunmetal. | ||
Between the part of the cemetery and the spot where the mausoleum stands there is a ravine, and the way to the mausoleum is over a bridge which crosses the river flowing through the ravine. There would be little chance of the sexton or anybody else hearing anything, especially in the noise of the gale. | ||
The workmen who made the discovery that the mausoleum had been tampered with were on their way in the early morning, by permission, through the cemetery to the Brecon and Merthyr Railway. They found the gate ajar and part of the metal work twisted. They at once informed Mr. Meredith, the chief sexton, and Police-Sergeant Davies, who were soon on the scene. | ||
What vwas revealed upon inspection was so astounding that Mr. A.P. Jones, of Aberdare, private secretary to Sir William, was immediately sent for, and deputy Chief Constable Hands, Breconshire police, also arrived in hot haste. | ||
It was obvious that the desecrator prised the gate open, feeling secure from disturbance in the furious gale that was blowing, the shrieking of the wind being enough to drown any noise. Considerable violence had been exerted to force the gate, and the shutters both lay in pieces on the ground. An unsuccessful attempt had been made to smash in the lock of the oak door, which was very much battered about. Through an aperture through which the supposed robbers had made in the lower panel the party entered the vault. | ||
Lady Lewis's coffin had been removed from the slab and lifted down to the floor of the chamber. The lid had been prised, the plate smashed, and the head and shoulders were exposed to view. The shroud did not seem to have been tampered with. | ||
It is thought that the desecrator, becoming unnerved, departed suddenly. At any rate, the mattock pickaxe with which he had begun his ghoulish work was left on the floor near the coffin. He must have had an intimate knowledge of the cemetery, for he took the mattock, which belongs to the grave-diggers, from a shed some distance towards the railway, where the grave-diggers had left it. | ||
Sir W[illiam] Lewis is a self-made man, and the age of seventy-two holds the premier position in the Welsh coal trade. At the age of twelve he was apprenticed as an engineer at the Plymouth works, and the next five years he spent in the ironworks and collieries. Then he went into the office of Mr. W. S. Clarke, chief mineral engineer of the Bute estate, and at the age of 27, when his chief died, he was given the appointment with a salary of £1,000 a year and a house. | ||
Recently Sir William, who was created a baronet in 1896, retired from the general managership of the Cardiff Railway Company, which controls the Bute docks. At a farewell meeting it was recorded that when Sir William became assistant-engineer in 1855, the coal shipments at Cardiff were just over one million tons per annum, and the dock water space was nineteen acres, while last year the coal shipments were over nineteen millions, and the dock area was 163 acres. | ||
Lady Lewis, to whom he was married in 1864, was the daughter of the late Mr. William Rees, of Hetty Shenken, Aberdare. | ||
For information on a similar desecration of a mausoleum, see the note under the Earldom of Crawford and Balcarres. | ||
John Horace Savile, 5th Earl of Mexborough | ||
As far as I have been able to ascertain, the 5th Earl was the first member of the House of Lords who converted to the Buddhist faith. | ||
Copyright © 2003-2018 Leigh Rayment | ||
Copyright © 2020-2024 Helen Belcher OBE | ||