PEERAGES
Last updated 23/06/2018 (22 Jan 2024)
Date Rank Order Name Born Died Age
SANDYS DE VINE
27 Apr 1523 B 1 Sir William Sandys
Created Baron Sandys de Vine 27 Apr 1523
KG 1518
c 1470 Dec 1540
Dec 1540 2 Thomas Sandys 1560
1560 3 William Sandys 29 Sep 1623
29 Sep 1623 4 William Sandys 12 Nov 1629
12 Nov 1629 5 Elizabeth Sandys c 1649
c 1649 6 William Sandys c 1626 1668
1668 7 Henry Sandys c 1680
c 1680
to    
c 1683
8 Edwin Sandys
On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
c 1683
SANKEY
21 Jun 1929
30 Jan 1932
to    
6 Feb 1948
B
V
1
1
John Sankey
Created Baron Sankey 21 Jun 1929 and Viscount Sankey 30 Jan 1932
Lord Justice of Appeal 1928‑1929; Lord Chancellor 1929‑1935; PC 1928
Peerages extinct on his death
26 Oct 1866 6 Feb 1948 81
SANQUHAR
29 Jan 1488 B[S] 1 Sir Robert Crichton
Created Lord Crichton of Sanquhar 29 Jan 1488
See "Crichton of Sanquhar"
c 1495

2 Feb 1622 B[S] 1 William Crichton, 9th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar
Created Lord of Sanquhar and Viscount of Air 2 Feb 1622, and Lord Crichton, Viscount of Air and Earl of Dumfries 12 Jun 1633
See "Dumfries"
1643
SARFRAZ
8 Sep 2020 B[L] Aamer Ahmad Sarfraz
Created Baron Sarfraz for life 8 Sep 2020
25 Sep 1981
SARSFIELD OF KILMALLOCK
17 Sep 1627 V[I] 1 Sir Dominick Sarsfield, 1st baronet
Created Baron of Barretts County and Viscount Kingsale 2 Apr 1625
After his creation as Viscount Kingsale, the de Courcy family, Barons Kingsale, complained that the Kingsale title belonged to them, and the title was therefore exchanged for that of Viscount Sarsfield of Kilmallock 17 Sep 1627, with the precedence of 2 Apr 1625
c 1570 Dec 1636
Dec 1636 2 William Sarsfield 1648
1648 3 David Sarsfield 1687
1687
to    
1691
4 Dominick Sarsfield
He was attainted and the peerages forfeited
1 Sep 1701
SASSOON
29 May 2010 B[L] Sir James Meyer Sassoon
Created Baron Sassoon for life 29 May 2010
11 Sep 1955
SATER
20 Jun 2018 B[L] Amanda Jacqueline Sater
Created Baroness Sater for life 20 Jun 2018
31 Jun 1963
SAUNDERS
15 Aug 1758 B[I] 1 Sir Arthur Gore
Created Baron Saunders and Viscount Sudley 15 Aug 1758 and Earl of Arran 12 Apr 1762
See "Arran"
17 Apr 1773
SAUNDERSON
11 Jul 1627 B[I] 1 Nicholas Saunderson
Created Baron Saunderson and Viscount Castleton 11 Jul 1627
See "Castleton"
c 1561 17 May 1630

19 Oct 1714
to    
23 May 1723
B[I] 1 James Saunderson, 6th Viscount Castleton
Created Baron Saunderson 19 Oct 1714, Viscount Castleton 2 Jul 1716 and Earl Castleton 18 Jun 1720
MP for Newark 1698‑1701 and 1701‑1710
Peerages extinct on his death
c 1667 23 May 1723
SAVAGE
4 Nov 1626 V 1 Sir Thomas Savage, 2nd baronet
Created Viscount Savage 4 Nov 1626
c 1586 20 Nov 1635
20 Nov 1635 2 John Savage
He succeeded to the Earldom of Rivers in 1640 with which title this peerage then merged until its extinction in 1735
c 1603 10 Oct 1654
SAVERNAKE
17 Jul 1821 V 1 Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury
Created Viscount Savernake, Earl Bruce and Marquess of Ailesbury 17 Jul 1821
See "Ailesbury"
12 Feb 1773 4 Jan 1856 82
SAVILE
27 Oct 1888 B 1 Sir John Savile
Created Baron Savile 27 Oct 1888
For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page
PC 1883
6 Jan 1818 28 Nov 1896 78
28 Nov 1896 2 John Savile Lumley‑Savile 20 Sep 1853 3 Apr 1931 77
3 Apr 1931 3 George Halifax Lumley‑Savile 24 Jan 1919 2 Jun 2008 89
2 Jun 2008 4 John Anthony Thornhill Lumley‑Savile 10 Jan 1947
SAVILE OF POMFRET
21 Jul 1628 B 1 John Savile
Created Baron Savile of Pomfret 21 Jul 1628
1556 31 Aug 1630 74
31 Aug 1630 2 Thomas Savile
He was created Earl of Sussex in 1644 with which title this peerage then merged
14 Sep 1590 c 1659
SAVILLE OF ELAND
13 Jan 1668 B 1 George Saville
Created Baron Saville of Eland and Viscount Halifax 13 Jan 1668, Earl of Halifax 16 Jul 1679 and Marquess of Halifax 17 Aug 1682
See "Halifax"
11 Nov 1633 5 Apr 1695 61
SAVILLE OF NEWDIGATE
28 Jul 1997 B[L] Sir Mark Oliver Saville
Created Baron Saville of Newdigate for life 28 Jul 1997
Lord Justice of Appeal 1994‑1997; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1997‑2009; Justice of the Supreme Court 2009‑2010; PC 1994
20 Mar 1936
SAWYER
4 Aug 1998 B[L] Lawrence Tom Sawyer
Created Baron Sawyer for life 4 Aug 1998
12 May 1943
SAY
26 Jul 1313 B 1 Geoffrey de Say
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Say 26 Jul 1313
1322
1322 2 Geoffrey de Say c 1305 26 Jun 1359
26 Jun 1359 3 William de Say 17 Jun 1340 1375 35
1375 4 John de Say 1373 27 Jul 1382 9
27 Jul 1382
to    
8 Jul 1399
5 Elizabeth Heron
On her death the peerage fell into abeyance
8 Jul 1399
SAYE AND SELE
3 Mar 1447 B 1 John Fiennes
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Saye & Sele 3 Mar 1447
Lord Treasurer 1449‑1450
c 1395 4 Jul 1450
4 Jul 1450 2 William Fiennes c 1428 14 Apr 1471
14 Apr 1471 3 Henry Fiennes c 1460 2 Aug 1476
2 Aug 1476 4 Richard Fiennes 1471 1 Oct 1501 30
1 Oct 1501 5 Edward Fiennes c 1500 7 Mar 1528
7 Mar 1528 6 Richard Fiennes c 1520 3 Aug 1573
3 Aug 1573 7 Richard Fiennes c 1557 Feb 1613
Feb 1613
7 Jul 1624
 
V
8
1
William Fiennes
Created Viscount Saye & Sele 7 Jul 1624
28 May 1582 14 Apr 1662 79
14 Apr 1662
to    
15 Mar 1674
9
2
James Fiennes
MP for Banbury 1625, Oxfordshire 1628‑1628, 1640‑1649 and 1660; Lord Lieutenant Oxford 1668‑1674
On his death the Barony fell into abeyance (but see below) whilst the Viscountcy passed to -
c 1603 15 Mar 1674
15 Mar 1674 3 William Fiennes c 1641 9 Dec 1698
9 Dec 1698 4 Nathaniel Fiennes 23 Oct 1676 2 Jan 1710 33
2 Jan 1710 5 Laurence Fiennes c 1690 27 Dec 1742
27 Dec 1742
to    
29 Jul 1781
6 Richard Fiennes
Viscountcy extinct on his death
8 Jul 1716 29 Jul 1781 65

22 Jul 1715 B 10 Cecil Twisleton
She became sole heir in 1715
1723
1723 11 Fiennes Twisleton 1670 4 Sep 1730 60
4 Sep 1730 12 John Twisleton 16 Jan 1698 1763 65
1763 13 Thomas Twisleton c 1735 1 Jul 1788
1 Jul 1788 14 Gregory William Eardley-Twisleton-Fiennes 14 Apr 1769 13 Nov 1844 75
13 Nov 1844 15 William Thomas Eardley-Twisleton-Fiennes 24 Apr 1798 31 Mar 1847 48
31 Mar 1847 16 Frederick Benjamin Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 4 Jul 1799 26 May 1887 87
26 May 1887 17 John Fiennes Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 28 Feb 1830 8 Oct 1907 77
8 Oct 1907 18 Geoffrey Cecil Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 3 Aug 1858 2 Feb 1937 78
2 Feb 1937 19 Geoffrey Rupert Cecil Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 27 Dec 1884 18 Feb 1949 64
18 Feb 1949 20 Ivo Murray Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 15 Dec 1885 21 Oct 1968 82
21 Oct 1968 21 Nathaniel Thomas Allen Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 22 Sep 1920 20 Jan 2024 103
20 Jan 2024 22 Martin Guy Fiennes 27 Feb 1961
SCALES
6 Feb 1299 B 1 Sir Robert de Scales
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Scales 6 Feb 1299
1305
1305 2 Robert de Scales 1324
1324 3 Robert de Scales 13 Aug 1369
13 Aug 1369 4 Roger de Scales 25 Dec 1386
25 Dec 1386 5 Robert de Scales 7 Dec 1402
7 Dec 1402 6 Robert de Scales 1 Jul 1419
1 Jul 1419 7 Thomas de Scales
KG 1426
25 Jul 1460
25 Jul 1460
to    
1483
8 Elizabeth Wydville
She married Anthony Wydville who was summoned in her right. On his death in 1483 the peerage fell into abeyance
2 Sep 1473
SCANLON
19 Feb 1979
to    
27 Jan 2004
B[L] Hugh Parr Scanlon
Created Baron Scanlon for life 19 Feb 1979
Peerage extinct on his death
26 Oct 1913 27 Jan 2004 90
SCARBROUGH
15 Apr 1690 E 1 Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley [I]
Created Baron Lumley 31 May 1681, Viscount Lumley 10 Apr 1689 and Earl of Scarbrough 15 Apr 1690
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1716‑1717; Lord Lieutenant Northumberland 1689‑1721, and Durham 1690‑1712 and 1714‑1721; PC 1689
Mar 1650 17 Dec 1721 71
17 Dec 1721 2 Richard Lumley
MP for East Grinstead 1708‑1710 and Arundel 1710‑1715; Lord Lieutenant Northumberland 1722‑1740; KG 1724; PC 1727
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Lumley 4 Mar 1715
30 Nov 1686 29 Jan 1740 53
29 Jan 1740 3 Thomas Lumley-Saunderson
MP for Arundel 1722‑1727 and Lincolnshire 1727‑1740
c 1691 15 Mar 1752
15 Mar 1752 4 Richard Lumley-Saunderson
PC 1765
May 1725 12 May 1782 57
12 May 1782 5 George Augusta Lumley-Saunderson
MP for Lincoln 1774‑1780
22 Sep 1753 5 Sep 1807 53
5 Sep 1807 6 Richard Lumley-Saunderson
MP for Lincoln 1784‑1790
3 Apr 1757 17 Jun 1832 75
17 Jun 1832 7 John Lumley-Savile 15 Jun 1760 21 Feb 1835 74
21 Feb 1835 8 John Lumley-Savile
MP for Nottinghamshire 1826‑1832 and Nottinghamshire North 1832‑1835; Lord Lieutenant Nottingham 1839‑1856
18 Jul 1788 29 Oct 1856 68
29 Oct 1856 9 Richard George Lumley 7 May 1813 5 Dec 1884 71
5 Dec 1884 10 Alfred Frederick George Beresford Lumley
Lord Lieutenant West Riding Yorkshire 1892‑1904; KG 1929
16 Nov 1857 4 Mar 1945 87
4 Mar 1945 11 Lawrence Roger Lumley
MP for Hull East 1922‑1929 and York 1931‑1937; Governor of Bombay 1937‑1943; Lord Lieutenant West Riding Yorkshire 1948‑1969; KG 1948; PC 1952
27 Jul 1896 29 Jun 1969 72
29 Jun 1969 12 Richard Aldred Lumley
Lord Lieutenant South Yorkshire 1996‑2004
5 Dec 1932 23 Mar 2004 71
23 Mar 2004 13 Richard Osbert Lumley 18 May 1973
SCARMAN
30 Sep 1977
to    
8 Dec 2004
B[L] Sir Leslie George Scarman
Created Baron Scarman for life 30 Sep 1977
Lord Justice of Appeal 1973‑1977; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1977‑1986; PC 1973
Peerage extinct on his death
29 Jul 1911 8 Dec 2004 93
SCARSDALE
11 Nov 1645 E 1 Sir Francis Leke, 1st baronet
Created Baron Deincourt of Sutton 26 Oct 1624 and Earl of Scarsdale 11 Nov 1645
by 1581 9 Apr 1655
9 Apr 1655 2 Nicholas Leke 1 Oct 1612 27 Jan 1681 68
27 Jan 1681 3 Robert Leke
MP for Newark 1679; Lord Lieutenant Derbyshire 1685‑1687
9 Mar 1654 27 Dec 1707 53
27 Dec 1707
to    
17 Jul 1736
4 Nicholas Leke
Lord Lieutenant Derbyshire 1711‑1714
Peerages extinct on his death
c 1682 17 Jul 1736

9 Apr 1761 B 1 Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 5th baronet
Created Baron Scarsdale 9 Apr 1761
MP for Clitheroe 1748‑1754 and Derbyshire 1754‑1761
19 Jan 1727 5 Dec 1804 77
5 Dec 1804 2 Nathaniel Curzon
MP for Derbyshire 1775‑1784
27 Sep 1751 27 Jan 1837 75
27 Jan 1837 3 Nathaniel Curzon 3 Jan 1781 12 Nov 1856 75
12 Nov 1856 4 Alfred Nathaniel Holden Curzon 12 Jul 1831 23 Mar 1916 84
23 Mar 1916
2 Nov 1911
 
V
5
1
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston
Created Viscount Scarsdale 2 Nov 1911
For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page
11 Jan 1859 20 Mar 1925 66
20 Mar 1925 2 Richard Nathaniel Curzon 3 Jul 1898 19 Oct 1977 79
19 Oct 1977 3 Francis John Nathaniel Curzon 28 Jul 1924 2 Aug 2000 76
2 Aug 2000 4 Peter Ghislain Nathaniel Curzon 6 Mar 1949
SCHOMBERG
10 Apr 1689 D 1 Frederic Armand de Schomberg
Created Baron Teyes, Earl of Brentford, Marquess of Harwich and Duke of Schomberg 10 Apr 1689
KG 1689; PC 1689
6 Dec 1615 1 Jul 1690 74
1 Jul 1690 2 Charles de Schomberg 5 Aug 1645 17 Oct 1693 48
17 Oct 1693
to    
5 Jul 1719
3 Meinhart de Schomberg
Created Created Baron Tara, Earl of Bangor and Duke of Leinster 3 Mar 1691
PC 1695; KG 1703
Peerage extinct on his death
30 Jun 1641 5 Jul 1719 78
SCHON
27 Jan 1976
to    
7 Jan 1995
B[L] Sir Frank Schon
Created Baron Schon for life 27 Jan 1976
Peerage extinct on his death
18 May 1912 7 Jan 1995 82
SCHUSTER
26 Jun 1944
to    
28 Jun 1956
B 1 Sir Claud Schuster
Created Baron Schuster 26 Jun 1944
Peerage extinct on his death
22 Aug 1869 28 Jun 1956 86
SCONE
7 Apr 1605 B[S] 1 Sir David Murray
Created Lord Scone 7 Apr 1605 and Viscount of Stormont 16 Aug 1621
See "Stormont"
27 Aug 1631
SCOTLAND OF ASTHAL
30 Oct 1997 B[L] Patricia Janet Scotland
Created Baroness Scotland of Asthal for life 30 Oct 1997
PC 2001
19 Aug 1955
SCOTT OF BUCCLEUCH
18 Mar 1606 B[S] 1 Sir Walter Scott
Created Lord Scott of Buccleuch 18 Mar 1606
1565 15 Dec 1611 46
15 Dec 1611 2 Walter Scott
Created Baron Scott of Whitchester & Eskdale and Earl of Buccleuch 16 Mar 1619
See "Buccleuch"
20 Nov 1633
SCOTT OF BYBROOK
8 Oct 2015 B[L] Jane Antoinette Scott
Created Baroness Scott of Bybrook for life 8 Oct 2015
13 Jun 1947
SCOTT OF FOSCOTE
17 Jul 2000 B[L] Sir Richard Rashleigh Folliott Scott
Created Baron Scott of Foscote for life 17 Jul 2000
Lord Justice of Appeal 1991‑1994; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 2000‑2009; PC 1991
2 Oct 1934
SCOTT OF GOLDIELANDS
29 Mar 1706 B[S] 1 Henry Scott
Created Lord Scott of Goldielands, Viscount of Hermitage and Earl of Deloraine 29 Mar 1706
See "Deloraine"
1676 25 Dec 1730 54
SCOTT OF NEEDHAM MARKET
11 May 2000 B[L] Rosalind Carol Scott
Created Baroness Scott of Needham Market for life 11 May 2000
10 Aug 1957
SCOTT OF TYNDALE
14 Feb 1663
to    
15 Jul 1685
B 1 James Scott
Created Baron Scott of Tyndale, Earl of Doncaster and Duke of Monmouth 14 Feb 1663
Illegitimate son of Charles II; Lord Lieutenant East Riding Yorkshire 1673‑1679 and Staffordshire 1677‑1679; KG 1663; PC 1670
He was attainted and the peerages forfeited but on 21 Mar 1742 the Barony and Earldom were restored to the 2nd Duke of Buccleuch with which title these peerages remain merged
9 Apr 1649 15 Jul 1685 36

11 Apr 1807 Charles William Henry Montagu-Scott
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Scott of Tyndale 11 Apr 1807
He succeeded as Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry in 1812
24 May 1772 20 Apr 1819 46
SCOTT OF WHITCHESTER AND ESKDALE
16 Mar 1619 B[S] 1 Walter Scott, 2nd Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Created Baron Scott of Whitchester & Eskdale and Earl of Buccleuch 16 Mar 1619
See "Buccleuch"
20 Nov 1633
SCRIMGEOUR
1641 B[S] 1 Sir John Scrimgeour
Created Lord Scrimgeour and Viscount of Dudhope 1641
See "Dudhope"
7 Mar 1643

1661
to    
23 Jun 1668
B[S] 1 John Scrimgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope
Created Lord Scrimgeour, Viscount of Dudhope and Earl of Dundee 1661
On his death the peerage became either extinct or dormant
23 Jun 1668
SCRIVEN
19 Sep 2014 B[L] Paul James Scriven
Created Baron Scriven for life 19 Sep 2014
7 Feb 1966
SCROPE OF BOLTON
8 Jan 1371 B 1 Sir Richard le Scrope
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Scrope 8 Jan 1371
c 1327 30 May 1403
30 May 1403 2 Roger le Scrope 3 Dec 1403
3 Dec 1403 3 Richard le Scrope 31 May 1393 29 Aug 1420 27
29 Aug 1420 4 Henry le Scrope 4 Jun 1418 14 Jan 1459 40
14 Jan 1459 5 John le Scrope
KG 1463
22 Jul 1435 27 Aug 1498 63
27 Aug 1498 6 Henry le Scrope 1506
1506 7 Henry le Scrope c 1480 Dec 1533
Dec 1533 8 John le Scrope 22 Jun 1549
22 Jun 1549 9 Henry le Scrope
KG 1584
c 1534 10 May 1591
10 May 1591 10 Thomas Scrope
KG 1599
c 1567 8 Sep 1609
8 Sep 1609
to    
30 May 1630
11 Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland
Lord Lieutenant Yorkshire 1628
Peerage extinct or dormant on his death
1 Aug 1584 30 May 1630 45
SCROPE OF MASHAM
25 Nov 1350 B 1 Henry le Scrope
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Scrope 25 Nov 1350
29 Sep 1312 31 Jul 1391 78
31 Jul 1391 2 Stephen le Scrope c 1345 25 Jan 1406
25 Jan 1406
to    
5 Aug 1415
3 Henry le Scrope
Lord Treasurer 1409; KG 1410
He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
c 1373 5 Aug 1415
1426 4 John le Scrope
He obtained a reversal of the attainder in 1426
Lord Treasurer 1432
15 Nov 1455
15 Nov 1455 5 Thomas le Scrope c 1428 1475
1475 6 Thomas le Scrope c 1459 23 Apr 1493
23 Apr 1493 7 Alice le Scrope 1502
1502 8 Elizabeth le Scrope after 1502
after 1502 9 Henry le Scrope c 1512
c 1512 10 Ralph le Scrope 17 Sep 1515
17 Sep 1515
to    
1517
11 Geoffrey le Scrope
On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
1517
SCUDAMORE
1 Jul 1628 V[I] 1 Sir John Scudamore, 1st baronet
Created Baron Dromore and Viscount Scudamore 1 Jul 1628
MP for Herefordshire 1621‑1625 and Hereford 1625 and 1628‑1629
22 Mar 1601 19 May 1671 70
19 May 1671 2 John Scudamore
MP for Hereford 1673‑1679 and Herefordshire 1679‑1681
c 1650 22 Jul 1697
Jul 1697
to    
2 Dec 1716
3 James Scudamore
MP for Herefordshire 1705‑1715 and Hereford 1715‑1716
Peerage extinct on his death
15 Jul 1684 2 Dec 1716 32
SEAFIELD
24 Jun 1698
24 Jun 1701
V[S]
E[S]
1
1
James Ogilvy
Created Lord Ogilvy of Cullen and Viscount of Seafield 24 Jun 1698 and Lord Ogilvy, Viscount of Reidhaven and Earl of Seafield 24 Jun 1701
KT 1704; PC 1708
Succeeded as 4th Earl of Findlater in 1711
11 Jul 1663 19 Aug 1730 67
19 Aug 1730 2 James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater 9 Jul 1764
9 Jul 1764 3 James Ogilvy, 6th Earl of Findlater 3 Nov 1770
3 Nov 1770 4 James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
The Earldom of Findlater extinct on his death
10 Apr 1750 5 Oct 1811 61
5 Oct 1811 5 Sir Lewis Alexander Grant-Ogilvy, 9th baronet
MP for Elginshire 1790‑1796
22 Mar 1767 26 Oct 1840 73
26 Oct 1840 6 Francis William Ogilvy-Grant
MP for Elgin Burghs 1802‑1806, Inverness Burghs 1806‑1807, Elginshire 1807‑1832 and Elgin & Nairnshire 1832‑1840; Lord Lieutenant Inverness 1809‑1853
6 Mar 1778 30 Jul 1853 75
30 Jul 1853 7 John Charles Ogilvy-Grant
Created Baron Strathspey 14 Aug 1858
KT 1879
4 Sep 1815 18 Feb 1881 65
18 Feb 1881 8 Ian Charles Ogilvy-Grant 7 Oct 1851 31 Mar 1884 32
31 Mar 1884 9 James Ogilvy-Grant
Created Baron Strathspey 17 Jun 1884
MP for Elgin & Nairnshire 1868‑1874
27 Dec 1817 5 Jun 1888 70
5 Jun 1888 10 Francis William Ogilvy‑Grant
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
9 Mar 1847 3 Dec 1888 41
3 Dec 1888 11 James Ogilvie-Grant 18 Apr 1876 12 Nov 1915 39
12 Nov 1915 12 Nina Caroline Studley‑Herbert
For further information on a claim to this peerage made in 1925/26, see the note at the foot of this page
17 Apr 1906 30 Sep 1969 63
30 Sep 1969 13 Ian Derek Francis Ogilvie‑Grant 20 Mar 1939
SEAFORD
15 Jul 1826 B 1 Charles Rose Ellis
Created Baron Seaford 15 Jul 1826
MP for Heytesbury 1793‑1796, Seaford 1796‑1806 and 1812‑1826, and East Grinstead 1807‑1812
19 Dec 1771 1 Jul 1845 73
1 Jul 1845 2 Charles Augustus Ellis
He had previously succeeded as 6th Lord Howard de Walden in 1803
5 Jun 1799 29 Aug 1868 69
29 Aug 1868 3 Frederick George Ellis (also 7th Lord Howard de Walden) 9 Aug 1830 3 Nov 1899 69
3 Nov 1899 4 Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis (also 8th Lord Howard de Walden) 9 May 1880 5 Nov 1946 66
5 Nov 1946 5 John Osmael Scott-Ellis (also 9th Lord Howard de Walden) 27 Nov 1912 9 Jul 1999 86
9 Jul 1999 6 Colin Humphrey Felton Ellis 19 Apr 1946
SEAFORTH
3 Dec 1623 E[S] 1 Colin Mackenzie, 2nd Lord Mackenzie of Kintail
Created Earl of Seaforth 3 Dec 1623
15 Mar 1633
15 Mar 1633 2 George Mackenzie Aug 1651
Aug 1651 3 Kenneth Mackenzie 16 Dec 1678
16 Dec 1678 4 Kenneth Mackenzie
KT 1687
8 Dec 1661 Jan 1701 39
Jan 1701
to    
7 May 1716
5 William Mackenzie
He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
8 Jan 1740

3 Dec 1771
to    
Aug 1781
E[I] 1 Kenneth Mackenzie
Created Baron of Ardelve and Viscount Fortrose 18 Nov 1766, and Earl of Seaforth 3 Dec 1771
MP for Caithness 1768‑1774
Peerages extinct on his death
15 Jan 1744 Aug 1781 37

26 Oct 1797
to    
11 Jan 1815
B 1 Francis Humberston Mackenzie
Created Baron Seaforth 26 Oct 1797
MP for Ross-shire 1784‑1790 and 1794‑1796; Lord Lieutenant Ross-shire
Peerage extinct on his death
For information on the 'Seaforth Curse', see the note at the foot of this page
9 Jun 1754 11 Jan 1815 60

19 Jan 1921
to    
3 Mar 1923
B 1 James Alexander Francis Humberston Stewart‑Mackenzie
Created Baron Seaforth 19 Jan 1921
Peerage extinct on his death
9 Oct 1847 3 Mar 1923 75
SEAHAM
8 Jul 1823 V 1 Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
Created Viscount Seaham and Earl Vane 8 Jul 1823
See "Londonderry"
18 May 1778 6 Mar 1854 75
SEATON
14 Dec 1839 B 1 Sir John Colborne
Created Baron Seaton 14 Dec 1839
Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada 1828‑1838; Field Marshal 1860; PC [I] 1855
For information on his son John Colborne, see the note at the foot of this page
16 Feb 1778 17 Apr 1863 85
17 Apr 1863 2 James Colborne 1816 11 Oct 1888 72
11 Oct 1888 3 John Reginald Upton Eliot‑Drake‑Colborne 4 Jul 1854 11 Aug 1933 79
11 Aug 1933
to    
12 Mar 1955
4 James Ulysses Graham Raymond Colborne‑Vivian
Peerage extinct on his death
20 Apr 1863 12 Mar 1955 91
SECCOMBE
14 Feb 1991 B[L] Dame Joan Anna Dalziel Seccombe
Created Baroness Seccombe for life 14 Feb 1991
3 May 1930
SEDWILL
11 Sep 2020 B[L] Mark Philip Sedwill
Created Baron Sedwill for life 11 Sep 2020
21 Oct 1964
SEEAR
18 May 1971
to    
23 Apr 1997
B[L] Beatrice Nancy Seear
Created Baroness Seear for life 18 May 1971
PC 1985
Peerage extinct on her death
7 Aug 1913 23 Apr 1997 83
SEEBOHM
28 Apr 1972
to    
15 Sep 1990
B[L] Sir Frederic Seebohm
Created Baron Seebohm for life 28 Apr 1972
Peerage extinct on his death
18 Jan 1909 15 Sep 1990 81
SEFTON
30 Nov 1771 E[I] 1 Charles William Molyneux, 8th Viscount Molyneux
Created Earl of Sefton 30 Nov 1771
MP for Lancashire 1771‑1774
11 Oct 1748 25 Dec 1794 46
25 Dec 1794
20 Jun 1831
 
B
2
1
William Philip Molyneux
Created Baron Sefton [UK] 20 Jun 1831
MP for Droitwich 1816‑1831
18 Sep 1772 20 Nov 1838 66
20 Nov 1838 3 Charles William Molyneux
MP for Lancashire South 1832‑1835; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1851‑1855
10 Jul 1796 2 Aug 1855 59
2 Aug 1855 4 William Philip Molyneux
Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1858‑1897; KG 1885
14 Oct 1835 27 Jun 1897 61
27 Jun 1897 5 Charles William Hylton Molyneux 25 Jun 1867 2 Dec 1901 34
2 Dec 1901 6 Osbert Cecil Molyneux
PC 1906
21 Feb 1871 16 Jun 1930 59
16 Jun 1930
to    
13 Apr 1972
7 Hugh William Osbert Molyneux
Peerage extinct on his death
22 Dec 1898 13 Apr 1972 73
SEFTON OF GARSTON
3 May 1978
to    
9 Sep 2001
B[L] William Henry Sefton
Created Baron Sefton of Garston for life 3 May 1978
Peerage extinct on his death
5 Aug 1915 9 Sep 2001 86
SEGAL
18 Dec 1964
to    
4 Jun 1985
B[L] Samuel Segal
Created Baron Segal for life 18 Dec 1964
MP for Preston 1945‑1950
Peerage extinct on his death
2 Apr 1902 4 Jun 1985 83
SEGRAVE
28 Jun 1283 B 1 Nicholas de Segrave
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Segrave 28 Jun 1283
Nov 1295
Nov 1295 2 John de Segrave 1256 1325 69
1325 3 Stephen de Segrave 1326
1326 4 John de Segrave 1315 1353 38
1353 5 Elizabeth de Mowbray 1375
1375 6 John de Mowbray
He had previously succeeded to the Barony of Mowbray in 1368 with which title this peerage then merged and so remains
For information on the claim made to terminate this peerage's abeyance in 1877, see the note at the foot of this page
1 Aug 1365 10 Feb 1382 16
SEGRAVE (of Barton Segrave)
24 Jun 1295 B 1 Nicholas de Segrave
Summoned to Parliament as Lord Segrave 24 Jun 1295
25 Nov 1321
25 Nov 1321
to    
1335
2 Maud de Bohun
Peerage extinct on her death
1335
SEGRAVE (of Berkeley Castle)
10 Sep 1831
to    
10 Oct 1857
B 1 William Fitzhardinge Berkeley
Created Baron Segrave 10 Sep 1831 and Earl Fitzhardinge 17 Aug 1841
MP for Gloucestershire 1810‑1811; Lord Lieutenant Gloucester 1836
Peerages extinct on his death
26 Dec 1786 10 Oct 1857 70
SELBORNE
23 Oct 1872
30 Dec 1882
B
E
1
1
Roundell Palmer
Created Baron Selborne 23 Oct 1872 and Viscount Wolmer and Earl of Selborne 30 Dec 1882
MP for Plymouth 1847‑1852 and 1853‑1857, and Richmond 1861‑1872; Solicitor General 1861‑1863; Attorney General 1863‑1866; Lord Chancellor 1872‑1874 and 1880‑1885; PC 1872
27 Nov 1812 4 May 1895 82
4 May 1895 2 William Waldegrave Palmer
MP for Petersfield 1885‑1892 and Edinburgh West 1892‑1895; First Lord of the Admiralty 1900‑1905; Governor of the Transvaal 1905‑1910; President of the Board of Agriculture & Fisheries 1915‑1916; PC 1900; KG 1909
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
17 Oct 1859 26 Feb 1942 82
26 Feb 1942 3 Roundell Cecil Palmer
MP for Newton 1910‑1918 and Aldershot 1918‑1940; Minister of Economic Warfare 1942‑1945; PC 1929; CH 1945
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Selborne 9 Jan 1941
15 Apr 1887 3 Sep 1971 84
3 Sep 1971 4 John Roundell Palmer
[Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2020]
24 Mar 1940 12 Feb 2021 80
12 Feb 2021 5 William Lewis Palmer 1 Sep 1971
SELBY
6 Jul 1905 V 1 William Court Gully
Created Viscount Selby 6 Jul 1905
MP for Carlisle 1886‑1905; Speaker of the House of Commons 1895‑1905; PC 1895
29 Aug 1835 6 Nov 1909 74
6 Nov 1909 2 James William Herschell Gully 4 Oct 1867 2 Feb 1923 65
2 Feb 1923 3 Thomas Sutton Evelyn Gully 16 Feb 1911 18 Sep 1959 48
18 Sep 1959 4 Michael Guy John Gully 15 Aug 1942 10 Jan 1997 54
10 Jan 1997 5 Edward Thomas William Gully 21 Sep 1967 23 Jan 2001 33
23 Jan 2001 6 Christopher Rolf Thomas Gully 18 Oct 1993
SELKIRK
4 Aug 1646 E[S] 1 Lord William Douglas-Hamilton
Created Lord Daer & Shortcleugh and Earl of Selkirk 4 Aug 1646, and Lord Aven, Machansire, Polmont and Daer, Earl of Arran, Lanark and Selkirk, Marquess of Clydesdale and Duke of Hamilton for life 20 Sep 1660
He resigned the peerage in favour of -
24 Dec 1634 18 Apr 1694 59
1688 2 Charles Douglas
PC 1733
3 Feb 1663 13 Mar 1739 76
13 Mar 1739 3 John Hamilton, 1st Earl of Ruglen 26 Jan 1665 3 Dec 1744 79
3 Dec 1744 4 Dunbar Douglas 1 Dec 1722 24 May 1799 76
24 May 1799 5 Thomas Douglas
Lord Lieutenant Kirkcudbright 1807‑1820
20 Jun 1771 8 Apr 1820 48
8 Apr 1820 6 Dunbar James Douglas
Lord Lieutenant Kirkcudbright 1845‑1885
22 Apr 1809 11 Apr 1885 75
11 Apr 1885 7 Charles George Archibald Douglas‑Hamilton 18 May 1847 2 May 1886 38
2 May 1886 8 William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas‑Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton and 9th Duke of Brandon 12 Mar 1845 16 May 1895 50
16 May 1895 9 Alfred Douglas Douglas‑Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon 6 Mar 1862 16 Mar 1940 78
16 Mar 1940 10 George Nigel Douglas‑Hamilton
Paymaster General 1953‑1955; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1955‑1957; First Lord of the Admiralty 1957‑1959; PC 1955; KT 1976
For information on the "shifting remainder" to the Earldom of Selkirk, see the note at the foot of this page
4 Jan 1906 24 Nov 1994 88
24 Nov 1994
to    
28 Nov 1994
11 James Alexander Douglas‑Hamilton
He disclaimed the peerage for life 1994, but see "Selkirk of Douglas"
31 Jul 1942 28 Nov 2023 81
28 Nov 2023 12 John Andrew Douglas‑Hamilton 8 Feb 1978
SELKIRK OF DOUGLAS
29 Sep 1997
to    
28 Nov 2023
B[L] Lord James Alexander Douglas‑Hamilton
Created Baron Selkirk of Douglas for life 29 Sep 1997
MP for Edinburgh West 1974‑1997; Minister of State, Scotland 1995‑1997; PC 1996
Peerage extinct on his death
31 Jul 1942 28 Nov 2023 81
SELSDON
14 Jan 1932 B 1 Sir William Lowson Mitchell‑Thompson, 2nd baronet
Created Baron Selsdon 14 Jan 1932
MP for Lanarkshire North West 1906‑1910, Down North 1910‑1918, Maryhill 1918‑1922 and Croydon South 1923‑1932; PC 1924
15 Apr 1877 24 Dec 1938 61
24 Dec 1938 2 Patrick Mitchell-Thompson 28 May 1913 7 Feb 1963 49
7 Feb 1963 3 Malcolm McEacharn Mitchell‑Thompson
[Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2021]
27 Oct 1937
SELSEY
13 Aug 1794 B 1 Sir James Peachey, 4th baronet
Created Baron Selsey 13 Aug 1794
MP for Seaford 1755‑1768
8 Mar 1723 1 Feb 1808 84
1 Feb 1808 2 John Peachey
MP for St. Germans 1776‑1780 and New Shoreham 1780‑1790
16 Mar 1749 27 Jun 1816 67
27 Jun 1816
to    
10 Mar 1838
3 Henry John Peachey
Peerage extinct on his death
4 Sep 1787 10 Mar 1838 50
SELWYN-LLOYD
8 Mar 1976
to    
17 May 1978
B[L] John Selwyn Brooke Lloyd
Created Baron Selwyn-Lloyd for life 8 Mar 1976
MP for Wirral 1945‑1976; Minister of State, Foreign Office 1951‑1954; Minister of Supply 1954‑1955; Minister of Defence 1955; Foreign Secretary 1955‑1960; Chancellor of the Exchequer 1960‑1962; Lord Privy Seal 1963‑1964; Speaker of the House of Commons 1971‑1976; PC 1951; CH 1962
Peerage extinct on his death
28 Jul 1904 17 May 1978 73
SEMPILL
1489 B[S] 1 John Sempill
Created Lord Sempill 1489
9 Sep 1513
9 Sep 1513 2 William Sempill 3 Jun 1552
3 Jun 1552 3 Robert Sempill c 1505 17 Jan 1576
17 Jan 1576 4 Robert Sempill 25 Mar 1611
25 Mar 1611 5 Hugh Sempill 19 Sep 1639
19 Sep 1639 6 Francis Sempill c 1622 3 Nov 1644
3 Nov 1644 7 Robert Sempill 8 Sep 1675
8 Sep 1675 8 Francis Sempill c 1660 4 Apr 1684
4 Apr 1684 9 Anne Abercromby 1695
1695 10 Francis Sempill c 1685 2 Aug 1716
2 Aug 1716 11 John Sempill 17 Feb 1727
17 Feb 1727 12 Hugh Sempill 1688 25 Nov 1746 58
25 Nov 1746 13 John Sempill 15 Jan 1782
15 Jan 1782 14 Hugh Sempill 1 Jul 1758 25 Jan 1830 71
25 Jan 1830 15 Selkirk Sempill 12 Feb 1788 4 May 1835 47
4 May 1835 16 Maria Jane Sempill 1790 5 Sep 1884 94
5 Sep 1884 17 Sir William Forbes-Sempill, 8th baronet May 1836 21 Jul 1905 69
21 Jul 1905 18 John Forbes-Sempill 21 Aug 1863 28 Feb 1934 70
28 Feb 1934 19 William Francis Forbes‑Sempill 24 Sep 1893 30 Dec 1965 72
30 Dec 1965 20 Ann Moira Sempill 19 Mar 1920 6 Jul 1995 75
6 Jul 1995 21 James William Stuart Whitemore Sempill 25 Feb 1949
SENTAMU
27 Apr 2021 B[L] John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu
Created Baron Sentamu for life 27 Apr 2021
Bishop of Birmingham 2002‑2005; Archbishop of York 2005‑2020; PC 2005
10 Jun 1949
SEROTA
20 Jan 1967
to    
21 Oct 2002
B[L] Beatrice Serota
Created Baroness Serota for life 20 Jan 1967
Peerage extinct on her death
15 Oct 1919 21 Oct 2002 83
SETON
1448 B[S] 1 George Seton
Created Lord Seton 1448
c 1479
c 1479 2 George Seton 1508
1508 3 George Seton 9 Sep 1513
9 Sep 1513 4 George Seton 17 Jul 1549
17 Jul 1549 5 George Seton c 1529 8 Jan 1585
8 Jan 1585 6 Robert Seton
Created Lord Seton & Tranent and Earl of Winton 16 Nov 1600
See "Winton"
c 1552 22 Mar 1603
SETON AND TRANENT
16 Nov 1600 B[S] 1 Robert Seton, 6th Lord Seton
Created Lord Seton & Tranent and Earl of Winton 16 Nov 1600
See "Winton"
c 1552 22 Mar 1603
SETRINGTON
6 Oct 1613
to    
16 Feb 1624
2 Ludovic Stuart
Created Baron of Setrington and Earl of Richmond 6 Oct 1613, and Earl of Newcastle upon Tyne and Duke of Richmond 17 May 1623
Peerages extinct on his death
29 Sep 1574 16 Feb 1624 49

9 Aug 1675 B 1 Charles Lennox
Created Baron Setrington, Earl of March and Duke of Richmond 9 Aug 1675 and Lord of Torboltoun, Earl of Darnley and Duke of Lennox 9 Sep 1675
See "Richmond"
29 Jul 1672 27 May 1723 50
 

The special remainder to the Barony of Savile
From the London Gazette of 26 October 1888 (issue 25869, page 5819):-
The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland granting the dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom unto the Right Honourable Sir John Savile, G.C.B., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Baron Savile, of Rufford, in the county of Nottingham; with remainder, in default of such issue male, to John Savile Lumley, Esq., (only son of Frederick Savile Lumley, Clerk, Rector of Bilsthorpe, in the county of Nottingham, deceased), and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
The special remainder to the Viscountcy of Scarsdale created in 1911
From the London Gazette of 3 November 1911 (issue 28547, page 7951):-
The King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date the 2nd instant, to grant the dignities of Baron, Viscount, and Earl of the said United Kingdom unto The Right Honourable George Nathaniel, Baron Curzon of Kedleston, in that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called Ireland, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, styles, and titles of Baron Ravensdale of Ravensdale in the county of Derby, … Viscount Scarsdale of Scarsdale in the said county of Derby, with remainder in default of male issue to his father, Alfred Nathaniel Holden, Baron Scarsdale, of Nathaniel Holden, Baron Scarsdale, of the county of Derby, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten; and Earl Curzon of Kedleston in the said county of Derby.
Francis William Ogilvy-Grant, 10th Earl of Seafield
The following (edited) article appeared in the Brisbane Courier on 27 March 1889:-
The late Earl of Seafield had a career seldom found outside of romance. Scotland may well drop a tear with the thousands of New Zealand who lately gathered in the "White City by the Sea" [presumably Auckland] to pay last honours to one of her noblest sons, who had a heart above all his self inflicted misfortunes and under the hardest conditions made good a supreme title to sterling worth.
Upwards of twenty years ago, when he was a strong-boned lad of 18, he had in the West Indies a remarkable misadventure. He was then a midshipman on board the Challenger, under Captain Gordon. Permitted to go on shore at Jamaica, he and another found the air of the Blue Mountains so pleasant and exhilarating that they unpardonably exceeded their leave, and found on return to the ships their names struck off the books, and their effects sold to the highest bidder among the crew. Grant was sent home in the Buzzard, which on its way touched at Barbados, and here, being a free passenger, he left the protection of friends, and with only a few shillings in his pocket, and totally inexperienced in any way of producing the means of livelihood for the day, he plunged into the dark chances of an over-peopled land, too advanced in civilisation to take notice of the needs of a stranger.
Finding no rest in busy Barbados, he sailed westward in a drogher [a small craft used in the West Indies] to one of those lovely Grenadines which, as emeralds, rising out of the soft blue Caribbean Sea, more than rival the far-famed isles of Greece. Here, at Cariacou [now spelled Carriacou and the largest island in the Grenadines which form part of Grenada], the Scottish medical man, Dr. Lang, kindly gave him quarters; but here began his troubles, which caused no small stir and talk in the colony, and form a most interesting illustration of the great wrong that may come out of too ready a trust in untested circumstantial evidence. While Grant was being hospitably entertained by the few families in Cariacou, Commander Franklin, of the Constance, sent word to the authorities that his body-servant had run off with money and dressing-case, and was believed to have gone to that outlying island and dependency.
As the stipendiary magistrate and head of the police, Mr. Horne, was reading the missive, a constable happened to come in from Cariacou, who was asked whether any stranger or white sailor was there at that time. The answer was that there was one giving himself out as a naval officer. Things fitting so neatly, Horne at once jumped to the conclusion that this must be Commander Franklin's runaway servant, and nothing could rid the worthy and kind-hearted man of this error until events covered him with confusion. At once he issued an order to bring him to St. George's, the chief town and seat of Government. His host, Dr. Lang, impressed that he was no imposter, resisted the execution of the warrant, and was subsequently reprimanded by the Governor for so doing, while his neighbour, a major of Volunteers, was unnerved and horrified by the thought that he had entertained at luncheon such a waif of the sea as Commander Franklin's runaway servant …
After some incidents by the way which did not disabuse the constable of the idea of his prisoner's guilt, Francis Grant was brought to town, and was next found in the guard-room of Fort George, then used as a police station, deftly brushing his boots on his feet, and clothed in a well-worm brown shooting suit. To a sympathising fellow-countryman he protested that he was the victim of a mistake, and in corroboration showed photographs of his father and stepmother and other members of his family; but as the theory was that the runaway as reported was very cunning and plausible, it was conceived that he might have become possessed of these likenesses in the capacity of a servant, so that the more poor Grant said in vindication of himself the more were those most favourable to him constrained simply to hold their judgment in suspense.
Brought before the magistrate, and some members of the council who happened to be present, Grant, in a self-possessed and dignified way, asked him to read the description which Commander Franklin gave of his servant, and compare it with the person and features of himself, the prisoner at the bar. "Look at my eyes," said Grant, "and see if there be any resemblance". But so possessed was the magistrate by his first illusion, and so pleased was he with the idea of being able to serve the commander, that he abruptly terminated the proceedings. "It's no use going into these things, my man," said he. "I can bring a washerwoman who is able to prove that you brought Commander Franklin's dirty clothes to her when his ship was here six weeks ago."
Forthwith Mr. Grant was taken to the common prison at the foot of Fort George to wait the arrival of the first ship of war … For a companion through the day he had a coolie waiting his trial for murder and a flipper-fin limbed negro, a notorious thief, who could not go out with the penal gang. After three weeks the Admiralty surveying ship Gannet slipped into the harbour to coal. Captain Chimme … being communicated with, sent a sub-lieutenant and quartermaster ashore to bring the prisoner on board, but what was the surprise of the sub-lieutenant and his henchman when they found in him a friend with whom they had both formerly served. How delighted were they both to be the means of his liberation!
His first impulse on gaining freedom was to go and express thanks to the only one who had sympathised with him in his troubles, and next to invest his last half-crown in a horsewhip for the magistrate and all his other police tormentors, but on being persuaded by the Scottish minister that all these functionaries were heartily grieved by what had happened, and would be almost ready to undergo a horse-whipping if this would be any satisfaction for an outrage on a scion of the noblest of the British aristocracy, he generously forgave them, and for three months, during which he lived in the Scottish manse, he saw them with equanimity every day.
The Seafield Peerage Claim of 1925‑1926
In October 1925, a Mr. Alexander Grant, a 78-year old retired Army tutor, brought a claim before the Court of Session in Edinburgh to the Earldom of Seafield.
Reference to the standard peerage works will show that the eldest surviving son of the 6th Earl of Seafield, who was known by the courtesy title of Viscount Reidhaven, was married on 12 August 1850 to the Hon. Caroline Stuart, youngest daughter of the 11th Lord Blantyre.
The claimant's argument was that he was the eldest lawful son of Viscount Reidhaven and Caroline Stuart. He stated that Reidhaven and Caroline first met in 1845 or 1846 at either Dochfour or at Beaufort Castle. At that time, Caroline would have been 15 or 16. At the end of October or the beginning of November 1846, Caroline, according to the claimant, sailed secretly from the Clyde for Cullen, in the neighbourhood of the Seafield estate. Lord Reidhaven was also on board, and the claimant alleged that he [Reidhaven] and Caroline entered into a marriage by verbal declaration before witnesses on the ship. As a result of a violent storm, the ship put in to Banff where the party landed, and, on the night of the landing, Caroline gave birth to a child, whom the claimant alleged was himself.
The claimant further alleged that the whole affair was kept in obscurity, and that about a week after his birth, he was taken by night into the care of one of the gardeners at Gordon Castle, a Mr. Grant, who, together with his wife, then became his foster parents, and who received a liberal allowance for his maintenance and education from Lord Reidhaven. Subsequently, Lord Reidhaven and Caroline Stuart went through a public marriage ceremony in London in 1850.
Obviously, the key to the success of Grant's claim was his ability to provide evidence in support of the supposed ship-board marriage and that he was the product of this alleged union. Bearing in mind that the events had happened nearly 80 years previously, he faced an uphill battle. As a result, he relied on an alleged resemblance to his parents in features, gait and mannerisms. Such evidence, however, was found to be irrelevant and inadmissible under Scottish law.
In September 1926, Grant abandoned his claim and was required to pay the expenses of the defendants. He died seven months later, on 19 April 1927.
*******************
While the claim to the peerage was still continuing, the Dowager Countess of Seafield, and her daughter, the 20-year old Countess of Seafield in her own right, were also forced to battle against a Mr. George Wilberforce Grant in a libel case. The Dowager Countess was the widow of the 11th Earl of Seafield, who had died in 1915 from wounds received in the Great War. She had married him in June 1898, and, on the death of her husband, their daughter, who had been born in 1906 and was therefore still a minor, had become Countess of Seafield in her own right.
George Wilberforce Grant was a friend of Alexander Grant, the claimant to the Seafield peerage. Perhaps in an attempt to help Alexander, George wrote a letter to the editor of the Strathspey Herald in January 1925 in which he asked whether the editor was aware that "… the present Countess is said not to be her [i.e. the Dowager Countess's] daughter" and that "she is drawing money to which she is not entitled".
Not surprisingly, the Dowager Countess sued George Wilberforce Grant for libel. The plaintiffs' case was that the words used in the letter inferred that the Countess was an illegitimate child, that the Dowager Countess had fraudulently obtained for her daughter a rank and title to which she was not entitled, and that this was done in order to obtain money to which she was not entitled. As the defendant called no evidence, the jury had little difficulty in finding him guilty of libel and awarded damages of £1,500 to the plaintiffs.
The Seaforth Curse
Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth, was married to Isabella Mackenzie of Tarbat, sister of the 1st Earl of Cromartie. She brought to the marriage, according to contemporary comment, 'neither beauty, parts, portion nor relation'.
Shortly after the Restoration, the Earl, apparently tired of Isabella's shrewishness, went on a trip to Paris where he found ample reasons for postponing his return to Scotland. Isabella became increasingly annoyed with her husband's behaviour and called in a well-known seer, by coincidence also named Kenneth Mackenzie, but generally known as Coinneach Odhar or the Brahan Seer. She demanded to know what her husband was up to. The seer replied that, as far as he could tell, her husband was in excellent health. When she pressed him further, however, the tactless seer declared that the Earl 'was in a handsome room, and with him were two ladies, one sitting on his knee, the other playing with his curls'.
Isabella thereupon flew into a towering rage and ordered the seer to be taken there and then to be hanged. Before he was executed, the seer made the following predictions:
I see into the far future, and I read the doom of the race of my oppressor. The long-descended line of Seaforth will, ere many generations have passed, end in extinction and in sorrow. I see a chief, the last of his house, both deaf and dumb. He will be the father of four fair sons, all of whom he will follow to the tomb … after lamenting over the last and most promising of his sons, he himself shall sink into the grave, and the remnant of his possessions shall be inherited by a white-hooded lassie from the East, and she is to kill her sister. And as a sign that these things are coming to pass, there shall be four great lairds in the days of the last deaf and dumb Seaforth - Gairloch, Chisholm, Grant and Raasay - of whom one shall be buck-toothed, another hare-lipped, another half-witted and the fourth a stammerer. Chiefs distinguished by these personal marks shall be allies and neighbours of the last Seaforth; and when he looks around him and sees them, he may know that his sons are doomed to death, that his broad lands shall pass away to the stranger, and that his race shall come to an end.
The first Earldom of Seaforth was forfeited in 1716 following the 1715 Jacobite uprising. The Earldom was revived in 1771, but again became extinct ten years later. Eventually, in 1797, Francis Humberstone Mackenzie, a cousin of the Earl of the second creation, was in turn created Baron Seaforth.
The results of the seer's curse now began to emerge. When he was about 12 or 13, Francis Humberstone Mackenzie was at a school where an outbreak of scarlet fever occurred. While on his sickbed, he had a remarkable dream. In his dream, the door opposite his bed opened, and a hideous old woman entered the room. She went from bed to bed, examining the boys in the sick-room. After examining some of the boys, she took out a mallet and a peg, and placing the peg on the boy's forehead, she hammered it into his skull with the mallet - other boys she touched, and still others she left alone. The old woman, having completed a circuit of the room, then disappeared. When young Mackenzie awoke, he reported the dream to the doctor, who was so impressed with it that he wrote down the details. To the doctor's horror, he noticed that those boys whom Mackenzie had described as having a peg driven into their foreheads, were those who eventually died of the fever; those whom the old hag had touched all suffered from the effects of the fever, and those she had ignored all recovered with no after-effects. In his dream, the hag had touched Mackenzie's ears and when he finally left his sickbed Mackenzie was almost stone deaf and, over the ensuing years, almost entirely ceased to speak.
One after another, his four sons (three of whom reached adulthood) died. His youngest son, William Frederick Mackenzie, as foretold, was the most promising, being MP for Ross-shire in 1812 and dying in 1814, aged 23. At the same time, other elements of the curse were coming to fruition - four lairds were afflicted in the various ways described in the prophecy. Sir Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch was buck-toothed, Chisholm of Chisholm was hare-lipped, Grant of Grant was half-witted and Macleod of Raasay stammered.
Within five months of the death of the last of his sons, Lord Seaforth died, the last male of his race. But the curse still had two elements to be fulfilled - that a white-hooded lady from the East would inherit the estates and that she would kill her sister. On Lord Seaforth's death, the estates were inherited by his eldest surviving daughter, Mary Mackenzie. She had married a British admiral who was stationed in the East Indies. She returned 'from the East' to inherit the estates, and the name of her husband? … Sir Samuel Hood.
After Sir Samuel died, Mary remarried and became Mrs Stuart. Her husband added the name Mackenzie to his own and she therefore became Mrs Stuart-Mackenzie. The husband, James Alexander Stuart‑Mackenzie was MP for Ross-shire then Ross and Cromarty 1831‑1837, when he was appointed Governor of Ceylon.
One day Mary was out driving in a pony carriage with her younger sister, Caroline. Suddenly, something spooked the ponies, which bolted and both ladies were thrown out of the carriage. Mary was only bruised, but Caroline sustained fatal injuries. As Mary was driving the carriage at the time of the accident, it could be argued that she was the innocent cause of her sister's death, thus fulfilling the final portion of the seer's prophecy.
Lest it be thought that the seer's prophecy came to light only after it had been fulfilled, all the references that I have found state that the prophecy was widely known well before the death of the last of the Seaforths in 1815.
John Colborne, son of the 1st Baron Seaton (1830‑13 February 1890)
Colborne was an army officer, who, due to a weakness for gambling and ladies of the stage, found himself in financial hot water which caused him to fall into the hands of moneylenders. Realising the trap into which he had fallen, he determined to warn others, and therefore wrote and published a pamphlet denouncing moneylenders, for which he was prosecuted for criminal libel. The following article appeared in the Cairns [Queensland] Post on 14 June 1935. I hasten to disassociate myself from the anti-Semitic extracts from Colborne's pamphlet which are quoted in the article - they are certainly not views which I share.
In April, 1865, Captain John Colborne, of the 60th Rifles, a younger son of Field-Marshal Lord Seaton, a veteran of the Peninsula War, who commanded the 52nd Foot at Waterloo, and subsequently was appointed Lieut.-Governor of Canada, was tried at [the] Old Bailey on a criminal charge of publishing [a] defamatory libel, and was found guilty. At the time of the trial Captain Colborne was 35 years of age.
As a young military officer he had followed the example of others who had more money to spend, and he soon got into debt. He developed a taste for cards and horses, and for the societies of ladies connected with the stage. He had a set of luxurious chambers in London, where he spent week ends when he was off duty while his regiment was stationed at Aldershot. In order to escape from the importunities of duns and bailiffs, he went to a money lender, from whom he had received an alluring letter, which declared that "a private gentleman having large sums at his disposal will make advances of up to one thousand pounds (or more) on note of hand at moderate interest and without preliminary fees or security of any description. Special terms for army officers. Transactions completed at first interview. Write or call."
Captain Colborne, on calling at the address given in Pall Mall, met Mr. Lazarus, who, after obtaining particulars about his position and family connections, gave him £500 in bank notes, in exchange for the captain's signature to a promissory note. When the note became due it was not paid, and when, in response to repeated requests, Captain Colborne called on Mr. Lazarus to explain that it was inconvenient for him to pay just then he was given further time on signing a new note for a larger amount. He was also allowed to increase the capital debt. But if the captain had any expectation of being able to wipe off his debt to Mr. Lazarus from profits derived from cards and bookmakers he was disappointed. He had to borrow from other money lenders to pay off Mr. Lazarus, and to borrow again to pay them.
In taking stock of his position, some time later he found that he had borrowed £2000, and that after deducting various payments made, he still owed the money lenders £4000. He was not much of a hand at figures, but he felt that the money lenders had taken advantage of his inexperience in financial matters. He decided to warn other young men from falling into their clutches, by writing a pamphlet exposing their tactics. The pamphlet was entitled "The Vampires of London: An Exposition of the Usurers of London and How They Snare Their Victims".
"As a detective takes the curious round the cribs and boozing dens, the haunts of the cracks-men and the swell mobsmen, let us conduct our readers to the den of the vampire and show them his victims," wrote Captain Colborne, who modestly withheld his name as the author of the pamphlet, and issued it under the nom de plume of "Aperitemos". "Officers of the army are the prey which many of the vampires prefer," he continued. "They can be pounced upon more easily than other game; when 'wanted' they can be found; they frequently live beyond their means; and are often reckless as long as they have cash." He referred to the money lenders by such names as "Ikey", "Moses" and "Abraham", and of one of them he wrote: "Incredible as it may seem, this man, who has ruined a number of officers, has been allowed a commission for his son, a major in a newly-raised regiment. We wonder if he touts for his respectable papa."
"It now remains only to briefly touch on the worst phase of the gang's villany [sic]," continued the pamphlet. "So black is this that we shall only hint at it … In their dens are sometimes to be met - accidentally, of course - dark-haired Rebeccas, black-eyed Rachels, and beautiful but beaky Leahs. Perhaps they only glide through the dark office during the temporary absence of the master, or ascend the stairs as a gentleman enters or exits. What these appearances often end with may be imagined. How Delilah cuts the hair of Samson! How sometimes these beautiful daughters of Zion weep by the waters of modern Babylon, i.e. Greenwich, about their troubles and expenses; and how he who has led them captive is ultimately inveigled into giving a cheque, which 'Papa' will cash!"
The pamphlet contained a reference to the "Finny Tribe" and more particularly to the "Notorious Arch Vampire, Finny Davis, off Bond-street, who has ruined no less that three hundred gentlemen of property, and involved scores of estates in inevitable ruin". Mr Phineas Davis, of Clifford-street, off Bond-street, who practised as a solicitor and carried on business as a money lender, thought that the anonymous author referred to him as the "Notorious Arch Vampire", and the scandalous references to dark-haired Rebeccas, black-eyed Rachels and beautiful but beaky Leahs" concerned his three daughters, whose maiden names were Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. It came out in evidence that Captain Colborne's direct transactions with Mr Davis were limited to a little legal business (the fee for which was never paid) and borrowing from him £5, which was never returned.
The pamphlet was distributed at various clubs and regimental messes. Mr Davis discovered that Captain Colborne had written it, and he instituted criminal proceedings against him for defamatory libel. After a preliminary hearing at the Guildhall, accused was committed to the general sessions at Old Bailey. He was released on bail, and on the day his trial was to begin he did not appear. It was ascertained that he had been arrested for debt and placed in Maidstone prison. But means were found to enable him to come to Old Bailey.
Public sympathy was entirely on the side of Captain Colborne. "Though he may have broken the law in its strict interpretation," said his counsel, "yet he has not done anything which is the least degree inconsistent with the honour of a gentleman, or which would bring a blush to the cheek of those who know him best." Counsel went on to say that his client had been actuated by a "laudable desire to purge the metropolis of individuals mixed up in a nefarious traffic". No language was strong enough to condemn this traffic, for "as a result of its workings great families have been reduced to nothing, the highest hopes of youth have been blasted, and the promise held out to them by the possession of talent has been destroyed". Counsel condemned the "vindictiveness" of the prosecutor in bringing an action for criminal libel instead of a civil action; but counsel for the prosecution pointed out that the only result of a civil action would have been a verdict for damages, "the recovery of which would have been somewhat problematical". The captain's counsel withdrew the plea of justification, and all the statements in the pamphlet reflecting on Mr Davis, and expressed regret that they had been made.
The jury had no option but a verdict of guilty, but they added a strong recommendation to mercy on the ground that civil, and not criminal, proceedings should have been taken. The judge referred to the fact that the accused had abandoned his original plea of justification, and that the jury had recommended him to mercy. He thought the ends of justice would be met by imposing a fine of £20.
The termination of the abeyances of the Baronies of Segrave and Mowbray in 1878
The following report appeared in The York Herald of 30 July 1877:-
The House of Lords have given a decision in the case of Lord Stourton, of Allerton Park, in this county [Yorkshire], claiming to be the senior co-heir to the barony of Segrave. The barony of Segrave is an ancient dignity, which existed previously to the time at which an enrolment was made of the writs of summons by which the Parliaments of England were convened. Gilbert Segrave, the son and heir of Stephen Segrave, Justiciar of England in 1232, was a distinguished statesman and military commander in the reign of Henry III, and his son, Nicholas de Segrave, was one of the Barons of the realm in the 45th of Henry III. John, the great grandson of Nicholas, left an only daughter, Elizabeth, who married John de Mowbray about the middle of the 14th century, and their second son, Thomas, Lord Mowbray and Segrave, was subsequently created Earl of Nottingham in 1383, Earl Marshal in 1386, and Duke of Norfolk in 1397. He married Elizabeth, one of the four daughters and co-heirs of Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, and had issue by her - first, Thomas, Earl of Norfolk and Nottingham and Earl Marshal, who was beheaded at York in 1405; secondly, John, Lord Mowbray, who succeeded his brother; Lady Margaret Mowbray, the ancestor of the petitioner; and Lady Isabel Mowbray, who married James, Baron Berkeley, they being the ancestors of the Earls and Barons of Berkeley. The baronies of Mowbray and Segrave having fallen into abeyance on the death of Edward, Duke of Norfolk, in 1777, between the petitioner's ancestor and the ancestor of Lord Petre, and being now in abeyance between the petitioner and Lord Petre, the former prayed their Lordships to report to her Majesty that the barony in question was in abeyance between the petitioner and Lord Petre, and was at her Majesty's disposal.
The Lord Chancellor [Lord Cairns], in delivering judgment, said that their lordships had heard the evidence which had been given in this case, and which, in his opinion, clearly established the right of the petitioner to this peerage. The first question to be decided was how early a date would their lordships be justified in assigning to this peerage, and, secondly, whether the proof was sufficient to show that the abeyance of the peerage in the time of Richard III had been determined in favour of John Howard, Duke of Norfolk. In his opinion, it would be unsafe for their lordships to assign an earlier date to the peerage than the 11th of Edward I [i.e. 1283], leaving the question of precedence to be attached to it an open question for the present. The fact that King Richard III had, under his own hand, described John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, as Lord Mowbray and Segrave was sufficient evidence to show that the abeyance of the peerage had been determined in favour of that nobleman, and the Garter plates referred to, which must have been put up in the Chapel Royal in the presence of the Sovereign, were strong additional corroborative evidence that the title was rightly assumed.
Lord O'Hagan, Lord Blackburn, and Lord Gordon concurred. Lord Redesdale, while agreeing generally with the other noble lords, declined to accept the Garter plates as evidence that the title was rightly assumed, because the Garter King-at-Arms would have conferred upon him all the powers of a Committee for Privilege. It was also very important that their Lordships should bear in mind that this was the first time that the date of a peerage had been assigned an earlier date than that appearing by the writ of summons.
Claim allowed.
As a result the abeyance of the Barony of Mowbray was terminated on 3 January 1878, and that of the Barony of Segrave was terminated on 18 January 1878.
William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne
During his father's lifetime, the future 2nd Earl of Selborne was known by the courtesy title of Viscount Wolmer. It was under this name that he sat in the House of Commons for Petersfield, also known as Hampshire East, between 1885 and 1892 and for Edinburgh West between 1892 and 1895. The death of his father in 1895 was the catalyst for a decision of an important point of peerage law relating to the rights of peers to sit in the House of Commons.
The 1st Earl died on 4 May 1895. On 13 May 1895, the 2nd Earl entered the House of Commons during Question Time and took the seat which he formerly used to occupy as Viscount Wolmer. His argument was that, even though he had succeeded to the Earldom, he had not yet applied for a writ to be summoned to the House of Lords, and that as long as he continued to fail to apply for such a writ, he was entitled to remain in the House of Commons. The matter was referred to a Committee of the House, which reported that this argument could not be sustained. This decision therefore established that a member's right to a seat in the House of Commons became invalid at the moment that the member inherited a peerage, no matter whether he had received a writ of summons to the House of Lords or not (always assuming that the peerage was not an Irish peerage, which did not affect the right of a member to remain in the House). This interpretation remained in force until 1963, when the Peerage Act of that year allowed the disclaimer of peerages.
This decision is in stark contrast to the decision made in relation to the 2nd Baron Coleridge less than a year earlier.
The Earldom of Selkirk and its "shifting remainder"
The Dukes of Hamilton and the Earls of Selkirk descend from the marriage in 1656 of Anne Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton in her own right, to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk. He subsequently changed his name to Hamilton and, in 1660, was created Duke of Hamilton, but for his life only.
In October 1688, the Duke surrendered his previous titles of Earl of Selkirk and Lord Daer and Shortcleugh to the Crown and obtained a 'novodamus' or regranting of these titles, but with a different remainder, one which is unique to the Scottish peerage.
This remainder provided that:-
(a) the titles would pass to the heirs male of the 1st Earl of Selkirk's younger sons before the heirs male of his eldest son, who was heir apparent to his mother's Dukedom of Hamilton.
(b) if the person who would otherwise inherit the title of Earl of Selkirk was already Duke of Hamilton, or would inherit the Dukedom at the same time as he would inherit the Earldom of Selkirk, then the title of Earl of Selkirk would pass to that Duke's next oldest surviving brother.
(c) if the titles were ever held by a Duke of Hamilton, either because an Earl of Selkirk succeeded as a Duke of Hamilton, or because provision (b) above became inoperable because the heir was a Duke of Hamilton who had no surviving younger brothers, the title Earl of Selkirk would pass on that Duke's death to his second surviving son.
(d) if the titles had passed to a younger brother or younger son under (b) or (c) above, they would then pass to his heirs male on his death, BUT
(e) if such a younger son's or younger brother's heirs male died out, the title would not pass to his own younger brothers and their heirs male, but would instead revert to the senior male line with provisions (b) and (c) operating as before.
The effect of this remainder is that the dukedom of Hamilton descends as usual to heirs male, but the earldom and its attendant baronies are diverted to the second son. Should this and other cadet lines fail, the earldom of Selkirk reverts to the Duke of Hamilton at that time as heir of the first Earl; but then the "special destination" of 1688 again diverts it to his younger brother, if he has one: if not, it descends with the dukedom until such time as a qualified younger son appears to carry on a new line of earls.
The contemplated situation has occurred twice - firstly in 1885, on the death of the 6th Earl of Selkirk, who died without male issue, when the earldom thereupon reverted to the younger brother of the 12th Duke of Hamilton. When this younger brother (the 7th Earl of Selkirk) died unmarried in the following year, the Earldom of Selkirk passed back to the dukedom, with which it remained united until the death of the 13th Duke of Hamilton in 1940. When the 14th Duke of Hamilton succeeded in 1940, he had a younger brother, Lord Nigel Douglas‑Hamilton, who under the provisions of the remainder, became the 10th Earl of Selkirk.
Similar devices to prevent the mergers of peerages also occurred on other occasions within the Scottish peerage. In 1674, Margaret, Countess of Rothes in her own right, married the 5th Earl of Haddington. The marriage contract stated that the Earl would resign his own peerage in favour of their second and other younger sons, so as to keep it distinct from that of Rothes. When the 5th Earl of Haddington died in 1685, he was succeeded in that peerage by his younger son, whereas the eldest son had to wait until 1700 before he could succeed to the earldom of Rothes.
Again, an attempt was made to keep separate the earldoms of Stair and Dumfries after the next brother of the 2nd Earl of Stair married the Countess of Dumfries in her own right. The second Earl obtained a novodamus in 1707 which had the effect of shifting the remainder to the second and younger sons of his brother. In 1747, he executed a deed which nominated the son of his youngest brother to succeed him in the titles, but this was struck down by the House of Lords in 1748, presumably on the ground that such deed had been executed after the Act of Union of 1707. The heir nominated, John Dalrymple, did, however, eventually succeed to the earldom of Stair in 1768, but not to the earldom of Dumfries, which went to a collateral line.
"Shifting remainders" are confined to peerages of Scotland created before the Act of Union in 1707. The use of such remainders in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom were held to be invalid by the decision of the House of Lords in the case of the Buckhurst peerage in 1876.