PEERAGES
Last updated 19/10/2018 (19 Jan 2024)
Date	Rank	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
VADERA
11 Jul 2007	B[L]		Shriti Vadera Created Baroness Vadera for life 11 Jul 2007 PC 2009	23 Jun 1962
VAIZEY
23 Jun 1976 to     19 Jul 1984	B[L]		John Ernest Vaizey Created Baron Vaizey for life 23 Jun 1976 Peerage extinct on his death	1 Oct 1929	19 Jul 1984	54
VAIZEY OF DIDCOT
1 Sep 2020	B[L]		Edward Henry Butler Vaizey Created Baron Vaizey of Didcot for life 1 Sep 2020 MP for Wantage 2005‑2019; PC 2016	5 Jun 1968
VALENCE
6 Feb 1299 to     23 Jun 1324	B	1	Aymer de Valence (recognised as 2nd Earl of Pembroke in 1307) Summoned to Parliament as Lord Valence 6 Feb 1299 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1263	23 Jun 1324
VALENTIA
24 Jun 1565 to     1597	V[I]	1	Sir Donald Maccarty Created Baron of Valentia and Earl of Clancare 24 Jun 1565 He resigned the peerages in 1597		before 1601
1 Mar 1621 to     25 May 1642	V[I]	1	Sir Henry Power Created Viscount of Valentia 1 Mar 1621 Peerage extinct on his death		25 May 1642
11 Mar 1622	V[I]	1	Sir Francis Annesley, 1st baronet Created Viscount of Valentia 11 Mar 1622	2 Jan 1586	23 Nov 1660	74
23 Nov 1660		2	Arthur Annesley, later [1661] 1st Earl of Anglesey	10 Jul 1614	6 Apr 1686	71
6 Apr 1686		3	James Annesley, 2nd Earl of Anglesey		1 Apr 1690
1 Apr 1690		4	James Annesley, 3rd Earl of Anglesey	c 1670	21 Jan 1702
21 Jan 1702		5	John Annesley, 4th Earl of Anglesey		18 Sep 1710
18 Sep 1710		6	Arthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey		1 Apr 1737
1 Apr 1737		7	Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey	c 1690	14 Feb 1761
14 Feb 1761		8	Arthur Annesley, later [1793] 1st Earl of Mountnorris	7 Aug 1744	4 Jul 1816	71
4 Jul 1816		9	George Annesley, 2nd Earl of Mountnorris	4 Dec 1770	23 Jul 1844	73
23 Jul 1844		10	Arthur Annesley	30 Nov 1785	30 Dec 1863	78
30 Dec 1863		11	Arthur Annesley Created Baron Annesley of Bletchington 7 May 1917 MP for Oxford 1895‑1917	23 Aug 1843	30 Jan 1927	83
30 Jan 1927		12	Carlyl Arthur James Annesley	3 Jul 1883	6 Oct 1949	66
6 Oct 1949		13	William Monckton Annesley	23 Jan 1875	26 Feb 1951	76
26 Feb 1951		14	Francis Dighton Annesley For information on his successful claim to this title in 1959, see the note at the foot of this page	12 Aug 1888	16 Mar 1983	94
16 Mar 1983		15	Richard John Dighton Annesley	15 Aug 1929	20 Aug 2005	76
20 Aug 2005		16	Francis William Dighton Annesley	29 Dec 1959
VALENTINE
10 Oct 2005	B[L]		Josephine Clare Valentine Created Baroness Valentine for life 10 Oct 2005	8 Dec 1958
VALLANCE OF TUMMEL
22 Jun 2004	B[L]		Sir Iain David Thomas Vallance Created Baron Vallance of Tummel for life 22 Jun 2004	20 May 1943
VANE
13 Sep 1720	V[I]	1	William Vane Created Baron Vane of Dungannon and Viscount Vane 13 Sep 1720 MP for co. Durham 1708‑1710, Steyning 1727‑1734 and Kent 1734	17 Feb 1682	20 May 1734	52
20 May 1734 to     5 Apr 1789		2	William Holles Vane Peerage extinct on his death	4 Feb 1714	5 Apr 1789	75
8 Jul 1823	E	1	Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry Created Baron Stewart of Stewart's Court 1 Jul 1814, and Viscount Seaham and Earl Vane 8 Jul 1823 For details of the special remainders included in the creation of the peerages of 1823, see the note at the foot of this page	18 May 1778	6 Mar 1854	75
6 Mar 1854		2	George Henry Robert Charles Vane‑Tempest He succeeded as 5th Marquess of Londonderry in 1872, since which time the titles have remained united	26 Apr 1821	5 Nov 1884	63
VANSITTART
3 Jul 1941 to     14 Feb 1957	B	1	Sir Robert Gilbert Vansittart Created Baron Vansittart 3 Jul 1941 PC 1940 Peerage extinct on his death	25 Jun 1881	14 Feb 1957	75
VARLEY
30 May 1990 to     29 Jul 2008	B[L]		Eric Graham Varley Created Baron Varley for life 30 May 1990 MP for Chesterfield 1964‑1984; Minister of State, Technology 1969‑1970; Secretary of State for Energy 1974‑1975; Secretary of State for Technology 1975‑1979; PC 1974 Peerage extinct on his death	11 Aug 1932	29 Jul 2008	75
VAUGHAN OF EMLYN
25 Oct 1643	B	1	Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery Created Baron Vaughan of Emlyn 25 Oct 1643 See "Carbery"		3 Dec 1687
VAUGHAN OF MULLENGAR
5 Aug 1628	B[I]	1	John Vaughan Created Baron Vaughan of Mullengar 13 Jul 1621 and Earl of Carbery 5 Aug 1628 See "Carbery"	c 1574	6 May 1634
VAUX OF HARROWDEN
27 Apr 1523	B	1	Sir Nicholas Vaux Created Baron Vaux of Harrowden 27 Apr 1523	c 1460	14 May 1523
14 May 1523		2	Thomas Vaux	25 Apr 1509	Oct 1556	47
Oct 1556		3	William Vaux	14 Aug 1535	20 Aug 1595	60
20 Aug 1595		4	Edward Vaux	13 Sep 1588	8 Sep 1661	72
8 Sep 1661 to     20 Sep 1663		5	Henry Vaux On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	1591	20 Sep 1663	72
12 Mar 1838		6	George Charles Mostyn Abeyance terminated in his favour 1838	7 Mar 1804	28 Jan 1883	78
28 Jan 1883 to     24 Oct 1935		7	Hubert George Charles Mostyn On his death the peerage again fell into abeyance	4 Jun 1860	24 Oct 1935	75
8 Jul 1938		8	Grace Mary Eleanor Gilbey Abeyance terminated in her favour 1938 For information on the two abeyances of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page	22 May 1887	11 May 1958	70
11 May 1958		9	Peter Hubert Gordon Gilbey	28 Jun 1914	1 Nov 1977	63
1 Nov 1977		10	John Hugh Philip Gilbey	4 Aug 1915	31 Aug 2002	87
31 Aug 2002		11	Anthony William Gilbey	25 May 1940	16 Dec 2014	74
16 Dec 2014		12	Richard Hubert Gordon Gilbey [Elected hereditary peer 2017-]	16 Mar 1965
VAVASOUR
6 Feb 1299	B	1	Sir William le Vavasour Summoned to Parliament as Lord Vavasour 6 Feb 1299		22 Mar 1313
22 Mar 1313		2	Walter le Vavasour	c 1280	7 Dec 1315
7 Dec 1315		3	Robert le Vavasour		24 Jul 1322
24 Jul 1322		4	Henry le Vavasour	c 1290	1 Dec 1342
1 Dec 1342		5	Henry le Vavasour		27 Nov 1349
27 Nov 1349		6	Henry Vavasour	c 1329	25 May 1355
25 May 1355		7	William Vavasour	1334	8 Sep 1369	25
8 Sep 1369		8	William Vavasour	c 1358	c 1387
c 1387		9	Henry Vavasour		27 Mar 1413
27 Mar 1413		10	Henry Vavasour	c 1402	Jan 1453
Jan 1453		11	Henry Vavasour		22 Dec 1499
22 Dec 1499		12	William Vavasour		26 Mar 1500
26 Mar 1500		13	Henry Vavasour	c 1456	1 Nov 1515
1 Nov 1515		14	John Vavasour		11 Aug 1524
11 Aug 1524		15	William Vavasour	20 Nov 1514	9 May 1566	51
9 May 1566		16	John Vavasour	1538	1609	71
1609		17	Ralph Vavasour		c 1611
c 1611		18	William Vavasour	1569	c 1623
c 1623		19	Thomas Vavasour nothing further known
VENTRY
31 Jul 1800	B[I]	1	Sir Thomas Mullins, 1st baronet Created Baron Ventry 31 Jul 1800	25 Oct 1736	11 Jan 1824	87
11 Jan 1824		2	William Townsend Mullins MP [I] for Dingle 1800	25 Sep 1761	5 Oct 1827	66
5 Oct 1827		3	Thomas Townsend Aremberg de Moleyns	Jan 1786	20 Jan 1868	82
20 Jan 1868		4	Dayrolles Blakeney Eveleigh‑de‑Moleyns	22 Jan 1828	8 Feb 1914	86
8 Feb 1914		5	Frederick Rossmore Wauchope Eveleigh‑de‑Moleyns	11 Dec 1861	22 Sep 1923	61
22 Sep 1923		6	Arthur William Eveleigh‑de‑Moleyns	6 Apr 1864	6 Jul 1936	72
6 Jul 1936		7	Arthur Frederick Daubeney Olav Eveleigh‑de‑Moleyns For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	28 Jul 1898	7 Mar 1987	88
7 Mar 1987		8	Andrew Harold Wesley Daubeny de Moleyns	28 May 1943
VERDIRAME
2 Nov 2022	B[L]		Guglielmo Verdirame Created Baron Verdirame for life 2 Nov 2022	25 Aug 1971
VERDON
24 Jun 1295	B	1	Theobald de Verdon Summoned to Parliament as Lord Verdon 24 Jun 1295		24 Aug 1309
24 Aug 1309 to     27 Jul 1316		2	Theobald Verdon On his death the peerage fell into abeyance		27 Jul 1316
27 Jan 1332	B	1	John de Verdon Summoned to Parliament as Lord Verdon 27 Jan 1332	24 Jun 1299	after 1377
after 1377		2	Margaret de Verdon		24 Nov 1436
24 Nov 1436		3	Elizabeth Bradshagh		after 1436
after 1436		4	William Harrington		12 Aug 1487
12 Aug 1487 to     26 Jun 1497		5	James Harrington On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	1447	26 Jun 1497	49
VERE
6 Feb 1299 to     c 1319	B	1	Hugh de Vere Summoned to Parliament as Lord Vere 6 Feb 1299 Peerage extinct on his death		c 1319
VERE OF HANWORTH
28 Mar 1750	B	1	Lord Vere Beauclerk Created Baron Vere of Hanworth 28 Mar 1750 MP for Windsor 1726‑1741 and Plymouth 1741‑1750; Lord Lieutenant Berkshire 1761‑1771	14 Jul 1699	2 Oct 1781	82
2 Oct 1781		2	Aubrey Beauclerk He succeeded to the Dukedom of St. Albans in 1787 with which title this peerage then merged and so remains	3 Jun 1740	9 Feb 1802	61
VERE OF NORBITON
30 Aug 2016	B[L]		Charlotte Sarah Emily Vere Created Baroness Vere of Norbiton for life 30 Aug 2016	9 Mar 1969
VERE OF TILBURY
24 Jul 1625 to     2 May 1635	B	1	Sir Horace Vere Created Baron Vere of Tilbury 24 Jul 1625 Peerage extinct on his death	1565	2 May 1635	69
VERJEE
17 Sep 2013	B[L]		Rumi Verjee Created Baron Verjee for life 17 Sep 2013	26 Jul 1957
VERMA
2 Jun 2006	B[L]		Sandip Verma Created Baroness Verma for life 2 Jun 2006	30 Jun 1959
VERNEY
16 Jun 1703	B[I]	1	Sir John Verney Created Baron Verney and Viscount of the County of Fermanagh 16 Jun 1703	5 Nov 1640	23 Jul 1717	76
23 Jul 1717 22 Mar 1743	E[I]	2 1	Ralph Verney Created Earl Verney 22 Mar 1743 MP for Amersham 1717‑1741 and Wendover 1741‑1752	18 Mar 1683	4 Oct 1752	69
4 Oct 1752 to     31 Mar 1791		2	Ralph Verney MP for Wendover 1753‑1761, Carmarthen 1761‑1768 and Buckinghamshire 1768‑1784 and 1790‑1791; PC 1765 Peerages extinct on his death	1 Feb 1714	31 Mar 1791	77
VERNON
12 May 1762	B	1	George Venables-Vernon Created Baron Vernon 12 May 1762 MP for Lichfield 1731‑1747 and Derby 1754‑1761	9 Feb 1707	21 Aug 1780	73
21 Aug 1780		2	George Venables-Vernon MP for Weobly 1757‑1761, Bramber 1762‑1768 and Glamorganshire 1768‑1780	9 May 1735	18 Jun 1813	78
18 Jun 1813		3	Henry Venables-Vernon	17 Apr 1747	20 Mar 1829	81
20 Mar 1829		4	George Charles Venables‑Vernon	4 Dec 1779	18 Nov 1835	55
18 Nov 1835		5	George John Venables‑Vernon MP for Derbyshire 1831‑1832 and Derbyshire South 1832‑1835	22 Jun 1803	31 May 1866	62
31 May 1866		6	Augustus Henry Venables‑Vernon	1 Feb 1829	1 May 1883	54
1 May 1883		7	George William Henry Venables‑Vernon PC 1892	25 Feb 1854	15 Dec 1898	44
15 Dec 1898		8	George Francis Augustus Venables‑Vernon	28 Sep 1888	10 Nov 1915	27
10 Nov 1915		9	Francis Lawrance William Venables‑Vernon	6 Nov 1889	18 Mar 1963	73
18 Mar 1963		10	John Lawrence Venables‑Vernon	1 Feb 1923	19 Aug 2000	77
19 Aug 2000		11	Anthony William Vernon‑Harcourt	29 Oct 1939
VERULAM
11 Jul 1618 to     9 Apr 1626	B	1	Francis Bacon Created Baron Verulam 11 Jul 1618 and Viscount Saint Albans 27 Jan 1621 MP for Melcombe Regis 1584‑1586, Taunton 1586‑1587, Liverpool 1588‑1589, Middlesex 1592‑1593, Ipswich 1597‑1598, 1601, 1604‑1611, and Cambridge 1614; Solicitor General 1607‑1613; Attorney General 1613‑1617; Lord Chancellor 1618‑1621 Peerages extinct on his death	22 Jan 1561	9 Apr 1626	65
8 Jul 1790	B	1	James Bucknall Grimston, 3rd Viscount Grimston Created Baron Verulam 8 Jul 1790 MP for St. Albans 1783‑1784 and Hertfordshire 1784‑1790	9 May 1747	30 Dec 1808	61
24 Nov 1815	E	1	James Walter Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston Created Viscount Grimston and Earl of Verulam 24 Nov 1815 He had previously succeeded as 10th Lord Forrester in 1808 MP for St. Albans 1802‑1808; Lord Lieutenant Hertfordshire 1823‑1845	26 Sep 1775	17 Nov 1845	70
17 Nov 1845		2	James Walter Grimston MP for St. Albans 1830‑1831, Newport (Cornwall) 1831‑1832 and Hertfordshire 1832‑1845; Lord Lieutenant Hertfordshire 1846‑1892	22 Feb 1809	27 Jul 1895	86
27 Jul 1895		3	James Walter Grimston MP for St. Albans 1885‑1892	11 May 1852	11 Nov 1924	72
11 Nov 1924		4	James Walter Grimston For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	17 Apr 1880	29 Nov 1949	69
29 Nov 1949		5	James Brabazon Grimston	11 Oct 1910	13 Oct 1960	50
13 Oct 1960		6	John Grimston MP for St. Albans 1943‑1945 and 1950‑1959	17 Jul 1912	15 Apr 1973	60
15 Apr 1973		7	John Duncan Grimston	21 Apr 1955
VESCI
24 Jun 1295 to     19 Jul 1297	B	1	William de Vesci Summoned to Parliament as Lord Vesci 24 Jun 1295 Chief Governor of Ireland 1290‑1293 Peerage extinct on his death	19 Sep 1245	19 Jul 1297	51
8 Jan 1313 to     24 Jun 1314	B	1	William de Vesci Summoned to Parliament as Lord Vesci 8 Jan 1313 Peerage extinct on his death		24 Jun 1314
24 Jan 1449 to	B	1	Sir Henry Bromflete Summoned to Parliament as Lord Vesci 24 Jan 1449 Peerage extinct on his death		16 Jan 1469
VESTEY
20 Jun 1922	B	1	Sir William Vestey, 1st baronet Created Baron Vestey 20 Jun 1922	21 Jan 1859	10 Dec 1940	81
10 Dec 1940		2	Samuel Vestey	25 Dec 1882	4 May 1954	71
4 May 1954		3	Samuel George Armstrong Vestey	19 Mar 1941	4 Feb 2021	79
4 Feb 2021		4	William Guy Vestey	27 Aug 1983
VICKERS
27 Jan 1975 to     23 May 1994	B[L]		Dame Joan Helen Vickers Created Baroness Vickers for life 27 Jan 1975 MP for Devonport 1955‑1974 Peerage extinct on her death	3 Jun 1907	23 May 1994	86
VILLIERS
27 Aug 1616	V	1	George Villiers Created Baron Whaddon and Viscount Villiers 27 Aug 1616, Earl of Buckingham 5 Jan 1617, Marquess of Buckingham 1 Jan 1618 and Earl of Coventry and Duke of Buckingham 18 May 1623 See "Buckingham" - peerages extinct 1687	28 Aug 1592	23 Aug 1628	35
18 Apr 1623	B	1	Christopher Villiers Created Baron Villiers and Earl of Anglesey 18 Apr 1623 See "Anglesey" - peerages extinct 1661		3 Apr 1630
20 Mar 1691	V	1	Edward Villiers Created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers 20 Mar 1691, and Earl of Island of Jersey 13 Oct 1697 See "Jersey"	c 1656	25 Aug 1711
19 Feb 1767	V[I]	1	Elizabeth Mason Created Viscountess Grandison 10 Apr 1746 and Viscountess Villiers and Countess Grandison 19 Feb 1767 See "Grandison" - peerages extinct 1800		29 May 1782
VINCENT OF COLESHILL
3 Sep 1996 to     8 Sep 2018	B[L]		Sir Richard Frederick Vincent Created Baron Vincent of Coleshill for life 3 Sep 1996 Field Marshal; Chief of the Defence Staff 1991‑1992 Peerage extinct on his death	23 Aug 1931	8 Sep 2018	87
VINSON
7 Feb 1985	B[L]		Nigel Vinson Created Baron Vinson for life 7 Feb 1985	27 Jan 1931
VIVIAN
19 Aug 1841	B	1	Sir Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st baronet Created Baron Vivian 19 Aug 1841 MP for Truro 1820‑1826 and 1832‑1835, Windsor 1826‑1831 and Cornwall East 1837‑1841; PC [I] 1831; PC 1835	28 Jul 1775	20 Aug 1842	67
20 Aug 1842		2	Charles Crespigny Vivian MP for Bodmin 1835‑1842; Lord Lieutenant Cornwall 1856‑1877 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	24 Dec 1808	24 Apr 1886	77
24 Apr 1886		3	Henry Crespigny Vivian PC 1893	19 Jun 1834	21 Oct 1893	59
21 Oct 1893		4	George Crespigny Brabazon Vivian For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	21 Jan 1878	28 Dec 1940	62
28 Dec 1940		5	Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian	4 Mar 1906	24 Jun 1991	85
24 Jun 1991		6	Nicholas Crespigny Lawrence Vivian [Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2004]	11 Dec 1935	28 Feb 2004	68
28 Feb 2004		7	Charles Crespigny Hussey Vivian	20 Dec 1966

	Francis Dighton Annesley, 14th Viscount Valentia and the establishment of his claim to the title
	On the death of the 9th Viscount Valentia in 1844, some peerage reference works considered the title to be dormant. Other works such as Dod's Peerage and Who's Who continued to show the Viscountcy in a normal fashion. In any event, the status of the peerage was resolved in June 1959 as reported in The Times of 11 June:-
	Brigadier Francis Dighton Annesley, of Barton Grange, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, has established his claim to the title of Viscount Valencia in the Irish peerage, which has been considered dormant since 1844.
	Yesterday's House of Lords papers stated: "Viscountcy of Valentia - report made from the Lord Chancellor that Francis Dighton Viscount Valentia in the peerage of Ireland has established his succession to the Viscountcy of Valentia and his right to vote at any elections of representative peers for Ireland which may be held in future under statutes in force relating thereto, to the satisfaction of the Lord Chancellor: read, and ordered to lie on the table."
	Lord Valentia, who is 70, retired in 1948 as a brigadier of the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was awarded the Military Cross and the Belgian Croix de Guerre in the First World War and between the wars served in India and China. He is still professionally engaged as a doctor.
	Our Special Correspondent writes:-
	Francis Annesley was created in 1621 Lord Mountnorris and Viscount Valentia in reversion, to take effect on the death of the then Viscount, Sir Henry Power, which occurred in 1642. Both dignities were in the peerage of Ireland. His eldest son Arthur was created Earl of Anglesey in the peerage of England, and all the dignities descended together as far as Richard Annesley, who succeeded as sixth Earl and seventh Viscount in 1737.
	After him there was dispute. His eldest son was the child of his second (acknowledged) wife Juliana Donovan, whom he married as a widower in 1741. But there was still living one Anne Simpson, styled Countess of Anglesey, whom he is alleged to have married when she was 15, a few days before his wedding to his first (acknowledged) wife, Ann Prust, in 1715. "Countess" Anne left only daughters. The validity of this first marriage and the consequent bigamous character of the other two were accepted by the English and rejected by the Irish House of Lords; so that his son Arthur succeeded as Viscount Valentia but not as Earl of Anglesey.
	The male line of the eldest son of the first Viscount was believed, but not conclusively proved, to have become extinct with the death of the first [ninth] Viscount in 1844, and from then until the present case no one has proved his right to the dignity.
	It was generally supposed that the senior surviving branch was that originating in Francis, the fourth son of the grantee; and the heirs of this line have successively assumed the title of Viscount Valentia and been accepted as such by the courtesy of society and even at Court. To elevate this courtesy into a legal right it was necessary to prove the extinction of the issue in the male line of all the three eldest sons of the first Viscount; and this, it is presumed, has now been done to the satisfaction of the Lord Chancellor.
	The usual method of testing a claim to peerage is for the claimant to petition the Crown for a writ of summons to Parliament. The petition is then generally referred through the Attorney-General to the House of Lords, which hears genealogical and other evidence in the Committee for Privileges, a committee of the whole House, and advises whether the right has been made out.
	This procedure is not available to the claimant of an Irish dignity, for there is no longer an Irish Parliament to which he can be summoned; nor can he, like a Scot, claim to be admitted to vote for representative peers, for the Republican Government of Ireland has not kept up the machinery for election (in fact, the breed is all but extinct). But it would presumably be open to the Parliament of the United Kingdom to provide alternate machinery to take its place; and, if ever that is done, the Lord Chancellor's certificate will no doubt give Lord Valentia an unchallengeable right to record his vote or to stand for election by his peers.
	The special remainders to the Viscountcy of Seaham and the Earldom of Vane
	From the London Gazette of 29 March 1823 (issue 17909, page 498):-
	The King has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal granting the dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to Charles William Marquess of Londonderry, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Lieutenant-General of His Majesty's Forces, and late His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Emperor of Austria, and to the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, or to be begotten on the body of his present wife Frances Ann, by the names, styles, and titles of Viscount Seaham, of Seaham, in the county palatine of Durham, and Earl Vane.
	The abeyances of the barony of Vaux of Harrowden
	The following article appeared in The Times on 13 July 1938:-
	Last night's London Gazette announces that the King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm, bearing date the 8th instant, to declare that Grace Mary Eleanor Gilbey, commonly called the Hon. Grace Mary Eleanor Gilbey, wife of William Gordon Gilbey, the eldest of the three daughters and co-heirs of Hubert George Charles, seventh Baron Vaux of Harrowden, deceased, is and shall be Baroness Vaux of Harrowden, and giving, granting and confirming to the said Grace Mary Eleanor Gilbey the ancient barony of Vaux of Harrowden, to have and to hold the said Barony together with all the rights, privileges, pre-eminences, immunities and advantages and the place and precedence belonging thereto to her and the heirs of her body lawfully begotten and to be begotten in as full and ample a manner as the said Hubert George Charles, Baron Vaux of Harrowden or any of his ancestors held and enjoyed the same.
	In a footnote, the following history of the barony is outlined:-
	The Barony with which Sir Nicholas Vaux of Harrowden, Lieutenant of Guisnes Castle, near Calais, and poet, was invested by King Henry VIII at Bridewell Palace on April 27, 1523, passed from father to son until Edward, the fourth lord, died in 1661 and was succeeded by his brother Henry, who died in 1663 without having taken his seat in the House of Lords. In 1838 the House of Lords decided that this Barony had been created by writ and that it had in 1663 fallen into abeyance between the fifth lord's second sister Joyce, at that time a nun at Eye; Elizabeth Viscountess Mountgarret, only child of Mary, his deceased elder sister; and George Lord Abergavenny, first surviving son and heir of Catherine, his deceased youngest sister. It was also found that in 1838 the Barony was in abeyance between three co-heirs - George Charles Mostyn, who represented a moiety as being through his mother, the daughter of George Butler of Ballyragget, the heir of Elizabeth Viscountess Mountgarret, his mother's great-great-great grandmother; and Robert Henry, twelfth Earl of Pembroke, and Edward Bourchier Hartopp, who were each representatives of one-fourth of the Barony as heirs respectively of the two daughters of Frances Viscount FitzWilliam, granddaughter of George Lord Abergavenny. Accordingly, on March 12, 1838, Queen Victoria called the Barony out of abeyance in favour of Mr. Mostyn, who succeeded as sixth Lord Vaux of Harrowden. He died in 1883 and was succeeded as seventh lord by his grandson, Mr. Hubert George Charles Mostyn, who died on October 25, 1935, when, for the second time, the Barony fell into abeyance between his three daughters. By the recent decision of the House of Lords, they were found to be co-heirs of the Barony.
	Arthur Frederick Daubeney Olav Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 7th Baron Ventry
	Ventry was educated at Wellington College, where he became interested in balloons. During World War  I, he transferred from the Irish Guards to the County of London Balloon Squadron in the Auxiliary Air Force. In World War II he served as a Flight Lieutenant in Balloon Command.
	After the war he became an advocate for the advantages of balloons over aircraft. A balloon, for instance, would make an ideal observation post from which to spot the Loch Ness Monster. In 1949, he began to build the Bournemouth, the first airship to be built in Britain since the crash of the R 101 in 1930. On 19 July 1951 the Bournemouth was ready to take its first flight at the RAF Balloon Centre at Cardington, Bedfordshire. The flight was reasonably successful, being airborne for 18 minutes, although on landing the crew reported that it was stern-heavy and difficult to get down. After making some modifications, a second flight occurred on 16 August 1951. As the airship was coming in to land, it approached at too low a height and one of the guy ropes caught the railings on a workshop roof, bringing the airship to a sudden halt. The balloon's gondola struck the roof, but no-one was injured.
	Ventry commented 'Perfectly ordinary flight. Then one of the handling guy ropes caught on the catwalk and there we sat like a broody hen. Chance in a million.'
	James Walter Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam
	The 4th Earl died as the result of a car crash. The proceedings of the inquest into his death were reported in the Daily Telegraph on 2 December 1949:-
	A verdict of "death by misadventure" was recorded at the Newmarket inquest yesterday on the Earl of Verulam, 69, of Gorhambury, St. Albans, who died in hospital after his car had been in collision with a lorry on Tuesday evening. Police evidence was given that Lord Verulam's car was found jammed under the rear of the lorry and that a 64ft long brake-mark led to the rear of the car.
	The lorry driver, John Ambrose Freeman, of Hartley-street, Bethnal Green, said he was stationary behind another lorry for what seemed to be about a minute when something hit the back of his lorry.
	Leonard Vincent Tapscott, of Garage Cottages, Gorhambury, chauffeur to Lord Verulam, said he was travelling at about 45 m.p.h. when he saw in front the rear light of a lorry which he thought was moving. He pulled out to pass and then saw another car coming in the opposite direction. He also saw two tank transporters in front of the lorry.
	He braked, but the car skidded into the rear of the lorry. Mr. T. Wilson, the coroner, said there appeared to be no evidence that Lord Verulam's chauffeur was driving in any dangerous or very fast manner.
	Charles Crespigny Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian
	The 2nd Baron Vivian was well-known in his day as a result of a remarkable dream which predicted the result of a horse race.
	In April 1879 there occurred the death of General Richard Taylor, son of the former President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, and a General in the Confederate cause in the American Civil War. As part of its death notice, the Daily Telegraph included the following story:-
	On the morning of the day when the City and Suburban Handicap was won by Aldrich [on 28 April 1874], a little fancied outsider, it so chanced that General Taylor travelled down to Epsom in company with Lord Vivian, and heard from him that it was his intention to back Lord Rosebery's horse, because he had dreamt that he saw the primrose and rose hoops borne to victory in the race which they were on their road to witness. Acting upon this hint, General Taylor took a thousand to thirty about Aldrich, and was not a little elated at the success of what he justly called "a leap in the dark". But for the accident which caused Lemnos, another much-backed candidate for the race, to fall at Tattenham Corner, there is a little probability that the dream of Lord Vivian would have found the interpretation upon which General Taylor counted.
	As a result of General Taylor's death notice, Lord Vivian wrote to the Daily Telegraph the following letter:-
	Sir - In your 'leader' on General Taylor, in this day's paper, you introduce an anecdote relative to a dream of mine. The facts are these:- I did dream, on the morning of the race for the City and Suburban Handicap, that I had fallen asleep in the weighing-room of the Stand at Epsom, prior to that race, and that after it had been run, I was awakened by a gentleman - the owner of another horse in the race - who informed me that the Teacher had won. Of this horse, so far as my recollection serves me, I had never before heard. On reaching Victoria Station, the first person I saw was the gentleman who had appeared to me in my dream, and to him I mentioned it, observing that I could not find any horse so named in the race. He replied, 'There is a horse now called Aldrich, who was previously called the Teacher'. The dream had so vividly impressed me, that I declared my intention of backing Aldrich for £100, and was in course of doing this when I was questioned by his owner as to 'why I was backing his horse'. I replied, because I had dreamt he had won the race'. To this I was answered, 'As against your dream, I will tell you this fact - I tried the horse last week with a hurdle-jumper, and he was beaten a distance'. I thanked my informant, and discontinued backing Aldrich. General Taylor, who had overheard what passed, asked me, if I did not intend backing the horse again for myself, to win him £1,000 by him. This I did by taking for him 1,000 to 30 about Aldrich. Such is the true account of my dream, and of General Taylor's profit from it. - Yours faithfully, VIVIAN
	Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian
	The 5th Lord Vivian was at the centre of a scandal in the latter half of 1954 after he had been shot by his lover. The case featured prominently in the newspapers, but I have contented myself with the following summary, which appeared in The Washington Post and Times Herald of 1 May 1955, at the time of Lord Vivian's lover's release from prison:-
	The car stopped in front of a thatched cottage in the little village of Potterne, England [near Devizes in Wiltshire]. A man and a woman stepped out and hurried up the walk, as though they were afraid of being observed. The door closed behind them. They were back once more in the cosy retreat where a pistol shot had first publicized their defiance of convention. Meanwhile, Britishers wondered whether the moral code, which they are expected to live by and which these two, Lord Vivian and his so-called "Golden Girl" had brazenly flouted, would now destroy the romance a bullet couldn't kill.
	The last time the couple had entered the cottage together was under different circumstances and in a gayer mood. Lord Vivian, a handsome 48-year-old baron with a wife and family was "somewhat drunk" then and his companion, Mrs. Mavis Wheeler, a fetching blond divorcee, was "a bit muzzy". They had been celebrating the start of a country week end.
	The cottage belonged to Mrs. Wheeler. Her first husband was Horace de Vere Cole [1881‑1936], wealthy brother of Mrs. Neville Chamberlain and a perpetual wit who was called "King of the Practical Jokers". After his death in 1936, she was married for three years to Mortimer Wheeler [1890‑1976] who was later knighted for his research in archaeology. England's best painters vied to paint her portrait. They called her the Golden  Girl.
	She met the baron late in 1953. He was Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, Tony to his friends. He had been educated at Eton before going to Canada as a student farmer. He moved on to San Francisco, became a call boy in a theatre, went into theatre publicity and finally emerged as a theatrical producer in London. In 1930 he married Victoria Oliphant, a Navy captain's daughter, by whom he had two sons and a daughter.
	Despite all this, it was "love at first sight" for the baron and the Golden Girl. She sent him back to his family for the Christmas holidays, but as soon as they were over he disappeared as quickly as the tree. He returned to her London apartment and went on living there illicitly until it was time to take off for Potterne last July.
	No sooner had they unpacked than they walked down the lane to the George and Dragon tavern for a few drinks. They had some sherry at the home of friends, returned to the tavern for some stout and finally arrived back at Pilgrim Cottage about 10 p.m. so hilarious that when the key seemed hard to locate they laughingly climbed in through a window.
	About half an hour later Mrs. Wheeler phoned hysterically for an ambulance, which arrived to find Lord Vivian lying in the garden, shot in the stomach. He was hospitalized and she was was arrested, charged with shooting him in a jealous rage.
	When she went on trial two months later, Lord Vivian had recovered sufficiently to testify. The accounts of both principals agreed up to the point of the shooting. After they had climbed in the window, they hugged and kissed and Mrs. Wheeler went to the kitchen to prepare a meal. The baron, without her knowledge, returned to the George and Dragon. He reappeared a few minutes later at the open window.
	"In a joking voice, I heard him say 'Stick 'em up,'" Mrs. Wheeler testified. "Then he said, 'Look what I've brought you,' and held up two bottles of stout. He had a pistol in his hand, my pistol, and he was laughing about it.
	"I said. 'Oh, it probably won't go off. It's rusty.' I took it from him and pointed it at the fireplace and pulled the trigger. It did go off. I was quite astonished and fired again. Lord Vivian said, 'Stop it. You are frightening Mr. Pip' (her dog). I said, 'Just one more' and he tried to take the gun from me and it went off. I had no idea of shooting him."
	Lord Vivian, obviously pained to be disagreeing with Mrs. Wheeler, had a somewhat different account. When he arrived back at the cottage with the two bottles of stout, he said, "Darling, I am coming in" and put his leg through the window. Then there was a shot. I said something to the effect of 'Don't be silly, darling; put that revolver down.'
	Then he heard another report. He thought there were three shots altogether and the second or third must have hit him.
	"I think I pushed myself out of the window and said, 'Darling, I am in pain; can you call an ambulance?' She seemed to come from nowhere and did everything possible for me. We comforted each other until the ambulance arrived."
	Lady Vivian, accompanied by her 18-year-old son, Nicholas, was in court to hear her husband say he was dearly in love with Mrs. Wheeler (courts have to listen to all sorts of nonsense). Mrs. Wheeler's son by her first marriage, Tristan de Vere Cole, a 19-year-old naval cadet, heard his mother testify that she truly loved Lord Vivian.
	Mrs. Wheeler was acquitted of a deliberate attempt at murder but convicted of "unlawfully and maliciously wounding" Lord Vivian. She was sentenced to six months in prison.
	When she was released from prison four months later, with time off for good behaviour - better, in fact, than she had exhibited on the outside - Lord Vivian was waiting for her.
	"I think we know each other a good deal better now," the baron said. "We are eternally in love."
	The baron must have been aware that there was little public sympathy for his troubles and that people frowned on his "romantic" behaviour. But he didn't seem to mind. The matter of a divorce, he said, was up to his wife.
	And there his ricochet romance rests at the moment. The whole thing, some of their acquaintances feel, might have been a tasteless bit of tomfoolery dreamed up by Mrs. Wheeler's first husband, the practical joker.

	Copyright © 2003-2018 Leigh Rayment
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