PEERAGES
Last updated 26/06/2017 (20 Aug 2024)
Date	Rank	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
WILMINGTON
8 Jan 1728 14 May 1730 to     2 Jul 1743	B E	1 1	Sir Spencer Compton Created Baron Wilmington 8 Jan 1728 and Viscount Pevensey and Earl of Wilmington 14 May 1730 MP for Eye 1698‑1710, East Grinstead 1713‑1715 and Sussex 1715‑1728; Speaker of the House of Commons 1715‑1727; Paymaster General 1722‑1730; Lord Privy Seal 1730; Lord President of the Council 1730‑1742; Prime Minister 1742‑1743; PC 1716; KG 1733 Peerages extinct on his death	c 1674	2 Jul 1743
7 Sep 1812	B	1	Charles Compton, 9th Earl of Northampton Created Baron Wilmington, Earl Compton and Marquess of Northampton 7 Sep 1812 See "Northampton"	24 Mar 1760	24 May 1828	68
WILMOT
4 Jan 1621	V[I]	1	Charles Wilmot Created Viscount Wilmot 4 Jan 1621	1571	1643	72
1643 29 Jun 1643	B	2 1	Henry Wilmot Created Baron Wilmot 29 Jun 1643 and Earl of Rochester 13 Dec 1652 See "Rochester" - extinct 1681	2 Nov 1612	19 Feb 1658	45
WILMOT OF SELMESTON
30 Jan 1950 to     22 Jul 1964	B	1	John Wilmot Created Baron Wilmot of Selmeston 30 Jan 1950 MP for Fulham East 1933‑1935, Kennington 1939‑1945 and Deptford 1945‑1950; Minister of Supply 1945‑1947; PC 1945 Peerage extinct on his death	2 Apr 1895	22 Jul 1964	69
WILSON
12 Mar 1946	B	1	Sir Henry Maitland Wilson Created Baron Wilson 12 Mar 1946 Field Marshal 1944	5 Sep 1881	31 Dec 1964	83
31 Dec 1964 to     1 Feb 2009		2	Patrick Maitland Wilson Peerage extinct on his death	14 Sep 1915	1 Feb 2009	93
WILSON OF DINTON
18 Nov 2002	B[L]		Sir Richard Thomas James Wilson Created Baron Wilson of Dinton for life 18 Nov 2002	11 Oct 1942
WILSON OF HIGH WRAY
3 Feb 1976 to     24 Feb 1980	B[L]		Paul Norman Wilson Created Baron Wilson of High Wray for life 3 Feb 1976 Lord Lieutenant Westmorland 1965‑1974 Peerage extinct on his death	24 Oct 1908	24 Feb 1980	71
WILSON OF LANGSIDE
3 Mar 1969 to     23 Nov 1997	B[L]		Henry Stephen Wilson Created Baron Wilson of Langside for life 3 Mar 1969 Lord Advocate 1967‑1970; PC 1967 Peerage extinct on his death	21 Mar 1916	23 Nov 1997	81
WILSON OF RADCLIFFE
14 Jan 1975 to     25 Jan 1983	B[L]		Alfred Wilson Created Baron Wilson of Radcliffe for life 14 Jan 1975 Peerage extinct on his death	10 Jun 1909	25 Jan 1983	73
WILSON OF RIEVAULX
16 Sep 1983 to     24 May 1995	B[L]		James Harold Wilson Created Baron Wilson of Rievaulx for life 16 Sep 1983 MP for Ormskirk 1945‑1950 and Huyton 1950‑1983; President of the Board of Trade 1947‑1951; Prime Minister 1964‑1970 and 1974‑1976; PC 1947; KG 1976 Peerage extinct on his death	11 Mar 1916	24 May 1995	79
WILSON OF TILLYORN
14 Feb 1992	B[L]		Sir David Clive Wilson Created Baron Wilson of Tillyorn for life 14 Feb 1992 Governor of Hong Kong 1987‑1992; KT 2000	14 Feb 1935
WILTON
19 Oct 1714	V	1	James Brydges, 9th Baron Chandos Created Viscount Wilton and Earl of Carnarvon 19 Oct 1714, and Marquess of Carnarvon and Duke of Chandos 29 Apr 1719 See "Chandos" - extinct 1789	6 Jan 1673	9 Aug 1744	71
26 Jun 1801	E	1	Sir Thomas Egerton, 7th baronet Created Baron Grey de Wilton 15 May 1784 and Viscount Grey de Wilton and Earl of Wilton 26 Jun 1801 For details of the special remainder included in the creations of the Viscountcy and Earldom, see the note at the foot of this page MP for Lancashire 1772‑1784	14 May 1749	23 Sep 1814	65
23 Sep 1814		2	Thomas Grosvenor Egerton PC 1835 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	30 Dec 1799	7 Mar 1882	82
7 Mar 1882		3	Arthur Edward Holland Grey Egerton Created Baron Grey de Radcliffe 14 Jun 1875 (extinct on his death) MP for Weymouth & Melcombe Regis 1859‑1865 and Bath 1873‑1874	25 Nov 1833	18 Jan 1885	51
18 Jan 1885		4	Seymour John Grey Egerton	17 Jan 1839	3 Jan 1898	58
3 Jan 1898		5	Arthur George Egerton	17 May 1863	26 Apr 1915	51
26 Apr 1915		6	Seymour Edward Frederic Egerton	1 Aug 1896	12 Oct 1927	31
12 Oct 1927		7	Seymour William Arthur John Egerton	29 May 1921	1 Oct 1999	78
1 Oct 1999		8	Francis Egerton Grosvenor, 6th Baron Ebury	8 Feb 1934
WILTSHIRE
29 Sep 1397 to     30 Jul 1399	E	1	William le Scrope Created Earl of Wiltshire 29 Sep 1397 Lord Treasurer 1398‑1399; KG 1394 He was attainted and the peerage forfeited For further information on this peer, and the subsequent claim made to the peerage in the 1860s, see the note at the foot of this page	c 1350	30 Jul 1399
8 Jul 1449 to     25 Apr 1461	E	1	Sir James Butler Created Earl of Wiltshire 8 Jul 1449 KG 1459 Succeeded as 5th Earl of Ormonde 1452. He was attainted and the peerage forfeited	24 Nov 1420	25 Apr 1461	40
5 Jan 1470	E	1	John Stafford Created Earl of Wiltshire 5 Jan 1470 KG 1472		8 May 1473
8 May 1473 to     24 Mar 1499		2	Edward Stafford Peerage extinct on his death	7 Apr 1469	24 Mar 1499	29
27 Jan 1510 to     6 Apr 1523	E	1	Henry Stafford Created Earl of Wiltshire 27 Jan 1510 KG 1505 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1479	6 Apr 1523
8 Dec 1529 to     13 Mar 1539	E	1	Thomas Boleyn Created Viscount Rochford 18 Jun 1525, Earl of Ossory 23 Feb 1528, and Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormonde 8 Dec 1529 KG 1523 Peerages extinct on his death	1477	13 Mar 1539	61
19 Jan 1550	E	1	William Paulet Created Baron Saint John 9 Mar 1539, Earl of Wiltshire 19 Jan 1550 and Marquess of Winchester 11 Oct 1551 See "Winchester"	c 1483	10 Mar 1572
WIMBLEDON
9 Nov 1625 to     16 Nov 1638	V	1	Sir Edward Cecil Created Baron Cecil of Putney and Viscount Wimbledon 9 Nov 1625 Peerages extinct on his death	29 Feb 1572	16 Nov 1638	66
WIMBORNE
30 Apr 1880	B	1	Sir Ivor Bertie Guest, 2nd baronet Created Baron Wimborne 30 Apr 1880	29 Aug 1835	22 Feb 1914	78
22 Feb 1914 15 Jun 1918	V	2 1	Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Baron Ashby St. Ledgers Created Viscount Wimborne 15 Jun 1918 MP for Plymouth 1900‑1906 and Cardiff 1906‑1910; Paymaster General 1910‑1912; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1915‑1918; PC 1910; PC [I] 1912	16 Jan 1873	14 Jun 1939	66
14 Jun 1939		2	Ivor Grosvenor Guest MP for Brecon and Radnorshire 1935‑1939	21 Feb 1903	7 Jan 1967	63
7 Jan 1967		3	Ivor Fox-Strangways Guest	2 Dec 1939	17 Dec 1993	54
17 Dec 1993		4	Ivor Mervyn Vigors Guest	19 Sep 1968
WINCHENDON
23 Dec 1706	V	1	Thomas Wharton, 5th Baron Wharton Created Viscount Winchendon and Earl of Wharton 23 Dec 1706, Baron of Trim, Earl of Rathfarnham and Marquess of Catherlough 7 Jan 1715, and Marquess of Wharton and Marquess of Malmesbury 15 Feb 1715 See "Wharton" - extinct 1731	23 Oct 1648	12 Apr 1715	66
WINCHESTER
13 Mar 1207	E	1	Seyer de Quinci Created Earl of Winchester 13 Mar 1207		3 Nov 1219
3 Nov 1219 to     25 Apr 1264		2	Roger de Quincy On his death the peerage reverted to the Crown		25 Apr 1264
10 May 1322 to     27 Oct 1326	E	1	Hugh le Despencer, 1st Lord Despencer Created Earl of Winchester 10 May 1322 He was executed and the peerages forfeited	c 1286	27 Oct 1326
13 Oct 1472	E	1	Lewis de Bruges Created Earl of Winchester 13 Oct 1422	c 1427	26 Nov 1492
26 Nov 1492 to     c May 1500		2	John de Bruges He resigned the peerage c May 1500		1512
11 Oct 1551	M	1	William Paulet Created Baron Saint John 9 Mar 1539, Earl of Wiltshire 19 Jan 1550 and Marquess of Winchester 11 Oct 1551 MP for Hampshire 1529‑1536; Lord President of the Council 1546‑1550; Lord Treasurer 1550‑1572; KG 1543	c 1483	10 Mar 1572
10 Mar 1572		2	John Paulet He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Saint John 4 Oct 1544	c 1510	4 Nov 1576
4 Nov 1576		3	William Paulet He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Saint John 5 May 1572	1533	24 Nov 1598	65
24 Nov 1598		4	William Paulet		4 Feb 1629
4 Feb 1629		5	John Paulet He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Saint John 10 Feb 1624 MP for St. Ives 1620‑1622	c 1598	5 Mar 1675
5 Mar 1675		6	Charles Powlett Created Duke of Bolton 9 Apr 1689	c 1625	27 Feb 1699
27 Feb 1699		7	Charles Powlett, 2nd Duke of Bolton	1661	21 Jan 1722	60
21 Jan 1722		8	Charles Powlett, 3rd Duke of Bolton	3 Sep 1685	26 Aug 1754	68
26 Aug 1754		9	Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton	24 Jul 1691	9 Oct 1759	68
9 Oct 1759		10	Charles Powlett, 5th Duke of Bolton	c 1718	5 Jul 1765
5 Jul 1765		11	Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton	6 Nov 1720	25 Dec 1794	74
25 Dec 1794		12	George Paulet MP for Winchester 1765‑1774	7 Jun 1722	22 Apr 1800	77
22 Apr 1800		13	Charles Ingoldsby Burroughs‑Paulet MP for Truro 1792‑1796; Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1798‑1800; PC 1812	27 Jan 1764	29 Nov 1843	79
29 Nov 1843		14	John Paulet Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1852‑1887	3 Jun 1801	4 Jul 1887	86
4 Jul 1887		15	Augustus John Henry Beaumont Paulet	6 Feb 1858	11 Dec 1899	41
11 Dec 1899		16	Henry William Montagu Paulet Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1904‑1918	30 Oct 1862	28 Jun 1962	99
28 Jun 1962		17	Richard Charles Paulet	8 Jul 1905	5 Mar 1968	62
5 Mar 1968		18	Nigel George Paulet	23 Dec 1941	8 Apr 2016	74
8 Apr 2016		19	Christopher John Hilton Paulet	30 Jul 1969
WINCHILSEA
11 Jul 1628	E	1	Elizabeth Finch Created Viscountess Maidstone 8 Jul 1623 and Countess of Winchilsea 11 Jul 1628	9 Jul 1556	23 Mar 1634	77
23 Mar 1634		2	Sir Thomas Finch, 3rd baronet MP for Winchilsea 1621‑1622 and Kent 1628‑1629	13 Jun 1578	4 Nov 1639	61
4 Nov 1639		3	Heneage Finch Lord Lieutenant Kent 1660‑1688 and 1689, and Somerset 1675‑1683	c 1627	1 Sep 1689
1 Sep 1689		4	Charles Finch President of the Board of Trade 1712; Lord Lieutenant Kent 1704‑1705; PC 1711	26 Sep 1672	16 Aug 1712	39
16 Aug 1712		5	Heneage Finch MP for Hythe 1685‑1686	3 Jan 1657	30 Sep 1726	69
30 Sep 1726		6	John Finch	24 Feb 1683	9 Sep 1729	46
9 Sep 1729		7	Daniel Finch He had prevously succeeded as 2nd Earl of Nottingham in 1682 MP for Great Bedwyn 1673‑1679 and Lichfield 1679‑1681; First Lord of the Admiralty 1680‑1684; Secretary of State 1689‑1693 and 1702‑1704; Lord President of the Council 1714‑1716; PC 1680	2 Jul 1647	1 Jan 1730	82
1 Jan 1730		8	Daniel Finch (also 3rd Earl of Nottingham) MP for Rutland 1710‑1730; First Lord of the Admiralty 1742‑1744 and 1757; Lord President of the Council 1765‑1766; PC 1725; KG 1752	24 May 1689	2 Aug 1769	80
2 Aug 1769		9	George Finch (also 4th Earl of Nottingham) Lord Lieutenant Rutland 1779‑1826; PC 1804; KG 1805	4 Nov 1752	2 Aug 1826	73
2 Aug 1826		10	George William Finch-Hatton (also 5th Earl of Nottingham)	19 May 1791	8 Jan 1858	66
8 Jan 1858		11	George James Finch-Hatton (also 6th Earl of Nottingham) MP for Northamptonshire North 1837‑1841	31 May 1815	9 Jun 1887	72
9 Jun 1887		12	Murray Edward Gordon Finch‑Hatton (also 7th Earl of Nottingham) MP for Lincolnshire South 1884‑1885 and Spalding 1885‑1887	28 Mar 1851	7 Sep 1898	47
7 Sep 1898		13	Henry Stormont Finch‑Hatton (also 8th Earl of Nottingham)	3 Nov 1852	14 Aug 1927	74
14 Aug 1927		14	Guy Montagu George Finch‑Hatton (also 9th Earl of Nottingham)	28 May 1885	10 Feb 1939	53
10 Feb 1939		15	Christopher Guy Heneage Finch‑Hatton (also 10th Earl of Nottingham)	2 Aug 1911	7 Mar 1950	38
7 Mar 1950		16	Christopher Denys Stormont Finch‑Hatton (also 11th Earl of Nottingham)	17 Nov 1936	26 Jun 1999	62
26 Jun 1999		17	Daniel James Hatfield Finch‑Hatton (also 12th Earl of Nottingham)	7 Oct 1967
WINDLESHAM
22 Feb 1937	B	1	Sir George Richard James Hennessy, 1st baronet Created Baron Windlesham 22 Feb 1937 MP for Winchester 1918‑1931	23 Mar 1877	8 Oct 1953	76
8 Oct 1953		2	James Bryan George Hennessy For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	4 Aug 1903	16 Nov 1962	59
16 Nov 1962		3	David James George Hennessy Created Baron Hennessy for life 16 Nov 1999 Minister of State, Home Office 1970‑1972; Minister of State, Northern Ireland 1972‑1973; Lord Privy Seal 1973‑1974; PC 1973	23 Jan 1932	21 Dec 2010	78
21 Dec 2010		4	James Rupert Hennessy	9 Nov 1968
WINDSOR
3 Nov 1529	B	1	Sir Andrew Windsor Summoned to Parliament as Lord Windsor 3 Nov 1529	1467	30 Mar 1543	75
30 Mar 1543		2	William Windsor	1498	20 Aug 1558	60
20 Aug 1558		3	Edward Windsor	1532	24 Jan 1575	42
24 Jan 1575		4	Frederick Windsor	2 Feb 1559	24 Dec 1585	26
24 Dec 1585		5	Henry Windsor	10 Aug 1562	6 Apr 1605	42
6 Apr 1605 to     6 Dec 1641		6	Thomas Windsor On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	29 Sep 1591	6 Dec 1641	50
16 Jun 1660		7	Thomas Windsor Created Earl of Plymouth 6 Dec 1682 Abeyance terminated in his favour	c 1627	3 Nov 1687
3 Nov 1687		8	Other Windsor, 2nd Earl of Plymouth	27 Aug 1679	26 Dec 1725	46
26 Dec 1725		9	Other Windsor, 3rd Earl of Plymouth	30 Jun 1707	23 Nov 1732	25
23 Nov 1732		10	Other Lewis Windsor, 4th Earl of Plymouth	12 May 1731	21 Apr 1771	39
21 Apr 1771		11	Other Hickman Windsor, 5th Earl of Plymouth	30 May 1751	12 Jun 1799	48
12 Jun 1799 to     20 Jul 1833		12	Other Archer Windsor, 6th Earl of Plymouth On his death the peerage again fell into abeyance	2 Jul 1789	20 Jul 1833	44
25 Oct 1855		13	Harriet Windsor-Clive Abeyance terminated in her favour	30 Jul 1797	9 Nov 1869	72
9 Nov 1869 18 Dec 1905	V	14 1	Robert George Windsor-Clive Created Viscount Windsor and Earl of Plymouth 18 Dec 1905 See "Plymouth"	27 Aug 1857	6 Mar 1923	65
21 Mar 1796	E	1	John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute Created Viscount Mountjoy, Earl of Windsor and Marquess of the County of Bute 21 Mar 1796 See "Bute"	30 Jun 1744	16 Nov 1814	70
8 Mar 1937 to     28 May 1972	D	1	HRH Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Created Duke of Windsor 8 Mar 1937 King as Edward VIII 20 Jan 1936‑11 Dec 1936; Governor of the Bahamas 1940‑1945; KG 1910; PC 1920; KT 1922; KP 1927 Peerage extinct on his death	23 Jun 1894	28 May 1972	77
WINDSOR OF BLACKCASTLE
19 Jun 1699	V[I]	1	Thomas Windsor Created Viscount Windsor of Blackcastle 19 Jun 1699 and Baron Mountjoy 1 Jan 1712 MP for Droitwich 1685‑1687, Bramber 1705‑1708 and Monmouthshire 1708‑1712	c 1670	8 Jun 1738
8 Jun 1738 to     25 Jan 1758		2	Herbert Windsor MP for Cardiff 1734‑1738 Peerages extinct on his death	1 May 1707	25 Jan 1758	50
WINGFIELD
4 Feb 1744	B[I]	1	Richard Wingfield Created Baron Wingfield and Viscount Powerscourt 4 Feb 1744 See See "Powerscourt"	19 Aug 1697	21 Oct 1751	54
WINMARLEIGH
16 Mar 1874 to     11 Jul 1892	B	1	John Wilson-Patten Created Baron Winmarleigh 16 Mar 1874 MP for Lancashire 1830‑1831 and Lancashire North 1832‑1874; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1867‑1868; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1868‑1869; PC 1867; PC [I] 1868 Peerage extinct on his death	26 Apr 1802	11 Jul 1892	90
WINSTANLEY
23 Jan 1976 to     18 Jul 1993	B[L]		Michael Platt Winstanley Created Baron Winstanley for life 23 Jan 1976 MP for Cheadle 1966‑1970 and Hazel Grove 1974 Peerage extinct on his death	27 Aug 1918	18 Jul 1993	74
WINSTER
4 Feb 1942 to     7 Jun 1961	B	1	Reginald Thomas Herbert Fletcher Created Baron Winster 4 Feb 1942 MP for Basingstoke 1923‑1924 and Nuneaton 1935‑1941; Minister of Civil Aviation 1945‑1946; Governor of Cyprus 1946‑1949; PC 1945 Peerage extinct on his death	27 Mar 1885	7 Jun 1961	76
WINSTON
18 Dec 1995	B[L]		Robert Maurice Lipson Winston Created Baron Winston for life 18 Dec 1995	15 Jul 1940
WINTERBOTTOM
14 May 1965 to     4 Jul 1992	B[L]		Ian Winterbottom Created Baron Winterbottom for life 14 May 1965 MP for Nottingham Central 1950‑1955 Peerage extinct on his death	6 Apr 1913	4 Jul 1992	79
WINTERSTOKE
1 Feb 1906 to     29 Jan 1911	B	1	Sir William Henry Wills, 1st baronet Created Baron Winterstoke 1 Feb 1906 MP for Coventry 1880‑1885 and Bristol East 1895‑1900 Peerage extinct on his death	1 Sep 1830	29 Jan 1911	80
WINTERTON
10 Apr 1761 12 Feb 1766	B[I] E[I]	1 1	Edward Turnour Garth-Turnour Created Baron Winterton 10 Apr 1761 and Viscount Turnour and Earl Winterton 12 Feb 1766 MP for Bramber 1761‑1769	1734	10 Aug 1788	54
10 Aug 1788		2	Edward Turnour	11 May 1758	23 Apr 1831	72
23 Apr 1831		3	Edward Turnour	13 Jun 1784	6 Jan 1833	48
6 Jan 1833		4	Edward Turnour	18 May 1810	1 Mar 1879	68
1 Mar 1879		5	Edward Turnour	15 Aug 1837	5 Sep 1907	70
5 Sep 1907		6	Edward Turnour He was created Baron Turnour 31 Jan 1952 MP for Horsham 1904‑1918 and 1945‑1951, and Horsham & Worthing 1918‑1945; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1937‑1939; Paymaster General 1939; PC 1924	4 Apr 1883	27 Aug 1962	79
27 Aug 1962		7	Robert Chard Turnour	13 Sep 1915	2 Jun 1991	75
2 Jun 1991		8	(Donald) David Turnour	13 Oct 1943
WINTERTON OF DONCASTER
13 Aug 2024	B[L]		Dame Rosalie Winterton Created Baroness Winterton of Doncaster for life 13 Aug 2024 MP for Doncaster Central 1997‑2024; PC 2006	10 Aug 1958
WINTON
16 Nov 1600	E[S]	1	Robert Seton Created Lord Seton & Tranent and Earl of Winton 16 Nov 1600	c 1552	22 Mar 1603
22 Mar 1603		2	Robert Seton He resigned the peerage in favour of -	c 1585	after 1636
28 May 1607		3	George Seton	Dec 1584	17 Dec 1650	66
17 Dec 1650		4	George Seton	4 May 1642	6 Mar 1704	61
6 Mar 1704 to     15 Mar 1716		5	George Seton He was attainted and the peerage forfeited		19 Dec 1749
23 Jun 1859	E	1	Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton Created Earl of Winton 23 Jun 1859 See "Eglinton" with which title this peerage remains united	29 Sep 1812	4 Oct 1861	49
WISE
24 Dec 1951	B	1	Frederick John Wise Created Baron Wise 24 Dec 1951 MP for Kings Lynn 1945‑1951	10 Apr 1887	20 Nov 1968	81
20 Nov 1968		2	John Clayton Wise	11 Jun 1923	29 Oct 2012	89
29 Oct 2012		3	Christopher John Clayton Wise	19 Mar 1949
WITTENHAM
29 Jun 1918 to     1 Feb 1931	B	1	George Denison Faber Created Baron Wittenham 29 Jun 1918 MP for York 1900‑1910 and Clapham 1910‑1918 Peerage extinct on his death	14 Dec 1852	1 Feb 1931	78
WODEHOUSE OF KIMBERLEY
26 Oct 1797	B	1	Sir John Wodehouse, 6th baronet Created Baron Wodehouse of Kimberley 26 Oct 1797 MP for Norfolk 1784‑1797	4 Apr 1741	29 May 1834	93
29 May 1834		2	John Wodehouse MP for Great Bedwyn 1796‑1802 and Marlborough 1818‑1826; Lord Lieutenant Norfolk 1821‑1846	11 Jan 1770	29 May 1846	76
29 May 1846		3	John Wodehouse Created Earl of Kimberley 1 Jun 1866 See "Kimberley"	7 Jan 1826	8 Apr 1902	76
WOLF OF DULWICH
2 Dec 2014	B[L]		Alison Margaret Wolf Created Baroness Wolf of Dulwich for life 2 Dec 2014	31 Oct 1949
WOLFENDEN
12 Jul 1974 to     18 Jan 1985	B[L]		Sir John Frederick Wolfenden Created Baron Wolfenden for life 12 Jul 1974 Peerage extinct on his death	26 Jun 1906	18 Jan 1985	78
WOLFSON
13 Jun 1985 to     20 May 2010	B[L]		Sir Leonard Gordon Wolfson Created Baron Wolfson for life 13 Jun 1985 He succeeded as 2nd baronet in 1991. Peerage extinct on his death	11 Nov 1927	20 May 2010	82
WOLFSON OF ASPLEY GUISE
18 Jun 2010	B[L]		Simon Adam Wolfson Created Baron Wolfson of Aspley Guise for life 18 Jun 2010	27 Oct 1967
WOLFSON OF SUNNINGDALE
26 Mar 1991 to     10 Mar 2021	B[L]		Sir David Wolfson Created Baron Wolfson of Sunningdale for life 26 Mar 1991 Peerage extinct on his death	9 Nov 1935	10 Mar 2021	85
WOLFSON OF TREDEGAR
30 Dec 2020	B[L]		David Wolfson Created Baron Wolfson of Tredegar for life 30 Dec 2020	19 Jul 1968
WOLMER
30 Dec 1882	V	1	Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne Created Viscount Wolmer and Earl of Selborne 30 Dec 1882 See "Selborne"	27 Nov 1812	4 May 1895	82
WOLSELEY
25 Nov 1882 to     25 Mar 1913 28 Sep 1885	B     V	1     1	Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley Created Baron Wolseley 25 Nov 1882 and Viscount Wolseley 28 Sep 1885 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of the Viscountcy of 1885, see the note at the foot of this page Governor of Cyprus 1878 and Natal 1879‑1880; Field Marshal 1894; KP 1885; PC [I] 1890; OM 1902 On his death the Barony became extinctwhilst the Viscountcy passed to -	4 Jun 1833	25 Mar 1913	79
25 Mar 1913 to     24 Dec 1936		2	Frances Garnet Wolseley Peerage extinct on her death	15 Sep 1872	24 Dec 1936	64
WOLVERHAMPTON
4 May 1908	V	1	Henry Hartley Fowler Created Viscount Wolverhampton 4 May 1908 MP for Wolverhampton 1880‑1885 and Wolverhampton East 1885‑1908; Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1886; President of the Board of Trade 1892‑1894; Secretary of State for India 1894‑1895; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1905; Lord President of the Council 1908‑1910; PC 1886	16 May 1830	25 Feb 1911	80
25 Feb 1911 to     9 Mar 1943		2	Henry Ernest Fowler Peerage extinct on his death	4 Apr 1870	9 Mar 1943	72
WOLVERTON
14 Dec 1869	B	1	George Carr Glyn Created Baron Wolverton 14 Dec 1869< MP for Kendal 1847‑1868	27 Mar 1797	24 Jul 1873	76
24 Jul 1873		2	George Grenfell Glyn MP for Shaftesbury 1857‑1873; Paymaster General 1880‑1885; Postmaster General 1886; PC 1873	10 Feb 1824	6 Nov 1887	63
6 Nov 1887		3	Henry Richard Glyn	18 Jul 1861	2 Jul 1888	26
2 Jul 1888		4	Frederick Glyn	24 Sep 1864	3 Oct 1932	68
3 Oct 1932		5	Nigel Reginald Victor Glyn	23 Jun 1904	18 Aug 1986	82
18 Aug 1986		6	John Patrick Riversdale Glyn	17 Apr 1913	4 Jul 1988	75
4 Jul 1988		7	Christopher Richard Glyn	5 Oct 1938	24 Jan 2011	72
24 Jan 2011		8	Miles John Glyn	6 Jun 1966
WOOD OF ANFIELD
15 Jan 2011	B[L]		Stewart Martin Wood Created Baron Wood of Anfield for life 15 Jan 2011	25 Mar 1968
WOODBRIDGE
17 Jun 1932 to     3 Feb 1949	B	1	Sir Arthur Charles Churchman, 1st baronet Created Baron Woodbridge 17 Jun 1932 MP for Woodbridge 1920‑1929 Peerage extinct on his death	7 Sep 1867	3 Feb 1949	81
WOODLEY
2 Nov 2020	B[L]		Anthony Wolfson Created Baron Woodley for life 2 Nov 2020	2 Jan 1948
WOODSTOCK
5 Aug 1320	B	1	Edmund Plantagenet Summoned to Parliament as Lord Woodstock 5 Aug 1320 Created Earl of Kent 28 Jul 1321 See "Kent" - in abeyance 1408	5 Aug 1301	19 Mar 1330	28
9 Apr 1689	V	1	William Bentinck Created Baron Cirencester, Viscount Woodstock and Earl of Portland 9 Apr 1689 See "Portland"	20 Jul 1649	23 Nov 1709	60
WOOLAVINGTON
24 Jan 1922 to     9 Aug 1935	B	1	Sir James Buchanan, 1st baronet Created Baron Woolavington 24 Jan 1922 Peerage extinct on his death	16 Aug 1849	9 Aug 1935	85
WOOLF
1 Oct 1992	B[L]		Sir Harry Kenneth Woolf Created Baron Woolf for life 1 Oct 1992 Lord Justice of Appeal 1986‑1992; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1992‑1996; Master of the Rolls 1996‑2000; Lord Chief Justice 2000‑2005; PC 1986; CH 2015	2 May 1933
WOOLLEY
18 Jan 1967 to     31 Jul 1986	B[L]		Sir Harold Woolley Created Baron Woolley for life 18 Jan 1967 Peerage extinct on his death	6 Feb 1905	31 Jul 1986	81
WOOLLEY OF WOODFORD
14 Oct 2019	B[L]		Sir Simon Andrew Woolley Created Baron Woolley of Woodford for life 14 Oct 2019	24 Dec 1961
WOOLMER OF LEEDS
3 Aug 1999	B[L]		Kenneth John Woolmer Created Baron Woolmer of Leeds for life 3 Aug 1999 MP for Batley & Morley 1979‑1983	25 Apr 1940
WOOLTON
7 Jul 1939 2 Jul 1953 9 Jan 1956	B V E	1 1 1	Sir Frederick James Marquis Created Baron Woolton 7 Jul 1939, Viscount Woolton 2 Jul 1953 and Viscount Walberton and Earl of Woolton 9 Jan 1956 Minister of Food 1940‑1943; Minister of Reconstruction 1943‑1945; Lord President of the Council 1945 and 1951‑1952; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1952‑1955; PC 1940; CH 1942	24 Aug 1883	14 Dec 1964	81
14 Dec 1964		2	Roger David Marquis	16 Jul 1922	7 Jan 1969	46
7 Jan 1969		3	Simon Frederick Marquis	24 May 1958
WOOTTON OF ABINGER
8 Aug 1958 to     11 Jul 1988	B[L]		Barbara Frances Wright Created Baroness Wootton of Abinger for life 8 Aug 1958 CH 1977 Peerage extinct on her death	14 Apr 1897	11 Jul 1988	91
WORCESTER
1138 to     c 1145	E	1	Waleran de Beaumont Created Earl of Worcester 1138 He was deprived of the peerage c 1145	1104	9 Apr 1166	61
29 Sep 1397 to     23 Jul 1403	E	1	Sir Thomas Percy Created Earl of Worcester 29 Sep 1397 KG 1376 He was attainted and the peerage forfeited	1343	23 Jul 1403	60
Feb 1421 to     16 Apr 1422	E	1	Richard Beauchamp, 2nd Lord Abergavenny Created Earl of Worcester Feb 1421 On his death the peerage reverted to the Crown	by 1397	16 Apr 1422
16 Jul 1449 to     18 Oct 1470	E	1	John de Tiptoft, 2nd Lord Tiptoft Created Earl of Worcester 16 Jul 1449 KG 1461 He was attainted and the peerages forfeited For information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	8 May 1427	18 Oct 1470	43
14 Apr 1471 to     12 Aug 1485		2	Edward de Tiptoft He was restored to the peerage 1471 which became extinct on his death	14 Jul 1469	12 Aug 1485	16
1 Feb 1514	E	1	Charles Somerset Created Earl of Worcester 1 Feb 1514 KG 1496	c 1460	15 Apr 1526
15 Apr 1526		2	Henry Somerset		26 Nov 1549
26 Nov 1549		3	William Somerset KG 1570	c 1527	21 Feb 1589
21 Feb 1589		4	Edward Somerset Lord Privy Seal 1616‑1628; KG 1593	c 1550	3 Mar 1628
3 Mar 1628 2 Mar 1643	M	5 1	Henry Somerset He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Herbert 31 Jan 1604 Created Marquess of Worcester 2 Mar 1643	1577	18 Dec 1646	69
18 Dec 1646		2	Edward Somerset Created Earl of Glamorgan c 1644	1601	3 Apr 1667	65
3 Apr 1667		3	Henry Somerset Created Duke of Beaufort 2 Dec 1682 See "Beaufort"	1629	21 Jan 1700	70
WORLINGHAM OF BECCLES
13 Jun 1835	B	1	Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford Created Baron Worlingham of Beccles 13 Jun 1835 See "Gosford"	1 Aug 1776	27 Mar 1849	72
WORSLEY
30 Jan 1837	B	1	Charles Anderson-Pelham Created Baron Worsley and Earl of Yarborough 30 Jan 1837 See "Yarborough"	8 Aug 1781	5 Sep 1846	65
WORTHINGTON
31 Jan 2011	B[L]		Bryony Katherine Worthington Created Baroness Worthington for life 31 Jan 2011	19 Sep 1971
WOTTON
13 May 1603	B	1	Edward Wotton Created Baron Wootton 13 May 1603	1548	1625	77
1625 to     2 Apr 1630		2	Thomas Wotton Peerage extinct on his death	1587	2 Apr 1630	42
31 Aug 1650 to     5 Jan 1683	B	1	Charles Henry Kirkhoven Created Baron Wotton 31 Aug 1650 and Earl of Bellomont 9 Dec 1680 Peerages extinct on his death	1635	5 Jan 1683	47
WOTTON BASSET
24 Apr 1681	B	1	Laurence Hyde Created Baron Wotton Basset and Viscount Hyde of Kenilworth 24 Apr 1681 and Earl of Rochester 29 Nov 1682 See "Rochester"	15 Mar 1642	2 May 1711	69
WRAXALL
11 Jan 1928	B	1	George Abraham Gibbs Created Baron Wraxall 11 Jan 1928 PC 1923	6 Jul 1873	28 Oct 1931	58
28 Oct 1931		2	George Richard Lawley Gibbs	16 May 1928	19 Jul 2001	73
19 Jul 2001		3	Eustace Hubert Beilby Gibbs	3 Jul 1929	17 May 2017	87
17 May 2017		4	Antony Hubert Gibbs	19 Aug 1958
WRENBURY
12 Apr 1915	B	1	Sir Henry Burton Buckley Created Baron Wrenbury 12 Apr 1915 Lord Justice of Appeal 1906‑1915; PC 1906	15 Sep 1845	27 Oct 1935	90
27 Oct 1935		2	Bryan Burton Buckley	24 May 1890	31 May 1940	50
31 May 1940		3	John Burton Buckley	18 Jun 1927	27 Sep 2014	87
27 Sep 2014		4	William Edward Buckley	19 Jun 1966
WRIGGLESWORTH
5 Sep 2013	B[L]		Sir Ian William Wrigglesworth Created Baron Wrigglesworth for life 5 Sep 2013 MP for Thornaby Feb 1974‑1983 and Stockton South 1983‑1987	8 Dec 1939
WRIGHT
11 Apr 1932 to     27 Jun 1964	B[L]		Sir Robert Alderson Wright Created Baron Wright for life 11 Apr 1932 Master of the Rolls 1935‑1937; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1932‑1935 and 1937‑1947; PC 1932 Peerage extinct on his death	15 Oct 1869	27 Jun 1964	94
WRIGHT OF ASHTON UNDER LYNE
22 Jan 1968 to     15 Sep 1974	B[L]		Lewis Tatham Wright Created Baron Wright of Ashton under Lyne for life 22 Jan 1968 Peerage extinct on his death	11 Oct 1903	15 Sep 1974	70
WRIGHT OF RICHMOND
10 Feb 1994 to     6 Mar 2020	B[L]		Sir Patrick Richard Henry Wright Created Baron Wright of Richmond for life 10 Feb 1994 Peerage extinct on his death	28 Jun 1931	6 Mar 2020	88
WRIOTHESLEY
1 Jan 1544	B	1	Thomas Wriothesley Created Baron Wriothesley 1 Jan 1544 and Earl of Southampton 16 Feb 1547 See "Southampton" - extinct 1667	21 Dec 1505	30 Jul 1550	44
WROTTESLEY
11 Jul 1838	B	1	Sir John Wrottesley, 9th baronet Created Baron Wrottesley 11 Jul 1838 MP for Lichfield 1799‑1806, Staffordshire 1823‑1832 and Staffordshire South 1832‑1837	4 Oct 1771	16 Mar 1841	69
16 Mar 1841		2	John Wrottesley President of the Royal Society 1854‑1857	5 Aug 1798	27 Oct 1867	69
27 Oct 1867		3	Arthur Wrottesley Lord Lieutenant Stafford 1871‑1887	17 Jun 1824	28 Dec 1910	86
28 Dec 1910		4	Victor Alexander Wrottesley	18 Sep 1873	1 Sep 1962	88
1 Sep 1962		5	Richard John Wrottesley	7 Jul 1918	23 Oct 1977	59
23 Oct 1977		6	Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdin Wrottesley	10 Aug 1968
WYATT OF WEEFORD
3 Feb 1987 to     7 Dec 1997	B[L]		Sir Woodrow Lyle Wyatt Created Baron Wyatt of Weeford for life 3 Feb 1987 MP for Aston 1945‑1955 and Bosworth 1959‑1970 Peerage extinct on his death	4 Jul 1918	7 Dec 1997	79
WYCOMBE
20 May 1760	B	1	John Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne Created Baron Wycombe 20 May 1760 See "Shelburne"	1706	10 May 1761	54
6 Dec 1784	E	1	William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne Created Viscount Calne & Calston, Earl Wycombe and Marquess of Lansdowne 6 Dec 1784 See "Lansdowne"	2 May 1737	7 May 1805	68
11 Jul 1856			Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Wycombe 11 Jul 1856 He succeeded as 4th Marquess of Lansdowne in 1863	7 Jan 1816	5 Jul 1866	50
WYFOLD
17 May 1919	B	1	Sir Robert Trotter Hermon‑Hodge, 1st baronet Created Baron Wyfold 17 May 1919 MP for Accrington 1886‑1892, Henley 1895‑1906 and 1917‑1918, and Croydon 1909‑1910	23 Sep 1851	3 Jun 1937	85
3 Jun 1937		2	Roland Hermon Hermon‑Hodge	10 Jul 1880	14 Oct 1942	62
14 Oct 1942 to     8 Apr 1999		3	Hermon Robert Fleming Hermon‑Hodge Peerage extinct on his death	26 Jun 1915	8 Apr 1999	83
WYLD
22 Jun 2017	B[L]		Laura Lee Wyld Created Baroness Wyld for life 22 Jun 2017	13 Jan 1978
WYNDHAM
18 Sep 1731 to     14 Nov 1745	B[I]	1	Thomas Wyndham Created Baron Wyndham 18 Sep 1731 Lord Chancellor [I] 1726‑1739; PC [I] 1724 Peerage extinct on his death	27 Dec 1681	14 Nov 1745	63
WYNDESORE
22 Aug 1381 to     15 Sep 1384	B	1	William de Wyndesore Summoned to Parliament as Lord Wyndesore 22 Aug 1381 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1325	15 Sep 1384
WYNFORD
5 Jun 1829	B	1	Sir William Draper Best Created Baron Wynford 5 Jun 1829 MP for Petersfield 1802‑1806, Bridport 1812‑1817 and Guildford 1818‑1819; Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 1824‑1829; PC 1824	13 Dec 1767	3 Mar 1845	77
3 Mar 1845		2	William Samuel Best MP for St. Michaels 1831‑1832	19 Feb 1798	28 Feb 1869	71
28 Feb 1869		3	William Draper Mortimer Best	2 Aug 1826	27 Aug 1899	73
27 Aug 1899		4	Henry Molyneux Best	9 Nov 1829	28 Oct 1903	73
28 Oct 1903		5	George Best	14 Dec 1838	27 Oct 1904	65
27 Oct 1904		6	Philip George Best	27 Aug 1871	15 Dec 1940	69
15 Dec 1940		7	Samuel John Best	24 Jun 1874	29 Aug 1943	69
29 Aug 1943		8	Robert Samuel Best	5 Jan 1917	21 Jan 2002	85
21 Jan 2002		9	John Philip Robert Best	23 Nov 1950
WYNNE-JONES
17 Dec 1964 to     8 Nov 1982	B[L]		William Francis Kenrick Wynne‑Jones Created Baron Wynne‑Jones for life 17 Dec 1964 Peerage extinct on his death	8 May 1903	8 Nov 1982	79

	The special remainder to the Viscountcy of Grey de Wilton and the Earldom of Wilton created in 1801
	From the London Gazette of 13 June 1801 (issue 15375, page 659):-
	The King has been pleased to grant the Dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honorable Thomas Lord Grey de Wilton, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Names, Styles, and Titles of Viscount Grey de Wilton, and Earl of Wilton, of Wilton Castle, in the County of Hereford, with Remainders to Thomas Grosvenor, Esq., Second Son, Robert Grosvenor, Esq., Third Son, of the Right Honorable Robert Grosvenor, (commonly called Viscount Belgrave) by Eleanor, his Wife, Daughter of the said Thomas Lord Grey de Wilton, and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and every other Son and Sons, of the said Eleanor by her present, or any future, Husband, hereafter to be begotten severally and successively, and the respective Heirs Male of their Bodies lawfully begotten.
	Thomas Grosvenor Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton
	Wilton was involved in a celebrated law suit in February 1859 when he was sued for libel and slander by Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson, a fellow member of Wilton's regiment. The following summary of the case appeared in the Newcastle Courant on 18 February 1859. The wording of the article is critical of the Army and the War Office, and as a result the report appears to be very biased in Dickson's favour.
	The Earl of Wilton, who figures as defendant in the action, is colonel of the Queen's Own Regiment of Militia for the Tower Hamlets, having been appointed to that command by the Duke of Wellington, in 1840. The regiment was a myth till 1855, when it was embodied, along with other regiments, on account of the Russian [i.e. Crimean] war. Col. [Lothian Sheffield] Dickson joined the regiment in 1845, and in 1855 became its lieutenant-colonel.
	When a regiment is embodied it is usual for the officers to establish a "mess", the expense of which is defrayed by joint subscription, aided by a government allowance. For some time, in 1855, the officers of Lord Wilton's regiment messed with the artillery at Woolwich, but in October they deemed it right to set up house-keeping for themselves. This step was the beginning of troubles for everyone concerned. Like other incipient housekeepers, they found it extremely easy to give large orders. Messrs Sharpus and Co. readily consented to supply the requisites in the shape of crockery, plate, etc., and the mess table was soon gallantly equipped, at a cost of £580. But it was easier to give orders than to find money.
	In the course of the following year, Messrs Sharpus became inconveniently urgent for a settlement, all the more so, perhaps, as the regiment was about to be disembodied. The most agreeable unconsciousness seems to have prevailed as to where the liability rested. Lord Wilton had approved the pattern of the silver spoons, and other gallant officers had selected the jugs and glasses, but all alike repudiated the giving of the order. In this uncertainty Messrs Sharpus resolved to treat Lord Wilton as their debtor, and in May, 1856, he received a polite note calling his attention to the little bill enclosed.
	His lordship consulted with Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson, who had the management of the regimental moneys, more particularly of the mess fund; but this fund had been partially expended on daily gastronomic necessities, and partly frittered away on grand entertainments, including a breakfast to the Earl of Wilton himself. How was the bill to be met? Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson proposed the levying of a tax on all officers entering the regiment in future, and other schemes which yielded little or nothing. Eventually the regiment was disembodied without the accounts being paid. Lord Wilton was sued for the debt, and from this moment entertained a firm conviction that the pecuniary affairs of the regiment had fallen into culpable disorder, and that Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson was chiefly to blame for it.
	Dickson appears to have been in other respects an unpopular man in the regiment. He entertained stricter ideas of discipline that were palatable to the gentlemen of the militia, and had denounced with great severity the practice of gambling, in which some of the officers were prone to indulge. This circumstance, combined with the strenuous dunning of the Messrs Sharpus, brought matters to a crisis. Dickson had unquestionably kept the management of the money affairs in his own hands. There had been no regular balancing of accounts, so that the other officers were necessarily in the dark as to the financial position of the regiment. It was demonstrable that he had received large sums of money, including £100 from Lord Wilton, and an allowance of £119 from the Committee of the Wellington College as compensation for injuries experienced by the regiment, through an accident at the Cremorne Gardens. Was it demonstrable that he had acted quite squarely? Dissatisfaction bred rumours, and the rumours at last found shape in certain definite but apparently paltry charges, preferred against Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson by Captain Nixon.
	Lord Wilton, annoyed at being dunned, and in a humour to credit such charges, appointed a board of three officers to make inquiry. The officers belonged to the same regiment, and, as Lieutenant-Colonel Dickson affirms, were far from being uninterested parties. In March, 1858, Lord Wilton sent the report of the board to Lord Combermere, who, as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets, was the proper channel of communication with the government. It must not be supposed, however, that Lord Combermere was left to gather his knowledge of the case from the papers officially submitted to him. Lord Wilton had some conversation with his lordship at a ball at the Queen's Palace, and again, soon after the report had been sent in, he called upon him to talk the affair over. The result of the whole matter was, that Lord Combermere, on the 4th of May, wrote a letter to General Peel, in which he says, "having ascertained that the Earl of Wilton's complaints are just, I have the honour to request you will submit to her Majesty my humble recommendation that Lieut.-Colonel Dickson be removed from the command of the Queen's regiment of the Tower Hamlets". Will it be believed that, when Lord Combermere wrote this letter, he had never perused the report on which the recommendation was founded, but had been guided entirely by the opinion of Lord Wilton? The venerable field marshal is at an age when the task of wading through a bundle of manuscripts is no slight affair. To use his own words, he could make "neither top nor tail of them". When he had said that Lord Wilton's complaints were just, he meant merely that he was quite satisfied with Lord Wilton's own statement. It was not his business to read the documents; that belonged to the War Office; though, apparently, it was his business to condemn a meritorious officer on the ipse dixit [i.e. an unproven assertion] of his accuser, and, to utter, if not an untruth, at least, an assertion which had all the effect of falsehood, by leading General Peel to suppose that he had diligently examined documents of which he had not read one word.
	The rest of the proceedings were quite equal to this precious specimen in point of unfairness and irregularity. General Peel wrote back to Lord Combermere for a statement of the particular grounds upon which his lordship had based his recommendation of Lieut.-Colonel Dickson's dismissal. Then, of course, Lord Combermere instituted a personal enquiry into the merits of the affair? Not at all. He simply enclosed General Peel's letter to himself to Lord Wilton, and his lordship returned to the War Office a string of charges which afterwards formed the matter of the first libel. Lord Wilton's letter was sent through Lord Combermere, but it does not appear that the aged veteran thought it worth his while to read either it or the accompanying documents. He merely directed that they should be forwarded to General Peel. Lord Wilton's letter, though merely a reiteration of charges without a tittle of proof, except the original report of the regimental board, seems to have convinced the authorities of the War Office, and Lieut.-Colonel Dickson was requested to resign. With the indignation of a wronged man, he declared that he would "sooner blow his brains out". He applied to his friend Mr. Duncombe, M.P. [for Finsbury], who, in the House of Commons, put a question to General Peel, which recalled the gallant secretary to his senses [Peel was Secretary of State for War at the time]. Was an officer of 30 to 40 years' standing to be dismissed on a charge amounting to felony without an opportunity of being heard in self-defence? Of course, the thing would not do. General Peel promised an investigation. A board of enquiry was appointed. Of course, Lord Wilton, as the chief accuser, would be brought before the board to give evidence, and allow of a cross-examination? Again, by no means. Lord Wilton was "going to sea", and could not bear the inconvenience of a detention in the metropolis. Lieut.-Colonel Dickson naturally thought he ought to be allowed to meet his accuser face to face, but the board and General Peel did not think it necessary. What was the nature of the report presented by the court to the War Office, or whether they presented any report at all, does not appear. The only other fact is that, on the 28th of December, 1858, a notice appeared in the Gazette that Major Samuel Walker had been made Lieut.-Colonel, "vice Lieut.-Colonel Dickson, displaced, December 13". Under these circumstances, Lieut.-Colonel Dickson brought an action for libel against Lord Wilton, and, after a long and patient investigation he has succeeded in convincing a jury that the charges which have led to his ignominious dismissal are unfounded.
	Dickson was awarded a total of £205 damages against Lord Wilton.
	Dickson appears to have been somewhat careless in money matters. After Sir Benjamin Hall was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Llanover in 1859, Dickson was an unsuccessful candidate for Sir Benjamin's former seat of Marylebone, having also been unsuccessful in Norwich in 1852. Following the campaign he was sued by a printer for non-payment of printing costs relating to election material. The court found in favour of the printer, and Dickson was ordered to pay the printer £49 10s. In September 1863, Dickson was made bankrupt when he was unable to repay £300 he had borrowed from a money-lender.
	He was again before the courts in November 1867, when, together with a number of co-defendants, he lost an action for wrongful dismissal. In the 1868 general election, he was once again an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate, this time for the Hackney constituency, while his name again appears in the bankruptcy courts in 1876 and 1878.
	Dickson's last court appearance was in July 1892, when he successfully contested the validity of [his] late wife's will. Dickson died in late December 1894 at the age of 88.
	William le Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire of the 1397 creation and the claim to the Earldom made in the 1860s
	William le Scrope was created Earl of Wiltes [i.e. Wiltshire] by King Richard II in 1397. This creation was somewhat unusual in that the peerage was expressed to have the limitation that it was inheritable by heirs male forever ("sibi et heredibus suis masculis in perpetuum") without the usual additional words "de corpore suo" (of the body).
	As far as I am aware, only five other peerages have ever been created using this form of words. These peerages are (1) the Earldom of Oxford created in 1392; (2) the Barony of Hoo created in 1447; (3) the Barony of Egremont created in 1449; (4) the Barony of Richemount-Grey created in 1450; and (5) the Earldom of Devon created in 1553.
	On the same day, King Richard II had promoted a number of other existing peers to higher ranks of the peerage - for example, the Dukes of Surrey and Norfolk, and the Earls of Worcester, Westmorland and Gloucester. The descent of all of these other creations were limited to heirs male of the body of the grantee, whereas Wiltes's limitation, as previously noted, was to heirs male forever, possibly because he had no children to inherit the title.
	In 1399, while Richard II was on a military campaign in Ireland, Henry of Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, son of John of Gaunt, returned to England from exile and in a short period gained enough power to be able to depose Richard II on 30 September 1399, and thus become King Henry IV.
	Soon after Lancaster had landed in England, the Earl of Wiltshire, together with three other members of the Council of Regency appointed to administer the kingdom in the absence of King Richard II, fled to Bristol, where they were captured by Lancaster's forces in late July 1399. On 30 July 1399, Wiltes, together with Sir John Bussy (former Speaker of the House of Commons), and Sir Henry Green, were executed, while the remaining member, Sir William Bagot, was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Subsequently, shortly after Lancaster had ascended to the throne, the Earl of Wiltes's attainder was declared in Parliament.
	During the decade of the 1860s - that is, over 460 years after the death of the Earl of Wiltes - the House of Lords Committee for Privileges heard a claim to the earldom made by Simon Thomas Scrope, of Danby on Yore, in Yorkshire. He claimed the peerage as being the heir male of the first Earl, through Roger Scrope, the brother of William le Scrope. During the course of the hearings, Simon was able to prove that he was indeed the heir male general of the 1st Earl.
	In normal circumstances, an Act of Attainder results in the forfeiture of any honours and dignities such as peerages. It was argued by the claimant that the subsequent attainder of the Earl should be disregarded, since the execution of the Earl did not in itself amount to an Act of Attainder, inasmuch as having been taken prisoner by the Duke of Lancaster, who was not at that time the King, he was put to death without being tried by his peers, as would normally be required for an Act of Attainder to be effective. In addition, even if Wiltes had stood trial before his execution, which appears to be doubtful, any such trial would not have been a trial for an offence against a reigning sovereign, and therefore could not be deemed to be a trial for treason. Any trial which occurred was because Wiltes was in opposition to Lancaster, who at the time was merely a nobleman who had invaded the reigning monarch's kingdom, holding possession by military power, and the subsequent elevation of Lancaster to the throne did not in any way alter the character of the acts with which Wiltes had been charged and for which he had been subsequently executed.
	In Henry IV's first Parliament, the House of Commons "prayed that the pursuit, arrests, and the judgments, and whatever else was done against Sir William Scrope and others should be held good, and the King declared that he would have and hold the lands of Sir William Scrope by conquest". The claimant, however, contended that the subsequent proceedings in Parliament was not in the nature of an act of Parliament, and even if it had been it would not have been interpreted as being an Act of Attainder.
	Eventually, in May 1869, the Committee for Privileges ruled that to reverse a judgment which had been made 470 years previously, and hitherto unquestioned, would be a most dangerous precedent. One of the members of the Committee, Lord Chelmsford, commented in his judgment that it "seemed to him that it would be improper for the Committee, given the obscurity which surrounded the proceedings, to conjecture that in the forfeiture of everything belonging to the Earl of Wiltes which was left to forfeit, his earldom was spared and permitted to continue as an hereditary dignity". The Committee therefore resolved that the claimant had not established his claim to the Earldom of Wiltes.
	James Bryan George Hennessy, 2nd Baron Windlesham
	Lord Windlesham died on 16 November 1962, when a helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed into the sea off the coast of Wales.
	The following report appeared in The Times on 17 November 1962:-
	Lord Windlesham was missing last night from a helicopter which crashed into the sea near the South Bishop lighthouse, off St. David's Head, Pembrokeshire. Mr. John Cronin, M.P. for Loughborough, was among four men who were rescued.
	A Service passenger who died on board the aircraft carrier Hermes after being picked up was named as Squadron Leader A.H. Stott, aged 38, R.A.F.
	An Admiralty spokesman said: "A Whirlwind helicopter from H.M.S. Hermes ditched in the sea off St. David's Head this afternoon. The helicopter was flying from the carrier to R.N.A.S. Brawdy, near Haverfordwest, with a crew of two and three passengers.
	"On board were the pilot, Lt, J.E. Ramsdale, R.N., Electrical Mechanic Hughes (aircrew member), Mr. Cronin, Lord Windlesham , and the service passenger.
	"Helicopters from the carrier and from Brawdy were airborne within a few minutes and four men were picked up by helicopter after about 20 minutes. Royal&nsp;Naval helicopters from Brawdy have joined others from the Hermes in a search with H.M.S. Duchess and the frigates Berwick, Scarborough and Lowestoft and the St. David's lifeboat.
	"Mr. Cronin and Lord Windlesham were spending a period at sea with H.M.S. Hermes which was exercising as part of her work-up before beginning her commission in the Far East. She left Portsmouth on Tuesday.
	"The visits of Mr. Cronin and Lord Windlesham were arranged as part of the Admiralty scheme to enable the members of both Houses to see the fleet. Lord Windlesham's wife has been informed that her husband is missing."
	In a further report published on 19 November, Mr. Cronin said that when the helicopter ditched he found himself in the cabin a quarter full of water. "I saw a pale green patch in a rectangular area under the water and took it to be the door. I dived through it … I was pulled down some way as the helicopter was sinking but I fought my way clear. I then swam a few yards underwater deliberately to get absolutely clear and surfaced."
	At the subsequent inquest which was held on 17 January 1963, an affidavit submitted by the aircrew member, Hughes, stated that "when we hit the water I was standing by Lord Windlesham, preparing to assist him out. Then the aircraft rolled to starboard and water rushed in. I lost my grip on him." Hughes said he struggled through the door of the sinking machine, but when he reached the surface there was no sign of Lord Windlesham. The Coroner's Inquest returned a verdict of 'death by misadventure'.
	In a final tragic note to the accident, the wife of Squadron Leader Stott was found dead at her home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, eight days after the crash which claimed her husband.
	The special remainder to the Viscountcy of Wolseley created in 1885
	From the London Gazette of 25 September 1885 (issue 25514, page 4515):-
	The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Viscount of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto Garnet Joseph, Baron Wolseley, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., General and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in Egypt, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Viscount Wolseley, of Wolseley, in the county of Stafford, and in default of such issue male the dignity of a Viscountess to Frances Garnet Wolseley, Spinster, only daughter of the said Garnet Joseph, Baron Wolseley, and after her decease, the dignity of a Viscount to the heirs male of her body lawfully begotten.
	John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester (creation of 1449)
	The following biography of Worcester appeared in the Australian monthly magazine Parade in its issue for August 1969:-
	When John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, went to the block on Tower Hill on the rainy morning of October 18, 1470, he bade the executioner strike three blows with his axe to do honour to the Holy Trinity. Twice Worcester had tried to address the huge mob assembled to see him die and twice his voice was drowned in the howls of execration that burst from 5000 throats. Then, when a friar who accompanied him on the scaffold urged him to repent of his cruelties instead of vainly trying to justify them, the earl calmly laid his head on the block. Thus perished one of the strangest and most paradoxical figures in English medieval history - a man, according to one later chronicler, "compounded of saint and beast in equal measure".
	Once, standing in an assemblage of prelates in the Vatican, he had moved a Pope to tears by the "piety, sweetness and eloquence of his discourse". He worshipped at the holy places in Jerusalem. He was a world-renowned scholar and a pioneer of Renaissance learning in England. Yet as servant of his lecherous and bloody-minded king, Worcester was also a monster whose ferocity sickened even the ruthless age in which he lived. Utterly implacable as the tool of his master's' vengeance he left throughout England and Ireland a trail of death that made him the [most?] hated man in the realm. Few mourned when the head of Worcester the butcher rolled from the the block while a thunderstorm crashed above Tower Hill.
	John Tiptoft was born at Everton in Bedfordshire in 1427, the son of a landed squire who had become a prominent statesman and diplomat under both Henry V and Henry VI. He was 16 when [he succeeded to] to the family estates and political influence and, six years later, largely as a reward for his father's services, Henry VI created him Earl of Worcester. The young earl was already noted for his piety and love of learning. The king shared his sentiments and soon Worcester was a Court favourite and one of Henry's closest confidants. His marriage to a daughter of the Neville family, the widow of the Earl [actually Duke] of Warwick, raised him to the ranks of the proudest baronial nobility in England.
	By 1452 he was treasurer of the exchequer and a Privy Councillor. Five years later Henry chose him to lead a glittering embassy of lords and prelates to Pope Pius II in Rome. For more than three years Worcester remained abroad and no one during that time could have guessed at the blood-stained future awaiting the devout and scholarly English traveller.
	From Rome, where Pius wept openly at his discourse and the cardinals flocked to entertain him, Worcester made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at the holy places. Back in Italy, he spent two years at Padua, Florence and Ferrera, studying, collecting books and debating with the most famous teachers of the Renaissance age.
	It was spring in 1461 before Worcester again set foot in England to find the country plunged into the carnage of the Wars of the Roses. His friend and patron, the feeble Henry VI, had just been hurled from the throne and the slaughter of the battle of Towton had left the Yorkist cause triumphant. The new king was Edward IV, and no man could have been more different from the deposed monarch or less likely to welcome the returned pilgrim Worcester to his court. Handsome, golden-haired and standing well over six feet tall, Edward cared for nothing but fighting, drinking, womanising and pageantry. He was charming and utterly ruthless, leaving his supporters to do the dirty work of stamping out the continual outbreaks of Lancastrian rebellion.
	It was then, to the astonishment of both sides, that Worcester revealed the depths of ambition behind his facade of piety and learning. Instantly declaring his loyalty to the new regime, he was soon to become the most terrible scourge of traitors the country had ever seen. In February 1462, he was installed as Constable of England with almost unlimited powers to execute the king's vengeance on his enemies. While the "Kingmaker" Earl of Warwick led the royal army to victory over the rebels, Worcester followed on his heels like a bloodhound to deal with the captives.
	Within a few days of his appointment the Constable's court had hurried to the block the Earl of Oxford, his eldest son and a dozen other notable Lancastrian partisans. More terrible was the fate of humbler prisoners, who were broken on the rack, hanged, cut down while still breathing and then disembowelled and quartered on the reeking scaffolds. Public opinion was still more outraged by Worcester's habit of having the dismembered limbs of his victims impaled on stakes in the streets and market places. It was a practice he was supposed to have learnt on his travels and men quoted the familiar Italian proverb 'Inglese italianato e diavolo incarnato' ("An Italianate Englishman is the devil incarnate").
	King Edward, however, was not among the critics. Worcester's first batch of beheadings and butcherings earned him the Order of the Garter and thereafter he was the most terrifying figure in England. Two years later, when a Lancastrian rebellion flared again in the north, the earl was with Edward at the victory of Hexham and once more the captives were left to the mercies of Worcester's court.
	Though the deposed Henry VI managed to evade capture for another year, hundreds of his followers were sacrificed to the Constable's ferocity. More than 30 lords, knights and squires died under the axe. Countless lesser victims were herded to the shambles of hanging and disembowelling before the bloodbath ended.
	Worcester's zeal was rewarded with estates, riches and the post of Steward of the Royal Household and the next few years saw him at the pinnacle of his fortunes. He endowed abbeys and priories, presented his magnificent library to the University of Oxford and was followed everywhere by a train of scholars, artists and craftsmen. To King Edward he was indispensable. To the rest of the court he was the object of mounting jealousy as a ruthless and hypocritical upstart. He was detested by the Earl of Warwick, the warrior baron who had virtually put Edward on the throne and who was already suspected of plotting to go over to the Lancastrians. The king's feeble-witted brother, the Duke of Clarence, regarded him with horror. His only friend was the other royal brother, Richard of Gloucester, who years later was to seize the crown as Richard III.
	Then in 1467, during an uneasy lull in the Wars of the Roses in England, came news that half of Ireland had been plunged into civil war. The clans of O'Neill and O'Brien had risen. Even Edward's viceroy, the Earl of Desmond, and the rest of the powerful Fitzgerald family were reputed to be secretly in league with the revolt against the English king. Now it was Ireland's turn to feel the merciless lash of King Edward's favourite executioner. In October 1467 Worcester landed in Dublin with 3000 troops at his back, proclaimed himself viceroy and ordered Desmond to appear before the Irish council at Drogheda in the following February. Ignoring warnings the headstrong Desmond duly appeared, only to hear himself denounced by Worcester for horrible treasons and felonies in alliance with the Irish enemies of the king. Rushing from the council, Desmond fled for sanctuary to a Dominican friary. When he tried to escape again a few days later he was seized and immediately beheaded. His two infant sons soon died mysteriously in prison, almost certainly by the viceroy's order - a deed that blackened Worcester's name in Irish history ever afterwards.
	Desmond's kinsman, the Earl of Kildare, saved his head by hastily declaring his loyalty. But by now the flame of rebellion was sweeping almost to the gates of Dublin. A host of 20,000 led by Desmond's brother, Garret Fitzgerald, swept into County Meath obliterating the royalist garrisons and leaving the land a desert of fire and destruction. In the north and the west the O'Neills and other Irish clans ravaged almost at will. Two years passed before massive reinforcements from England enabled Worcester to turn the tide. Swiftly the viceroy cleared the countryside around Dublin, then proceeded to deal with each separate rebel force with brutal efficiency. The orgy of massacres, executions and systematic terror left Ireland stunned for a generation and from end to end the land stank with death.
	Worcester, the butcher, had done his bloody work well when early in 1470 a summons from King Edward suddenly brought him back to England. He found the court in turmoil, for the long-suspected plotting of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence had erupted into open treason. Though the hapless Henry VI was still locked up in the Tower, Queen Margaret had escaped to France and there joined Warwick and Clarence and the other fugitive Lancastrians.
	Worcester could do no more than execute 20 of Warwick's followers seized by a warship in the Channel and impale their dismembered carcasses in the streets of Southampton. It was the Earl of Worcester's final act of savagery. Only a few months later he himself was a hunted outlaw on the road to the scaffold. In September Warwick landed again from France. Everywhere the Lancastrians flocked to join him. Edward fled from London and Henry VI was restored in triumph to his throne.
	Early in October Worcester was discovered hiding among some swineherds in the forest of Weybridge in Hampshire and brought in chains to the Tower of London. In 24 hours he was tried and condemned to death, and on October 18 the axe crashed down through the neck of the most hated man in England. Though the fortunes of war soon returned the crown to King Edward, the monarch never again found a servant who served his thirst for blood so zealously as John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester.

	Copyright © 2003-2017 Leigh Rayment
	Copyright © 2020-2024 Helen Belcher OBE