Baron Kensington is a title that has been created three times, in the Peerages of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

English title (1623)

The first creation came in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in t ...

in 1623 when the Honourable Henry Rich was made Baron Kensington. He was the younger son of

Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick Robert Rich, 3rd Baron Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick (December 1559 – 24 March 1619), was an English nobleman, known as Baron Rich between 1581 and 1618, when he was created Earl of Warwick. He was the first husband of Penelope Devereux, whom he d ...

(see

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation c ...

for earlier history of the

Rich family The Rich family was a noble family of England that held the peerage titles of Baron Rich, Earl of Warwick, Baron Kensington, Earl of Holland and Baronet Rich during a period spanning the 16th–18th centuries. Family tree References Externa ...

). Henry was made

Earl of Holland Earl of Holland was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1624 for Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington. He was the younger son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick, and had already been created Baron Kensington in 1623, also in the Pe ...

in 1624. His son, the second Earl, succeeded as 5th Earl of Warwick on the death of his cousin in 1673. These titles all became extinct on the death of Edward Rich, 5th Baron Kensington, 5th Earl Holland and 8th Earl Warwick, in 1759 (see

for a more detailed description of the descent of the titles). The barony was revived in 1776 for a female-line grandson of the fifth Earl of Warwick (see below).

Irish title (1776)

Lady Elizabeth Rich, only daughter of

Robert Rich, 5th Earl of Warwick The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, married

Francis Edwardes Francis Edwardes (died 15 December 1725) of Pembrokeshire in Wales, was a Member of Parliament. Origins He was the second son of Owen Edwardes of Treffgarne, Pembrokeshire. The Edwardes family owned extensive lands in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthensh ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

from 1722 to 1725, and the member of a family which owned extensive lands in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

and

Cardiganshire Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

. Their son William Edwardes represented Haverfordwest in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

for over fifty years. He succeeded to the Rich family estates (including

Holland House Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was an early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, although this was sold to Henry Fox in 1768) on the death of the last of Earl of Warwick and Holland in 1759. In 1776 the barony of Kensington attached to the earldom of Holland was revived when he was made Baron Kensington in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

. The first Baron was succeeded by his son, William, the second Baron, who also represented Haverfordwest in Parliament. The second Baron's son, William, the third Baron, served as

Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire. After 1715, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire. The county corporate of Haverfordwest was included in this lieutenancy, except for the peri ...

. The third Baron was succeeded by his son, the fourth Baron.

UK title (1886)

William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington PC (11 May 1835 – 7 October 1896), also 1st Baron Kensington in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, styled The Honourable William Edwardes between 1852 and 1872, was a British landowner and Liberal politic ...

, sat as

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament for Haverfordwest from 1868 to 1885 and served as a

government whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology o ...

under

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

from 1880 to 1885. In 1886, he was created Baron Kensington, of Kensington in the County of Middlesex, in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

, which gave the holder an automatic seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

up until 1999. His eldest son, the fifth Baron of the Irish Peerage, who now also became the second Baron of the United Kingdom Peerage, served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and died from wounds received in action in June 1900. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth and third Baron. He was a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the Territorial Army and also fought in South Africa as well as in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. the titles are held by his grandson, the eighth and fifth Baron, who succeeded his uncle in 1981.Whittakers p60

Baron Kensington, first creation (1623)

* Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington, 1st Earl Holland (1590–1649) * Robert Rich, 2nd Baron Kensington, 2nd Earl of Holland, 5th Earl of Warwick (c. 1620–1675) * Edward Rich, 3rd Baron Kensington, 3rd Earl of Holland, 6th Earl of Warwick (1673–1701) * Edward Henry Rich, 4th Baron Kensington, 4th Earl of Holland, 7th Earl of Warwick (1697–1721) * Edward Rich, 5th Baron Kensington, 5th Earl of Holland, 8th Earl of Warwick (1695–1759)

Baron Kensington, second and third creations (1776, 1886)

William Edwardes, 1st Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 1st Baron Kensington (c. 1711 – 13 December 1801) of Johnston Hall, Pembrokeshire, was a British landowner and a long-standing Member of Parliament. Edwardes was the second surviving son of Francis Edwardes, Member of Pa ...

(–1801) *

William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington (24 April 1777 – 10 August 1852), styled The Honourable William Edwardes until 1801, was a British peer and Member of Parliament. He was the instigator of the infamous ''Kensington Canal''. Kensington was ...

(1777–1852) *

William Edwardes, 3rd Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 3rd Baron Kensington (3 February 1801 – 1 January 1872), was a British peer and naval commander. Kensington was the son of William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington, and Dorothy Patricia Thomas. He succeeded his father as third B ...

(1801–1872) *

, 1st Baron Kensington of Kensington (1835–1896) * William Edwardes, 5th Baron Kensington, 2nd Baron Kensington of Kensington (1868–1900) * Hugh Edwardes, 6th Baron Kensington, 3rd Baron Kensington of Kensington (1873–1938) * William Edwardes, 7th Baron Kensington, 4th Baron Kensington of Kensington (1904–1981) * Hugh Ivor Edwardes, 8th Baron Kensington, 5th Baron Kensington of Kensington (1933–2018) * William Owen Alexander Edwardes, 9th Baron Kensington, 6th Baron Kensington of Kensington (born 1964)
The heir apparent is the present baron’s son, William Francis Ivor Edwardes (born 1993).

References

Book cited

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * * * *Whittakers Almanac (2011)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kensington Baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1776 Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1886 Noble titles created for UK MPs Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1623