Baron Widdrington, of Blankney in the County of Lincoln, was a title 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 ...

. It was created on 2 November 1643 for Sir William Widdrington, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Widdrington in the County of Northumberland, in the

Baronetage of England Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

on 9 July 1642. The Widdringtons were an ancient Northumbrian family who gave their name to (or took their name from) the village, near

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. In the 17th century the family were strongly

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington (167819 April 1743), was an English Roman Catholic peer and supporter of the Stuart claim to the Crown. Background Widdrington was the son of William Widdrington, 3rd Baron Widdrington, by the Honoura ...

, joined

Derwentwater Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria. The lake occupies part of Borrowda ...

and other Northumberland families in the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

and (together with his brothers Charles and Peregrine) was captured at the

Battle of Preston (1715) :''See Battle of Preston (1648) for the battle of the Second English Civil War.'' The Battle of Preston (9–14 November 1715) was the final action of the Jacobite rising of 1715, an attempt to put James Francis Edward Stuart on the British thr ...

. As a consequence of the subsequent attainder of the brothers, the Widdrington estates were sequestered and sold by the Crown, and the title was forfeited. Of their three great houses no traces now remain: Widdrington Castle was demolished in 1862 (although the site is designated as a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

); Stella Hall, Blaydon on Tyne, was demolished in 1954; and

Blankney Hall Blankney is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 251. The village is situated approximately south from the city and county town of Linc ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

suffered the same fate in 1960. Some of the family paintings passed to the Cook/Widdrington family of Newton Hall, and those were auctioned by

Christie’s Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

in 2010. The important collection of family portraits passed into the possession of the

Towneley family The Towneley or Townley family are an English (UK) family whose ancestry can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon England. Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, was the family seat until its sale, together with the surrounding park, to the corporation ...

through Mary Widdrington, daughter of the third Baron (who married Richard Towneley). These were sold at various auctions after

Towneley Hall Towneley Park is owned and managed by Burnley Borough Council and is the largest and most popular park in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The main entrance to the park is within a mile of the town centre and the park extends to the south east, cov ...

was emptied in about 1902. A few have since been donated to Towneley Hall, and (at least) four were donated to

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...

in the 19th Century. Edward Widdrington, cousin of the first Baron, was created a baronet in both 1635 and 1642 (see

Widdrington baronets There have been three baronetcies created for members of the Widdrington family, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and two in the Baronetage of England. All three creations are extinct. The Widdringtons were an ancient Northumbrian family who t ...

Barons Widdrington (1643)

William Widdrington, 1st Baron Widdrington William Widdrington, 1st Baron Widdrington (11 July 16103 September 1651) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642 and was created a peer in 1643. He fought in the Royalist army in the English Civil ...

(1610–1651) *William Widdrington, 2nd Baron Widdrington (died 1675) *William Widdrington, 3rd Baron Widdrington (1656–1695) *

(1678–1743) (forfeited 1716)

Other Widdringtons

Thomas Widdrington Sir Thomas Widdrington SL (died 13 May 1664) was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1664. He was the speaker of the House of Commons in 1656. Life Widdrington was the son of Lew ...

(died 1664) * Ralph Widdrington (died 1688) * Ralph Widdrington (1640–1718)

References

Widdrington pedigree
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Widdrington 1643 establishments in England Forfeited baronies in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1643