Duke of Westminster is a title 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 ...
. It was created by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
in 1874 and bestowed upon
Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...
. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the
British royal family.
The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Dukes were each grandsons of the first. The present holder of the title is
Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke, who inherited the dukedom on 9 August 2016 on the death of his father,
Gerald
Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...
. The present duke is a godfather of
Prince George of Wales
Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...
.
The Duke of Westminster's
seats
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair, a chair equ ...
are at
Eaton Hall, Cheshire
Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England. The house is surrounded by its own formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers about .
The fi ...
, and at
Abbeystead House
Abbeystead House is a large country house to the east of the village of Abbeystead, Lancashire, England, some 12 km (7 miles) south-east of Lancaster. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II l ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. The family's
London town house was
Grosvenor House
Grosvenor House was one of the largest townhouses in London, home of the Grosvenor family (better known as the Dukes of Westminster) for more than a century. Their original London residence was on Millbank, but after the family had developed ...
,
Park Lane
Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...
, while
Halkyn Castle
Halkyn Castle ( cy, Castell Helygain) is a mansion house in the village of Halkyn, Flintshire, Wales. The house, with its associated stable block, is designated by Cadw as a Grade II* listed building.
History
The house was designed by the ...
was built as a sporting lodge for the family in the early 1800s. The traditional burial place of the Dukes is the Old Churchyard adjacent to
St Mary's Church, Eccleston
St Mary's Church is in the village of Eccleston, Cheshire, England, on the estate of the Duke of Westminster south of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It ...
.
History of the Grosvenor family
Richard Grosvenor was created Baronet of Eaton in January 1622.
[George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage Volume 1'' 1900]
/ref> Sir Richard Grosvenor, the 7th Baronet, was created Baron Grosvenor in 1761, and in 1784 became both Viscount Belgrave (Belgrave, Cheshire
Belgrave is a historic village in Cheshire, England. The area is part of the estates owned the Dukes of Westminster who have their seat at Eaton Hall, Cheshire. The village has a few houses and the Grosvenor Garden Centre. Belgrave Lodge is loc ...
) and Earl Grosvenor under George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. The title Marquess of Westminster was bestowed upon Robert Grosvenor, the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, at the coronation of William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
in 1831.
The subsidiary titles are: Marquess of Westminster (created 1831), Earl Grosvenor (1784), Viscount Belgrave, of Belgrave in the County of Chester (1784), and Baron Grosvenor, of Eaton in the County of Chester (1761). The Dukedom and Marquessate are 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 ...
; the rest are in the Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself r ...
. The courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some co ...
of the eldest son and heir to the Duke is ''Earl Grosvenor''.
Grosvenor Baronets, of Eaton (1622)
*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet (9 January 1585 – 14 September 1645) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629. He is an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster.
Grosveno ...
(1584–1645) was an MP
*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet (c. 1604 – 31 January 1665) was an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster. He was the son of Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet and Lettice Cholmondley, daughter of Sir Hugh Cholmondeley. He spen ...
(1604–1664), a son of the 1st Baronet
**Roger Grosvenor (c. 1628–1661), a son of the 2nd Baronet, predeceased his father
*Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet
Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet (20 November 1656 – 2 July 1700) was an English Member of Parliament, and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster. He was the first member of the family to build a substantial house on the presen ...
(1656–1700), son of Roger
*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet
Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet (26 June 1689 – 12 July 1732) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1732. He was the brother of Sir Robert Grosvenor, 6th Baronet, an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Wes ...
(1689–1732), eldest son of the 3rd Baronet, died without issue
*Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 5th Baronet
Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 5th Baronet (1693 – February 1732 or 1733) was an English Member of Parliament and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster.
Thomas Grosvenor was the second surviving son of Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet. ...
(1693–1733), second son of the 3rd Baronet, died unmarried
*Sir Robert Grosvenor, 6th Baronet
Sir Robert Grosvenor, 6th Baronet (7 May 1695 – 1 August 1755) of Eaton Hall, Cheshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1733 to 1755. He was an ancestor of the present Dukes of Westminster.
Grosvenor was t ...
(1695–1755), third and youngest son of the 3rd Baronet
* Sir Richard Grosvenor, 7th Baronet (1731–1802) (created Baron Grosvenor in 1761)
Barons Grosvenor (1761)
Earls Grosvenor (1784)
Marquesses of Westminster (1831)
Dukes of Westminster (1874)
Line of succession
There is no heir to the Dukedom of Westminster. The Earl of Wilton
Earl of Wilton, of Wilton Castle in the County of Herefordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Grey de Wilton, ...
is heir presumptive to the Marquessate.
Family tree
See also
*Earl of Wilton
Earl of Wilton, of Wilton Castle in the County of Herefordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Grey de Wilton, ...
*Baron Ebury
Baron Ebury, of Ebury Manor in the County of Middlesex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that dates from 1857. In 1999, it became a subsidiary title of the earldom of Wilton after the 6th Baron Ebury inherited the earldom from ...
*Baron Stalbridge
Baron Stalbridge, of Stalbridge in the County of Dorset, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 22 March 1886 for the politician and businessman Lord Richard Grosvenor. He was the third son of Richard Grosvenor, 2n ...
* Duchess of Westminster
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westminster
Mayfair
Dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
1874 establishments in the United Kingdom
1622 establishments in England
Noble titles created in 1874
Noble titles created for UK MPs