Earl of Ilchester is a title 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 ...
. It was created in 1756 for
Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in the County of Somerset in 1741, and Baron Ilchester and Stavordale, of Redlynch, in the County of Somerset, in 1747. These titles were also 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 ...
. All three peerages were created with remainder, failing heirs male of his own, to his younger brother
Henry Fox, who was himself created
Baron Holland in 1763. The brothers were the only sons from the second marriage of the politician
Sir Stephen Fox
Sir Stephen Fox (27 March 1627 – 28 October 1716) of Farley, Wiltshire, Farley in Wiltshire, of Redlynch, Somerset, Redlynch Park in Somerset, of Chiswick, Middlesex and of Whitehall, was a royal administrator and courtier to King Charles ...
.
In 1758 the first Earl assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Strangways, which was the maiden name of his wife's maternal grandmother. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He represented
Midhurst
Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester.
The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...
in Parliament. His eldest son, the third Earl, served as
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK Government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is The 9th Earl of Courtown, who was appointed to the position ...
from 1835 to 1841 in the
Whig administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
of
Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...
and was also
Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Somerset. Since 1714, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Somerset.
Lord Lieutenants of Somerset
* John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1555
* Wil ...
from 1837 to 1839. Lord Ilchester survived both his sons and was succeeded by his half-brother, the fourth Earl. He was Ambassador to the
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
from 1840 to 1849. His nephew, the fifth Earl, was
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
The Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms is a post in the Government of the United Kingdom that has been held by the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is th ...
from 1873 to 1874 in the
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 ...
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
of
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 ...
and also served as
Lord Lieutenant of Dorset
The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriff of Dorset and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569, there was provision for the appointment o ...
from 1885 to 1905. On the death in 1964 of his grandson, the seventh Earl, the line of the eldest son of the first Earl failed. The seventh Earl was succeeded by his fourth cousin, the eighth Earl. the titles are held by his grandson, the tenth Earl, who succeeded his uncle in 2006.
The family seat was
Melbury House
Melbury House is an English country house in the parish of Melbury Sampford near Evershot, Dorset, This Grade I listed mansion is the home of the Honorable Mrs Charlotte Townshend, a major landowner in east Dorset, through her mother, Theresa ...
, near
Evershot
Evershot is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England, situated approximately south of Yeovil in Somerset. It is the second highest village in the county at above sea-level. Evershot parish encompasses part of th ...
,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
. The family, through Ilchester Estates, owns and manages large portions of land in the county of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
and the
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 ...
estate west of
Holland Park
Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...
in
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 ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
The family inherited much land in the 17th century from the Wadham family of
Merryfield, Ilton
Merryfield (''alias'' Merrifield, Murefeld, Merefeld, Muryfield, Merifield, Wadham's Castle, etc.) is a historic estate in the parish of Ilton, near Ilminster in Somerset, England. It was the principal seat of the Wadham family, and was called ...
in Somerset and of
Edge, Branscombe
Edge, (originally, ''Egge''), is an ancient and historic house in the parish of Branscombe, Devon, England and is today known as Edge Barton Manor. The surviving house is Listed building, grade II* listed and sits on the steep, south-facing side ...
in Devon, and in 1874 from their distant cousins the Fox family of
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.
Earls of Ilchester (1756)
*
Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester
Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester PC (12 September 1704 – 26 September 1776) was a British peer and Member of Parliament.
Origins
Fox was the eldest surviving son of Sir Stephen Fox (1627-1716), the first Paymaster of the Forces ...
(1704–1776)
*
Henry Thomas Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester
Henry Thomas Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester (29 July 1747 – 5 September 1802), known as Lord Stavordale from 1756 to 1776, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.
Life
Ilchester was the eldest son of Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Ea ...
(1747–1802)
*
Henry Stephen Fox-Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester (1787–1858)
*
William Thomas Horner Fox-Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865)
*
Henry Edward Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester (1847–1905)
*
Giles Stephen Holland Fox-Strangways, 6th Earl of Ilchester (1874–1959)
*
(1905–1964)
*
Walter Angelo Fox-Strangways, 8th Earl of Ilchester
Walter Angelo Fox-Strangways, 8th Earl of Ilchester 24 September 1887 – 4 October 1970), was a British peer. He also held the subsidiary titles of Baron Ilchester, Baron Strangways and Baron Ilchester and Stavordale.
Fox-Strangways inher ...
(1887–1970)
*
Maurice Vivian de Touffreville Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester (1920–2006)
*
Robin Maurice Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
** Bush-robin
**Forest ro ...
(b. 1942)
The heir presumptive and last in line to the earldom is the present holder's younger brother Paul Andre Fox-Strangeways (b. 1950)
See also
*
Baron Holland
*
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...
References
Work cited
*
*
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, ,
*
*Fox-Strangways, Earls of Ilchester, archive (ref:D/FSI), estate and family papers, 965-1900s, held at the
Dorset History Centre
The Dorset History Centre (formerly Dorset Record Office) is the archive service for the county of Dorset, England. It collects, stores, preserves and makes available documents relating to the history of Dorset. It is a local authority archive ser ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilchester
Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
Noble titles created in 1756