Earl of Pomfret (alias Pontefract) was 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 ...

created in 1721 for Thomas Fermor, 2nd Baron Leominster. It became extinct upon the death of the fifth earl in 1867.

Ancestral titles and achievements

The Fermor family descended from

Richard Fermor Richard Fermor (1480x84–1551), was an English wool merchant. His father, Thomas Fermor, was also a wool merchant in Witney, Oxfordshire. By 1505 Richard was a merchant of the staple at Calais. In 1509, he was one of the jurors who convicted ...

(d. 1552) who acquired great wealth as a wool merchant and merchant. However, he fell out with

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

after remaining an adherent of

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and had his estates confiscated. Some of the estates, including

Easton Neston Easton Neston is situated in south Northamptonshire, England. Though the village of Easton Neston which was inhabited until around 1500 is now gone, the parish retains the name. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish remained le ...

South Northamptonshire South Northamptonshire was, from 1974 to 2021, a district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council was based in the town of Towcester, first established as a settlement in Roman Britain. The population of the Local Authority District Council in ...

were restored after the accession of

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

. His grandson Sir George Fermor entertained

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

and

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

at Easton Neston in 1603 and in 1615 was confirmed by the crown following his marriage as lord of the manor of

Westoning Westoning () is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located around south of the town of Flitwick. The River Flit flows behind the Westoning stud farm. History Dark and Middle Ages ;1086 The village is mentioned in the Do ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

. Sir George's grandson William Fermor was created a Baronet, of Easton Neston in the County of Northampton, 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 ...

in 1641, aged nineteen and succeeded by his son. He was raised to 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 ...

as Baron Leominster, in the County of Hereford, in 1692. His eldest son was elevated to become Earl of Pomfret in 1721. The latter was succeeded by his son who became a

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

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 ...

and sold the manor of Westoning in 1767 to John Everitt. Two sons, the third and fourth Earls succeeded. The titles became extinct on the death of the fourth Earl's son in 1867. The seat of the Fermor family was

in Northamptonshire. The house came into the Hesketh family (who were later created Barons Hesketh) through the marriage in 1846 of

Sir Thomas George Hesketh, 5th Baronet Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet (11 January 1825 – 20 August 1872) was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1862 to 1872. Early life Hesketh was the only son of Sir Thomas Hesketh, 4th Baronet ...

, of Rufford, to Lady Anna Maria Arabella Fermor, sister and heiress of the 5th Earl of Pomfret. The main blocks and much of the gothick village of Hulcote were sold by the 3rd Baron Hesketh in 2005 to

Leon Max Leon Max (born Leonid Maksovich Rodovinsky; russian: Леонид Максович Родовинский; 12 February 1954) is a Russian-American fashion designer and retailer. Early life Max was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Peter ...

Fermor Baronets, of Easton Neston (1641)

Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet (sometimes written as Farmer or Fermour) (1621 – 14 May 1661), was an officer in the Royalist army during the English Civil War. He stood for election as a Member of Parliament after the restoration of the monar ...

(1619–1661) *''Sir William Fermor, 2nd Baronet (see below) (created Baron Leominster in 1692)''

Barons Leominster (1692)

William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster (''alias'' Lempster) (3 August 1648 – 7 December 1711), styled Sir William Fermor, 2nd Baronet from 1661 to 1692, was an English politician and peer. Biography Fermor was the second but eldest surviving s ...

(1648–1711) *''Thomas Fermor, 2nd Baron Leominster (see below) (created Earl of Pomfret in 1721)''

Earls of Pomfret (1721)

* Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret (1698–1753) * George Fermor, 2nd Earl of Pomfret (1722–1785) *

George Fermor, 3rd Earl of Pomfret George Fermor, 3rd Earl of Pomfret (6 January 1768 – 7 April 1830) was the third holder of the title of Earl of Pomfret in the Peerage of Great Britain. He was the eldest son of George Fermor, 2nd Earl of Pomfret and succeeded to the title on ...

(1768–1830) * Thomas William Fermor, 4th Earl of Pomfret (1770–1833) *

George Richard William Fermor, 5th Earl of Pomfret George William Richard Fermor, 5th Earl of Pomfret (3 December 1824 - 8 June 1867) was an English peer. He was the eldest son of Thomas Fermor, 4th Earl of Pomfret, who he succeeded in 1833, inheriting Easton Neston house. He died unmarried on 8 ...

(1824–1867)

Notes and references

;Notes ;References {{DEFAULTSORT:Pomfret Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain Noble titles created in 1721

Ancestral titles and achievements

Fermor Baronets, of Easton Neston (1641)

Barons Leominster (1692)

Earls of Pomfret (1721)

See also

Notes and references