Earl Waldegrave is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1729 for James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave.

History

The

Waldegrave family Waldegrave is the name of an English family, said to derive from Walgrave in Northamptonshire, who long held the manor of Smallbridge in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk. History Sir Richard Waldegrave served as a Knight of the Shire in 1339 in Li ...

descends from Sir Richard Waldegrave,

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

from 1381 to 1382. His son and namesake, Sir Richard Waldegrave, was a soldier and fought in the Hundred Years' War. His descendant Sir Edward Waldegrave was a politician and courtier. A prominent Catholic, he held office under

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

, who granted him the Chewton estate in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. However, Waldegrave was imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

after the accession of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, where he died in 1561. His grandson Edward Waldegrave fought as a Royalist in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

despite his old age. In 1643 he was created a baronet, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in the Baronetage of England. Henry Waldegrave, the fourth Baronet and Richard's great-grandson (the title having descended from father to son), married

Henrietta FitzJames Henrietta Butler, Viscountess Galmoye, previously Henrietta Waldegrave, Baroness Waldegrave (née Lady Henrietta FitzJames; 1667 – 3 April 1730), was an illegitimate daughter of James Stuart, Duke of York, subsequently King of England, Sco ...

, illegitimate daughter of

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

and his mistress Arabella Churchill. Mainly thanks to this marriage Waldegrave was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Waldegrave, of Chewton in the County of Somerset. He was succeeded by his son James Waldegrave, the second Baron. He served as Ambassador to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In 1729 he was honoured when he was created Viscount Chewton, of Chewton in the County of Somerset, and Earl Waldegrave in the Peerage of Great Britain. On his death the titles passed to his son, the second Earl. He was invited to form a government by the King in 1757, but was unsuccessful (and is normally not considered to have held the post of Prime Minister). Lord Waldegrave married

Maria Walpole Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (née Maria Walpole; 10 July 1736 – 22 August 1807) was Countess Waldegrave from 1759 to 1766 as the wife and then widow of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, and a member of the British royal f ...

, illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole, son of Prime Minister

Sir Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leade ...

. He died without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Earl. He was a general in the Army and also held political office. When he died the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and also represented Newcastle-under-Lyme in the House of Commons of Great Britain. His eldest son, the fifth Earl, died from drowning at the age of nine. The young Earl was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. He was a soldier and commanded the 54th Regiment of Foot at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son, the seventh Earl. He died childless at an early age and was succeeded by his uncle, the eighth Earl. He was a vice-admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and also sat as

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 o ...

for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. His eldest son William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton, died in 1854 from wounds received at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. Lord Waldegrave was therefore succeeded by his grandson, the ninth Earl (the eldest son of Viscount Chewton). He was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and 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 1896 to 1905. He was succeeded by his only son, the tenth Earl. He never married and on his death in 1933 the titles passed to his uncle, the eleventh Earl. He was the second son of the aforementioned Viscount Chewton. On his death the titles passed to his only son, the twelfth Earl. He sat on the Conservative benches in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

and served as Joint

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries was a junior ministerial office in the British government, serving under the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. The title changed to Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of ...

from 1957 to 1962. Lord Waldegrave also held the honorary post of

Lord Warden of the Stannaries The Lord Warden of the Stannaries (from la, stannum for Tin, Tin, Sn) used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, England, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the British monarchy, monarch or Duke of Cornwall ...

from 1965 to 1976. the titles are held by his eldest son, the thirteenth Earl, who succeeded in 1995. Three other members of the Waldegrave family have also gained distinction. William Waldegrave, second son of the third Earl, was a prominent naval commander and was created

Baron Radstock Baron Radstock, of Castletown in the Queen's County, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave. He was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave (see Earl Wal ...

in 1800 (see this title for further information on this branch of the family). Samuel Waldegrave, second son of the eighth Earl, was a clergyman and served as Bishop of Carlisle from 1860 to 1869. William Waldegrave, second son of the twelfth Earl, is a Conservative politician and was created a life peer as Baron Waldegrave of North Hill in 1999. The family seat is Chewton House, near

Chewton Mendip Chewton Mendip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells, south of Bath and Bristol on the A39 very close to the A37. The village is in a valley on the Mendip Hills and is the ...

. As suggested by the territorial designation of the baronetcy, the family once owned

Hever Castle Hever Castle ( ) is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near Edenbridge, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539, it was the seat of the Boleyn (originally 'Bullen') family. ...

. The family's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is one of the easiest to describe: ''Per pale argent and gules''. Its supporters are two

talbots The Talbots, Inc. (doing business as Talbots and stylized as TALBOTS) is an American specialty retailer and direct marketer of women's clothing, shoes and fashion accessories. As of 2018, the company operated 495 Talbots stores in the United S ...

, sable, eared or, gorged with a coronet argent. The crest is a set of five plumes.

List of titleholders

Waldegrave baronets of Hever Castle (1643)

Sir Edward Waldegrave, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Waldegrave, 1st Baronet (c. 1568 – c. 1650) was an England, English soldier, MP and Cavalier during the English Civil War and a grandson of Edward Waldegrave, Sir Edward Waldegrave. Waldegrave was knighted by James I of England, King ...

(–) *Sir Henry Waldegrave, 2nd Baronet (1598–1658) *Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet (died c. 1684) * Sir Henry Waldegrave, 4th Baronet (1661–1689) (created Baron Waldegrave in 1686)

Barons Waldegrave (1686)

Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave (166124 January 1689) was an English peer and Jacobite supporter. Early life He was the son of Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet and Eleanor, Lady Waldegrave ( Englefield), a daughter of Sir Francis E ...

(1661–1689) * James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave (1684–1741) (created Earl Waldegrave in 1729)

Earls Waldegrave (1729)

* James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave (1684–1741) *

James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, (4 March 171513 April 1763) was a British politician who is sometimes regarded as one of the shortest-serving British prime ministers in history. His brief tenure as First Lord of the Treasury is lent a mo ...

(1715–1763) *

John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave General John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave (28 April 1718 – 22 October 1784) was a British politician and soldier. Career Waldegrave was the youngest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave. He joined the 1st Regiment of Foot in 1735, rising to the r ...

(1718–1784) *

George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton, PC, ADC (23 November 1751 – 22 October 1789) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1780. The eldest son of the 3rd Earl of Waldegrave, he was educated ...

(1751–1789) *

George Waldegrave, 5th Earl Waldegrave George Waldegrave, 5th Earl Waldegrave (13 July 1784–29 June 1794) was the son of the 4th Earl Waldegrave and his wife, Elizabeth Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave. Upon his father's death in 1789, he inherited his titles at the age of five b ...

(1784–1794) *

John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl Waldegrave Lieutenant-Colonel John James Waldegrave, 6th Earl Waldegrave (31 July 17851835) was a British peer and soldier. Waldegrave was the second son of the 4th Earl Waldegrave and was educated at Eton. Upon his father's death in 1789, Waldegrave's e ...

(1785–1835) * George Edward Waldegrave, 7th Earl Waldegrave (1816–1846) *

William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave Vice-Admiral William Waldegrave, 8th Earl Waldegrave, CB (27 October 1788 – 24 October 1859) was a British naval commander and politician. Waldegrave was the son of George Waldegrave, 4th Earl Waldegrave and his wife, the former Lady Elizab ...

(1788–1859) ** William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton (1816–1854) * William Frederick Waldegrave, 9th Earl Waldegrave (1851–1930) * William Edward Seymour Waldegrave, 10th Earl Waldegrave (1882–1933) * Henry Noel Waldegrave, 11th Earl Waldegrave (1854–1936) * Geoffrey Noel Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave (1905–1995) * James Sherbrooke Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave (born 1940) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's eldest son Edward Robert Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton (born 1986)

Family tree

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldegrave Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain Noble titles created in 1729 *