The Elwes Baronetcy () of

Stoke-by-Clare Stoke-by-Clare is a small village and civil parish in Suffolk located in the valley of the River Stour, about two miles west of Clare. In 1124 Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford, moved the Benedictine Priory that had been established at h ...

in the

County of Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowestof ...

, was a title 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 ...

held by the Elwys family, whose name through the years has alternately been spelled Helwish, Helewise, Helwys, Elwaiss and Elwaies. The baronetcy was created on 22 June 1660 by King Charles II for

Gervase Elwes Gervase Henry Cary-Elwes, DL (15 November 1866 – 12 January 1921), better known as Gervase Elwes, was an English tenor of great distinction, who exercised a powerful influence over the development of English music from the early 1900s up un ...

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 of ...

for

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. The second Baronet was Member of Parliament for Suffolk. John Elwes was the nephew of the second Baronet. The title possibly became either extinct or dormant following the death of the third Baronet on 26 November 1778, under unclear circumstances. The third Baronet left three sons—Henry, William, and Thomas—the eldest of whom, Henry, was assumed to have become the fourth baronet; however there is no record that he did so, putting into question whether or not the sons were legitimate. In 1779, William and Thomas were recorded proving their father's will, indicating he may have died shortly after his father. However, after the death of the third Baronet's widow, Johanna Elwes (''née'' Bobulia), none of the sons appeared to prove her will, lending credence that she was not their mother. According to The ''Complete Baronetage'' (1904), the third Baronet ''dspm legit'' (''decessit sine prole mascula legitima'' – "died without legitimate male issue"). According to Burke's, the baronetcy became extinct upon the death of the third Baronet in 1778. Some sources, however, record a fourth Baronet, Sir Henry Elwes, who was believed to be the younger brother of the third Baronet. He died without heirs in 1787, at which point the baronetcy likely became extinct. According to the

Standing Council of the Baronetage The Standing Council of the Baronetage is a United Kingdom organisation which deals with the affairs of baronets. It was first established in January 1898 as the Honourable Society of the Baronetage. In July 1903 it was reconstituted as a permanent ...

, the Elwes baronetcy is not among the vacant or dormant baronetcies.

Elwes baronets, of Stoke-by-Clare (1660)

Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st Baronet Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st Baronet (bapt. 21 August 1628 – 11 April 1706) was an English Court Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1677 and 1706. Elwes was the son of Sir Gervase Elwes, of Woodford, Essex and ...

(1628–1706) **

Gervase Elwes, junior Gervase Elwes (–) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1679 to 1685. Elwes was the son of Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st Baronet and his wife Amy Trigge, daughter of William Trigge, M.D., of Highworth, Wiltshire. In 1679, he ...

, (–), '' d.s.p.'' *

Sir Hervey Elwes, 2nd Baronet Sir Hervey Elwes, 2nd Baronet (c. 1683–1763), of Stoke-by-Clare, Suffolk, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1706 and 1722. He had the reputation of being an extreme miser. ...

(1683–1763) * Sir William Elwes, 3rd Baronet (died 1778), '' d.s.p.m.l.'' *''Sir Henry Elwes, 4th Baronet'' (died 1787)

References

{{Reflist, 30em Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of England 1660 establishments in England