Earl of Lovelace was 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 in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

. It was created in 1838 for William King-Noel, 8th Baron King, a title created in 1725.

History

The King or Locke King family stems from the elevation of the son of Jerome King, a grocer, of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

, and his wife Anne, great-niece of the philosopher

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism". Considered one of ...

. This son was Sir Peter King, a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1714 to 1725 and as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from 1725 to 1733; as such in 1725 he was created Baron King of Ockham in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, 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 rep ...

(verbally and less formally Lord King). The estate he bought was chosen as his

territorial designation In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest son (the second Baron). He represented Launceston and

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

but died aged 34. His three younger brothers: Peter, William and Thomas all succeeded in the barony. The last was succeeded by his son, the sixth Baron. His son, the seventh Baron, was a Whig politician and writer. On his 1833 death the title passed to his eldest son, the eighth Baron. In 1835, Lord King married as his first wife the Hon. (Augusta) Ada Byron, the only daughter of the poet,

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

, and his wife, 11th Baroness Wentworth who was a descendant of the extinct Barons Lovelace. In 1838 he was created Viscount Ockham (territorial designation the same, to be the family's first

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 con ...

), and Earl of Lovelace in the

. He was appointed the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey from 1840 to 1893. Ada died in 1852, leaving her husband, in his forties, a widower. In 1860, he assumed for himself the additional surname and arms of Noel, those of Wentworth. In 1865 he remarried, to Jane Crawford Jenkins and had one child, who would go on eventually to inherit the earldom. Lord Lovelace acquired

Horsley Towers Horsley Towers, East Horsley, Surrey, England is a country house dating from the 19th century. The house was designed by Charles Barry for the banker William Currie. The East Horsley estate was later sold to William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovel ...

(now a hotel) in East Horsley and was patron of the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities ...

funding the rebuilding of the chancel and the nave in 1869. He also rebuilt the wall of the churchyard which included a number of architectural features such as the gazebo and its family crest-engraved walls. He planned for his death 20 years before he died when began work on his mausoleum in another corner of the churchyard. The mausoleum, which has recently been restored, contains his tomb and that of his second wife. His eldest son Byron (King) Noel, Viscount Ockham, briefly succeeded his maternal grandmother to become twelfth Baron Wentworth according to its special remainder in 1860. However, he predeceased his father, unmarried two years later. Lord Lovelace was therefore succeeded by his second surviving son who was thus already Lord Wentworth. In 1861, this still untitled son had assumed by Royal licence the surname of Milbanke in lieu of Noel. He had no sons and was succeeded in the barony of Wentworth by his only child, Ada King-Milbanke, 14th Baroness Wentworth. The 2nd Earl (Lord Lovelace) was succeeded in the titles other than the Wentworth one by his half-brother. In 1895, Lord Lovelace received for himself only Royal licence to use the additional surname and arms of Noel, but resumed by Royal licence, in 1908, the surname and arms of King only for himself and his children. He served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...

as a Major in the

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and ...

and as a staff-Captain. The titles were finally held by his grandson, the fifth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1964. The last Earl inherited the title in 1964 and died in 2018. The family seat following its purchase by the 1st Lord King was Ockham Park, Ockham, Surrey until the fine Jacobean house was reduced to outbuildings in a fire in 1948. The family has moved its main home to Torridon House, near

Torridon Torridon (Scottish Gaelic: ''Toirbheartan'') is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torrid ...

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...

Notable wives

Ada Lovelace Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (''née'' Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Ana ...

was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the

Analytical Engine The Analytical Engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837 as the successor to Babbage's difference engine, which was a design ...

. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

intended to be processed by a machine. Because of this, she is often described as the world's first computer

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

Notable younger sons and their sons

The Hon. Peter King, second son of the seventh Lord King (and brother of the first Earl of Lovelace), was a long-serving progressive politician who bought

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

and the father of

Hugh F. Locke King Hugh Fortescue Locke King (7 October 1848 – 28 January 1926) (sometimes incorrectly written as Locke-King), was a British entrepreneur who founded and financed the creation of the Brooklands motor racing circuit.J.S.L. Pulford, The Locke Kings ...

, the entrepreneur who transformed it into a pioneering racetrack and aviation centre from the year 1906 onwards. The family had no male heirs. Hugh died without children in 1926 and his elder brother Peter died in middle age in 1885 in Aston without sons.

Barons King (1725) (of Ockham)

Peter King, 1st Baron King Peter King, 1st Baron King, (c. 1669 – 22 July 1734), commonly referred to as Lord King, was an English lawyer and politician, who became Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. Life King was born in Exeter in 1669, and educated at Exeter Gra ...

(1669–1734) * John King, 2nd Baron King (1706–1740) * Peter King, 3rd Baron King (1709–1754) * William King, 4th Baron King (1711–1767) * Thomas King, 5th Baron King (1712–1779) * Peter King, 6th Baron King (1736–1793) * Peter King, 7th Baron King (1776–1833) * William King, 8th Baron King (1805–1893) (created Earl of Lovelace in 1838)

Earls of Lovelace (1838)

* William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace (1805–1893) ** Byron King-Noel, Viscount Ockham (1836–1862), his eldest son; also 12th Baron Wentworth *

Ralph King-Milbanke, 2nd Earl of Lovelace Ralph Gordon King Noel Milbanke, 2nd Earl of Lovelace (2 July 1839 – 28 August 1906) was a British author of ''Astarte: A Fragment of Truth concerning George Gordon Byron, Sixth Lord Byron''. Life He was born at 10 St. James's Square, London ...

(1839–1906), his younger brother; also 13th Baron Wentworth, in which he was succeeded by his only daughter *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Lionel King, 3rd Earl of Lovelace (1865–1929), his younger half-brother *Peter King, 4th Earl of Lovelace (1905–1964), his only son * Peter King, 5th Earl of Lovelace (1951–2018), his only child

Family of the 1st Earl of Lovelace

* William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace né King (1805–1893) ∞ Hon. Ada Augusta Byron née Noel (1815–1852) (1) ∞ Jane Crawford Jenkins (2) ** Byron King-Noel, Viscount Ockham (1836–1862), also 12th Baron Wentworth (1860–1862), deserted Royal Navy ** Anne Isabella Noel King-Noel (1837–1917), de jure 15th Baroness Wentworth ∞ Wilfred Scawen Blunt, poet *** Judith Anne Dorothea Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873-1957) ∞ Neville Stephen Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton (1879–1951), see

Earl of Lytton Earl of Lytton, in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for the diplomat and poet Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Baron Lytton. He was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880 and British Ambassad ...

for her title's current vesting into Earldom **** Noel Anthony Scawen Lytton, 4th Earl of Lytton and 17th Baron Wentworth (1900–1985) ∞ Clarissa Palmer *****Lady Caroline Mary Noel Lytton (1947–2017) ***** John Peter Michael Scawen Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton and 18th Baron Wentworth (b. 1950) ∞ Ursula Alexandra Komoly *****Hon. (Thomas) Roland Cyril Lawrence Lytton (b. 1954) *****Lady Lucy Mary Frances Lytton (b. 1957) *****Lady Sarah Teresa Mary Lytton (b. 1959) ****Lady Anne Lytton (1901–1979) ****Lady Winifred Lytton (b.1904–1985) ∞ Claude Tryon ** Ralph Gordon Noel King, 2nd Earl of Lovelace, 13th Baron Wentworth - extended Noel King name twice (1839–1906) ∞ Fannie Heriot d. 1878 (1) ∞ Mary Caroline Stuart-Wortley (2) ***Lady Ada Mary King-Milbanke, 14th Baroness Wentworth (1871–1917) **

Lionel Fortescue King, 3rd Earl of Lovelace (1865–1929) DSO (son by second marriage) ∞ Lady Edith Anson ***Peter Malcolm King, 4th Earl of Lovelace (1905–1964) ∞ Doris Evison (1) died 1940 ∞ Lis Manon Transö (2) **** Peter Axel William Locke King, 5th Earl of Lovelace (1951–2018) ***Lady Evelyn Catherine King (1896–1974) ∞ Maj.-Gen. Sir

Miles Graham Major-General Sir Miles William Arthur Peel Graham, (14 August 1895 – 8 February 1976) was a general officer in the British Army. During the Second World War he was the chief administrative officer of the Eighth Army in the North African Cam ...

, divorced 1930 (1) ∞ Mark Patrick (2) and had issue ***Lady Phyllis Edith King (1897–1947) ∞ William Allen, divorced 1932 and had issue ***Lady Rosemary Diana King (1902–1955) ∞ Lt.-Col. Alistair Gibb, divorced 1940 (1) ∞ Martin de Hosszu (2)''Burke's Peerage, 107th Ed., 2003, London, vol. 2 page 2417 The 5th Earl had no heir to the Earldom, the subsidiary title of Viscount Ockham or the King of Ockham Barony so these became extinct at his death.Lovelace, Earl of (UK, 1838)
– website Cracroft's Peerage

Notes

References

Sources

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovelace Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 1838 establishments in the United Kingdom 2018 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1838