Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Sondes (28 November 1728 – 30 March 1795), called Hon. Lewis Monson before 1746 and Hon. Lewis Watson from 1746 to 1760, was a British Whig politician and peer.

Biography

Lewis Monson was the second son of

John Monson, 1st Baron Monson John Monson, 1st Baron Monson (18 July 1748), known as Sir John Monson, 5th Baronet, from 1727 to 1728, was a British politician. Life He was the son of George Monson of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Anne, daughter of Charles Wren of the Is ...

, and Lady Margaret Watson, youngest daughter of Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of RockinghamEdmund Lodge
''The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage: With Sketches of the Family''
(Saunders and Otley, 1838), p.460. Retrieved 16 October 2016. who had married Catherine Sondes, daughter of George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham of

Lees Court Sheldwich is a village and civil parish in the far south of the Borough of Borough of Swale, Swale in Kent, England. Geography Sheldwich is a rural parish situated south of the market town of Faversham, north of Ashford, Kent, Ashford and 12 m ...

, Kent. Through this marriage Lewis Watson inherited Lees Court on the death without issue of his brother-in-law Louis de Duras, Marquis of Blanquefort and 2nd Earl of Feversham in 1709, Lord Duras had married Mary Sondes, Catherine's sister. In 1714 Lewis Watson was created Earl of Rockingham and Viscount Sondes. On the Death of Thomas Watson 3rd Earl of Rockingham in 1745 the titles became extinct, but the estates of Rockingham Castle and Lees Court passed to Lewis Monson. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

between 1737 and 1745. He assumed the surname of Watson in 1746 after inheriting the estates of his cousin, Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham. Watson afterwards went on the Grand Tour with his second cousin the Earl of Malton (later Marquess of Rockingham) and his third cousin Thomas Pelham. While abroad in Europe in 1750, his third cousin once removed, the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, Willi ...

, arranged for Watson to be returned in April as Member of Parliament for

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge ( ) is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh, which c ...

in place of the

Earl of Dalkeith Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, who had died. That autumn, the three kinsmen visited

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, where Newcastle presented them, together with Viscount Downe and three other young Englishmen, to

George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; ; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Em ...

, who was holding court in the Electorate. The king was not pleased and snubbed the party when they were presented. Memorial to Grace wife of Lewis Watson 1st Baron Sondes

Memorial to Grace wife of Lewis Watson 1st Baron Sondes

On 12 October 1752, he married his third cousin Grace Pelham (d. 30 July 1777), the third surviving daughter and co-heiress of Prime Minister

Henry Pelham Henry Pelham (25 September 1694 – 6 March 1754) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1743 until his death in 1754. He was the younger brother of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who serv ...

, Newcastle's brother. They had four sons: * Lewis Watson, 2nd Baron Sondes (18 April 1754 – 21 June 1806). *Rev. Hon. Henry Watson (20 April 1755 – 1 August 1833), rector of

East Carlton East Carlton is a village and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, on the southern ridge overlooking the Welland valley to the north and covers on a long strip of land.

and

Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...

. *Hon. Charles Watson (24 October 1761 – 16 April 1769). *Hon. George Watson (1768–1824). In February 1754, his father-in-law procured for him the lucrative

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

of auditor of the imprests, in succession to William Benson. The by-election that followed his appointment was not contested. In the 1754 general election that spring, Newcastle had him returned for Boroughbridge again; Watson also led the poll in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, where he and Robert Fairfax stood as Whigs and defeated Sir Edward Dering, one of the sitting Tory members. Watson chose to sit for Kent. However, he aspired to the House of Lords, as he enjoyed the estates of the extinct earldom of Rockingham and could well afford to support a title. Nor did he wish to stand for the county again. Newcastle pressed his claims strongly on the King and was ultimately successful; Watson was created Baron Sondes, of Lees Court 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 repla ...

on 22 May 1760, the title being linked to his ancestors and vacated his seat in the Commons. In 1785, the office of auditor of the imprests was abolished, and he received an annuity of £7,000 a year for life in compensation. He died on 30 March 1795 and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son, Lewis Watson. Sondes was buried at

Rockingham, Northamptonshire Rockingham is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. Close to the border of Leicestershire and Rutland, the village is largely connected to the town of Corby where various local organisations utilise the ''Rockingham'' na ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sondes, Lewis Watson, 1st Baron 1728 births 1795 deaths Peers of Great Britain created by George II Watson, Lewis Watson, Lewis Watson, Lewis People educated at Westminster School, London Watson, Lewis Lewis 1 Younger sons of barons