The Earl of Courtown, in the County of Wexford, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 April 1762 for James Stopford, 1st Baron Courtown. He had previously represented

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

and Fethard in the Irish House of Commons. Stopford had already been created Baron Courtown, of Courtown in the County of Wexford, on 19 September 1758, and was made Viscount Stopford at the same time he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a Tory politician and served under William Pitt the Younger as Treasurer of the Household from 1784 to 1793. On 7 June 1796 he was created Baron Saltersford, of Saltersford in the County Palatine of Chester, 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 ...

. This title gave him and his descendants an automatic seat in the House of Lords. His eldest son, the third Earl, was also a Tory politician. He succeeded his father as Treasurer of the Household and was also Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners for many years. He was succeeded by his third but eldest surviving son, the fourth Earl. He represented

in the House of Commons as a Tory. His only son from his first marriage, the fifth Earl, served as a Deputy Lieutenant of

. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl. He was Lord Lieutenant of County Wexford. His eldest son, the seventh Earl, was a major-general in the army and served as deputy assistant adjutant-general at the War Office from 1941 to 1947. the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the ninth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1975. Lord Courtown is one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, and sits as a Conservative. Several other members of the Stopford family have also gained distinction, especially in the army and Royal Navy. The Hon. Edward Stopford (1732–1794), second son of the first Earl, was a

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the army. His son William Henry Stopford-Blair (1788–1868) was a colonel in the Royal Artillery. He added "Blair" to his name after receiving a substantial bequest from brother in law, James Blair a prominent slave owner and anti-abolitionist activist.Ryden D. (2015) The Society of West India Planters and Merchants in the Age of Emancipation, c.1816-35
Economic History Society Annual Conference, University of Wolverhampton
accessed 5 January 2016 The Hon. Sir Edward Stopford (1766–1837), second son of the second Earl, was a lieutenant-general in the army. The Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, third son of the second Earl, was an

Admiral of the Red The Admiral of the Red was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Admiral of the Fleet (see order of precedence below). The rank did not exist prior to 1805, as the admiral commanding the Red ...

. His eldest son Robert Fanshawe Stopford (1811–1891) was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the Royal Navy and was the father of 1) Robert Wilbraham Stopford (1844–1911), a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, 2) Arthur Bouverie Stopford (1845–1902), a colonel in the Royal Artillery and 3) Frederick George Stopford (1852–1928), a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy; while his second son James John Stopford (1817–1868) was a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy. Reverend the Hon. Richard Bruce Stopford (1774–1844), fourth son of the second Earl, was Canon of Windsor and

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. The Hon. Sir Montagu Stopford, fifth son of the third Earl, was a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy. His youngest son Sir Lionel Stopford was a colonel and honorary major-general in the Derby Regiment and Irish Guards. His eldest son Sir Montagu Stopford was a general in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

. The Hon. Sir Frederick Stopford, second son from the second marriage of the fourth Earl, was a lieutenant-general in the army. The Hon. Walter George Stopford (1855–1918), third son from the second marriage of the fourth Earl, was a rear-admiral in the Royal Navy. The Hon. Arthur Stopford (1879–1955), second son of the sixth Earl, was a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy. His son, Godfrey Vyvyan, married Marjorie Lupton in 1934. The family seat was

Courtown House Courtown () is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It was developed after Lord Courtown ordered the construction of a harbour during the Famine years, 1839–1846. The economic boost of the new harbour led to a small village developing with f ...

, near Gorey,

Earls of Courtown (1762)

* James Stopford, 1st Earl of Courtown (1700–1770) *

James Stopford, 2nd Earl of Courtown James Stopford, 2nd Earl of Courtown KP, PC (Ire) (28 May 1731 – 30 March 1810), known as Viscount Stopford from 1762 to 1770, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Tory politician who sat in the British House of Commons between 1774 and 1793. Courtown ...

(1731–1810) * James George Stopford, 3rd Earl of Courtown (1765–1835) *

James Thomas Stopford, 4th Earl of Courtown James Thomas Stopford, 4th Earl of Courtown (27 March 1794 – 20 November 1858), known as Viscount Stopford from 1810 to 1835, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Tory Member of Parliament. Courtown was the third but eldest surviving son of James Stopf ...

(1794–1858) * James George Henry Stopford, 5th Earl of Courtown (1823–1914) * James Walter Milles Stopford, 6th Earl of Courtown (1853–1933) * James Richard Neville Stopford, 7th Earl of Courtown (1877–1957) * James Montagu Burgoyne Stopford, 8th Earl of Courtown (1908–1975) * James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown (b. 1954) The heir apparent is the present holder’s only son James Richard Ian Montagu Stopford, Viscount Stopford (b. 1988)

References

Attribution

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Courtown Earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1762 Earl