There have been four baronetcies created for members of the Wills family, owners of W. D. & H. O. Wills and major shareholders and directors of the

Imperial Tobacco Company Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mo ...

. All four creations were in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom 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) James I of E ...

. The Wills Baronetcy, of Blagdon in the County of Somerset, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 12 August 1893 for

William Henry Wills William Wills may refer to: * William Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke (1830–1911), British businessman and peer * William Gorman Wills (1828–1891), Irish dramatist and painter * William Henry Wills (journalist) (1810–1880), journalist, newspap ...

, the first chairman of the

, formed by the merger of W.D. & H.O. Wills (founded in Bristol by his grandfather

Henry Overton Wills I Henry Overton Wills I (2 March 1761 – 1826) was a British merchant who founded the firm of W.D. & H.O. Wills in Bristol, England, which eventually became one of the largest tobacco companies in late 19th-century Britain, and later became the ...

(1761–1826)) with 12 other smaller UK tobacco manufacturers. He was elevated to the peerage in 1906 as

Baron Winterstoke Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

, but died without issue in 1911, when the baronetcy and the barony became extinct. For more information on this creation, see the latter title. The Wills Baronetcy, of Northmoor & Manor Heath, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 15 February 1897 for Frederick Wills. He was a director of the

and a first-cousin of the first Baronet of the 1893 creation. For more information on this creation, see the

Baron Dulverton Baron Dulverton, of Batsford in the County of Gloucester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1929 for the businessman Sir Gilbert Wills, 2nd Baronet. He was President of the Imperial Tobacco Company and also sat ...

. The Wills Baronetcy, of Hazelwood Stoke Bishop, in Westbury-on-Trym in the County of Gloucester and Clapton-in-Gordano in the County of Somerset, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 19 August 1904 for Edward Payson Wills, the elder brother of the first Baronet of the 1897 creation. He was a director of the

. The second and third Baronets were also Directors of the Imperial Tobacco Company. The latter also served as

Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

from 1930 to 1942. The Wills Baronetcy, of Blagdon in the County of Somerset, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 19 July 1923 for

George Alfred Wills Sir George Alfred Wills, 1st Baronet of Blagdon (3 June 1854 – 11 July 1928) was a President of Imperial Tobacco and the head of an eminent Bristol family. He was the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson and was educated at Mill ...

(first cousin once removed of the 1st baronet "of Blagdon", the first creation of 1893 (Baron Winterstoke), who died without issue when his titles became extinct). He was president of the Imperial Tobacco Company. The second Baronet was a director of the Imperial Tobacco Company. The fourth Baronet served as Lord-Lieutenant of Avon and

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_ ...

and as Pro-Chancellor of the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

Wills baronets, of Blagdon (1893)

*see

Wills baronets, of Northmoor and Manor Heath (1897)

Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet (22 November 1838 – 18 February 1909) was a businessman, philanthropist and politician in the United Kingdom. He was a director of W. D. & H. O. Wills, a famous tobacco company headquartered in Bristol which ...

(1838–1909) *see

Wills baronets, of Hazelwood and Clapton-in-Gordano (1904)

Sir Edward Payson Wills, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1834–1910) *

Sir Edward Chaning Wills, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1861–1921) *

Sir Ernest Wills, 3rd Baronet Sir Ernest Salter Wills, 3rd Baronet of Hazelwood & Clapton in-Gordano, Laird of Meggernie Castle CStJ JP (30 November 1869 – 14 January 1958) was Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1930 to 1942. Life The son of Sir Edward Payson Wills, 1st B ...

(1869–1958) *

Sir (Ernest) Edward de Winton Wills, 4th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1903–1983) *

Sir (David) Seton Wills, 5th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(born 1939)

Wills baronets, of Blagdon (1923)

* Sir George Alfred Wills, 1st Baronet (1854–1928) *

Sir George Vernon Proctor Wills, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1887–1931) *

Sir George Peter Vernon Wills, 3rd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(1922–1945) * Sir John Vernon Wills, 4th Baronet (1928–1998) *

Sir David James Vernon Wills, 5th Baronet Sir David James Vernon Wills, 5th Baronet (born 1955) is the 5th Baronet of Blagdon, a title created in 1923 for the president of the Imperial Tobacco Company. Wills is the son of Sir John Vernon Wills, 4th Bt. and Diana Baker. He married Paula H ...

(born 1955)

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *{{Rayment-bt, date=March 2012, W, 2

External links

Sir Ernest Wills, 3rd Baronet
Baronetcies in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Imperial Brands