Earl of Aylesford, in the County of Kent, is a title 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 re ...

. It was created in 1714 for the lawyer and politician Heneage Finch, 1st Baron Guernsey. He had already been created Baron Guernsey in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in th ...

in 1703. Finch was the younger son of

Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, PC (23 December 162018 December 1682), Lord Chancellor of England, was descended from the old family of Finch, many of whose members had attained high legal eminence, and was the eldest son of Sir Heneage ...

and the great-grandson of Elizabeth Heneage, 1st Countess of Winchilsea. Lord Aylesford's eldest son, the second Earl, represented

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

in Parliament. In 1712, he married Mary Fisher, daughter of Sir Clement Fisher, 3rd Baronet. Through this marriage Packington Hall in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

came into the Finch family. Their son, the third Earl, sat as a

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 o ...

for

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

and

. His eldest son, the fourth Earl, represented

Castle Rising Castle Rising is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some north-east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich. The River Babingley skirts the north of the village separating C ...

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. T ...

, and after entering the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

on his father's death, served as

Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK Government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is The 9th Earl of Courtown, who was appointed to the position ...

from 1783 to 1804 and as Lord Steward of the Household from 1804 to 1812. His second but eldest surviving son, the fifth Earl, was a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

for Weobly. His son, the sixth Earl, represented South Warwickshire in Parliament as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. His grandson, the tenth Earl, assumed by Royal licence his grandmother's maiden surname of Knightley in addition to that of Finch. His son, the eleventh Earl, served as

Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands since the creation of that office on 1 April 1974. *Charles Ian Finch-Knightley, 11th Earl of Aylesford 1 April 1974 – 1993 * Sir Robert Richard Taylor 16 December 1 ...

. , the titles are held by the latter's son, who succeeded in 2008. The Hon. Charles Finch, younger son of the third Earl, was Member of Parliament for Maidstone. His son Charles Griffith-Wynne (who assumed the surname of Griffith-Wynne in lieu of his patronymic), was Member of Parliament for

Caernarvonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

. His son

Charles Wynne Charles Griffith Wynne (14 August 1815 – 3 March 1874), later known as Charles Wynne-Finch, was a Liberal Tory politician and a Member of Parliament for Caernarfon. Early life Wynne was born in London in 1815. He was the oldest son of Charles ...

sat as Member of Parliament for Caernarvon. The family seat is Packington Hall, near Meriden,

Earls of Aylesford (1714)

Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford, PC, KC (22 July 1719) was an English lawyer and statesman. Early life Finch was second son of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham and the former Elizabeth Hervey (eldest daughter of Daniel Hervey). H ...

(1649–1719) *

Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford (1683–1757) was a British peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Lord Guernsey from 1714 to 1719. Origins He was the son and heir of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford (died 1719). Career From ...

(1683–1757) *

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford (6 November 1715 – 9 May 1777), styled Lord Guernsey between 1719 and 1757, was a British peer and politician. Background and education Finch was the son and heir of Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford ...

(1715–1777) *

Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford, PC, FRS, FSA (4 July 1751 – 21 October 1812), styled Lord Guernsey between 1757 and 1777, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772 to 1777 when he succeeded to a peerage. He ...

(1751–1812) **Charles Finch, Lord Guernsey (d. 1784) *

Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford (24 April 1786 – 3 January 1859) was a British peer, the eldest son of Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford. He was styled Lord Guernsey until he succeeded his father in 1812. Aylesford married in 1821 Augu ...

(1786–1859) *

Heneage Finch, 6th Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 6th Earl of Aylesford DL (24 December 1824 – 10 January 1871), styled Lord Guernsey until 1859, was a British peer and politician. Background Born in Packington, Warwickshire, Aylesford was the son of Heneage Finch, 5th Earl ...

(1824–1871) *Heneage Finch, 7th Earl of Aylesford (1849–1885), son. He married 1871 Edith Peers-Williams (d. 1897), a daughter of Lt.-Col.

Thomas Peers Williams Lt.-Col. Thomas Peers Williams (27 March 1795 – 8 September 1875) was MP for Great Marlow from 1820 to 1868. He was Father of the House of Commons from December 1867 to 1868. Early life Williams was the son of Owen Williams (1764–1832), MP ...

, MP for Great Marlow 1820–1868 and Father of the House of Commons December 1867 – 1868, of Craig-y-Don near Beaumaris on Anglesey and Temple House, near Marlow. They had issue, two daughters. The Earl was separated from his wife in 1877, after which she bore an illegitimate son, later known as Guy Bertrand (b.1881) whose father was

George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (born 28 July 1992), styled as Earl of Sunderland until 2014, is a British aristocrat and polo player. He is a model and brand ambassador for La Martina, an Argentinean polo clothin ...

, later 8th Duke of Marlborough. This son, baptized not until 1883 as a son of the 7th Earl, claimed the earldom (the claim was made presumably by his mother or maternal relatives), but was refused by the House of Lords in July 1885. The 7th Earl was succeeded in 1885 by his brother. *Charles Wightwick Finch, 8th Earl of Aylesford (1851–1924), brother. He married, firstly 1873, Hon. Georgiana Agnes Bagot, daughter of William Bagot, 3rd Baron Bagot. He married, secondly 16 April 1879 Marcella Araminta Victoria Linton, née Ross (d. 1930), daughter of John Ross and widow of Captain John Wingfield Linton (by whom issue, one daughter Lady Brinckman); they had issue three sons and two daughters. He was succeeded by his grandson, only child of his eldest son Heneage Greville Finch, Lord Guernsey (1883–1914) killed in action in WW I. *Heneage Michael Charles Finch, 9th Earl of Aylesford (31 October 1908 – 28 May 1940), grandson of 8th Earl, killed in action in WW II. He married 18 April 1940 (as her second husband) Pamela Elizabeth Coventry (16 October 1901 – 4 May 1990), elder daughter of the cricketer Colonel Hon. Charles John Coventry (1867–1929) (second son of

George Coventry, 9th Earl of Coventry George William Coventry, 9th Earl of Coventry, (9 May 1838 – 13 March 1930), styled Viscount Deerhurst from November 1838 until 1843, was a British Conservative politician. He was Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms between 1877 and 1880 and again ...

) and former wife of James George Greville Dugdale (1898–1964) of Wroxall Abbey, Warwick, Warwickshire, but had no issue by her (one stepdaughter). The earldom passed upon his death to his uncle. *Charles Daniel Finch-Knightley, 10th Earl of Aylesford (23 August 1886 – 20 March 1958), uncle. He married Aileen Boyle (d. 30 August 1977), daughter of William McCormac Boyle, in 1918 and had issue two sons. *

Charles Ian Finch-Knightley, 11th Earl of Aylesford Charles Ian Finch-Knightley, 11th Earl of Aylesford, (2 November 1918 – 19 February 2008), styled Lord Guernsey between 1940 and 1958, was a British peer. Biography Lord Aylesford was the elder son of Earl of Aylesford, Charles Finch-Knightle ...

(1918–2008), son. *Charles Finch-Knightley, 12th Earl of Aylesford (born 1947)

Present peer

Heneage Charles Finch-Knightley, 12th Earl of Aylesford (born 27 March 1947) is the son of the 11th Earl and his wife Margaret Rosemary Tyer. Styled as Lord Guernsey from 1958, he was educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. Peter W. Hammond, ed., ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition rev ...

'', Volume XIV (Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998), p. 54 He is also now known as Charles Aylesford. In 1986, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands and in 1990 was promoted to Vice-

Lord-Lieutenant 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 responsibilit ...

of the West Midlands, from which post he retired in 2015. On 19 February 2008 he succeeded his father as Earl of Aylesford and Baron Guernsey."Aylesford, 12th Earl of (Charles Heneage Finch-Knightley) (born 27 March 1947) Vice Lord-Lieutenant for West Midlands, 1990–2015" in ''Who’s Who'', online edition, revised 1 December 2022, accessed 26 January 2023 In 1971 Lord Guernsey, as he then was, married Penelope Anstice Crawley, daughter of Kenneth Arnold Gibbs Crawley and a niece of

Aidan Crawley Aidan Merivale Crawley (10 April 1908 – 3 November 1993) was a British journalist, television executive and editor, and politician. He was a member of both of Britain's major political parties: the Labour Party and Conservative Party, and wa ...

, and they had four daughters and one son:Descendants of the Conqueror: Clarence 25
accesssed 10 December 2008 *Lady Rachel Louise Finch-Knightley (born 1974) *Lady Kate Pamela Finch-Knightley (born 1974) *Lady Alexandra Rosemary Finch-Knightley (born 1977) *Lady Laura Charlotte Finch-Knightley (born 1982) *Heneage James Daniel Finch-Knightley, Lord Guernsey (born 1985),

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

. In 1997 Lord Guernsey and his family were living at Packington Hall, Meriden.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aylesford Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain 1714 establishments in Great Britain * Noble titles created in 1714