Baron Northbourne, of Betteshanger in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1884 for Sir Walter James, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

as a

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

. His son, the second Baron, sat as a Liberal Member of Parliament for

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

. The latter's great-grandson, the fifth Baron, who succeeded his father in 1982, was one of the ninety elected

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

s that were allowed to remain in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, and sat as a cross-bencher until his retirement in 2018. , the titles are held by his son, the sixth baron, who succeeded his father in that year. The James baronetcy, of Langley Hall, in the County of Berkshire, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1791 for the first Baron's grandfather Sir Walter James, the last Warden of the Mint. Born Walter James Head, he assumed by Act of Parliament the surname of James only in 1778, on inheriting the estates of his brother William (himself having inherited the estates of their uncle-in-law, John James of Denford Court). His son and heir John James notably served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Netherlands. The latter was the father of the second Baronet, who was raised to the peerage in 1884. The Hon. Cuthbert James, second son of the second Baron, represented

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

in the House of Commons as a Conservative between 1919 and 1930. The first Baron Northbourne was the grandson of Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, making him first cousin twice removed of Sir Winston Churchill, who was the grandson of his first cousin Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane, Duchess of Marlborough. He was also the great grandson of Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden.

James baronets, of Langley Hall (1791)

*Sir Walter James James, 1st Baronet (1759–1829) **John James (died 1818) * Sir Walter Charles James, 2nd Baronet (1816–1893) (created Baron Northbourne in 1884)

Baron Northbourne (1884)

* Walter Charles James, 1st Baron Northbourne (1816–1893) * Walter Henry James, 2nd Baron Northbourne (1846–1923) * Walter John James, 3rd Baron Northbourne (1869–1932) * Walter Ernest Christopher James, 4th Baron Northbourne (1896–1982)Paull, John (2014
Lord Northbourne, the man who invented organic farming, a biography
Journal of Organic Systems, 9 (1), pp. 31–53. * Christopher George Walter James, 5th Baron Northbourne (1926–2019) *Charles Walter Henri James, 6th Baron Northbourne (born 1960) The heir apparent is his elder son, the Hon. Henry Christopher William James (born 1988).

Title succession chart

Line of succession

'' Walter Charles James, 1st Baron Northbourne (1816–1893)'' ** Coronet of a British Baron

'' Walter Henry James, 2nd Baron Northbourne (1846–1923)'' *** Coronet of a British Baron

'' Walter John James, 3rd Baron Northbourne (1869–1932)'' **** Coronet of a British Baron

'' Walter Ernest Christopher James, 4th Baron Northbourne (1896–1982)'' ***** Coronet of a British Baron

'' Christopher George Walter James, 5th Baron Northbourne (1926–2019)'' ****** Coronet of a British Baron

Charles Walter Henri James, 6th Baron Northbourne (born 1960) ******* (1) ''Hon.'' Henry Christopher William James (born 1988) ******* (2) ''Hon.'' Alexander Oliver Charles James (born 1996) ****** (3) ''Hon.'' Anthony Christopher Walter Paul James (born 1963) ******* (4) Edward Christopher William James (born 2001) ****** (5) ''Hon.'' Sebastian Richard Edward Cuthbert James (born 1966) ******* (6) Arthur Sebastian Christopher Hamilton James (born 1999) ******* (7) Alfred Sebastian Anthony Walter James (born 2001) ******* (8) Albert Linus Sebastian Harry James (born 2006) ***''Lt.-Col. Hon. Cuthbert James (1872–1930)'' ****''Maj. Thomas James (1906–1976)'' ***** ''Antony Nigel James (1944–2016) ****** (9) Alexander Robert James (born 1974) ******* (10) Georgie James (born 2001) *** ''Hon. Wilfred James (1874–1908)'' **** ''Henry Norman James (1903–1989)'' ***** (11) John Henry James (born 1947) ****** (12) Nicholas John James (born 1976)

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Northbourne Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1884 Peerages created for UK MPs