Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry ( ), is a title in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

History

The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh, of Castlereagh in the County of Down, in 1795 and Earl of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry, in 1796. These titles are also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was the son of Alexander Stewart, who had married Mary Cowan, sister and heiress of Robert Cowan, who gained great wealth as

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

from 1729 to 1737. Alexander was from Ballylawn, a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

at the south-west corner of

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

in the north of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the west of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

in the northern part of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. However, much of the Stewart family's wealth was based on the estates which came into the family through this marriage. The 1st Marquess was one of the few people to become a Marquess without inheriting any titles prior to the creation. He sat in the

British 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 Westminster in ...

as one of the twenty-eight original

Irish Representative Peers In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. Until 1999, all members of the Peerage of England held the right to ...

from 1800 to 1821. He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage to Lady Sarah Seymour. The 2nd Marquess, better known as

Lord Castlereagh Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh ( ) by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Anglo-Irish politician ...

(he went by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

of Viscount Castlereagh from 1796 to 1821), was a noted statesman and diplomat. Castlereagh is best remembered for his tenure as

Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

from 1812 to 1822 and played an important role at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

of 1814 to 1815. He committed suicide in 1822, one year after succeeding his father in the marquessate. The 2nd Marquess did not follow his father as a Representative Peer into the House of Lords, this permitted him to continue fulfilling his roles in the House of Commons. Castlereagh was succeeded by his half-brother, the 3rd Marquess. He was the only son from the 1st Marquess's second marriage to Lady Frances Pratt, daughter of

Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, PC (baptised 21 March 1714 – 18 April 1794) was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl Camden. As a lawyer and judge he was a leading proponent of civil liberties, ...

. He was a General in the Army and like his elder half-brother a prominent politician and diplomat. Lord Londonderry served as

Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. In 1801 the offices of Under-Secretary of State for War and Und ...

from 1807 to 1809, fought in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and was Ambassador to Austria from 1814 to 1823. In 1814 he was created Baron Stewart, of Stewart's Court and Ballylawn in County Donegal, in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

. In 1819 Londonderry married as his second wife Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (died 1865), daughter and wealthy heiress of Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, through which marriage substantial estates in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

came into the Stewart family. He assumed the additional surname of Vane on his marriage and in 1823 he was created Viscount Seaham, of Seaham in the County Palatine of Durham, and Earl Vane, with remainder to the male issue of his second marriage. These titles are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Lord Londonderry was succeeded in the viscountcy of Seaham and earldom of Vane according to the special remainder by his eldest son from his second marriage while he was succeeded in the Irish titles and the barony of Stewart by his son from his first marriage to Lady Catherine Bligh, the 4th Marquess. He died childless in 1872 and was succeeded by his half-brother, the 5th Marquess, who had already succeeded his father as second Earl Vane in 1854. He represented

Durham North Durham North may refer to: * Durham North (Ontario provincial electoral district) Durham North may refer to: * Durham North (Ontario provincial electoral district) * Durham North (UK Parliament constituency) * Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ...

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. ...

and served as

Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Durham. * Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland 1552–? *Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon 2 August 1586 – 1595 *''vacant'' *Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset 4 Februar ...

. In 1851 the 5th Marquess assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Tempest. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest son, the 6th Marquess. He was 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 i ...

politician and held office in the administrations of

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

and Arthur Balfour as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, as United Kingdom Postmaster General, Postmaster General, as President of the Board of Education, as Lord Privy Seal and as Lord President of the Council. In 1885 he assumed by Royal licence the additional and principal surname of Stewart. He was succeeded by his son, the 7th Marquess, who was also a Conservative politician. He had a career in both Irish and British politics but is best known for his role as Secretary of State for Air from 1931 to 1935. Lord Londonderry subsequently gained notoriety for his informal diplomatic contacts with senior members of the German government. He made six visits to Nazi Germany between January 1936 and September 1938 meeting Adolf Hitler on a number of occasions and sympathising with some of his viewpoints. His wife Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry, was an influential society hostess remembered for her close friendship with Ramsay MacDonald. Lord Londonderry was succeeded by his son, the 8th Marquess. He represented County Down (UK Parliament constituency), County Down in the House of Commons as a Conservative from 1931 to 1945. The heir apparent to the marquessate is styled ''Viscount Castlereagh'', although the Marquess is also the Earl Vane, and the heir apparent's heir apparent, when such exists, is styled ''Lord Stewart" Between 1823 and 1854 and between 1872 and 1999, the Marquesses of Londonderry sat in the House of Lords as ''The Earl Vane''. Between 1822 and 1823 and between 1854 and 1872, they sat as ''The Lord Stewart''.

Residences

The principal family seats were Mount Stewart, near Newtownards,

, Northern Ireland, and the Wynyard Park, County Durham, Wynyard Park estate in

. Other properties included Seaham Hall in County Durham, as well as Londonderry House on Park Lane in London (where the Londonderry Hotel was later located), and Plas Machynlleth in mid-Wales.

Marquesses of Londonderry (1816)

*Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry (1739–1821) *Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (1769–1822) *Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Charles William Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778–1854) *Frederick Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry, Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry (1805–1872) *George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, George Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry (1821–1884) Shield of arms of Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCVO, CB, PC, JP, DL

Shield of arms of Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCVO, CB, PC, JP, DL

*Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry (1852–1915) *Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949) *Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry, Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955) *Alistair Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry, Alexander Charles Robert "Alistair" Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry (1937–2012)"The Marquess of Londonderry"
''Daily Telegraph'', 20 June 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012. *Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 1972) The 4th Marquess did not inherit the Seaham viscountcy and Vane earldom as he was not issue by the 3rd Marquess' second wife. The remainder only applies to the male issue of the 3rd Marquess' second marriage. The heir presumptive is his brother Lord Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 1977).
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son Robin Gabriel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 2004).

Line of Succession

''Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, 1st Earl of Londonderry, 1st Viscount Castlereagh, 1st Baron Londonderry (1739–1821) [Rep. Peer 1801 - 1821, Richard Wingfield, 5th Viscount Powerscourt, Viscount Powerscourt took his room]'' ** Coronet of a British Marquess

''Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, 2nd Earl of Londonderry, 2nd Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd Baron Londonderry (1769–1822)'' ** Coronet of a British Marquess

''Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, 1st Earl Vane, 1st Viscount Seaham, 1st Baron Stewart (1778–1854)'' *** Coronet of a British Marquess

''George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, George Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, 2nd Earl Vane, 2nd Viscount Seaham, 3rd Baron Stewart (1821–1884)'' **** Coronet of a British Marquess

''Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry (1852–1915)'' ***** Coronet of a British Marquess

''Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949)'' ****** Coronet of a British Marquess

''Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry, Edward Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955)'' ******* Coronet of a British Marquess

''Alistair Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry, Alexander Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry (1937–2012)'' ******** Coronet of a British Marquess

Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 1972) ******** (1) ''Lord'' Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 1977) ********* (2) Robin Gabriel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 2004) *** ''Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest, Lt-Col Lord Adolphus Frederick Charles William Vane-Tempest (1825–1864)'' **** ''Major Francis Adolphus Vane-Tempest (1863–1932)'' ***** ''Francis Charles Joseph Vane-Tempest (1911–1994)'' ****** ''Richard Conyers Vane-Tempest (1941–2012)'' ******* (3) Michael Vane-Tempest ****** (4) Peregrine Francis Edmund Vane-Tempest (b. 1947) *** ''Lord Ernest McDonnell Vane-Tempest (1836–1885)'' **** ''Charles Henry Vane-Tempest (1871–1899)'' ***** ''Ernest Charles William Vane-Tempest (1894–1957)'' ****** ''Charles Stewart McDonnell Vane-Tempest (1921–2008)'' ******* (5) Charles Stewart Martin St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1950) ******** (6) Christopher James Stewart St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1978) ******** (7) James Alexander Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 1981) ********* (8) George Frederick Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 2012) ********* (9) Harry John Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 2014) ******* (10) Charles Erkki William Vane-Tempest (b. 1958) ******* (11) Donald John Ernest Vane-Tempest (b. 1961) ******** (12) Thomas Christopher Vane-Tempest (b. 1986) ******* (13) Harold Michael St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1962) ****** (14) Robert Leak ( Vane Tempest Stewart ) .(1960)

Notes

References

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

External links

European Heraldry page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Londonderry Marquessates in the Peerage of Ireland Vane-Tempest-Stewart family Noble titles created in 1816