Baron Arlington
Encyclopedia
Baron Arlington is a title in the Peerage of England
. In 1664, it was created for Sir Henry Bennet
, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston
, with a special remainder allowing it to descend to male and female heirs, rather than only male heirs, as was customary with most peerages. In 1672, he was made Earl of Arlington and Viscount Thetford, and was regranted the title of Baron Arlington, with the same special remainder.
The first Earl died without male heirs, so the titles went to his daughter Isabella, Duchess of Grafton. At age four, Isabella was married off to the nine-year old Duke of Grafton
, an illegitimate son of King Charles II
. After the death of the couple, Charles FitzRoy, their son, came to hold both the Arlington and Grafton titles. The two sets of titles continued united until the death of the ninth Duke in a racecar accident in 1936. The dukedom passed to a cousin, while all of the Arlington titles fell into abeyance
between his two sisters, neither of whom petitioned the Sovereign to terminate the abeyance. After the death of the elder sister, her elder daughter Jennifer did petition the Crown, and the abeyance of the barony of Arlington was terminated in her favour. The earldom of Arlington, however, remains abeyant, along with the viscountcy of Thetford. These titles offer one of the few examples of a peerage other than a barony falling into abeyance, another case being that of the earldom of Cromartie
in 1893.
The heir apparent
is the present holder's elder son, the Hon. Patrick John Dudley Forwood (b. 1967). The heir apparent's heir presumptive is his younger brother, the Hon. James Roland Nelson Forwood (b. 1969).
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....
. In 1664, it was created for Sir Henry Bennet
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington KG, PC was an English statesman.- Background and early life :He was the son of Sir John Bennet of Dawley, Middlesex, and of Dorothy Crofts. He was the younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston; his sister was Elizabeth Bennet who married Robert Kerr,...
, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston
John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston
-Life:His father was also Sir John Bennet and his mother was Dorothy Crofts. His younger brother was Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. He sat as MP for Wallingford, Oxfordshire. He was made a knight at the coronation of Charles II. He was created Lord Ossulston, Baron Ossulston in 1682 to...
, with a special remainder allowing it to descend to male and female heirs, rather than only male heirs, as was customary with most peerages. In 1672, he was made Earl of Arlington and Viscount Thetford, and was regranted the title of Baron Arlington, with the same special remainder.
The first Earl died without male heirs, so the titles went to his daughter Isabella, Duchess of Grafton. At age four, Isabella was married off to the nine-year old Duke of Grafton
Duke of Grafton
Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy...
, an illegitimate son of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. After the death of the couple, Charles FitzRoy, their son, came to hold both the Arlington and Grafton titles. The two sets of titles continued united until the death of the ninth Duke in a racecar accident in 1936. The dukedom passed to a cousin, while all of the Arlington titles fell into abeyance
Abeyance
Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...
between his two sisters, neither of whom petitioned the Sovereign to terminate the abeyance. After the death of the elder sister, her elder daughter Jennifer did petition the Crown, and the abeyance of the barony of Arlington was terminated in her favour. The earldom of Arlington, however, remains abeyant, along with the viscountcy of Thetford. These titles offer one of the few examples of a peerage other than a barony falling into abeyance, another case being that of the earldom of Cromartie
Earl of Cromartie
Earl of Cromartie is a title that has been created twice, both times for members of the Mackenzie family. This branch of the family descends from Sir Roderick Mackenzie, whose elder brother Kenneth Mackenzie was created Lord Mackenzie of Kintail in 1609 and was the father of Colin Mackenzie, 1st...
in 1893.
Barons Arlington (1664)
- Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of ArlingtonHenry Bennet, 1st Earl of ArlingtonHenry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington KG, PC was an English statesman.- Background and early life :He was the son of Sir John Bennet of Dawley, Middlesex, and of Dorothy Crofts. He was the younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston; his sister was Elizabeth Bennet who married Robert Kerr,...
(1618–1685) - Isabella FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton, 2nd Countess of ArlingtonIsabella FitzRoy, Duchess of GraftonIsabella Bennet FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington and Duchess of Grafton was a British peeress and heiress.-Family and marriage:...
(c. 1668–1723) - Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, 3rd Earl of ArlingtonCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of GraftonCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton KG PC was an Irish and English politician.He was born the only child of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington...
(1683–1757) - Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, 4th Earl of ArlingtonAugustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of GraftonAugustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC , styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era...
(1735–1811) - George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, 5th Earl of ArlingtonGeorge FitzRoy, 4th Duke of GraftonGeorge Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, KG was a British peer and Whig politician, known as Earl of Euston from birth until 1811....
(1760–1844) - Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton, 6th Earl of ArlingtonHenry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton was the son of George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton and Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave, daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave....
(1790–1863) - William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton, 7th Earl of ArlingtonWilliam FitzRoy, 6th Duke of GraftonWilliam Henry Fitzroy, 6th Duke of Grafton , known from 1847 to 1863 by his courtesy title Earl of Euston, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician....
(1819–1882) - Augustus FitzRoy, 7th Duke of Grafton, 8th Earl of ArlingtonAugustus FitzRoy, 7th Duke of GraftonAugustus Charles Lennox FitzRoy, 7th Duke of Grafton KG CB , known as Lord Augustus FitzRoy before 1882, was the second son of the 5th Duke of Grafton and his wife, Mary Caroline, daughter of Admiral the Hon Sir George Cranfield-Berkeley.On 9 June 1847, he married Anna Balfour and had four...
(1821–1918) - Alfred FitzRoy, 8th Duke of Grafton, 9th Earl of ArlingtonAlfred FitzRoy, 8th Duke of GraftonAlfred William Maitland FitzRoy, 8th Duke of Grafton , styled Lord Alfred FitzRoy between 1882 and 1912 and Earl of Euston between 1912 and 1918, was the son of the 7th Duke of Grafton and his wife Anna Balfour, daughter of James Balfour [and aunt of Arthur Balfour].He married, firstly, Margaret...
(1850–1930) - John FitzRoy, 9th Duke of Grafton, 10th Earl of ArlingtonJohn FitzRoy, 9th Duke of GraftonJohn Charles William Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton was a British peer, known from 1914-30 as Lord Sudbury....
(1914–1936) (abeyant 1936) - Jennifer Forwood, 11th Baroness ArlingtonJennifer Forwood, 11th Baroness ArlingtonJennifer Jane Forwood, 11th Baroness Arlington is the daughter of General Sir Eustace John Blois Nelson and Lady Margaret Jane Fitzroy , the sister of the 9th Duke of Grafton....
(b. 1939) (abeyance terminated 1999)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's elder son, the Hon. Patrick John Dudley Forwood (b. 1967). The heir apparent's heir presumptive is his younger brother, the Hon. James Roland Nelson Forwood (b. 1969).
Co-heirs to the earldom of Arlington and the viscountcy of Thetford
- Jennifer Forwood, 11th Baroness ArlingtonJennifer Forwood, 11th Baroness ArlingtonJennifer Jane Forwood, 11th Baroness Arlington is the daughter of General Sir Eustace John Blois Nelson and Lady Margaret Jane Fitzroy , the sister of the 9th Duke of Grafton....
(b. 1939) - Sir Frederick Sebastian CholmeleyCholmeley BaronetsThere have been two Baronetcies created for people with the surname Cholmeley, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008....
(b. 1968) - Linda Jane Auriol Williams (b. 1947)