Baron Farnham
Encyclopedia
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. It was created in 1756 for John Maxwell
John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham
John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham was an Irish peer and politician.He was a Member of Parliament of the Irish House of Commons for Cavan County from 1727 to 1756...
, who had previously represented Cavan Borough
Cavan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Cavan Borough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1611 to 1800.Between 1725 and 1793 Catholics and those married to Catholics could not vote.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...
in the Irish House of Commons
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...
. John Maxwell's son, the second Baron, was created Viscount Farnham in 1760 and Earl of Farnham in 1763. Both titles were in the Peerage of Ireland but became extinct when he died childless in 1779. His brother and successor, the third Baron, was again created Viscount Farnham in 1781 and Earl of Farnham in 1785. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland. His son, the second Earl, sat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as an Irish Representative Peer
Representative peer
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...
from 1816 to 1823. However, he had no children and on his death in 1823 the viscountcy
Viscountcy
Viscountcy may refer to:* The office or title of a Viscount* Viscountcy of Béarn...
and earldom became extinct.
He was succeeded in the barony by his first cousin, the fifth Baron. He was the eldest son of The Most Rev. The Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Henry Maxwell, Lord Bishop of Meath, third son of the first Baron. Lord Farnham sat as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for County Cavan and was an Irish Representative Peer in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
from 1825 to 1838. His nephew, the seventh Baron (who succeeded his father in 1838), also represented County Cavan in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and served as an Irish Representative Peer between 1839 and 1868. Lord Farnham and his wife were killed in the Abergele train disaster
Abergele train disaster
The Abergele rail disaster, which took place near the town of Abergele, on the north coast of Wales in 1868, was, at the time, the worst railway disaster yet in Britain, and also the most alarming. The Railway News said of it...
of 1868. The title then passed to his younger brother, the eighth Baron, who had earlier represented County Cavan in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
He was succeeded by another brother, the ninth Baron, who also sat as a Member of Parliament for County Cavan. In 1885 he succeeded a distant relative as eleventh Baronet of Calderwood (see Maxwell Baronets
Maxwell Baronets
-Maxwell of Calderwood:The Maxwell Baronetcy of Calderwood was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1627.The Baronetage of Nova Scotia was devised in 1624 as a means of settling the plantation of that province...
for earlier history of this title). On his death the titles passed to his nephew, the tenth Baron. He served as Lord Lieutenant of County Cavan
Lord Lieutenant of Cavan
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Cavan. The office was created on 23 August 1831.* Thomas Taylour, 2nd Marquess of Headfort 17 October 1831 – 6 December 1870* John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar 3 April 1871 – 6 October 1876...
and was briefly an Irish Representative Peer from 1898 until his early death in 1900. His son, the eleventh Baron, sat in the House of Lords as an Irish Representative Peer from 1908 to 1957. the titles are held by his grandson, the thirteenth Baron and fifteenth Baronet, who succeeded his elder brother in 2001. Lord Farnham is the son of Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Somerset Arthur Maxwell
Somerset Arthur Maxwell
Hon. Somerset Arthur Maxwell was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.- Family :Eldest son of Arthur Kenlis Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham...
. The current Baron lives in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
The Farnhams are remembered in the name of one of the main streets in Cavan town, Farnham Street, as well as in the name of a hotel, The Farnham Arms, which has the family crest with inscription Je suis pret (I am ready) above the door. The Farnham demesne (Farnham Hall) has (per 2011) been transformed into a Radisson-SAS hotel, although the agricultural estate is currently (2008) owned by Mr Roy McCabe, who purchased the Farnham Estate shortly after the demise of the 12th Baron Farnham in 2001.
As of 30 June 2006, the present holder of the barony has not successfully proven his succession to the baronetcy and is therefore not on the Official Roll of the Baronetage. However, the case is under review by the Registrar of the Baronetage (for more information follow this external link).
Barons Farnham (1756)
- John Maxwell, 1st Baron FarnhamJohn Maxwell, 1st Baron FarnhamJohn Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham was an Irish peer and politician.He was a Member of Parliament of the Irish House of Commons for Cavan County from 1727 to 1756...
(d. 1759) - Robert Maxwell, 2nd Baron FarnhamRobert Maxwell, 1st Earl of FarnhamRobert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC , styled The Honourable Robert Maxwell from 1756 to 1759, was an Irish peer and a Member of both the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland.-Background and education:...
(d. 1779) (created Earl of Farnham in 1763)
Earls of Farnham, First Creation (1763)
- Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham, 2nd Baron FarnhamRobert Maxwell, 1st Earl of FarnhamRobert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC , styled The Honourable Robert Maxwell from 1756 to 1759, was an Irish peer and a Member of both the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland.-Background and education:...
(d. 1779)
Barons Farnham (1756; Reverted)
- Barry Maxwell, 3rd Baron FarnhamBarry Maxwell, 1st Earl of FarnhamBarry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC , styled The Honourable Barry Maxwell from 1756 to 1779, was an Irish peer and politician.-Political career:...
(d. 1800) (created Earl of Farnham in 1785)
Earls of Farnham, Second Creation (1785)
- Barry Maxwell, 1st Earl of FarnhamBarry Maxwell, 1st Earl of FarnhamBarry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC , styled The Honourable Barry Maxwell from 1756 to 1779, was an Irish peer and politician.-Political career:...
(d. 1800) - John James Maxwell, 2nd Earl of Farnham (1760–1823
Barons Farnham (1756; Reverted)
- John Maxwell-Barry, 5th Baron FarnhamJohn Maxwell-Barry, 5th Baron FarnhamJohn Maxwell-Barry, 5th Baron Farnham PC was an Irish Representative peer and politician.He was the son of Henry Maxwell, Lord Bishop of Meath, and grandson of John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham...
(1767–1838) - Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron FarnhamHenry Maxwell, 6th Baron FarnhamThe Reverend Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham was an Irish peer and Church of Ireland clergyman.He was the son of Henry Maxwell, Bishop of Meath, and grandson of John Maxwell, 1st Baron Farnham...
(1774–1838) - Henry Maxwell, 7th Baron FarnhamHenry Maxwell, 7th Baron FarnhamHenry Maxwell, 7th Baron Farnham KP was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament.Farnham was the son of Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham, and Lady Anne Butler. He was elected to the House of Commons for County Cavan in 1824, a seat he continued to represent until 1838...
(1799–1868) - Somerset Richard Maxwell, 8th Baron FarnhamSomerset Maxwell, 8th Baron FarnhamSomerset Richard Maxwell, 8th Baron Farnham was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament.He was the son of Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham and Lady Anne Butler....
(1803–1884) - James Pierce Maxwell, 9th Baron FarnhamJames Maxwell, 9th Baron FarnhamJames Pierce Maxwell, 9th Baron Farnham was an Irish peer, Nova Scotia baronet and Member of Parliament.He was the son of Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham and Lady Anne Butler. He became a Member of Parliament for County Cavan on 17 February 1843...
(1813–1896) - Somerset Henry Maxwell, 10th Baron FarnhamSomerset Maxwell, 10th Baron FarnhamSomerset Henry Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham was an Irish Representative peer and a Nova Scotia baronet.He was the son of Richard Thomas Maxwell, and grandson of Henry Maxwell, 6th Baron Farnham. He married Lady Florence Jane Taylour, daughter of Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort and Amelia...
(1849–1900) - Arthur Kenlis Maxwell, 11th Baron FarnhamArthur Maxwell, 11th Baron FarnhamArthur Kenlis Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham was an Irish Representative peer and a Nova Scotia baronet.He was the son of Somerset Maxwell, 10th Baron Farnham and Lady Florence Jane Taylour. On his father's death, he succeeded as 11th Baron Farnham and 14th Baronet of Calderwood on the 22 November 1900...
(1879–1957) - Barry Owen Somerset Maxwell, 12th Baron FarnhamBarry Maxwell, 12th Baron FarnhamThe Rt. Hon. Barry Owen Somerset Maxwell, 12th Baron Farnham , was an Irish peer and a Nova Scotia baronet.The 12th Lord Farnham was the son of Somerset Arthur Maxwell, and grandson of Arthur Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham. He was educated at Eton and Harvard Business School...
(1931–2001) - Simon Kenlis Maxwell, 13th Baron FarnhamSimon Maxwell, 13th Baron FarnhamThe Rt. Hon. Simon Kenlis Maxwell, 13th Baron Farnham , holds an Irish peerage title.The current Lord Farnham is the son of Somerset Arthur Maxwell, and grandson of Arthur Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham. He married on the 5 May 1964 to Karol Ann Prior-Palmer , daughter of Maj.-Gen. George Erroll...
(b. 1933)