Earl of Jersey
Encyclopedia
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....
. It was created in 1697 for the statesman Edward Villiers, 1st Viscount Villiers
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey son of Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond and Frances Howard, the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk and Elizabeth Hume, was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of Jersey in 1697.His grandfather, Sir Edward...
, Ambassador to France from 1698 to 1699 and Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
from 1699 to 1700. He had already been created Baron Villiers, of Hoo in the County of Kent, and Viscount Villiers, of Dartford in the County of Kent, in 1691, also in the Peerage of England. A member of the prominent Villiers family, he was the grandson of Sir Edward Villiers, brother of Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet, of Brooksby, and half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
, Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey
Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey
Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey , known at court as Kit Villiers, was an English courtier, Gentleman of the Bedchamber and later Master of the Robes to King James I...
and John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He represented Kent
Kent (UK Parliament constituency)
Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290...
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...
from 1705 to 1708. On his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the third Earl. In 1766 he succeeded his second cousin John Villiers, 1st Earl Grandison, as sixth Viscount Grandison
Viscount Grandison
Viscount Grandison of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for Sir Oliver St John, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, with special remainder to the male issue of his niece Barbara, wife of Sir Edward Villiers, elder half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham,...
through a special remainder in the letters patent.
His son, the fourth Earl, was a politician and served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is an officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He or she is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Vice-Chamberlain's main role is to compile...
, as Master of the Buckhounds
Master of the Buckhounds
The Master of the Buckhounds was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. It was a political office, so the holder, who was always a nobleman, changed with every change of government. The office...
and as Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Earl. He was a Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
politician and served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
. Lord Jersey married Sarah Sophia (d. 1867), daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland KG, PC , styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal.-Background:Westmorland was the son of John Fane, 9th...
, and his wife Sarah Anne (d. 1793), daughter of Robert Child. Through this marriage the private bank Child & Co
Child & Co
Child & Co. is a private banking house in the United Kingdom, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. It is based at 1 Fleet Street in the City of London....
came into the Villiers family. In 1819 Lord Jersey assumed by Royal license the additional surname of Child. On his death the titles passed to his son, the sixth Earl. He sat as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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 Rochester
Rochester (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
, Minehead
Minehead (UK Parliament constituency)
Minehead was a parliamentary borough in Somerset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1563 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.- MPs 1563–1629 :...
, Honiton
Honiton (UK Parliament constituency)
Honiton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Honiton in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sent members intermittently from 1300, consistently from 1640. It elected two Members of Parliament until it was...
and Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...
and Cirencester
Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)
Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885...
. He succeeded in the earldom on 3 October 1859 and died on 24 October 1859, having held the title for only twenty-one days. Lord Jersey married Julia, daughter of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, in 1841.
He was succeeded by his son, the seventh Earl. He served in the second Conservative administration
Conservative Government 1886-1892
Principal source: C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900...
of Lord Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
as Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
from 1889 to 1890 and was Governor of New South Wales from 1890 to 1893. On his death in 1915 the titles passed to his eldest son, the eighth Earl. He served briefly under David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
as a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
(government whip 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 January to August 1919. In 1923 he sold Child & Co
Child & Co
Child & Co. is a private banking house in the United Kingdom, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. It is based at 1 Fleet Street in the City of London....
to Glyn, Mills & Co. His son, the ninth Earl, was a Major in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(TA). the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the tenth Earl, who succeeded in 1998. He is the eldest son of George Henry Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1948–1998), eldest son of the ninth Earl. Lord Jersey is an actor, writer and producer, known professionally as William Villiers.
Another member of the family to gain distinction was the Hon. Thomas Villiers
Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Family:Clarendon was the second son of William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey and his wife Judith Herne, daughter of Frederick Herne....
, second son of the second Earl. He was created Earl of Clarendon
Earl of Clarendon
Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1661 for the statesman Edward Hyde, 1st Baron Hyde...
in 1776 (see this title for more information on this branch of the family).
In April 1716, two Jacobite
Jacobite peerage
After the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
earldoms of Jersey were created by the Old Pretender
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
, the first for the widow of the first Earl of the 1697 creation, and the other for their eldest son (who succeeded as second Earl of the 1697 creation) with the subsidiary titles Viscount Dartford and Baron Hoo. The first became extinct on the Countess's death in 1735.
The heirs 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....
to the earldom alternate the use of the two viscomital titles as their courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
. The tenth Earl was briefly styled Viscount Grandison between the deaths of his father, Viscount Villiers
George Henry Child Villiers, Viscount Villiers
George Henry Child Villiers, Viscount Villiers was the first son of George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey....
, and his grandfather, the ninth Earl, and so the next heir is therefore likely to be styled Viscount Villiers.
The family surname, Child Villiers, is technically unhyphenated; however, interestingly, the birth certificate of the current Earl lists Child Villiers as hyphenated and therefore the name is now hyphenated. The second part of it is pronounced "Villers", and it is commonly mispronounced.
The Earls of Jersey are also in remainder of the title of duke of Marlborough, for being descendants of one of the daughters of his daughters, by primogeniture, and their heirs male of the 1st Duke.
Earls of Jersey (1697)
- Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of JerseyEdward Villiers, 1st Earl of JerseyEdward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey son of Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond and Frances Howard, the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk and Elizabeth Hume, was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of Jersey in 1697.His grandfather, Sir Edward...
(1656–1711) - William Villiers, 2nd Earl of JerseyWilliam Villiers, 2nd Earl of JerseyWilliam Villers, 2nd Earl of Jersey , known as Viscount Villiers from 1697 to 1711, was an English peerJersey was the son of Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey, and his wife Barbara . He represented Kent in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708...
(d. 1721) - William Villiers, 3rd Earl of JerseyWilliam Villiers, 3rd Earl of JerseyWilliam Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey PC was an English peer, the son of William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey.Among other achievements, Villiers was a founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital, a charity which received its royal charter on 17 October 1739 to operate an orphanage for abandoned...
(d. 1769)- Frederick William Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1734–1742)
- George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of JerseyGeorge Villiers, 4th Earl of JerseyGeorge Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey PC was a member of the British and Irish peerage and a courtier in the court of George III.-Parliament:...
(1735–1805) - George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey (1773–1859)
- George Augustus Frederick Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey (1808–1859)
- Victor Albert George Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey (1845–1915)
- George Henry Robert Child Child Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey (1873–1923)
- George Francis Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910–1998)
- George Henry Child-Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1948–1998)
- (George Francis) William Child Villiers, 10th Earl of JerseyWilliam Villiers, 10th Earl of JerseyGeorge Francis William Child Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey , known professionally as William Villiers, is a British peer, and former producer, actor and writer....
(b. 1976)
The heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
is the present holder's half-brother the Hon. Jamie Charles Child Villiers (b. 1994)
See also
- Duke of Buckingham (1623 creation)Duke of BuckinghamThe titles Marquess and Duke of Buckingham, referring to Buckingham, have been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been Earls of Buckingham.-1444 creation:...
- Earl of Anglesey (1623 creation)Earl of AngleseyThe title of Earl of Anglesey was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1623 when Christopher Villiers was created Earl of Anglesey, in Wales, as well as Baron Villiers. He was the younger brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and the elder brother of John...
- Viscount PurbeckViscount PurbeckViscount Purbeck was a title in the Peerage of England that was created on 19 July 1619, along with the title Baron Stoke, for John Villiers, the brother of the 1st Duke of Buckingham and the 1st Earl of Anglesey...
- Earl of Clarendon (1776 creation)Earl of ClarendonEarl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1661 for the statesman Edward Hyde, 1st Baron Hyde...
- Viscount GrandisonViscount GrandisonViscount Grandison of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for Sir Oliver St John, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, with special remainder to the male issue of his niece Barbara, wife of Sir Edward Villiers, elder half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham,...
- Villiers BaronetsVilliers BaronetsThe Villiers Baronetcy, of Brooksby, in the County of Leicester was created in the Baronetage of England on 19 July 1619 for William Villiers of Brokesby, Leicestershire...
- The Lord Jersey Rugby CupThe Lord Jersey Rugby CupThe Lord Jersey Rugby Cup was founded in 2008 by the 10th Earl of Jersey, with the help of Rugby Development officer for Jersey, Mark White, and is an annual cup for rugby at U16 level....