Earl of Kilmorey
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 1822 for Francis Needham, 12th Viscount Kilmorey
Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey
Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey , known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament....
, a General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and former 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 Newry
Newry (UK Parliament constituency)
Newry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Members of Parliament:...
. He was made Viscount Newry and Mourne, in the County of Down, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He also represented Newry 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...
. His grandson, the third Earl, was briefly Member of Parliament for Newry and 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 1881 to 1915.
His eldest son, the fourth Earl, served as Lord Lieutenant of County Down and as Vice-Admiral of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
. Lord Kilmorey was also an Irish Representative Peer from 1916 to 1961, becoming the last surviving Irish Representative Peer to sit in the House of Lords. He was succeeded by his nephew, the fifth Earl. He was the son of Major the Hon. Francis Edward Needham, second son of the third Earl. the titles are held by the fifth Earl's eldest son, the sixth Earl, who succeeded in 1977. He does not use his titles and did not use his courtesy title of Viscount Newry and Mourne which he was entitled to from 1969 to 1977, and is known as Sir Richard Needham. He is a former 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...
government minister.
The title of Viscount Kilmorey was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1625 for Sir Robert Needham, Member of Parliament for Shropshire
Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights...
, and High Sheriff of Shropshire
High Sheriff of Shropshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1606. His son, the second Viscount, represented Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
in Parliament and supported King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. His younger son, the fourth Viscount (who succeeded his elder half-brother), also fought as a Royalist in the Civil War. His great-great-grandson was the twelfth Viscount, who was created Earl of Kilmorey in 1822.
The ancestral family seat of the Earls of Kilmorey was Mourne Park, near Kilkeel, in Co Down, Northern Ireland.
After the death of the 4th Earl in 1961 the Earldom was inherited by a kinsman, while the Mourne Park Estate was passed on in the female line. It is still (2008) owned by the descendants of the 4th Earl.
The Kilmorey Mausoleum is to be found at St Margarets near Twickenham to the West of London, England.
Viscounts Kilmorey (1625)
- Robert Needham, 1st Viscount Kilmorey (d. 1631)
- Robert Needham, 2nd Viscount KilmoreyRobert Needham, 2nd Viscount KilmoreyRobert Needham, 2nd Viscount Kilmorey was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War....
(d. 1653) - Robert Needham, 3rd Viscount Kilmorey (d. 1657)
- Charles Needham, 4th Viscount Kilmorey (d. 1660)
- Robert Needham, 5th Viscount Kilmorey (1655–1668)
- Thomas Needham, 6th Viscount Kilmorey (c. 1660–1687)
- Robert Needham, 7th Viscount Kilmorey (1683–1710)
- Robert Needham, 8th Viscount Kilmorey (1702–1717)
- Thomas Needham, 9th Viscount Kilmorey (1703–1768)
- John Needham, 10th Viscount Kilmorey (1711–1791)
- Robert Needham, 11th Viscount Kilmorey (1746–1818)
- Francis Needham, 12th Viscount KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 1st Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey , known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament....
(1748–1832) (created Earl of Kilmorey in 1822)
Earls of Kilmorey (1822)
- Francis Needham, 1st Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 1st Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey , known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament....
(1748–1832) - Francis Jack Needham, 2nd Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 2nd Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Jack Needham, 2nd Earl of Kilmorey , known as Viscount Newry from 1822 to 1832, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Member of Parliament....
(1787–1880)- Francis Jack Needham, Viscount NewryFrancis Needham, Viscount NewryFrancis Jack Needham, Viscount Newry , was an Anglo-Irish Member of Parliament.Newry was the eldest son of Francis Needham, 2nd Earl of Kilmorey, and Jane Gun-Cuninghame. He gained the courtesy title of Viscount Newry when his father succeeded as Earl of Kilmorey in 1832...
(1815–1851)
- Francis Jack Needham, Viscount Newry
- Francis Charles Needham, 3rd Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 3rd Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Charles Needham, 3rd Earl of Kilmorey KP , known as Viscount Newry from 1851 to 1880, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.-Life:...
(1842–1915) - Francis Charles Adelbert Henry Needham, 4th Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 4th Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Charles Adelbert Henry Needham, 4th Earl of Kilmorey PC OBE , styled Viscount Newry from 1883 to 1915, was an Anglo-Irish peer.-Background:...
(1883–1961) - Francis Jack Richard Patrick Needham, 5th Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Needham, 5th Earl of KilmoreyFrancis Jack Richard Patrick Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey was an Irish peer.The son of Major Hon. Francis Edward Needham, in turn a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Kilmorey, and Blanche Esther Combe, he succeeded to his uncle's titles in 1961...
(1915–1977) - Richard Francis Needham, 6th Earl of KilmoreyRichard NeedhamRichard Francis Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey, Kt, PC usually known as Sir Richard Needham is a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom...
(b. 1942)
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 son Robert Needham, Viscount Newry (b. 1966)