Earl of Lonsdale
Encyclopedia
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
in 1807, both times for members of the Lowther family.
This family descends from Sir Richard Lowther (1529–1607), of Lowther Hall, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, who served as Lord Warden of the West Marches.
First creation
His great-grandson, John LowtherSir John Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Lowther
Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet was an English landowner, and politician who sat in the House of Commons for Westmorland in 1628 and in 1660. Member of an old Northern family, he took no great part in the English Civil Wars....
, was created a Baronet, of Lowther in the County of Westmorland, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in circa 1638. He was succeeded by his grandson, the second Baronet (the son of John Lowther
John Lowther (d. 1668)
Colonel Sir John Lowther was an English landowner, at Hackthorpe, the eldest son and heir of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet and Mary Fletcher.He first married, in 1665, Elizabeth Bellingham, daughter of Sir Henry Bellingham, 1st Baronet...
, eldest son of the first Baronet). He was an influential politician and held several ministerial posts during the reign of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. In 1696 he was raised to the Peerage of England
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....
as Baron Lowther and Viscount Lonsdale. His eldest son, the second Viscount, died unmarried at an early age and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Viscount. He was also a prominent politician. On his death in 1751 the barony and viscountcy became extinct.
The late Viscount was succeeded in the baronetcy by his second cousin, James Lowther, the fifth Baronet. He was the son of Robert Lowther
Robert Lowther (1681-1745)
Robert Lowther was an English landowner, holding the estate of Maulds Meaburn, and colonial governor. He was the eldest son of Richard Lowther and Barbara Prickett....
, son of Richard Lowther
Richard Lowther
Richard Lowther , English landowner at Maulds Meaburn, was the second son of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet and Mary Fletcher.He received the estate at Maulds Meaburn from his father, and was Member of Parliament for Appleby from 1689 to 1690....
, second son of the first Baronet. Lowther was 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 over twenty years and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Westmorland and Cumberland. In 1784 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
as Baron Lowther, of Lowther in the County of Westmorland, Baron of the Barony of Kendal in the County of Westmorland and Baron of the Barony of Burgh in the County of Cumberland, Viscount Lonsdale, Viscount Lowther and Earl of Lonsdale, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body. The Earl was childless and all his titles were heading for extinction. In 1797 he was therefore created Baron Lowther, of Whitehaven in the County of Cumberland, and Viscount Lowther, of Whitehaven in the County of Cumberland, with remainder to the heirs male of his deceased third cousin, Reverend Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Little Preston
Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Little Preston
Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet was an English landowner and curate, of Little Preston, Yorkshire.The eldest son of Christopher Lowther and grandson of Sir William Lowther, he went to school in Kirkleatham before entering Trinity College, Cambridge in 1726...
, to whom he also devised his considerable estates. These titles were also in the Peerage of Great Britain. On Lord Lonsdale's death in 1784 the baronetcy and the peerages of 1784 became extinct.
He was succeeded in the barony and viscountcy of 1797 according to the special remainder by his third cousin once removed, Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of Little Preston
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation KG was a British Tory politician and nobleman.-Life:...
. He was the elder son of the aforementioned Reverend Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Little Preston, great-grandson of Sir William Lowther, brother of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Lowther (see Lowther Baronets
Lowther Baronets
There have been seven Baronetcies created for members of the Lowther family, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, two in the Baronetage of England, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
for a more comprehensive history of this branch of the family).
Second creation
In 1807 the earldom of Lonsdale was revived when he was created Earl of Lonsdale, in the County of Westmorland, in the Peerage of the United KingdomPeerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. The same year he was also made a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a prominent Tory politician and notably served as Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
and Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
. In 1841 he was summoned to 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....
through a writ of acceleration
Writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, was a type of writ of summons to the British House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with multiple peerage titles to attend the British House of Lords or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father's...
in his father's junior title of Baron Lowther. He was childless and on his death the titles passed to his nephew, the third Earl. He was the eldest son of the Hon. Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther (politician)
Henry Cecil Lowther, DL, JP was an English Conservative politician and an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1843...
, second son of the first Earl. He represented Cumberland West
West Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cumberlandwas a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
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 Lord-Lieutenant of Westmorland and Cumberland. His eldest son, the fourth Earl, died without male issue at an early age and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He became known as "England's greatest sporting gentleman". He was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the eighth Earl, who succeeded his father in 2006.
Numerous other members of this family have also gained distinction. John Lowther
John Lowther (d. 1668)
Colonel Sir John Lowther was an English landowner, at Hackthorpe, the eldest son and heir of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet and Mary Fletcher.He first married, in 1665, Elizabeth Bellingham, daughter of Sir Henry Bellingham, 1st Baronet...
, eldest son of the first Baronet and father of the second Baronet, was Member of Parliament for Appleby
Appleby (UK Parliament constituency)
Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the former county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918....
. His son from his second marriage, William Lowther
William Lowther (1668-1694)
William Lowther was an English Member of Parliament, the posthumous son of John Lowther and his second wife, Mary Withins.-References:*...
(who was born posthumously), sat as Member of Parliament for Carlisle
Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)
Carlisle is a 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. It was a Labour seat from 1964 until 2010, although the Conservatives came close to victory in the elections in...
. Richard Lowther
Richard Lowther
Richard Lowther , English landowner at Maulds Meaburn, was the second son of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet and Mary Fletcher.He received the estate at Maulds Meaburn from his father, and was Member of Parliament for Appleby from 1689 to 1690....
, younger son of the first Baronet, was Member of Parliament for Appleby. His son Robert Lowther
Robert Lowther (1681-1745)
Robert Lowther was an English landowner, holding the estate of Maulds Meaburn, and colonial governor. He was the eldest son of Richard Lowther and Barbara Prickett....
, the father of the fifth Baronet, was a Member of Parliament and Governor of Barbados. The Hon. Anthony Lowther, third son of the first Viscount, sat as a Member of Parliament. James Lowther, younger brother of the first Earl of the second creation, was created a Baronet in 1824 (see Lowther Baronets). Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther (politician)
Henry Cecil Lowther, DL, JP was an English Conservative politician and an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1843...
, second son of the first Earl of the second creation and father of the third Earl, was a 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...
politician. His third son William Lowther
William Lowther (diplomat)
William Lowther was a British diplomat and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1892....
was a diplomat and politician. He was the father of James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater
James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, GCB, PC, JP, DL was a British Conservative politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons between 1905 and 1921.-Background and education:The son of Hon...
(see Viscount Ullswater
Viscount Ullswater
Viscount Ullswater, of Campsea Ashe in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for James Lowther upon his retirement as Speaker of the House of Commons. He was the eldest son of the Hon. William Lowther, third son of the Hon...
), Sir Gerard Lowther, 1st Baronet
Sir Gerard Lowther, 1st Baronet
Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther, 1st Baronet PC KCMG CB was a British diplomat.Lowther was the second son of William Lowther and his wife Charlotte Alice, daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale. James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, was his elder brother and Sir Cecil Lowther his younger...
(see Lowther Baronets) and Sir Cecil Lowther
Cecil Lowther
Major-General Sir Cecil Lowther, KCMG, CB, CVO, DSO, FRGS was a British general and Conservative politician, the fourth son of William Lowther....
. For information on other branches of the family, see Lowther Baronets
Lowther Baronets
There have been seven Baronetcies created for members of the Lowther family, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, two in the Baronetage of England, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
.
The family seat was formerly Lowther Castle
Lowther Castle
Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of Westmorland, which now forms part of the modern county of Cumbria, England. It has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages.- History :...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. However, the seventh Earl lived at nearby Askham Hall
Askham, Cumbria
Askham is a village and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 360. It is situated in the eastern edge of the Lake District National Park, about south of Penrith...
and the present Earl lives at Thrimby a few miles southeast of the castle.
Lowther Baronets, of Lowther (c. 1638)
- Sir John Lowther, 1st BaronetSir John Lowther, 1st Baronet, of LowtherSir John Lowther, 1st Baronet was an English landowner, and politician who sat in the House of Commons for Westmorland in 1628 and in 1660. Member of an old Northern family, he took no great part in the English Civil Wars....
(1605–1675)- John Lowther (1628–1668)
- Sir John Lowther, 2nd BaronetJohn Lowther, 1st Viscount LonsdaleJohn Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale, PC, FRS , known as Sir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, from 1675 to 1696, was an English politician....
(1655–1700) (created Viscount Lonsdale in 1696)
Viscounts Lonsdale (1696)
- John Lowther, 1st Viscount LonsdaleJohn Lowther, 1st Viscount LonsdaleJohn Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale, PC, FRS , known as Sir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, from 1675 to 1696, was an English politician....
(1655–1700) - Richard Lowther, 2nd Viscount LonsdaleRichard Lowther, 2nd Viscount LonsdaleRichard Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lonsdale was an English nobleman, the eldest son of John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale and Katherine Thynne....
(1692–1713) - Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Viscount LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale PC FRS was an English courtier and landowner.He succeeded to the Viscountcy in 1713, upon the death of his elder brother, Richard Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lonsdale...
(1694–1751)
Lowther Baronets, of Lowther (c. 1638; Reverted)
- Sir James Lowther, 5th BaronetJames Lowther, 1st Earl of LonsdaleSir James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale was the son of Robert Lowther and Catherine Pennington.He married Mary Crichton-Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and Mary Wortley-Montagu, 1st Baroness Mount Stuart on 7 September 1761.On 9 June 1792 he fought a duel with a Captain Cuthbert...
(1736–1802) (created Earl of Lonsdale in 1784 and Viscount Lowther in 1797)
Viscounts Lowther (1797)
- James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, 1st Viscount LowtherJames Lowther, 1st Earl of LonsdaleSir James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale was the son of Robert Lowther and Catherine Pennington.He married Mary Crichton-Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and Mary Wortley-Montagu, 1st Baroness Mount Stuart on 7 September 1761.On 9 June 1792 he fought a duel with a Captain Cuthbert...
(1736–1802) - William Lowther, 2nd Viscount LowtherWilliam Lowther, 1st Earl of LonsdaleWilliam Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation KG was a British Tory politician and nobleman.-Life:...
(1757–1844) (created Earl of Lonsdale in 1807)
Earls of Lonsdale; Second creation (1807)
- William Lowther, 1st Earl of LonsdaleWilliam Lowther, 1st Earl of LonsdaleWilliam Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation KG was a British Tory politician and nobleman.-Life:...
(1757–1844) - William Lowther, 2nd Earl of LonsdaleWilliam Lowther, 2nd Earl of LonsdaleWilliam Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale PC, FRS , styled Viscount Lowther between 1807 and 1844, was a British Tory politician.-Background:...
(1787–1872) - Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Earl of LonsdaleHenry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale was a British nobleman and Conservative politician, the eldest son of Henry Cecil Lowther and Lady Lucy Sherard.He married Emily Susan Caulfeild on 31 July 1852. They had six children:...
(1818–1876) - St George Henry Lowther, 4th Earl of LonsdaleSt George Lowther, 4th Earl of LonsdaleSt George Henry Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale was a British nobleman, the eldest son of Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale and Emily Caulfeild. From 1872 until his accession in 1876, he was styled Viscount Lowther....
(1855–1882) - Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of LonsdaleHugh Lowther, 5th Earl of LonsdaleHugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, KG, GCVO was an English nobleman.-Biography:The second son of the 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the 4th Earl, in 1882. Lord Lonsdale was an avid sportsman and bon vivant and was known by some as "England's greatest sporting gentleman"...
(1857–1944) - Lancelot Edward Lowther, 6th Earl of LonsdaleLancelot Lowther, 6th Earl of LonsdaleLancelot Edward Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale, OBE, DL was an English peer, the youngest son of Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale.Lowther was educated at Malvern College and Magdalene College, Cambridge...
(1867–1953)- Anthony Edward Lowther, Viscount LowtherAnthony Lowther, Viscount LowtherAnthony Edward Lowther, Viscount Lowther, DL, JP , English courtier and soldier, was the eldest son of Lancelot Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale by his first wife, Gwendoline....
(1896–1949)
- Anthony Edward Lowther, Viscount Lowther
- James Hugh William Lowther, 7th Earl of LonsdaleJames Lowther, 7th Earl of LonsdaleJames Hugh William Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale was the elder son of Anthony Lowther, Viscount Lowther, and Muriel Frances Farrar, the daughter of Sir George Herbert Farrar Bt of Chicheley Hall, Bucks., a South African Randlord.Educated at Eton College he went up to Cambridge University in...
(1922–2006) - Hugh Clayton Lowther, 8th Earl of LonsdaleHugh Lowther, 8th Earl of LonsdaleHugh Clayton Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale is the eldest son of James Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale, and the only son by his first wife Tuppina Cecily Bennet, and is the current holder of the title, Earl of Lonsdale....
(b. 1949)
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. William James Lowther (b. 1957)