Earl of Strafford
Encyclopedia
The first creation was in 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....
in 1640 for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
, the close advisor of 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...
. He had already succeeded his father as second Baronet of Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house near the village of Wentworth, in the vicinity of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. "One of the great Whig political palaces", its East Front, long, is the longest country house façade in Europe. The house includes 365 rooms and covers an...
in 1614, been created Baron Wentworth, of Wentworth-Woodhouse, Baron of Newmarch and Oversley, in 1628, Viscount Wentworth in 1629. He was made Baron Raby in 1640, at the same time he was given the earldom.
The Wentworth Baronetcy, of Wentworth Woodhouse in the County of York, had been created in the Baronetage of England on 20 June 1611 for the first Earl's father, William Wentworth.
In 1641 he was attainted
Bill of attainder
A bill of attainder is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a judicial trial.-English law:...
. His son, William
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford was a member of England's House of Lords.He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several years. In 1652 he was...
, successfully had the attainder reversed in 1662, becoming the second earl, but died without heirs in 1695 when the barony of Wentworth, viscountcy and earldom became extinct.
He was succeeded in the barony of Raby according to a special remainder by his first cousin once removed, Thomas Wentworth
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672-1739)
Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford , KG , known as Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron Raby from 1695 to 1711, was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty....
, who became the third Baron. He was the grandson of Sir William Wentworth, younger brother of the first Earl of the 1640 creation. While gaining the barony, he did not receive the Woodhouse estate, which was inherited by Thomas Watson
Thomas Watson-Wentworth
The Hon. Thomas Watson married Alice, a daughter of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet....
, thereafter a source of rivalry between the two men.
In 1711 the earldom was revived when baron Raby was created Viscount Wentworth and Earl of Strafford in 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...
. He was succeeded in 1739 by his son, William
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1722-1791)
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford , styled Viscount Wentworth until 1739 was a peer and member of the House of Lords of Great Britain.-Ancestry and career:...
, the second earl. William had no issue and on his death in 1791 was succeeded by his cousin Frederick
Frederick Wentworth, 3rd Earl of Strafford
Frederick Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Earl of Strafford was a British peer.He was the eldest son of William Wentworth, a gentleman usher of the privy chamber to Augusta, Princess of Wales...
. as he also had no successors, all titles became extinct on his death in 1799.
The title was created for a third time in 1847 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...
, when the prominent soldier John Byng, 1st Baron Strafford
John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford
Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, GCB, GCH, PC was a British peer, politician and soldier.-Early years:...
, was made Viscount Enfield, of Enfield in the County of Middlesex, and Earl of Strafford. He had already been created Baron Strafford, of Harmondsworth in the County of Middlesex, in 1833. Byng was the son of George Byng, son the Hon. Robert Byng
Robert Byng
Robert Byng was the third son of George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington by his wife Margaret Master. On 19 December 1734 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan Forward, and by her had issue, including an eldest son, George, born 1735. This George, later of Wrotham Park, was the father of John...
, third son of George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB PC was a British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.-Naval career:Byng was born at Wrotham, Kent, England...
, and the great-grandson of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672-1739)
Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford , KG , known as Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron Raby from 1695 to 1711, was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty....
(of the second creation). He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a Whig politician and held minor office under Lord Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
, Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
and Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
.
His eldest son, the third Earl, was a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician and served under William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
. In 1874, twelve years before he succeeded his father, 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 Strafford. On his death the titles passed to his younger brother, the fourth Earl. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He was a clergyman. His son, the sixth Earl, was a County Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. He was succeeded by his nephew, the seventh Earl. He was the second but only surviving son of the Hon. Ivo Francis Byng, fourth son of the fifth Earl. the titles are held by his eldest son, the eighth Earl, who succeeded in 1984. As a descendant of the first Viscount Torrington Lord Strafford is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles the barony of Byng and baronetcy of Wrotham.
Another member of the Byng family was the soldier Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since Canadian Confederation....
. He was the youngest son of the second Earl of Strafford from his second marriage.
The family seat is Apple Tree Cottage, near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
Wentworth Baronets, of Wentworth Woodhouse (1611)
- Sir William Wentworth, 1st Baronet (d. 1614)
- Sir Thomas Wentworth, 2nd BaronetThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of StraffordThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
(1593–1641) (created Earl of Strafford in 1640)
Earls of Strafford, First Creation (1640)
- Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of StraffordThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of StraffordThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
(1593–1641) (forfeit 1641) - William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of StraffordWilliam Wentworth, 2nd Earl of StraffordWilliam Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford was a member of England's House of Lords.He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several years. In 1652 he was...
(1626–1695) (attainder reversed 1662)
Barons Raby (1640; Reverted)
- Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron RabyThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672-1739)Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford , KG , known as Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron Raby from 1695 to 1711, was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty....
(1672–1739) (created Earl of Strafford in 1711)
Earls of Strafford, Second Creation (1711)
- Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of StraffordThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672-1739)Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford , KG , known as Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron Raby from 1695 to 1711, was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty....
(1672–1739) - William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of StraffordWilliam Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1722-1791)William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford , styled Viscount Wentworth until 1739 was a peer and member of the House of Lords of Great Britain.-Ancestry and career:...
(1722–1791) - Frederick Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Earl of StraffordFrederick Wentworth, 3rd Earl of StraffordFrederick Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Earl of Strafford was a British peer.He was the eldest son of William Wentworth, a gentleman usher of the privy chamber to Augusta, Princess of Wales...
(1732–1799)
Earls of Strafford, Third Creation (1847)
- John Byng, 1st Earl of StraffordJohn Byng, 1st Earl of StraffordField Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, GCB, GCH, PC was a British peer, politician and soldier.-Early years:...
(1772–1860) - George Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of StraffordGeorge Byng, 2nd Earl of StraffordGeorge Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford, PC , styled Viscount Enfield between 1847 and 1860, was a British peer and Whig politician.-Background, education and military career:...
(1806–1886) - George Henry Charles Byng, 3rd Earl of StraffordGeorge Byng, 3rd Earl of StraffordGeorge Henry Charles Byng, 3rd Earl of Strafford , styled Viscount Enfield between 1860 and 1886, was a British Liberal politician.-Background and education:...
(1830–1898) - Henry William John Byng, 4th Earl of StraffordHenry Byng, 4th Earl of StraffordHenry William John Byng, 4th Earl of Strafford, KCVO, CB was a British peer and courtier.-Biography:Byng was the second son of George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford and his first wife, Agnes. From 1840 he was a Page of Honour to Queen Victoria and joined the Coldstream Guards in 1847 as a Lieutenant...
(1831–1899) - Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of StraffordFrancis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of StraffordRev. Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford was an English Anglican minister and member of the peerage.- Background :Byng was born 15 January 1835, third son of George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford...
(1835–1918) - Edmund Henry Byng, 6th Earl of StraffordEdmund Byng, 6th Earl of StraffordEdmund Henry Byng, 6th Earl of Strafford was an English peer. He was the second son of The Reverend Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford and Florence Louisa Miles , daughter of Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet who died giving birth to him...
(1861–1951) - Robert Cecil Byng, 7th Earl of Strafford (1904–1984)
- Thomas Edmund Byng, 8th Earl of Strafford (b. 1936)
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 William Robert Byng, Viscount Enfield (b. 1964)