The Stapleton Baronetcy, of The Leeward Islands, is a dormant title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 20 December 1679 for William Stapleton, Governor of the Leeward Islands. The fourth Baronet sat as 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 Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Oxfordshire was a county 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 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 this was increased to three...

. The fifth Baronet represented Oxford

Oxford (UK Parliament constituency)

Oxford was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the city of Oxford in the county of Oxfordshire, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1295 until 1881...

 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...

. In 1788 the abeyance

Abeyance

Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...

 of the ancient barony of le Despencer

Baron le Despencer

The title Baron le Despencer has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England.-Creation:The first creation was in 1295, when Hugh the elder Despenser was summoned to the Model Parliament. He was the eldest son of the sometime Justiciar Hugh le Despenser , who was summoned in 1264 to...

 was terminated in favour of the sixth Baronet, who became the sixteenth Baron de Despencer. On his death the barony passed to his granddaughter Frances Elizabeth (the daughter of his eldest son the Hon. Thomas Stapleton), wife of Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth (see Baron le Despencer

Baron le Despencer

The title Baron le Despencer has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England.-Creation:The first creation was in 1295, when Hugh the elder Despenser was summoned to the Model Parliament. He was the eldest son of the sometime Justiciar Hugh le Despenser , who was summoned in 1264 to...

 for further history of this title). The baronetcy was inherited by the late Baronet's youngest son Francis Joseph, the seventh Baronet. The presumed tenth Baronet never successfully established his succession and was never on the Official Roll of the Baronetage.

• Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet (d. 1686)
• Sir James Stapleton, 2nd Baronet (1672–1690)
• Sir William Stapleton, 3rd Baronet (1674–1699)
• Sir William Stapleton, 4th Baronet (1698–1740)
• Sir Thomas Stapleton, 5th Baronet (1727–1781)
• Sir Thomas Stapleton, 6th Baronet (1766–1831) (became Baron le Despencer in 1788)

Barons le Despencer (1264)

• Thomas Stapleton, 16th Baron le Despencer
  Baron le Despencer
  The title Baron le Despencer has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England.-Creation:The first creation was in 1295, when Hugh the elder Despenser was summoned to the Model Parliament. He was the eldest son of the sometime Justiciar Hugh le Despenser , who was summoned in 1264 to...
  
  (1766–1831) (abeyance terminated 1788)

Stapleton Baronets, of The Leeward Islands (1679; Reverted)

• Sir Francis Joseph Stapleton, 7th Baronet (1807–1874)
• Sir Francis George Stapleton, 8th Baronet (1831–1899)
• Sir Miles Talbot Stapleton, 9th Baronet (1893–1977)
• Sir Henry Alfred Stapleton, 10th Baronet (1913–1995)
• Sir Brandon Scott Stapleton, 11th Baronet (1995-present)