Viscount Downe
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,...
. The first creation came in 1675 for William Ducie. However, the title became extinct on his death in 1679. The second creation came in 1680 for John Dawnay
John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe
John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe , known as Sir John Dawnay between 1660 and 1681, was an English politician....
. He had earlier represented Yorkshire
Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
and Pontefract
Pontefract (UK Parliament constituency)
Pontefract was an English parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Pontefract in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1621 until 1885, and one member from 1885 to 1974.-In the unreformed...
in the English 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 son, the second Viscount, also represented these constituencies in the House of Commons. His grandson, the third Viscount, sat as 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 Yorkshire
Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
but died from wounds received at the Battle of Campen in 1760. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Viscount, who represented 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...
and Malton
Malton (UK Parliament constituency)
Malton, also called New Malton, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295 and 1298, and again from 1640, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
in Parliament.
His son, the fifth Viscount, sat as a Member of Parliament for Petersfield
Petersfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Petersfield was an English Parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Petersfield in Hampshire. It existed for several hundred years until its abolition for the 1983 general election....
and Wootton Bassett. In 1797 he was created Baron Dawnay, of Cowick in the County of York, 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...
. However, this title became extinct on his death while he was succeeded in the viscountcy by his younger brother, the sixth Viscount. His son, the seventh Viscount, was a Member of Parliament for Rutland
Rutland (UK Parliament constituency)
Rutland was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Rutland. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire...
. His son, the eighth Viscount, was a Major-General in the Army and served in the Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
of 1879 and in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. In 1897 he was created Baron Dawnay, of Danby in the North Riding of the County of York, 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...
. This peerage gave him and his descendants an automatic seat 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....
until the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
. the titles are held by his great-great-grandson, the twelfth Viscount, who succeeded his father in 2002.
The Hon. Guy Dawnay
Guy Dawnay (politician)
Guy Cuthbert Dawnay was a British soldier and Conservative politician.Dawnay was the fourth son of William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe, and his wife Mary Isabel, daughter of the Right Reverend the Hon. Richard Bagot, Bishop of Oxford...
, fourth son of the seventh Viscount, was a soldier and Conservative politician.
The first Viscount of the second creation was the brother of Sir Christopher Dawnay, 1st Baronet, of Cowick, a title which became extinct in 1644 (see Dawnay Baronets, of Cowick
Dawnay Baronets
The Dawnay Baronetcy, of Cowick in the County of York, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 19 May 1642 for Christopher Dawnay. The title became extinct on the death of his infant son, the second Baronet, in 1644...
).
Viscounts Downe, Second Creation (1680)
- John Dawnay, 1st Viscount DowneJohn Dawnay, 1st Viscount DowneJohn Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe , known as Sir John Dawnay between 1660 and 1681, was an English politician....
(1625–1695) - Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount DowneHenry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount DowneHenry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe , styled The Honourable Henry Dawnay between 1681 and 1695, was an English Tory politician....
(1664–1741) - The HonourableThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
John DawnayJohn Dawnay (MP)The Honourable John Dawnay , was a British Member of Parliament.Dawnay was the son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe, by Mildred, daughter of William Godfrey, of Thornock, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford...
(1686–1740) - Henry Pleydell Dawnay, 3rd Viscount DowneHenry Dawnay, 3rd Viscount DowneLieutenant-Colonel Henry Pleydell Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe FRS , was a British soldier and politician.Dawnay was the eldest son of the Honourable John Dawnay, son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe. His mother was Charlotte Louisa, daughter of Robert Pleydell, of Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire...
(1727–1760) - John Dawnay, 4th Viscount DowneJohn Dawnay, 4th Viscount DowneJohn Dawnay, 4th Viscount Downe , was a British peer and Whig politician.-Background:Dawnay was the younger son of the Honourable John Dawnay, eldest son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe...
(1728–1780) - John Christopher Burton Dawnay, 5th Viscount DowneJohn Dawnay, 5th Viscount DowneJohn Christopher Burton Dawnay, 5th Viscount Downe , styled The Honourable John Dawnay until 1780, was a British Whig politician....
(1764–1832) - William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount DowneWilliam Dawnay, 6th Viscount DowneWilliam Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe , styled The Honourable William Henry Dawnay until 1832, was an English clergyman and Irish peer....
(1772–1846) - William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount DowneWilliam Dawnay, 7th Viscount DowneWilliam Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe was a British politician.-Background:Downe was the son of Reverend William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe, Rector of Sessay and Thormanby.-Political career:...
(1812–1857) - Hugh Richard Dawnay, 8th Viscount DowneHugh Dawnay, 8th Viscount DowneMajor-General Hugh Richard Dawnay, 8th Viscount Downe, KCVO, CB, CIE was a British Army general and President of the MCC....
(1844–1924) - John Dawnay, 9th Viscount Downe (1872–1931)
- Richard Dawnay, 10th Viscount Downe (1903–1965)
- John Christian George Dawnay, 11th Viscount Downe (1935–2002)
- Richard Henry Dawnay, 12th Viscount Downe (b. 1967)
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 cousin Thomas Payan Dawnay (b. 1978)