Viscount Valentia
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 has been created twice. The first creation came in 1621 for Henry Power. A year later, his kinsman Sir Francis Annesley, 1st Baronet
Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia
Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia PC was an English statesman during the colonisation of Ireland in the seventeenth century. He was a Member of Parliament for both the English and Irish houses, and was elevated to the Irish peerage as Baron Mountnorris, and later Viscount Valentia.-Rise to...
, was given a "reversionary grant" of the viscountcy, which stated that on Power's death Annesley would be created Viscount Valentia. Annesley, a member of an influential Anglo-Irish family which descended from Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, was a favourite of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
who granted him land in Ireland, notably the fort of Mountnorris in County Armagh. He was knighted in 1616, created a Baronet, of Newport Pagnell in the County of Buckinghamshire, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1620 and Baron Mountnorris, of Mountnorris
Mountnorris
Mountnorris is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about six miles south of Markethill. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 165 people. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area.- History :...
in County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, in 1628. In 1642, on the death of Power, he became Viscount Valentia according to the reversionary grant given in 1622. Valentia's fourth son Hon. Francis Annesley was the father of William, 1st Viscount Glerawly
William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly
William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly was an Irish politician and noble.Lord Glerawly was the sixth son of Francis Annesley and Elizabeth Martin. Through his father, Lord Glerawly was the grandson of Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia and thus his descendants are in the remainder to the...
, from whom the Earls Annesley
Earl Annesley
Earl Annesley, of Castlewellan in the County of Down, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 17 August 1789 for Francis Annesley, 2nd Viscount Glerawly, with special remainder to his younger brother the Hon. Richard Annesley. He had previously represented Downpatrick in the Irish...
descend. Valentia's eldest son and successor, Arthur, the second Viscount
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey PC was an Anglo-Irish royalist statesman. After short periods as President of the Council of State and Treasurer of the Navy, he served as Lord Privy Seal between 1673 and 1682 for Charles II...
, was created Baron Annesley, of Newport Pagnel in the County of Buckinghamshire, and Earl of Anglesey, in Wales, 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 1661. Anglesey's younger son Altham was created Baron Altham
Baron Altham
Baron Altham was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1681 for the Hon. Altham Annesley, younger son of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey. See the Viscount Valentia for the history of the title until its extinction in 1844....
in the Peerage of Ireland
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,...
on 14 February 1681.
On the death of the fifth Earl of Anglesey
Arthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey
Arthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey PC, PC was an Anglo-Irish politician. He was a Member of Parliament in both the British and Irish lower houses before succeeding as 6th Viscount Valentia and 5th Earl of Anglesey, joining both the upper houses...
in 1737 the line of the eldest son of the first Earl failed. He was succeeded by his kinsman fifth Baron Altham
Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey
Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey , known as The Lord Altham between 1727 and 1737, was an Irish peer and governor of Wexford. He is known for the doubts surrounding his claim to the barony of Altham, and for the questions as to the legitimacy of his marriages and therefore his son's claim to...
, who became the sixth Earl and seventh Viscount Valentia. However, after his assumption of the Earldom an extraordinary legal battle developed. A Mr James Annesley
James Annesley
James Annesley was an Irishman who had a claim to be the Earl of Anglesey. He is perhaps best known today for partially inspiring the novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.-Life:...
claimed the earldom and its subsidiary titles as the son of Arthur Annesley, fourth Baron Altham. He alleged that in 1728 he had been removed to an obscure school and that his death had subsequently been announced by his uncle, Richard, the sixth Earl of Anglesey. James was later to have been sold to an American planter as a slave by his uncle. He subsequently escaped to Jamaica and in September 1740 he made his way back to England. On 11 November 1743 he took action against his uncle, to eject him as Baron Altham and to retain his property. Richard's defence was that James was not the legitimate son of Mary, second wife of the fourth Baron Altham, but actually the illegitimate son of a Joan Landy. The verdict was in James' favour, with his uncle being convicted of claiming he was dead and selling him into slavery so that he could take up the title and estates. James' estates were returned to him but he never took up his titles and his uncle continued to be recognised as Earl.
In 1761, on the death of the sixth Earl, the story took a new twist. His son and heir Arthur
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris FRS was an Irish peer.He was the son of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, and the Countess Juliana Donovan, who belonged to the junior sept of the O'Donovans of Clan Loughlin, the Donovans of Ballymore in County Wexford...
assumed the titles as the "seventh Earl of Anglesey". However, Arthur's legitimacy was disputed and on 22 April 1771 the British House of Lords decided that his claim to the English titles of Baron Annesley and Earl of Anglesey were invalid and that they had become extinct upon his father's death. However, his claims to the Baronetcy of Newport-Pagnell, the Baronies of Mountnorris and Altham and the Viscountcy of Valentia were twice confirmed by the Irish House of Lords
Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from mediaeval times until 1800. It was abolished along with the Irish House of Commons by the Act of Union.-Function:...
. In 1793 he was compensated when he was created Earl of Mountnorris in the Peerage of Ireland
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,...
. On the death of his son, the 2nd Earl of Mountnorris
George Annesley, 2nd Earl of Mountnorris
George Annesley, 2nd Earl of Mountnorris FRS , styled Viscount Valentia between 1793 and 1816, was a British peer and politician.-Background:Mountnorris was the son of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris, and the Hon...
, the Earldom and Barony of Altham became extinct, while he was succeeded in the Baronetcy, Barony of Mountnorris and Viscountcy of Valentia by his distant relative Arthur Annesley, who became the 10th Viscount Valentia. He was fifth in descent from the Hon. Francis Annesley, fourth son of the 1st Viscount.
The 11th Viscount
Arthur Annesley, 11th Viscount Valentia
Arthur Annesley, 11th Viscount Valentia CB, KCVO, JP was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician...
, was created Baron Annesley of Bletchington, in the County of Oxford, 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...
on 7 May 1917. However, this title became extinct on the death of his son, the 12th Viscount, in 1949. The Irish titles were inherited by his distant relative Reverend William Monckton Annesley, who became the 13th Viscount Valentia. He was also a descendant of Hon. Francis Annesley, fourth son of the first Viscount. He was succeeded by his cousin Francis Dighton Annesley, who established his claim to the titles in 1959 and became the 14th Viscount Valentia. He was the son of George Dighton Annesley, uncle of the 13th Viscount. On the 14th Viscount's death in 1983 the titles passed to his son, Richard John Dighton Annesley. He was a Captain in the British Army, then farmed in Zimbabwe and returned to England in the early 1980s. He died on 20 August 2005 in Hope Bowdler, Shropshire when his son, Francis Dighton Annesley, succeeded to the title as the 16th Viscount. Lord Valentia is also the Premier Baronet of Ireland. (See succession below)
Annesley Baronets, of Newport Pagnell (1620)
- Sir Francis Annesley, 1st BaronetFrancis Annesley, 1st Viscount ValentiaFrancis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia PC was an English statesman during the colonisation of Ireland in the seventeenth century. He was a Member of Parliament for both the English and Irish houses, and was elevated to the Irish peerage as Baron Mountnorris, and later Viscount Valentia.-Rise to...
(1583–1660) (created Baron Mountnorris in 1628, and Viscount Valentia in 1642 following the 1622 reversionary grant)
Viscounts Valentia, second creation (1622)
- Francis Annesley, 1st Viscount ValentiaFrancis Annesley, 1st Viscount ValentiaFrancis Annesley, 1st Viscount Valentia PC was an English statesman during the colonisation of Ireland in the seventeenth century. He was a Member of Parliament for both the English and Irish houses, and was elevated to the Irish peerage as Baron Mountnorris, and later Viscount Valentia.-Rise to...
(1583–1660) - Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, 2nd Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of AngleseyArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey PC was an Anglo-Irish royalist statesman. After short periods as President of the Council of State and Treasurer of the Navy, he served as Lord Privy Seal between 1673 and 1682 for Charles II...
(1614–1686) (created Earl of Anglesey in 1661)
Earls of Anglesey (1661)
- Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, 2nd Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of AngleseyArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey PC was an Anglo-Irish royalist statesman. After short periods as President of the Council of State and Treasurer of the Navy, he served as Lord Privy Seal between 1673 and 1682 for Charles II...
(1614–1686) - James Annesley, 2nd Earl of Anglesey, 3rd Viscount ValentiaJames Annesley, 2nd Earl of AngleseyJames Annesley, 2nd Earl of Anglesey FRS was a British peer.He was the son of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey and Elizabeth Altham.He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford University, on 4 December 1661....
(1645–1690) - James Annesley, 3rd Earl of Anglesey, 4th Viscount ValentiaJames Annesley, 3rd Earl of AngleseyJames Annesley, 3rd Earl of Anglesey , succeeded to his Earldom on his father's death in 1690. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1690. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Manners, daughter of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland...
(1674–1702) - John Annesley, 4th Earl of Anglesey, 5th Viscount Valentia (1676–1710)
- Arthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey, 6th Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 5th Earl of AngleseyArthur Annesley, 5th Earl of Anglesey PC, PC was an Anglo-Irish politician. He was a Member of Parliament in both the British and Irish lower houses before succeeding as 6th Viscount Valentia and 5th Earl of Anglesey, joining both the upper houses...
(died 1737) - Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, 7th Viscount ValentiaRichard Annesley, 6th Earl of AngleseyRichard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey , known as The Lord Altham between 1727 and 1737, was an Irish peer and governor of Wexford. He is known for the doubts surrounding his claim to the barony of Altham, and for the questions as to the legitimacy of his marriages and therefore his son's claim to...
(1690–1761)
Viscounts Valentia; reverted (1622)
- Arthur Annesley, 8th Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of MountnorrisArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris FRS was an Irish peer.He was the son of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, and the Countess Juliana Donovan, who belonged to the junior sept of the O'Donovans of Clan Loughlin, the Donovans of Ballymore in County Wexford...
(1744–1816) (created Earl of Mountnorris in 1793)
Earls of Mountnorris (1793)
- Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of MountnorrisArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of MountnorrisArthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris FRS was an Irish peer.He was the son of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey, and the Countess Juliana Donovan, who belonged to the junior sept of the O'Donovans of Clan Loughlin, the Donovans of Ballymore in County Wexford...
, 8th Viscount Valentia (1744–1816) - George Annesley, 2nd Earl of Mountnorris, 9th Viscount ValentiaGeorge Annesley, 2nd Earl of MountnorrisGeorge Annesley, 2nd Earl of Mountnorris FRS , styled Viscount Valentia between 1793 and 1816, was a British peer and politician.-Background:Mountnorris was the son of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris, and the Hon...
(1770–1844)- George Arthur Annesley, Viscount Valentia (1793–1841)
Viscounts Valentia; Reverted (1622)
- Arthur Annesley, 10th Viscount Valentia (1785–1863)
- Hon. Arthur Annesley (1809–1844)
- Arthur Annesley, 11th Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 11th Viscount ValentiaArthur Annesley, 11th Viscount Valentia CB, KCVO, JP was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician...
(1843–1927)- Hon. Arthur Annesley (1880–1914)
- Caryl Arthur Annesley, 12th Viscount Valentia (1883–1949)
- William Monckton Annesley, 13th Viscount Valentia (1875–1951)
- Francis Dighton Annesley, 14th Viscount Valentia (1888–1983)
- Richard John Dighton Annesley, 15th Viscount Valentia (1929–2005)
- Francis William Dighton Annesley, 16th Viscount Valentia (b. 1959)