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Peerages in the United Kingdom |
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Peers of the Realm have been associated with Australia since early in its history as a British settlement. Many peers served as governors of the Australian colonies (states following Federation), and in the days when the practice of appointing British governors-general was current, the great majority were peers.
Australians themselves were previously eligible to receive British Imperial Honours. Such honours, in appropriate cases, included peerages and baronetcies. In other cases, already-extant peerages and baronetcies devolved upon persons who emigrated to Australia, or whose ancestors had emigrated to Australia.
Peerage titles bestowed included some distinctly Australian titles, such as Viscount Bruce of Melbourne. Imperial Honours were recommended to the sovereign by the Prime Minister of Australia, an Australian state premier, or sometimes by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Some Australians have been awarded peerages in recognition of services rendered in the United Kingdom, rather than Australia.
The practice of awarding British Imperial Honours for services rendered in Australia generally came to a halt when Malcolm Fraser, the last Australian prime minister to make nominations for Imperial Honours, lost the 1983 election to Bob Hawke, who discontinued[ clarification needed ] the practice in favour of nominations solely for the Australian Honours System. (There had previously been a brief hiatus in the recommendation of Imperial Honours under Gough Whitlam, 1972–75.) Despite the discontinuance of nominations on a federal level, individual states such as Queensland and Tasmania continued to recommend Imperial Honours until 1989. Australians who render service in the United Kingdom and other realms which continue to make nominations for Imperial Honours (such as Papua New Guinea) continue to be eligible for nomination to Imperial Honours, including peerages, and already-extant peerages and baronetcies continue to be inherited according to the instrument of their creation.
Not all recommendations for peerages have been accepted. Malcolm Fraser's recommendation of a peerage for Sir John Kerr was not supported by the British prime minister, James Callaghan. [1]
The following hereditary peers are or were Australians by birth or residence.
The following Australian women are not or were not the holders of peerages themselves but became peeresses by virtue of marrying a hereditary peer.
A number of hereditary titles have been created for Britons that are associated with places in Australia.
There were other Governors-General of Australia who were British hereditary peers but whose peerages pre-dated their assuming the office of Governor-General, or who were raised to the peerage after assuming or leaving office but with titles that contain no references to places in Australia:
Name of person | Title in office | Title at death | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
John Hope | 7th Earl of Hopetoun | 1st Marquess of Linlithgow | He was created Marquess of Linlithgow in October 1902, after he had left Australia, but while he was still formally Governor-General; his term continued until January 1903. |
Hallam Tennyson | 2nd Baron Tennyson | 2nd Baron Tennyson | |
Henry Northcote | 1st Baron Northcote | 1st Baron Northcote | |
William Ward | 2nd Earl of Dudley | 2nd Earl of Dudley | |
Thomas Denman | 3rd Baron Denman | 3rd Baron Denman | |
Henry Forster | 1st Baron Forster | 1st Baron Forster | |
John Baird | 1st Baron Stonehaven | 1st Viscount Stonehaven | He was raised to the peerage after his appointment as Governor-General was announced, but before taking up the office. |
Prince Henry | 1st Duke of Gloucester | 1st Duke of Gloucester | Third son of King George V. |
William Morrison | 1st Viscount Dunrossil | (died in office) | |
William Sidney | 1st Viscount De L'Isle | 1st Viscount De L'Isle | |
Ronald Munro Ferguson | Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson | 1st Viscount Novar | He was raised to the peerage as 1st Viscount Novar after leaving office. However, his peerage title contained no reference to any Australian place. |
In addition to the above, some Governors of the Australian states (colonies prior to Federation) were peers prior to their appointment.
Some Australians have been made life peers (barons) or peeresses (baronesses) of the United Kingdom. They include:
The following Australians were nominated for peerages, but the peerage was never actually bestowed.
The following Australians were awarded or have inherited baronetcies:
The baronetcy is extant. John Aylmer Barnewall emigrated to Australia in 1840. He died at Upper Thornton, Victoria in 1890. In 1909, his son John Robert Barnewall succeeded to the baronetcy as 11th baronet. The 13th baronet, Sir Reginald Robert Barnewall, was born in 1924 and educated at Xavier College, Melbourne. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1961 and lived in Mount Tamborine, Queensland until his death in 2018. His son Sir Peter Barnewall (born 1963) is the 14th and current baronet.
Boileau baronets have resided in Australia since 1942, when Francis Boileau became the 5th baronet. [13] The current holder is the 9th baronet.
Sir William John Clarke, 1st Bt. (1882, Colony of Victoria)
The baronetcy is extant. The 4th and current Baronet, Sir Rupert Grant Alexander Clarke (born 1947), lives in Victoria. [14]
Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Bt. (1863, Colony of New South Wales)
The baronetcy is extant. Currently held by Sir William Cooper, 6th Bt.
Sir Charles Solomon Henry, 1st Bt. (1860–1919), was an Australian merchant and businessman who lived mostly in Britain and sat as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1906 until his death. He had no heirs.
The baronetcy is extinct.
Sir Piers Robert Dick Lauder, 13th Baronet, born 3 October 1947 at Nicosia, Cyprus, where his father was an officer serving in the British Army. From 1974 until 2006, Lauder (who only uses the surname Lauder) was a programmer and Computer Systems Officer in the Basser Department of Computer Science at Sydney University. [15] [16] His main interests are in the areas of networking and operating systems. With Judy Kay he co-authored the Fair Share Scheduler, now being sold by Aurema under the name "ARMTechShareExpress". With Professor Robert (Bob) Kummerfeld he co-authored the Message Handling Systems network ("MHSnet") used, among others, by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Professor Kummerfeld and Piers Lauder were jointly elected to the Australian Internet Hall of Fame in 1998[ dubious ]. Sir Piers Lauder is a founding member of AUUG, the Australian Unix and Open Systems User Group. He has twice been appointed Programme Chairman at AUUG Conferences in Sydney and has taken leave from the university to work overseas on three separate occasions, twice at the invitation of Bell Laboratories to work in the lab that originated UNIX, and once at the invitation of UUNET to work in the burgeoning ISP business. He is an enthusiastic proponent of the Python programming language. He has, by his partner Jane Elix, a natural child, Angus Thomas Lauder Elix (born 1996). They also have a foster-daughter, Akira Crease. The heir presumptive to the baronetcy is Mark Andrew Dick Lauder (born 1951), second and youngest son of the 12th Baronet. He was born in Berlin at the British Military Hospital. His heir apparent is his only son, Martin Dick-Lauder (born 1976).
Sir Alexander Matheson, 3rd Baronet (6 February 1861 – 7 August 1929), born in Mayfair, London, was the son of Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet, a Scottish member of the House of Commons. In 1894 he migrated to Western Australia. In 1897, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council for North-East Province, serving until 1901. In 1901 he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Senator for Western Australia, on a platform of absolute free trade, industrial arbitration, old age pensions, uniform franchise and White Australia. He served until his retirement in 1906. Returning to England, he succeeded to the Matheson baronetcy in 1920, and died in 1929.
Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Bt. (1859, Colony of New South Wales)
The baronetcy is extinct.
Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Bt. (1836-1916; baronetcy awarded 1899, Colony of South Australia)
The baronetcy is extinct.
Baron Lyttelton is a title that has been created once in Peerage of England and twice in Peerage of Great Britain, both times for members of the Lyttelton family. Since 1889 the title has been a subsidiary title of the viscountcy of Cobham.
Viscount Cobham is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1718. Owing to its special remainder, the title has passed through several families. Since 1889, it has been held by members of the Lyttelton family.
Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend.
Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 October 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun. The current holder of the title is Adrian Hope.
Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley of Astwell Castle, Northamptonshire. In 1611 he was created a Baronet, of Staunton Harold in the County of Leicester, in the Baronetage of England. He was succeeded by his son Henry, the second Baronet, who married Lady Dorothy Devereux, daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. On the death of her brother Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, she became the youngest co-heir to the baronies of Ferrers of Chartley and the barony of Bourchier, which had fallen into abeyance on the death of the third Earl. Shirley was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Baronet. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Baronet. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London by Oliver Cromwell and died there in 1656. On his death the title passed to his eldest son, the fifth Baronet. He died at an early age and was succeeded at birth by his posthumous son, the sixth Baronet.
Baron St John of Bletso, in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1582 for Oliver St John.
Earl of Kingston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1768 for Edward King, 1st Viscount Kingston. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles Baron Kingston, of Rockingham in the County of Roscommon, Viscount Kingston, of Kingsborough in the County of Sligo, Baron Erris, of Boyle in the County of Roscommon, and Viscount Lorton, of Boyle in the County of Roscommon, also in the Peerage of Ireland. He is also a baronet in the Baronetage of Ireland. Between 1821 and 1869 the earls also held the title Baron Kingston, of Mitchelstown in the County of Cork, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn, 1st Baronet, of Hyde Hall. He notably served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1739 to 1756. In 1743, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Newport, of Newport, and in 1755 he was further honoured, when he was made Viscount Jocelyn, also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He represented Old Leighlin in the Irish House of Commons and served as Auditor-General of Ireland. In 1770 he also succeeded his first cousin once removed as fifth Baronet of Hyde Hall. In 1771 he was created Earl of Roden, of High Roding in the County of Tipperary, in the Peerage of Ireland. Lord Roden married Lady Anne Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassil and sister of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil, a title which became extinct in 1798.
Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784, and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowther family.
Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history.
Viscount Valentia is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It has been created twice. The first creation came in 1621 for Henry Power. A year later, his kinsman Sir Francis Annesley, 1st Baronet, 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 in the County of Buckinghamshire, was a favourite of James I, 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 Buckingham, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1620 and Baron Mountnorris, of Mountnorris in the County of Armagh, in 1628.
Viscount Gage, of Castle Island in the County of Kerry of the Kingdom of Ireland, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1720 for Thomas Gage, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Gage, of Castlebar in the County of Mayo, also in the Peerage of Ireland. In 1744 he also succeeded his cousin as eighth Baronet, of Firle Place. The titles remain united. The Gage family descends from John Gage, who was created a baronet, of Firle Place in the County of Sussex, in the Baronetage of England on 26 March 1622. His great-grandson, the seventh Baronet, represented Seaford in Parliament. He was succeeded by his first cousin, Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage, the eighth Baronet. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Minehead and Tewkesbury and also served as Governor of Barbados. In 1720, 24 years before succeeding in the baronetcy, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Gage and Viscount Gage. His second son was the military commander the Hon. Thomas Gage.
Viscount Hawarden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.
Viscount Scarsdale, of Scarsdale in Derbyshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the prominent Conservative politician and former Viceroy of India George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston, who was created Earl Curzon of Kedleston at the same time and was later made Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.
Baron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was one of two titles created on 1 July 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who claimed descent from Brian Boru, a High King of Ireland. The grant of the English titles was conditional upon the abandonment of any Irish titles, the adoption of English customs and laws, pledging of allegiance to the Crown, apostasy from the Catholic Church, and conversion to the Church of Ireland. Murrough was made both Earl of Thomond in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his nephew Donough O'Brien and Baron Inchiquin, with remainder to his male heirs. Following the death of his cousin, Conor Myles John O' Brien in June 2023, Conor John Anthony O' Brien is currently the 19th Baron Inchiquin
Baron Farnham, of Farnham in the County of Cavan, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1756 for John Maxwell, who had previously represented Cavan Borough in the Irish House of Commons. John Maxwell's son, the second Baron, was created Viscount Farnham in 1760 and Earl of Farnham in 1763. Both titles were in the Peerage of Ireland but became extinct when he died childless in 1779. His brother and successor, the third Baron, was again created Viscount Farnham in 1781 and Earl of Farnham in 1785. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland. His son, the second Earl, sat in the House of Lords as an Irish representative peer from 1816 to 1823. However, he had no children and on his death in 1823 the viscountcy and earldom became extinct.
Baron Northbrook, of Stratton in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1866 for the Liberal politician and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, 3rd Baronet. The holders of the barony represent the genealogically senior branch of the prominent Baring family. The name Northbrook is derived from a tithing of the local parish.
Baron Dufferin and Claneboye, of Ballyleidy and Killyleagh in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 30 July 1800 for Dame Dorcas Blackwood, widow of Sir John Blackwood, 2nd Baronet, Member of the Irish Parliament for Killyleagh and Bangor, in return for support for the Union of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Baron Masham is a title that has been created three times, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1712 when the courtier Samuel Masham was made Baron Masham, of Otes. In 1723 he also succeeded as fourth Baronet of High Lever. The barony became extinct on the death of the second Baron in 1776. The Masham baronetcy, of High Lever in the County of Essex, was created by James I in the Baronetage of England on 20 December 1621 for Samuel Masham. The third Baronet was Member of Parliament for Essex. The baronetcy became extinct along with the barony in 1776.
Viscount Maynard, of Easton Lodge in the County of Essex, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for Charles Maynard, 6th Baron Maynard, Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk. He was made Baron Maynard, of Much Easton in the County of Essex, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Great Britain. Both titles were created with special remainder, failing male issue of his own, to his kinsman Sir William Maynard, 4th Baronet. The 1st Viscount was unmarried and on his death in 1775 the baronetcy of Easton Parva, the Irish barony of Maynard created in 1620 and the English barony of Maynard created in 1628 became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of 1766 and the viscountcy according to the special remainder by his kinsman Sir Charles Maynard, 5th Baronet, who became the 2nd Viscount. The latter was succeeded by his nephew, the 3rd Viscount, who served as Lord-Lieutenant of Essex. He had no surviving male issue and on his death in 1865 the baronetcy, barony and viscountcy became extinct. His granddaughter, Daisy Maynard, daughter of Colonel Charles Henry Maynard and future wife of Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick, succeeded to most of the Maynard estates.