Baron Somers

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John Somers, 1st Baron Somers Portrait of John Somers, Baron Somers.jpg
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers

Baron Somers, of Evesham in the County of Worcester, is a title that has been created twice. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1697 for Sir John Somers, so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as Lord Chancellor. [1] The title became extinct on Lord Somers' death in 1716. [2]

Contents

His sister and co-heiress, Mary Somers, married Charles Cocks, of a prominent Worcestershire family. [3] Their grandson Charles Cocks represented Reigate in Parliament from 1747 to 1784, and was created a baronet, of Dumbleton in the County of Gloucester, in 1772. [4] In 1784 the barony held by his great-uncle was revived in his favour. [1]

His eldest son, the second Baron, sat as a Member of Parliament for West Looe, Grampound, and Reigate, and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire. [3] In 1821 he was created Viscount Eastnor and Earl Somers. Both titles were in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. [1]

He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl, who represented Reigate and Hereford in the House of Commons and served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire. In 1841 he assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Somers. [3] His son, the third Earl, sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Reigate. [2]

However, on his death in 1883 the earldom and viscountcy became extinct. The barony and baronetcy passed to his first cousin once removed, the fifth Baron. [4] On his death, the title went to his great-nephew, the sixth Baron, who served as Governor of Victoria. [3]

He was succeeded by his uncle, the seventh Baron. His son, the eighth Baron, was a professor at the Royal College of Music. On his death in 1995, the titles passed to his second cousin once removed, the ninth and (As of 2019) present holder of the barony and baronetcy. [3]

The ancestral seat of the Cocks family was Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire. It is now held by a female-line descendant of the sixth Baron. [1]

The title of the barony is pronounced "Summers". [3]

Barons Somers, first creation (1697)

Barons Somers, second creation (1784)

A panel with the coat of arms of Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers, displaying his arms impaling the paternal arms of his second wife, Anne Pole. A painted framed panel of the coat of arms of Charles Cocks, 1st Baron of Somers.jpg
A panel with the coat of arms of Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers, displaying his arms impaling the paternal arms of his second wife, Anne Pole.

Earl Somers (1821)

Barons Somers, second creation (1784; reverted)

The heir presumptive to the barony is the present holder's fourth cousin three times removed, Jonathan Bromley Cocks (b. 1985). He is a seventh-generation descendant of Reginald Cocks, the youngest son of the first Baron. [5]

Arms

Coat of arms of Baron Somers
Baron Somers - Coat of Arms.png
Notes
Arms, crest, and supporters as recorded in A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage (Burke, 1909). [4]
Crest
On a mount proper, a stag lodged reguardant argent, attired sable.
Supporters
On each side a lion ermine, gorged with a collar indented vert.
Motto
Prodesse quam conspici

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David, eds. (1990). Somers. New York: St Martin's Press.
  2. 1 2 Rayment, Leigh. "Somers". Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Somers. London: Cassells.
  4. 1 2 3 Burke, Bernard (1909). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage. London: Harrison & Sons. pp. 1852–1853.
  5. ↑ "Martin Bromley Cocks - ThePeerage" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
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