Earl of Jersey

Earldom of Jersey
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, argent on a cross gules five escallops or (for VILLIERS); 2nd and 3rd, gules a chevron engrailed ermine between three eaglets argent gorged or (for CHILD)
Creation date	13 October 1697 [1]
Created by	King William III
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Edward Villiers, 1st Viscount Villiers
Present holder	William Child Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey
Heir apparent	George Child Villiers, Viscount Villiers
Remainder to	1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Grandison (Ireland) Viscount Villiers (England) Baron Villiers (England)
Seat(s)	Radier Manor
Former seat(s)	Osterley Park
Motto	Fidei coticula crux (Latin for 'The cross is the touchstone of faith') [1]

Earl of Jersey, is a title in the Peerage of England. It is held by a branch of the Villiers family, which since 1819 has been the Child Villiers family.

History

Coat of arms of the 3rd Earl of Jersey at Middleton Stoney church, impaled with the arms of Egerton, his in-laws

Monument of the 9th Earl of Jersey, showing the family's current arms

The earldom was created in 1697 for the statesman Edward Villiers, 1st Viscount Villiers, Ambassador to France from 1698 to 1699 and Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1699 to 1700. He had already been created Baron Villiers, of Hoo in the County of Kent, and Viscount Villiers, of Dartford in the County of Kent, in 1691, also in the Peerage of England.

A member of the prominent Villiers family, he was the grandson of Sir Edward Villiers, brother of Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet, of Brooksby, and half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey and John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He represented Kent in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest son, the third Earl. In 1766, he succeeded his second cousin John Villiers, 1st Earl Grandison, as sixth Viscount Grandison through a special remainder in the letters patent. ^[1]

His son, the fourth Earl, was a politician and served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, as Master of the Buckhounds and as Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Earl. He was a Tory politician and served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and as Master of the Horse. Lord Jersey married Sarah Sophia (died 1867), daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, and his wife Sarah Anne (died 1793), daughter of Robert Child. Through this marriage, the private bank Child & Co. came into the Villiers family. ^[2]

On account of the considerable wealth brought to the family through this marriage, in 1819, Lord Jersey assumed by Royal licence the surname and arms of Child, and since then the branch of the family has been known as Child-Villiers. ^[1] On his death, the titles passed to his son, the sixth Earl. He sat as Conservative Member of Parliament for Rochester, Minehead, Honiton and Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and Cirencester. He succeeded in the earldom on 3 October 1859 and died on 24 October 1859, having held the title for only twenty-one days. Lord Jersey married Julia, daughter of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, in 1841.

He was succeeded by his son, the seventh Earl. He served in the second Conservative administration of Lord Salisbury as Paymaster General from 1889 to 1890 and was Governor of New South Wales from 1890 to 1893. On his death in 1915, the titles passed to his eldest son, the eighth Earl. He served briefly under David Lloyd George as a Lord-in-waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from January to August 1919. In 1923, he sold Child & Co to Glyn, Mills & Co. His son, the ninth Earl, was a Major in the Royal Artillery (TA).

As of 2017 ^[update] the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the tenth Earl, who succeeded in 1998. He is the eldest son of George Henry Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1948–1998), eldest son of the ninth Earl. Lord Jersey is an actor, writer and producer, known professionally as William Villiers. ^{[1] [3]}

The heirs apparent to the earldom alternate the use of the two viscomital titles as their courtesy title. The tenth Earl was briefly styled Viscount Grandison between the deaths of his father, Viscount Villiers, and his grandfather, the ninth Earl, and so the next heir is therefore styled Viscount Villiers.

The present family seat is Radier Manor, on the island of Jersey. Previous family seats were Middleton Park in Oxfordshire and Osterley Park in Middlesex.

The Earls of Jersey are also in remainder of the title of Duke of Marlborough, for being descendants of one of the daughters of his daughters, by primogeniture, and their heirs male of the 1st Duke.

The parish church of All Saints at Middleton Stoney, near Middleton Park, is the burial place of most of the Earls of Jersey. ^[4]

Earl of Clarendon

Another member of the family to gain distinction was the Hon. Thomas Villiers, second son of the second Earl. He was created Earl of Clarendon in 1776 (see this title for more information on this branch of the family).

Jacobite earldoms of Jersey

In April 1716, two Jacobite earldoms of Jersey were created by the Old Pretender, the first for Barbara, née Chiffinch, the widow of the first Earl of the 1697 creation, and the other for their eldest son (who succeeded as second Earl of the 1697 creation) with the subsidiary titles Viscount Dartford and Baron Hoo. The first became extinct on the Countess's death in 1735.

Earls of Jersey (1697)

• Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (1656–1711)
• William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey (died 1721)
• William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey (died 1769)
  • Frederick William Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1734–1742)
• George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey (1735–1805)
• George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey (1773–1859)
• George Augustus Frederick Child-Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey (1808–1859)
• Victor Albert George Child-Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey (1845–1915)
• George Henry Robert Child-Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey (1873–1923)
• George Francis Child-Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910–1998)
  • George Child Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1948–1998)
• (George Francis) William Child-Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey (born 1976)

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, George Henry William Child-Villiers, Viscount Villiers (born 2015)

Family tree

v t e Earls of Bolingbroke and Earls of Jersey with subsidiary and courtesy titles

Oliver St John d.  1437 Margaret Beauchamp c. 1410–before 1482 John Beaufort 1404–1444 1st Duke of Somerset John St John d. c. 1482 Oliver St John d. c. 1497 Margaret Beaufort 1443–1509 Countess of Richmond and Derby John St John c. 1450–after 1502 John St John 1473–1512 King Henry VII 1457–1509 John St John d. c. 1562 John St John 1473–1512 Baron St John of Bletso, 1559 Oliver St John c. 1522–1582 1st Baron St John of Bletso Nicholas St John d. 1589 Viscount Grandison of Limerick, 1620 Baron Tregoz of Highworth, 1626 John St John d. 1596 2nd Baron St John of Bletso Oliver St John c. 1540–1618 3rd Baron St John of Bletso John St. John c. 1552–1594 Oliver St. John c. 1560–1630 1st Viscount Grandison and Baron Tregoz of Highworth Barony of Tregoz extinct, 1630 Earl of Bolingbroke, 1624 St John Baronet, of Lydiard Tregoze, 1611 Oliver St John c. 1580–1646 1st Earl of Bolingbroke, 4th Baron St John of Bletso Rowland St John 1588–1645 John St John 1585–1648 1st Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Barbara St John Edward Villiers c. 1585–1626 St John Baronets, of Woodford, 1660 Oliver St John 1603–1642 5th Baron St John of Bletso Paulet St John d. 1638 Oliver St John c. 1624–1662 1st Baronet of Woodford Oliver St John 1612/1613 – November 1641 or 1642 Walter St John 1622–1708 3rd Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze William Villiers 1614–1643 2nd Viscount Grandison John Villiers c. 1616–1659 3rd Viscount Grandison George Villiers 1618–1699 4th Viscount Grandison Edward Villiers 1620–1689 Viscount St John, 1716 Viscount Villiers, 1691 Earl of Jersey, 1697 Oliver St John before 1634–1688 2nd Earl of Bolingbroke, 6th Baron St John of Bletso Paulet St John 1634–1711 3rd Earl of Bolingbroke, 7th Baron St John of Bletso St Andrew St John c. 1650–1709 2nd Baronet of Woodford John St John 1638–1657 2nd Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Henry St John baptized 1652–1742 1st Viscount St John, 4th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Edward FitzGerald-Villiers c. 1654–1693 Edward Villiers c. 1656–1711 1st Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers Earldom of Bolingbroke extinct, 1711 Viscount Bolingbroke, 1712 Earl Grandison, 1721 Oliver St John c. 1683–1710 3rd Baronet of Woodford St Andrew St John c. 1685–1711 4th Baronet of Woodford William St John d. 1720 9th Baron St John of Bletso Rowland St John d. 1722 10th Baron St John of Bletso John St John d. 1757 11th Baron St John of Bletso Henry St John 1678–1751 1st Viscount Bolingbroke John Villiers c. 1684–1766 1st Earl Grandison, 5th Viscount Grandison William Villiers c. 1682–1721 2nd Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers Earldom Grandison extinct, 1766 Paulet St Andrew St John 1711–1714 8th Baron St John of Bletso, 5th Baronet of Woodford John St Andrew St John 1725–1767 12th Baron St John of Bletso John St John 1702–1748 2nd Viscount St John, 5th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze William Villiers d. 1769 3rd Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 6th Viscount Grandison Frederick St John 1732–1787 3rd Viscount St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, 3rd Baron St John of Battersea, 5th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze George Bussy Villiers 1735–1805 4th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 7th Viscount Grandison Henry St John 1758–1805 13th Baron St John of Bletso St Andrew St John 1759–1817 14th Baron St John of Bletso more St Andrew St John 1811–1874 15th Baron St John of Bletso

Line of Succession

• Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey (1656-1711)
  • William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey (died 1721)
    • William Villiers, 3rd Earl of Jersey (1707-1769)
      • George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey (1735-1805)
        • George Child-Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey (1773-1859)
          • George Augustus Frederick Child-Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey (1808–1859)
            • Victor Albert George Child-Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey (1845–1915)
              • George Henry Robert Child-Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey (1873–1923)
                • George Francis Child-Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910–1998)
                  • George Child Villiers, Viscount Villiers (1948–1998)
                    • (George Francis) William Child-Villiers, 10th Earl of Jersey (born 1976)
                      • (1) George Henry William Child-Villiers, Viscount Villiers (b. 2015)
                    • (2) Hon. Jamie Charles Child-Villiers (b. 1994)
                • Hon. Edward Masel Child-Villiers (1913-1980)
                  • (Edward) John Mansel Hugh Frampton Child-Villiers (1935-2002)
                    • (3) Alexander Child-Villiers (b. 1961)
                      • (4) Frederick Mansel Child-Villiers (b. 1990)
                      • (5) William Child-Villiers (b. 2003)
                  • (6) George Anthony Robert Child-Villiers (b. 1947)
    • Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1709–1786)
      • for further descendants, see the Earl of Clarendon

See also

• Jersey
• Duke of Buckingham (1623 creation)
• Earl of Anglesey (1623 creation)
• Viscount Purbeck
• Earl of Clarendon (1776 creation)
• Viscount Grandison
• Villiers baronets
• Osterley Park

References

1. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2095. ISBN   0-9711966-2-1.
2. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jersey, Earls of"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 330.
3. "William Villiers". IMDB.com.
4. "Church of All Saints, Middleton Stoney". English Heritage. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

Book cited

• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London, UK: Dean & Son. p. 508.