Baron Ampthill
Encyclopedia
Baron Ampthill, of Ampthill
in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. It was created on 11 March 1881 for the diplomat Lord Odo Russell
. He was the third son of Major-General Lord George Russell
, second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
. His son, the second Baron, served as Governor of Madras from 1899 to 1906 and was interim Viceroy of India in 1904. the title is held by the latter's great grandson, the fifth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2011. As a descendant of the sixth Duke of Bedford he is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles. His father, the fourth Baron, was one of the ninety elected hereditary peer
s that remained in the House of Lords
after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999
, and sat as a cross-bencher.
The heir presumptive
is the present holder's youngest brother the Hon. Anthony John Mark Russell (b. 1952)
The heir presumptive's heir is his son William Odo Alexander Russell (b. 1986)
Ampthill
Ampthill is a small town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council. A regular market has taken place on Thursdays for centuries.-History:...
in the County of Bedford, is a title 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...
. It was created on 11 March 1881 for the diplomat Lord Odo Russell
Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill
Odo William Leopold Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill GCB GCMG PC , known as Lord Odo Russell between 1872 and 1881, was a British diplomat and ambassador and the first British ambassador to the German Empire. He was born in Florence in 1829 into the Russell family, one of England's leading Whig/liberal...
. He was the third son of Major-General Lord George Russell
Lord George Russell
Major-General Lord George William Russell was a British soldier, politician and diplomat.The second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and brother of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Lord Russell, he sat as Member of Parliament for Bedford from 1812 until 1830.Russell married Elizabeth...
, second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, LLD, FSA , known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician and notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents...
. His son, the second Baron, served as Governor of Madras from 1899 to 1906 and was interim Viceroy of India in 1904. the title is held by the latter's great grandson, the fifth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2011. As a descendant of the sixth Duke of Bedford he is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles. His father, the fourth Baron, was one of the ninety elected hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s that remained 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....
after 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;...
, and sat as a cross-bencher.
Coat of arms
The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the barony is: Argent, a lion rampant gules, on a chief sable three escallops argent, a mullet or for difference.Barons Ampthill (1881)
- Odo William Leopold Russell, 1st Baron AmpthillOdo Russell, 1st Baron AmpthillOdo William Leopold Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill GCB GCMG PC , known as Lord Odo Russell between 1872 and 1881, was a British diplomat and ambassador and the first British ambassador to the German Empire. He was born in Florence in 1829 into the Russell family, one of England's leading Whig/liberal...
(1829–1884) - Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill (1869–1935)
- John Hugo Russell, 3rd Baron AmpthillJohn Russell, 3rd Baron AmpthillCaptain John Hugo Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill CBE was a British peer who served in the Royal Navy in both the First and Second World Wars.He was the son of Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill...
(1896–1973) - Geoffrey Denis Erskine Russell, 4th Baron AmpthillGeoffrey Russell, 4th Baron AmpthillGeoffrey Denis Erskine Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, CBE, PC was a British hereditary peer and businessman, whose paternity and succession to the peerage were famously disputed in the "Ampthill Baby Case"....
(1921–2011) - David Whitney Erskine Russell, 5th Baron Ampthill (b. 1947)
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 youngest brother the Hon. Anthony John Mark Russell (b. 1952)
The heir presumptive's heir is his son William Odo Alexander Russell (b. 1986)