Duke of Manchester
Encyclopedia
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester
Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester
Charles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, 4th Earl of Manchester , son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1683...
, who notably served as Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
. The Duke of Manchester is styled His Grace.
Origin and descent
The Montagu family descends from the judge Sir Edward Montagu (c. 1485–1557). His grandson, Sir Henry MontaguHenry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester
Sir Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer.-Life:He was the grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to 1545, who was named by King Henry VIII one of the executors of his will, and governor to his son, Edward VI.Born...
(c. 1563–1642), who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench as well as Lord High Treasurer of England and Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, was raised to 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 1620 as Baron Montagu of Kimbolton, of Kimbolton
Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire
Kimbolton is a large village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately east of Higham Ferrers, west of St Neots and west of Cambridge, north of Bedford and south of Peterborough.-Castle:...
in the County of Huntingdon
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, and Viscount Mandeville. In 1626 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Manchester, also in the Peerage of England.
His son, the second Earl
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
, was a prominent Parliamentary General during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
but later supported the restoration of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. His son, the third Earl
Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester
Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester was an English politician and courtier.-Life:He was born in the parish of St...
, represented Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdonshire was a Parliamentary constituency covering the county of Huntingdonshire in England. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons the Parliament of the United...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. His son was the aforementioned fourth Earl, who was created Duke of Manchester in 1719.
The first Duke was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Duke. He notably served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
The Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords...
in the administration of Sir Robert Walpole. He was childless and on his death the titles passed to his younger brother, the third Duke. He had earlier represented Huntingdonshire in Parliament. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Duke. He was Ambassador to France and served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household. His son, the fifth Duke, was Governor of Jamaica for many years and also held office as Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
between 1827 and 1830. He was succeeded by his son, the sixth Duke. He represented Huntingdon
Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in the House of Commons as a Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
.
His eldest son, the seventh Duke, was Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament for Bewdley
Bewdley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bewdley was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1605 until 1950. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough in Worcestershire, represented by one Member of Parliament; the name was then transferred to a county constituency from 1885 until...
and Huntingdonshire. His son, the eighth Duke, briefly represented Huntingdonshire in Parliament. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the ninth Duke. He sat on the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
benches 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....
and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
The Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords...
in the Liberal administration
Liberal Government 1905-1915
With the fall of Arthur Balfour's Conservative government in the United Kingdom in December 1905, the Liberals under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were called in to form a government. In the subsequent election, the Liberals won an enormous majority...
of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
. As of 2007 the titles are held by his great-grandson, the thirteenth Duke, who succeeded his father in 2002 (who in his turn had succeeded his elder brother in 1985).
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the Dukedom takes the courtesy title Viscount Mandeville, and the heir apparent's heir apparent (when such exists) is styled Lord Kimbolton. (This is one of only two exceptions, the other being in the case of the Marquess of Londonderry
Marquess of Londonderry
Marquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh in 1795 and Earl...
, to the general rule that the heirs of Viscounts do not use courtesy peerages.) .)
The traditional estate of the family was at Kimbolton Castle
Kimbolton Castle
Kimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, is best known as the final home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950...
, but the 10th Duke sold it in 1950, while residing in Kenya; it is now a private school, Kimbolton School
Kimbolton School
Kimbolton School is a British HMC co-educational Public day and boarding school located in the village of Kimbolton, in rural Cambridgeshire but close to the borders of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, educating approximately 950 boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18, with an almost even...
. Only some 50 acres (202,343 m²) of parkland was sold together with the castle, and the 10th Duke retained some 3250 acres (13.2 km²) of the Kimbolton agricultural estate. This, however, was sold by the eldest son and heir of the 10th Duke in 1975, shortly before the death of his father. The family also used to own Tandragee Castle
Tandragee Castle
Tandragee Castle, Tandragee, County Armagh, Northern Ireland was built in 1837 by George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester as the family's Irish home. The Duke of Manchester acquired the estate through his marriage to Millicent Sparrow ....
, 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...
, Northern Ireland. They sold it in 1955, and it is now the headquarters of Tayto (NI) Ltd.
Tayto (Northern Ireland)
Tayto Limited is a manufacturer of crisps and corn snacks based in Tandragee, County Armagh. It employs 300 people at its plant in Tandragee Castle and remain the largest selling brand of crisps in Northern Ireland and the third biggest crisp and snack business in the United Kingdom.-History:Tayto...
, a potato crisp manufacturer.
The current holder of the title, the 13th Duke
Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester
Alexander Charles David Drogo Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester is an Australian-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Great Britain.-Parents:...
, lives in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Several other members of the Montagu family have been elevated to the peerage. The first Earl of Manchester was the younger brother of Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton
Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton
Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton was an English politician. He was one of the key founders of what is known today as Guy Fawkes Night through his sponsorship, in Parliament, of the Observance of 5th November Act 1605. His support for King Charles I led to his arrest in August 1642...
, the ancestor of the Dukes of Montagu
Duke of Montagu
The title of Duke of Montagu has been created several times. It was first created in the Peerage of England in 1705 for Ralph Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Boughton, with the subsidiary title Marquess of Monthermer, but became extinct in 1749. The first Duke had been created Earl of Montagu and...
, and the uncle of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House....
.
Earls of Manchester (1626)
- Other titles: Viscount Mandeville and Baron Montagu of Kimbolton, of Kimbolton in the county of Huntingdon (1620)
- Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of ManchesterHenry Montagu, 1st Earl of ManchesterSir Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer.-Life:He was the grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to 1545, who was named by King Henry VIII one of the executors of his will, and governor to his son, Edward VI.Born...
(c. 1563–1642), had been Viscount Mandeville and Baron Montagu of Kimbolton since 1620 - Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
(1602–1671), eldest son of the 1st Earl - Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of ManchesterRobert Montagu, 3rd Earl of ManchesterRobert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester was an English politician and courtier.-Life:He was born in the parish of St...
(1634–1683), only son of the 2nd Earl - Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of ManchesterCharles Montagu, 1st Duke of ManchesterCharles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, 4th Earl of Manchester , son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1683...
(1656–1722) was created Duke of Manchester in 1719
- Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester
Dukes of Manchester (1719)
- Other titles: Earl of Manchester (1626), Viscount Mandeville and Baron Montagu of Kimbolton, of Kimbolton in the county of Huntingdon (1620)
- Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of ManchesterCharles Montagu, 1st Duke of ManchesterCharles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, 4th Earl of Manchester , son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1683...
(1656–1722), eldest son of the 3rd Earl - William Montagu, 2nd Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 2nd Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 2nd Duke of Manchester, KB was the son of Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester.He married Lady Isabella Montagu, daughter of John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, on 16 April 1723....
(1700–1739), elder son of the 1st Duke, died without issue - Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of ManchesterRobert Montagu, 3rd Duke of ManchesterRobert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester was the son of Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester.He was MP for Huntingdonshire 1734–1739.He married Harriet Dunch, daughter of Edmund Dunch on 3 April 1735 and they had four children:...
(1710–1762), younger son of the 1st Duke - George Montagu, 4th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC was a British politician and diplomat.Manchester was the son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester....
(1737–1788), elder son of the 3rd Duke- George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville (1763–1772), eldest son of the 4th Duke, died in childhood
- William Montagu, 5th Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 5th Duke of ManchesterColonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester , styled Viscount Mandeville until 1783, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician.-Background and education:...
(1771–1843), second son of the 4th Duke - George Montagu, 6th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 6th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester, etc. , known as Viscount Mandeville from 1799 to 1843, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament....
(1799–1855), elder son of the 5th Duke - William Montagu, 7th Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 7th Duke of ManchesterWilliam Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, KP , known as Lord Kimbolton from 1823 to 1843 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1843 to 1855, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.William Montagu was the eldest son of George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester...
(1823–1890), eldest son of the 6th Duke - George Montagu, 8th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 8th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Victor Drogo Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester, etc. , known as Lord Kimbolton from 1853 to 1855 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1855 to 1890, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.-Biography:George Montagu was the son of William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, and...
(1853–1892), elder son of the 7th Duke - William Montagu, 9th Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 9th Duke of ManchesterWilliam Angus Drogo Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester , styled Lord Kimbolton from 1877 to 1890 and Viscount Mandeville from 1890 to 1892, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1905 to 1907 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman...
(1877–1947), only son of the 8th Duke - Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of ManchesterAlexander Montagu, 10th Duke of ManchesterAlexander George Francis Drogo Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester OBE was a Royal Navy officer and British hereditary peer...
(1902–1977), elder son of the 9th Duke - Sidney Montagu, 11th Duke of ManchesterSidney Montagu, 11th Duke of Manchesterthumb|right|The Duke in 1981, by [[Allan Warren]]Sidney Arthur Robin George Drogo Montagu, 11th Duke of Manchester, etc. was a British hereditary peer, the son of the 10th Duke of Manchester and the elder brother of the 12th Duke.He married firstly on 5 February 1955 Adrienne Valerie Christie...
(1929–1985), elder son of the 10th Duke, died without issue - Angus Montagu, 12th Duke of ManchesterAngus Montagu, 12th Duke of ManchesterAngus Charles Drogo Montagu, 12th Duke of Manchester, etc. , was a British hereditary peer, the son of the 10th Duke of Manchester, and the younger brother of the 11th Duke....
(1938–2002), younger son of the 10th Duke - Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of ManchesterAlexander Montagu, 13th Duke of ManchesterAlexander Charles David Drogo Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester is an Australian-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Great Britain.-Parents:...
(b. 1962), elder son of the 12th Duke
- Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
was believed to be Alexander Montagu, Viscount Mandeville (b. 1993), only son of the 13th Duke. However his legitimacy has been called into question in the light of a 2011 court case which revealed that the 13th Duke's first marriage had not ended when he married his second wife (Alexander's mother).
Line of succession
The line of succession is as follows:- Alexander Montagu, Viscount Mandeville (b. 1993) (son of the 13th Duke; but see note above)
- Lord Kimble William Drogo Montagu (b. 1964) (younger son of the 12th Duke)
- William Anthony Drogo Montagu (b. 2000) (only son of Lord Kimble)
- Michael Anthony Montagu (b. 1955) (great-great-grandson of Lord Robert Montagu, second son of the 6th Duke, through his second son Robert Acheson Cromie Montagu)
- Henry Robert Sanderson Montagu (b. 1935) (first cousin once removed of Michael Montagu)
- Cyril John Sanderson Montagu (b. 1937) (younger brother of Henry Montagu)
- Graeme Peter Montagu (b. 1967) (elder son of Cyril Montagu)
- Christopher John Montagu (b. 1968) (younger son of Cyril Montagu)
- Gerard Philip Sanderson Montagu (b. 1940) (younger brother of Henry and Cyril Montagu)
- Matthew Gerard Montagu (b. 1976) (only son of Gerard Montagu)
- Robert Drogo Montagu (b. 1947) (great-grandson of Lord Robert Montagu through his fourth son Henry Bernard Montagu)
- James Drogo Montagu (b. 1975) (only son of Robert Montagu)
- Christopher Bernard Montagu (b. 1950) (younger brother of Robert Montagu)
- David William Montagu (b. 1976) (elder son of Christopher Montagu)
- Thomas Edward Montagu (b. 1979) (younger son of Christopher Montagu)
The only potential heirs to the Earldom (and other subsidiary titles) alone, were the Dukedom to become extinct, would be heirs male of the Hon. James Montagu, third son of the 1st Earl.