Earl Amherst
Encyclopedia
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 19 December 1826 for William Amherst, 2nd Baron Amherst
William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst
William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, GCH, PC was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828.-Background and education:...
, the Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
. He was made Viscount Holmesdale, in the County of Kent, at the same time, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Lord Amherst had succeeded his uncle Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
, as second Baron Amherst in 1797. The latter was a distinguished military commander best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. In 1776 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain
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...
as Baron Amherst, of Holmesdale in the County of Kent, with normal remainder to heirs male of his body. In 1788 he was created Baron Amherst, of Montreal in the County of Kent, also in the Peerage of Great Britain, with special remainder to his nephew William Pitt Amherst and the heirs male of his body. The barony of 1776 became extinct on his death in 1797 while he was succeeded in the barony of 1778 according to the special remainder by his nephew, the aforementioned second Baron, who was elevated to an earldom in 1826.
The first Earl was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the second Earl. He represented East Grinstead
East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)
East Grinstead was a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. It first existed as a Parliamentary borough from 1307, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons elected by the bloc vote system...
in Parliament. On his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the third Earl. He was a soldier and politician. In 1880 he was summoned to 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....
through a writ of acceleration
Writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, was a type of writ of summons to the British House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with multiple peerage titles to attend the British House of Lords or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father's...
in his father's junior title of Baron Amherst. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl. He was one of the 112 peers who voted against the passing of the Parliament Act 1911
Parliament Act 1911
The Parliament Act 1911 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords which make up the Houses of Parliament. This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1949...
. The titles became extinct on the death of his son, the fifth Earl, in 1993.
John Amherst (c. 1718-1778), brother of the first Baron, was an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. William Amherst, brother of the first Baron and father of the first Earl, was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Barons Amherst; Second creation (1788)
- Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron AmherstJeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron AmherstField Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
(1717–1797) - William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Baron AmherstWilliam Amherst, 1st Earl AmherstWilliam Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, GCH, PC was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828.-Background and education:...
(1773–1857) (created Earl Amherst in 1826)
Earls Amherst (1826)
- William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl AmherstWilliam Amherst, 1st Earl AmherstWilliam Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, GCH, PC was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828.-Background and education:...
(1773–1857)- Hon. Jeffrey Amherst (1802–1826)
- William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Earl AmherstWilliam Amherst, 2nd Earl AmherstWilliam Pitt Amherst, 2nd Earl Amherst , styled Viscount Holmesdale between 1826 and 1857, was a British peer....
(1805–1886) - William Archer Amherst, 3rd Earl Amherst (1836–1910)
- Hugh Amherst, 4th Earl AmherstHugh Amherst, 4th Earl AmherstHugh Amherst, 4th Earl of Amherst , styled The Honourable Hugh Amherst until 1910, was a British peer, who succeeded to the earldom and its associated titles upon the death of his brother William in 1910. Amherst joined the Coldstream Guards in 1875, served in the Nile campaigns from...
(1856–1927) - Jeffrey John Archer Amherst, 5th Earl Amherst (1896–1993)