Earl Howe
Encyclopedia
The first creation, in 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...
, was in 1788 for Richard Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
, but became extinct on his death in 1799.
The second creation, 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...
was in 1821 for Richard Curzon
Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.Curzon was the third son of Hon...
, and remains current.
First creation (1788)
The Howe family descended from John Grobman HoweJohn Grobham Howe (died 1679)
John Grobham Howe was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1679.Howe was the younger son of Sir John Howe, 1st Baronet and his wife Bridget Rich, daughter of Thomas Rich of North Cerney. In 1659, Howe was elected Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the...
, of Langar, Nottinghamshire
Langar, Nottinghamshire
Langar is a small village about four miles south of Bingham in Nottinghamshire and the Vale of Belvoir.-Geography:To the south of the parish of Langar cum Barnstone, on Langar Airfield, it borders Clawson, Hose and Harby, the district of Melton and Leicestershire. At Hose Lane it meets Colston...
. He married Annabella, illegitimate daughter of Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland
Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland
Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland, 11th Baron Scrope of Bolton was an English nobleman. He was Lord President of the King's Council in the North.-Family:...
. Their son, Scrope Howe
Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe
Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe was a politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire from 1673 to 1685 and January 1689 to 1691.-Life:...
, sat as a Knight of the Shire for Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Nottinghamshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
. In 1701 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
as Baron Glenawley and Viscount Howe. The second Viscount also represented Nottinghamshire 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...
and served as Governor of Barbados. He married Charlotte, Baroness von Kielmansegg
Charlotte Howe, Viscountess Howe
Charlotte Howe, Viscountess Howe was a British courtier and politician.-Early life:Born Baroness Sophia Charlotte Mary von Kielmansegg , she was the eldest daughter of the Baron and Baroness von Kielmansegg (Mary Sophia) Charlotte Howe, Viscountess Howe (23 September 1703 – 13 June 1782) was a...
, niece of George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. Lord Howe was succeeded by his son, the third Viscount. He was a Brigadier-General in the British Army and was killed during the Battle of Carillon
Battle of Carillon
The Battle of Carillon, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga, was fought on July 8, 1758, during the French and Indian War...
in 1758.
He was succeeded by his younger brother, Richard
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
, the fourth Viscount. He was a distinguished naval commander best known for his victory of the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
in 1794. In 1782 Howe was created Viscount Howe, of Langar in the County of Nottingham, in 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...
, which entitled him to a seat 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....
. In 1788 he was further honoured when he was made Baron Howe, of Langar in the County of Nottingham, with remainder to his daughters and the heirs male of their bodies, and Earl Howe, with normal remainder to heirs male of his body. These titles were also in the Peerage of Great Britain. Lord Howe had no male issue and on his death in 1799 the viscountcy of 1782 and earldom became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of Howe according to the special remainder by his eldest daughter Sophia Charlotte (see below). The Irish titles passed to his younger brother, William
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
, the fifth Viscount. He was a noted soldier and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in North America
Commander-in-Chief, North America
The office of Commander-in-Chief, North America was a military position of the British Army. Established in 1755 in the early years of the Seven Years' War, holders of the post were generally responsible for land-based military personnel and activities in and around those parts of North America...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He had no surviving issue and on his death in 1814 the barony of Glenawly and viscountcy of Howe became extinct.
Second creation (1821)
The aforementioned Lady Sophia Charlotte, who succeeded her father as second Baroness Howe in 1799, married the Hon. Penn Curzon, Member of Parliament for ClitheroeClitheroe (UK Parliament constituency)
Clitheroe was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire.The town of Clitheroe was first enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1559, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the...
. He was the only son of Assheton Curzon
Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon
Assheton Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon and 1st Viscount Curzon was a British Tory politician.-Background and education:...
, second son of Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 4th Baronet, of Kedleston (ancestor of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as The Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and as The Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman who was Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary...
, and the Barons and Viscounts Scarsdale
Viscount Scarsdale
Viscount Scarsdale, of Scarsdale in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the prominent Conservative politician and former Viceroy of India George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston, who was created Earl Curzon of Kedleston at the same...
; see Viscount Scarsdale for earlier history of the family). Assheton Curzon represented Clitheroe in the House of Commons for twenty-seven years. In 1794 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 Curzon, of Penn in the County of Buckingham, and in 1802 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Curzon, of Penn in the County of Buckingham, 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...
. Lord Curzon was succeeded by his grandson, the second Viscount. He was the only son of Penn Curzon and Lady Howe. In 1821 he assumed by Royal license the additional surname of Howe and the same year the earldom held by his maternal grandfather was revived when he was created Earl Howe in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In 1835 he also succeeded his mother as third Baron Howe. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He sat as 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 Leicestershire South
South Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicestershire South 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 voting system....
.
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...
. His eldest son, the fourth Earl, was a Conservative politician and held minor office in the Conservative administration of 1895 to 1905. On his death in 1929 the title passed to his eldest son, the fifth Earl. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament and also involved in the world of motor racing. His only son, the sixth Earl, had four daughters but no sons and on his death in 1984 the line of the fourth Earl failed. The late Earl was succeeded by his second cousin, the seventh Earl and present holder of the titles. He is the only son of the actor George Curzon
George Curzon (actor)
Commander Chambré George William Penn Curzon , known as George Curzon, was a Royal Navy Commander, actor, and father of the present Earl Howe....
, son of the Hon. Frederick Graham Curzon-Howe, second son of the third Earl. Lord Howe held office from 1991 to 1997 in the Conservative administrations of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
. He is now one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remain 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;...
. As a descendant of Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 4th Baronet, of Kedleston, he is also in remainder to this title, which is held by his kinsman the Viscount Scarsdale
Viscount Scarsdale
Viscount Scarsdale, of Scarsdale in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the prominent Conservative politician and former Viceroy of India George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston, who was created Earl Curzon of Kedleston at the same...
.
Several other members of the Curzon-Howe family have also gained distinction. The Hon. Frederick Howe (1823–1881), third son of the first Earl, was a Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
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...
. The Hon. Ernest George Howe (1828–1885), sixth son of the first Earl, was a Colonel in the British Army. The Hon. Sir Leicester Smyth
Leicester Smyth
Lieutenant General Sir Leicester Smyth KCB KCMG was Governor of Gibraltar.-Military career:...
(1829–1891) (who assumed the surname of Smyth in 1866), seventh son of the first Earl, was a General in the British Army and served as Governor of Gibraltar
Governor of Gibraltar
The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Governor is appointed by the British Monarch on the advice of the British Government...
. The Hon. Montagu Curzon
Montagu Curzon
The Hon. Montagu Curzon was a British soldier and Conservative politician.-Background:Curzon was the eldest son of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, by his second wife Anne, daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore. George Curzon-Howe, 2nd Earl Howe, Richard Curzon-Howe, 3rd Earl Howe and the Hon...
(1846–1907), eighth son of the first Earl (and eldest from his second marriage), was a Colonel in the Rifle Brigade and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The Hon. Sir Assheton Curzon-Howe
Assheton Curzon-Howe
Admiral Sir Assheton Gore Curzon-Howe KCB CVO CMG was a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet from 1908 to 1910.-Early life:...
, ninth son and youngest child of the first Earl, was a naval commander and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1908 to 1910. His eldest son Leicester Charles Assheton St John Curzon-Howe (1894–1941) was a Captain in the Royal Navy. Lady Mary Anna Curzon, only daughter of the second marriage of the first Earl, married James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn KG, CB, PC , styled Viscount Hamilton until 1868 and Marquess of Hamilton from 1868 to 1885, was a British nobleman and diplomat...
. Their granddaughter Lady Cynthia Hamilton
Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer
Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Spencer, Countess Spencer, DCVO, OBE , known as Lady Cynthia Hamilton until her marriage, and from then as Viscountess Althorp until 1922 when her husband inherited his father's title of Earl Spencer, was a British peeress and the paternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of...
married Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer
Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer
Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer , styled The Honourable Albert Spencer until 1910 and as Viscount Althorp from 1910 to 1922, and known less formally as "Jack" Spencer, was a British peer...
, and was the grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. The aforementioned George Curzon
George Curzon (actor)
Commander Chambré George William Penn Curzon , known as George Curzon, was a Royal Navy Commander, actor, and father of the present Earl Howe....
, son of the Hon. Frederick Graham Curzon-Howe, second son of the third Earl, was an actor.
The family seat is Penn House, Penn Street, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
Viscounts Howe (1701)
- Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount HoweScrope Howe, 1st Viscount HoweScrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe was a politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire from 1673 to 1685 and January 1689 to 1691.-Life:...
(1648–1713) - Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount HoweEmanuel Howe, 2nd Viscount HoweEmanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was member of parliament for Nottinghamshire from 1722 to 1732. From 1733 to 1735 he served as Governor of the West Indian colony of Barbados where he died of disease...
(c. 1700–1735) - George Howe, 3rd Viscount HoweGeorge Howe, 3rd Viscount HoweGeorge Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe was a career officer and a Brigadier General in the British Army. He was described by James Wolfe as "the best officer in the British Army"...
(c. 1725–1758) - Richard Howe, 4th Viscount HoweRichard Howe, 1st Earl HoweAdmiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
(1726–1799) (created Baron Howe and Earl Howe in 1788)
Barons Howe (1788)
- Richard Howe, 1st Earl HoweRichard Howe, 1st Earl HoweAdmiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
(1726–1799) - Sophia Charlotte Curzon, 2nd Baroness Howe (1762–1835)
- Richard William Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, 2nd Viscount Curzon, and 3rd Baron HoweRichard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl HoweRichard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.Curzon was the third son of Hon...
(1796–1870) (had already been created Earl Howe in 1821; see below)
Viscounts Curzon (1802)
- Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount CurzonAssheton Curzon, 1st Viscount CurzonAssheton Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon and 1st Viscount Curzon was a British Tory politician.-Background and education:...
(1730–1820) - Richard William Curzon-Howe, 2nd Viscount CurzonRichard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl HoweRichard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.Curzon was the third son of Hon...
(1796–1870) (created Earl Howe in 1821)
Earls Howe; Second creation (1821)
- Richard William Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl HoweRichard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl HoweRichard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.Curzon was the third son of Hon...
(1796–1870) - George Augustus Frederick Louis Curzon-Howe, 2nd Earl HoweGeorge Curzon-Howe, 2nd Earl HoweGeorge Augustus Frederick Louis Curzon-Howe, 2nd Earl Howe was a British peer and Conservative party politician....
(1821–1876) - Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 3rd Earl HoweRichard Curzon-Howe, 3rd Earl HoweRichard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 3rd Earl Howe, GCVO, CB was a British peer and professional soldier....
(1822–1900) - Richard George Penn Curzon, 4th Earl HoweRichard Curzon, 4th Earl HoweRichard George Penn Curzon, 4th Earl Howe GCVO, TD, JP , styled Viscount Curzon between 1876 and 1900, was a British courtier and Conservative politician...
(1861–1929) - Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl HoweFrancis Curzon, 5th Earl HoweFrancis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, CBE, PC, VD was a British naval officer, Member of Parliament, motor racing driver and promotor. In the 1918 UK General Election he won the Battersea South seat as the candidate of the Conservative Party, which he held until 1929...
(1884–1964) - Edward Richard Assheton Curzon, 6th Earl HoweEdward Curzon, 6th Earl HoweEdward Richard Assheton Penn Curzon, 6th Earl Howe, CBE was a British peer, known as Viscount Curzon from 1929-1964....
(1908–1984) - Frederick Richard Penn Curzon, 7th Earl HoweFrederick Curzon, 7th Earl HoweFrederick Richard Penn Curzon, 7th Earl Howe is a Conservative front bench member of the House of Lords, and is a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health-Political and professional career:...
(b. 1951)
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....
is the present holder's only son Thomas Edward Penn Curzon, Viscount Curzon (b. 1994)