Earl Peel
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 in 1929 for the Conservative Party
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...
politician William Wellesley Peel, 2nd Viscount Peel
William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel
William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:...
, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
from 1921 to 1922, Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
from 1921 to 1922 and 1928 to 1929 and First Commissioner of Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
from 1924 to 1928. He was made Viscount Clanfield, of Clanfield in the County of Southampton, at the same time, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was the son of Arthur Wellesley Peel
Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel
Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel PC , was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895...
, who served as Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
between 1884 and 1895. The latter year he was created Viscount Peel, of Sandy in the County of Bedford, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Peel was the fifth son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, of Drayton Manor
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
(see below for earlier history of the family). The first Earl was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. In 1942 he succeeded his second cousin once removed as seventh Baronet, of Drayton Manor. Lord Peel later served as Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire from 1948 to 2 January 1951. the titles are held by his son, the third Earl, who succeeded in 1969. He is 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;...
, and sits as a cross-bencher. Lord Peel was Lord Warden of the Stannaries
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, has the function of calling a Stannary Parliament of tinners...
from 1994 to 2006 and is Lord Chamberlain of the Household since 2006.
The Peel family descends from Robert Peel, who established a calico-printing firm in Blackburn in 1764. His eldest son Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet , was a British politician and industrialist and one of early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution...
was a wealthy cotton merchant and also sat as 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,...
for Tamworth
Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Tamworth is a parliamentary 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.- History :...
from 1790 to 1818. In 1800 he was created a Baronet, of Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor, one of Britain's lost houses, was a British stately home at Drayton Bassett, in the District of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England....
in the County of Stafford and of Bury in the County Palatine of Lancaster, in the Baronetage of Great Britain. He was succeeded by his eldest son Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
, the noted statesman. He was Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
from 1822 to 1827 and 1828 to 1830, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
from 1834 to 1835 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1834 to 1835 and from 1841 to 1846 and is best remembered for creating the modern concept of the police force while Home Secretary, for overseeing the formation of the Conservative Party out of the shattered 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...
Party, and for the repeal of the Corn Laws
Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846. The barriers were introduced by the Importation Act 1815 and repealed by the Importation Act 1846...
. Peel died after a fall from his horse on Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill may refer to:*Constitution Hill, New South Wales, Australia*Constitution Hill, Aberystwyth*Constitution Hill, Birmingham*Constitution Hill, London*Constitution Hill, Swansea*Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Baronet. He was also a politician and served as a Lord of the Admiralty from 1852 to 1857 and as Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
from 1861 to 1865. His grandson, the fifth Baronet, married the actress and comedienne Beatrice Gladys Lillie. Their only son, the sixth Baronet, was an ordinary seaman 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...
and was killed in action in April 1942, aged only twenty-one. On his death the line of the eldest son of the second Baronet failed and the title was inherited by his second cousin once removed, the second Earl Peel, who became the seventh Baronet. See above for further history of the title.
The family seat is Eelmire House, near Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Viscounts Peel (1895)
- Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount PeelArthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount PeelArthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel PC , was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895...
(1829–1912) - William Robert Wellesley Peel, 2nd Viscount PeelWilliam Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl PeelWilliam Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:...
(1867–1937) (created Earl Peel in 1929)
Earls Peel (1929)
- William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl PeelWilliam Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl PeelWilliam Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:...
(1867–1937) - Arthur William Ashton Peel, 2nd Earl PeelArthur Peel, 2nd Earl PeelArthur William Ashton Peel, 2nd Earl Peel , styled Viscount Clanfield from 1929 to 1937, was a British peer....
(1901–1969) - William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl PeelWilliam Peel, 3rd Earl PeelWilliam James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel GCVO, PC, DL , styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a cross-bench member of the House of Lords and Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household.-Background and education:...
(b. 1947)
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 Ashton Robert Gerard Peel, Viscount Clanfield (b. 1976)
Peel Baronets, of Drayton Manor and Bury (1800)
- Sir Robert Peel, 1st BaronetSir Robert Peel, 1st BaronetSir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet , was a British politician and industrialist and one of early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution...
(1750–1830) - Sir Robert Peel, 2nd BaronetRobert PeelSir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
(1788–1850) - Sir Robert Peel, 3rd BaronetSir Robert Peel, 3rd BaronetSir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet GCB, PC was a British Peelite and later Liberal politician. The eldest son of the prime minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, he was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford and entered the Diplomatic Service in 1844...
(1822–1895) - Sir Robert Peel, 4th Baronet (1867–1925)
- Sir Robert Peel, 5th Baronet (1898–1934)
- Sir Robert Peel, 6th Baronet (1920–1942)
see above for further succession
Other notable members of the Peel family
Several other members of the Peel family have also gained distinction:- Sir Lawrence Peel, son of Joseph Peel, younger brother of the first Baronet, was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at Calcutta from 1842 to 1855 and was admitted to the Privy CouncilPrivy Council of the United KingdomHer Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1856. - William Yates PeelWilliam Yates PeelWilliam Yates Peel , was a British Tory politician.Peel was the second son of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, and his first wife Ellen . He was the younger brother of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, and the elder brother of Jonathan Peel. He was educated at Harrow and St John's College,...
, second son of the first Baronet, was a politician and served as Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1828 to 1830. - Jonathan PeelJonathan PeelJonathan Peel was a British soldier, Conservative politician and racehorse owner.-Background and education:...
, fifth son of the first Baronet, was a General in the Army and Conservative politician. He was Secretary of State for WarSecretary of State for WarThe position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
from 1858 to 1859 and 1866 to 1867. - Edmund Yates Peel, (son of Jonathan above), a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, who was the father of Frederick Peel, a ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Army. - Archibald Peel, (son of Jonathan above), who was the father of Edward John Russell Peel (1869–1939), a Brigadier-General in the Army,
- John Peel (1829–1892),(son of Jonathan above), a Lieutenant-General in the Army.
- Sir Charles Lennox Peel (1823–1899), Clerk of the Council, was the son of Laurence Peel, sixth son of the first Baronet.
- Sir Frederick PeelFrederick PeelSir Frederick Peel was a British Liberal Party politician.The second son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, and was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a barrister in 1849....
, second son of the second Baronet, was a politician and Chief Railway Commissioner. - Sir William Peel (1824–1858), third son of the second Baronet, was a CaptainCaptain (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. - Sidney Cornwallis PeelSir Sidney Peel, 1st BaronetThe Honourable Sir Sidney Cornwallis Peel, 1st Baronet , was a British soldier, financier and Conservative politician....
, second son of the first Viscount, sat as Member of Parliament for UxbridgeUxbridge (UK Parliament constituency)Uxbridge was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system, from 1885 until it was abolished at the 2010 general election....
and was created a Baronet in 1936 (see Peel BaronetsPeel BaronetsThere have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Peel, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....
).