Earl of Gosford
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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,...
. It was created in 1806 for Arthur Acheson, 2nd Viscount Gosford
Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford
Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford , known as The Viscount Gosford between 1790 and 1806, was an Irish peer of Scottish descent and politician.-Biography:...
. The Acheson family descends from the Scottish statesman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, who later settled in Markethill
Markethill
Markethill is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,292 people. It sits at the southern side of Gosford Forest Park...
, 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...
. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
, as a Senator of Justice
Senator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
(with the title Lord Glencairnie), as an Extraordinary Lord of Session
Extraordinary Lord of Session
Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762.When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 Ordinary Lords and three or four Extraordinary Lords. The Extraordinary Lords were nominees of the King, not...
and as Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State, Scotland
The Secretary of Scotland was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.The office appeared in the 14th century when it was combined with that of Keeper of the Privy Seal. Called Clericus Regis , he was regarded as an Officer of State...
. In 1628 he was created a Baronet, of Glencairny in the County of Armagh, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage, the second Baronet. He died married but childless at an early age and was succeeded by his half-brother, the third Baronet.
His son, the fourth Baronet, represented County Armagh in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
. On his death the title passed to his son, the fifth Baronet. He sat as Member of the Irish Parliament for Mullingar
Mullingar (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Mullingar was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1612 to 1800.-1692–1801:...
. His son, the sixth Baronet, represented Dublin University
Dublin University (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Dublin University was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1603 to 1801.-History:This university constituency was first enfranchised as a Parliamentary constituency in 1603...
and Enniskillen
Enniskillen (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Enniskillen was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Enniskillen was not represented.-1692–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons. In 1776 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Gosford, of Market Hill in the County of Armagh, and in 1785 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Gosford, of Market Hill in the County of Armagh, also in the Peerage of Ireland.
He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He sat in the Irish Parliament as the representative for Old Leighlin
Old Leighlin (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Old Leighlin was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.Following the Act of Union 1800 the borough was disfranchised.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...
from 1783 to 1790. In 1806 he was created Earl of Gosford in the Peerage of Ireland. Since then, heirs apparent to the earldom have traditionally used the invented courtesy title of Viscount Acheson. His son, the second Earl, sat on the Whig 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....
as an Irish Representative Peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
from 1811 to 1849 and served under Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
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 1834 and 1835. Between 1835 and 1838 he was Governor General of British North America
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
. Lord Gosford married Mary, daughter of Robert Sparrow of Worlingham Hall in Suffolk. In 1835 he was created Baron Worlingham, of Beccles in the County of Suffolk, 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...
, which gave him and his descendants an automatic seat in the House of Lords.
He was succeeded by his son, the third Earl. He represented County Armagh 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...
from 1831 to 1847. The latter year, two years before he succeeded his father in the earldom, he was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in his own right as Baron Acheson, of Clancairny in the County of Armagh. His son, the fourth Earl, served as Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh and was also a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fifth Earl. He was a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , 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 Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
and fought in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and in the First World War. His eldest son, the sixth Earl, sat on the 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...
benches in the House of Lords and served under Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
as a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
(government whip in the House of Lords) from 1958 to 1959. the titles are held by his only son, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 1966.
Acheson Baronets, of Glencairny (1628)
- Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet (d. 1634)
- Sir Patrick Acheson, 2nd Baronet (c. 1611–6 October 1638). Acheson was the son of Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet, by his first wife Agnes Vernor. He married Martha, daughter of William Moore, in 1634. They had no children. On his early death in 1638 the title passed to his half-brother, George Acheson.
- Sir George Acheson, 3rd Baronet (4 August 1629–1685). Acheson was the son of Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet, by his second wife Margaret Hamilton, and succeeded in the baronetcy upon the death of his half-brother in 1638. Acheson was SheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of County ArmaghCounty 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...
in 1657 and Sheriff of County TyroneCounty TyroneHistorically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
in 1657. He married firstly, Nichola Hannay, daughter of Sir Robert Hannay, 1st Baronet, on 23 January 1654. He married secondly the Hon. Margaret Caulfield (b. 1638), daughter of William Caufield, 2nd Lord Charlemont, and his wife Mary King, on 3 November 1659. Acheson died in 1685 and was succeeded by his son, Archibald. - Sir Nicholas Acheson, 4th Baronet (c. 1656–1701)
- Sir Arthur Acheson, 5th Baronet (1688–1749)
- Nicholas Acheson (c. 1716–1717)
- Sir Archibald Acheson, 6th BaronetArchibald Acheson, 1st Viscount GosfordAchibald Acheson 1st Viscount Gosford PC , known as Sir Achibald Acheson, 6th Bt from 1748 to 1776, was an Irish peer and politician.-Life:...
(1718–1790) (created Viscount Gosford in 1785)
Viscounts Gosford (1785)
- Archibald Acheson, 1st Viscount GosfordArchibald Acheson, 1st Viscount GosfordAchibald Acheson 1st Viscount Gosford PC , known as Sir Achibald Acheson, 6th Bt from 1748 to 1776, was an Irish peer and politician.-Life:...
(1718–1790) - Arthur Acheson, 2nd Viscount GosfordArthur Acheson, 1st Earl of GosfordArthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford , known as The Viscount Gosford between 1790 and 1806, was an Irish peer of Scottish descent and politician.-Biography:...
(c. 1745–1807) (created Earl of Gosford in 1806)
Earls of Gosford (1806)
- Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of GosfordArthur Acheson, 1st Earl of GosfordArthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford , known as The Viscount Gosford between 1790 and 1806, was an Irish peer of Scottish descent and politician.-Biography:...
(c. 1745–1807) - Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford GCB , styled The Honourable Archibald Acheson from 1790 to 1806 and Lord Acheson from 1806 to 1807, was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century.-Background:Born at...
(1776–1849) - Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford KP , styled Viscount Acheson between 1807 and 1849, was a British peer...
(1806–1864) - Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford KP was a British Peer. The son of Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford, he succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1864. Since there are two United Kingdom peerages subsumed in that Irish Earldom, he was entitled to an...
(1841–1922) - Archibald Charles Montagu Brabazon Acheson, 5th Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 5th Earl of GosfordArchibald Charles Montagu Brabazon Acheson, 5th Earl of Gosford , styled Viscount Acheson until 1922, was a British peer....
(1877–1954) - Archibald Alexander John Stanley Acheson, 6th Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 6th Earl of GosfordArchibald Alexander John Stanley Acheson 6th Earl of Gosford , styled Viscount Accheson until 1954, was a British Peer....
(1911–1966) - Charles David Alexander John Sparrow Acheson, 7th Earl of Gosford (b. 13 July 1942). Lord Gosford is the son of Archibald Acheson, 6th Earl of Gosford, and succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1966. He married Lynette Redmond in 1983. They have no children.
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 first cousin Nicholas Hope Carter Acheson (b. 1947). He is the eldest son of the Hon. Patrick Bernard Victor Montagu Acheson (1915–2005), second son of the fifth Earl.